While Qi Tian was still hesitating, figures began pushing their way out of the crowd. They were mostly the older cultivators who had been standing alone at the edges earlier, along with two youthful-looking boys.
Eighteen people in total stood in a line across the open space.
Qi Tian swept his gaze over them.
Sixteen of them looked to be in their thirties or forties. The spiritual energy within their dantians was as mixed and tangled as loose threads. At their age, unless they encountered some extraordinary opportunity, they would likely have little hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
The two younger boys were different.
One was dressed in fine robes and a jade crown, his clothes clearly expensive, with a piece of white jade hanging from his waist. Yet his face was unnaturally flushed, his aura was noticeably shallow and unstable.
One glance was enough to tell that his cultivation had been forced up through pills. Impressive on the surface, but hollow underneath.
