“Pill King Zhen, the rising star!”

“Pill King Zhen, our biggest idol!”

“Pill King Zhen, sweeping the competition!” Different catchphrases sprouted up all around the arena. Under such an exciting atmosphere, anyone who broke the stifling silence was rewarded with a throng of followers. In that moment, at least a hundred thousand members of the audience shouted in unison. They spoke words of encouragement almost entirely in unison. The clean uniformity of the chant, coming from mouths of the hundred-thousand-strong, carried an astonishing force with it. 

It had a kind of magic to it, spreading out from the arena proper into every nook and cranny of the city’s streets. In the next moment, the entire Capital was infected by the wild fanaticism in the air. Young and old shouted with one voice from every corner. Veluriyam Capital was like a pot of boiling water. Waves of cheers passed through the air above the city again and again, scaring the birds in the trees into flight.

Jiang Chen was bewildered by the cheering crowd as he walked up the stone steps. He’d always been at the forefront of cultivating his dao heart. The fortitude...