Snow Peak:
Ace stood atop the great gates of the sect, flanked by Grand Elder Lily, Xi Chun, and a handful of other elders.
Below, disciples lined the inner walls in awe and fear, peering over to glimpse the incoming doom.
Beyond the gate, down in the frozen basin at the foot of the mountain—
They had arrived.
The army of the Tharz Kingdom stretched like a dark tide over the snowfields.
An ocean of armor, banners, and steel. Spirit beasts roared behind the front lines, and the air itself crackled with cultivation energy.
Xi Chun clenched her fist.
"They're trying to intimidate us," she murmured.
"They're succeeding," Lily added flatly, watching the formation. "At least on the disciples."
Ace stares and simply stepped forward, calm as a man about to take a stroll.
He turned back and grinned.
"Watch this."
Without another word, he leapt from the platform.
