The banquet was to be held in the Outer Sect, but the three-storey tall dining hall was not equipped to host such a magnitude of patrons. The Sect Guardians Lei Weiyuan had entrusted with the task of organizing the banquet acted with haste, mobilizing the disciples while they scoured the Outer Sect for an alternative.

Ultimately, it was decided that the training field was the most apt, and perhaps the only venue sizable enough to host the entire strength of the Sacred Flame Palace. Hundreds of disciples swept the field, clearing it of weights, static targets, blunt weapons, training dummies and other random paraphernalia that had found its way to the training field over the years.

The dry, cracked earth beneath the disciples feet now looked far more conspicuous after the land was stripped off all the equipment that it had amassed over the years. The Boundary of Purification running beneath the Sacred Flame Palace meant that any moisture in the soil would instantly evaporate, leading to desertification within the Sacred Flame Palace and its immediate vicinity.

Plush carpets were rolled out by disciples in groups of ones and twos, superhuman speed and agility allowing them to cover the entire region in a matter of minutes. Long wooden tables were brought from the Dining Hall, and when those alone would not suffice, procured from other Halls. Within an hour, five rows of long tables running parallel to each other stretched out from one end of the training field to the other. At the head of the arrangement, a particularly eyecatching amber colored table with golden embellishments rested upon a dais, placed horizontally to allow an eagle’s eye view of the entire banquet.

All this was accomplished in an hour’s time, displaying the frightening efficiency of cultivators when directed to mundane tasks.

It would be an understatement to say that large scale celebrations were uncommon amongst cultivator sects. Usually, the further a cultivator advanced on the path to power, the more they would lose touch with their mortal side— time no longer held the same meaning for them, and those who could not keep up with their cultivation pace would ultimately become but a memory; for time did not operate on the same scale for those separated by stages of cultivation.

Any Elder of the Sacred Flame Palace had likely seen companions, lovers and even family snatched away by time, while they remained relatively untouched by its influence.

Thus, it was no wonder that powerful cultivators lived rather solitary, reserved lives and those traits were passed down to disciples who looked up to them as role models, leading to the creation of an extremely rigid society. Only they did not know of and could not understand, the pain and loss the ‘aloof’ facade that powerful cultivators projected, concealed.

When Yao Shen arrived at the banquet, he could not help but be surprised at the sheer number of disciples in attendance. Cultivators usually did not amass in such large gatherings unless they were mobilizing for large-scale combat, and the Azlak Plains had not seen war for centuries now.

Such a large gathering reminded Yao Shen of state fairs back on Earth, as old, pleasant memories bubbled up to the forefront of his consciousness— he remembered the seemingly endless throng of people that were dressed in colorful outfits, small children running around with gleeful expressions without a care in the world and the plethora of sweet and savory delights whose pervasive aroma was a persistent accompaniment to the state fair experience.

Earth had invented many festivals that had originally served different purposes, but over time, had evolved to become celebrations of life. Mortals on Ionea too had their own harvest festivals, one of which Yao Shen had himself attended before when he was in disguise, but the cultivators…. had none.

Flame Patriarch Lei Weiyuan and Earth Patriarch Kang Long took their seats on his either side, before the Elders began to fill in the remaining seats on the amber long table.

The murmurring of the disciples died down with his arrival, their attention slowly shifting to him. In that moment, he was the sole focus of the gazes of thousands of disciples and hundreds of guardians— some watching him with caution and suspicion, some others with trepidation and even fear, while a few looked on with veiled anger and even resentment.

Yao Shen took a sip of spiritual wine from his goblet, the strong, fruity liquid rushing down his throat and providing a small burst of vitality, before he stood up to address the Sacred Flame Palace.

“Disciples and Guardians of the Flame Division,” His qi-empowered voice echoed forth, loud enough that even those seated at the very end of the training field could hear him clearly.

Yao Shen saw a few disciples wince at being addressed as the ‘Flame Division’, but it was necessary to reinforce his authority.

“The history of the Azlak Plain is a long and contentious one…,” Yao Shen’s words were spoken with a gravitas that befitted his station. “...And I do not expect mere words alone to move your hearts, the same way if our positions were reversed, I would not put my faith in one aligned against my sect not too long ago.”

This time, there was a far stronger reaction from the audience— one of surprise, even astonishment, for no one present had expected Yao Shen to address the elephant in the room directly.

“The past, our past, is part of what defines us as a cultivator. It is both what unites us, as members of the Righteous Path, and what divides us, by the color of our robes. Each of us carries our own pasts, replete with our cherished memories, our accomplishments and our triumphs… but….. let us not forget our missteps, our failures and our regrets, as much as some of us may wish to. Tonight, cultivators of the Flame Division, I ask a favor of you,” Yao Shen’s words may not be enough to move the crowd, but it did make them fall into an introspective silence.

Yao Shen had not attempted to imbue his words with emotions to accentuate the speech’s impact, partly because influencing such a large crowd was beyond his abilities. In truth though, even if he had the capability to do so… he wouldn’t.

Simply because he didn’t need to.

“On this night, let our pasts not be the only thing that defines us. For the river of time flows in one direction, and that is forward. The ideal past will forever remain an ideal, but the future is something we can yet shape. Let this day be a celebration, as on this day the cultivators of the Azlak Plains stand together as one, united whole….” Yao Shen paused, raising the goblet of wine aloft with his right hand.

“On that note, I raise a toast to Flame Patriarch Lei Weiyuan and to the future prosperity of the Flame Division. Let the banquet commence!”

His words served as the signal, as dozens of disciples dressed in azure robes exited a row of tents, each of them carrying large platters laden with cuts of spiritual beast meat, half a dozen different types of flatbreads, a few different offerings of curries, broths, soups and more.Immediately behind them were disciples in fiery red robes that offered a different selection of dishes.

That night, spiritual wine was offered to disciples who could normally never afford it. The taps did not stop flowing, and the Heavenly Sky Sect had provided what seemed to be a neverending supply of spiritual beast meat.

Many disciples recalled releasing sighs of relief that night, sighs they themselves didn’t realize they were holding. A reprieve from the gruelling routines they followed released months of tension, and that night many uptight cultivators who would normally be considered antagonistic and irate, smiled and even… laughed, drunk of spiritual wine.

That night, despite the banquet being thrown by one they considered an enemy, the disciples of the Flame Division slept a little easier.