Within the Central Continent's barrier wall.
"Move, move quickly!"
"Keep up, don't fall behind no matter what!"
A group of Gu Masters from the Western Desert shouted as they sprinted at full speed.
Behind them, the earth cracked open like the maw of some enormous beast, eager to devour the living.
"Aaaah—!"
"Someone, help me!!"
Amid screams of agony, a small cluster of people at the rear of the procession tumbled into the crevasse. Most would be smashed to pieces on the way down. Even those lucky enough to survive the fall would face grim odds.
"Dad, I can't hold on much longer!" Zhang Ping was still a youth, having only recently advanced to a Second Transformation Gu Master. His face was twisted with panic, and the True Essence inside his Empty Orifice had been drained bone-dry.
"This is bad." Zhang Quan was a Third Transformation Gu Master, drenched in sweat from head to toe. He had pushed himself to the limit, pouring his power into a killing move that not only propelled himself but also carried his son Zhang Ping along at breakneck speed.
If Zhang Ping ran out of True Essence entirely, the killing move Zhang Quan had placed on him would become useless. At that point, Zhang Ping's speed would plummet, and Zhang Quan would be powerless to do anything but watch his own flesh and blood plunge into a bottomless abyss.
"What do I do?" Zhang Quan was helpless, consumed by anxiety.
Deep in his heart, he was wracked with regret. Had he known it would come to this, he never would have brought his son along to the Central Continent's Gu Refining Grand Assembly!
He had seen the talent his son possessed in the Dao of Refining and wanted to bring him along to broaden his horizons, to hone his abilities. Who could have predicted that they would encounter a tectonic upheaval while crossing the barrier wall?
Just as Zhang Quan and Zhang Ping were on the verge of despair, the world before their eyes suddenly cleared.
Zhang Quan blinked, then realized they had already passed through the Central Continent's barrier wall and officially entered the Central Continent.
The tectonic tremors were erratic. Beyond creating crevasses and churning up vast quantities of Gu materials and Gu Insects, the quakes had also caused the barrier walls between the five domains to steadily shrink. Now, the time needed for a Gu Master to cross the barrier between two domains was less than half of what it used to be.
"But what good does that do me?" Zhang Quan let out a heavy sigh.
Zhang Ping had completely exhausted both his True Essence and his physical stamina, leaving Zhang Quan no choice but to carry him on his back. But doing so caused both of their speeds to drop sharply, and the crevasse was closing in fast beneath their feet.
At the critical moment, a strange, brilliant light suddenly erupted, enveloping the surviving Gu Masters and lifting them high into the sky.
The crevasse continued to tear open below them, and before long a bottomless chasm had formed directly underneath.
Only after they were set down gently on the edge of the crevasse did the strange light gradually fade.
"What just happened?"
"Who saved us?"
"Such an inconceivable feat—saving all of us in an instant—that had to be a Gu Immortal!"
The Gu Masters, having narrowly escaped death, were euphoric, buzzing with excited chatter.
High above in the sky, far beyond what they could perceive, a Gu Immortal from Spirit Butterfly Valley withdrew his gaze from the group of survivors, a benevolent smile on his face.
The Gu Immortal flew off swiftly to resume his patrol.
The Central Continent's Gu Refining Grand Assembly had already begun, and over the past few days, throngs of Gu Masters had been arriving one after another from the other four domains.
This Gu Immortal was a member of the Central Continent's Ten Great Ancient Sects. He had received a mandatory sect assignment ordering him to patrol this region and prevent any Demonic Path troublemakers from causing incidents.
He was far from the only one with this assignment. Numerous other Gu Immortal patrols were active as well. Most came from the Ten Great Ancient Sects, though some belonged to other sects. There were also slave Gu Immortals who had been subjugated by the Ten Great Ancient Sects, and a number of independent Gu Immortals sympathetic to their cause.
This time, the Heavenly Court was hosting the Central Continent's Gu Refining Grand Assembly with a level of security and vigilance that was truly unprecedented.
Zhang Quan and Zhang Ping's group had been fortunate enough to receive a Gu Immortal's intervention, narrowly escaping with their lives.
After officially entering the Central Continent, they rested briefly before heading to the nearest registration point.
Registration sites for the Grand Assembly were plentiful, distributed evenly across the continent.
A few days later, Zhang Quan, Zhang Ping, and a number of like-minded Gu Masters arrived at the Scorpion Needle Sect.
This sect was a minor power at best, specializing in the breeding and use of Scorpion-shaped Gu Insects. The most famous among them was the Scorpion Needle Gu—an offensive-type Gu Insect that, once activated, could launch needle-like projectiles with terrifying speed, sharpness, and venom. Not an enemy to be trifled with.
The Scorpion Needle Sect had already made all the necessary preparations.
When Zhang Quan and Zhang Ping walked into the registration hall, they found it packed nearly to bursting with people.
The majority were local Central Continent residents, though a small portion hailed from the Western Desert, just like them.
The Scorpion Needle Sect's location bordered the Western Desert, so Western Desert Gu Masters frequently came here to register.
The Grand Assembly attracted countless Gu Masters eager to participate. Every iteration was a spectacle of this magnitude.
Following standard procedure, Zhang Quan and Zhang Ping were escorted into a side hall to undergo an assessment.
The exam consisted of only four questions. They weren't easy, but they weren't particularly grueling either, covering the foundational techniques of Gu Refining. Any Gu Master with some practical experience could generally pass, while those who had faked their way in would be filtered out, saving everyone the waste of time and resources.
Zhang Quan and Zhang Ping, unsurprisingly, both passed the assessment and successfully completed their registration.