"True. Could be bad dreams. Or he just does not like one speaking about the sister in white...." Nti Anem said and the air around Edward dropped to freezing temperatures..."

"Aya! He is actually responding in his sleep?" Tie Nse and Nti Anem retreated quickly to a safe distance.

"I see..." Nti Anem said solemnly.

"What?.. What do you see?" Tie Nse asked.

"He is your disciple, figure it out." he responded and left quickly.

"Disciple? This boy never cared to bow to me!" Tie Nse complained.

Ed slept for five days, only waking up the day the light realm was to open. This worried Tie Nse, that he may not wake up in time to enter the light realm. His worry disappeared when Ed's door opened and he stepped out into courtyard as the sun peaked from the horizon.

"Good, you are awake. If you slept any longer, I would have taken you there and thrown you into the light realm to sleep more." Tie Nse said.

"What day is today?" Ed asked.

"The day you enter the light realm. It opens in a few hours. No matter, relax. We will be leaving soon." Tie Nse said.

"I slept that long?" Ed asked, then looked at himself carefully. He rotated the energy in his core only to find out it no more felt the same.

"That stupid rock is heavy, it's understandable." Tie Nse said.

"You broke threw into a new stage." Nti Anem said, emerging from his room. To this, Tie Nse paused, but no look of surprise entered his eyes.

"How does it feel?" he asked Ed.

"This is the spirit merging stage?" Ed asked, "How?"

"That is a strange rock." was all Tie Nse said, "We must leave. The light realm table is a while away. One can only teleport there at close range. When we are thirty minutes away, only then can we use an array. We will meet up with Old Iba on the way."

The Light realm table is a large slab of black iron stone suspended fifty thousand feet above the pine plains, thousands of kilometres from desolate city. If one looked in the direction of the light realm table as the sun rose, or see high into the clouds, one could see the crackling of light one after the other and think it a display of tiny streaks of lightening on the table. But it was in fact, teleportation arrays crackling to life.

From each array, stepped out thousands of cultivators, all with their heads held high as they stepped unto the light realm table. But these were just smaller sects and factions. The nine powers were yet to arrive, nor the hidden powers of the realms. One would think it was not easy for small powers to gain entrance into the light realm, but it was easy. They just needed to have the ability to employ high ranking cultivators to fill up their one-three-six tree. Many smaller powers would come together for the opportunity to send their disciples into the light realm. The table was bustling with cultivators of different calibres. All those representing their one-three-six tree had to be present with their disciples.

Soon, larger powers started arriving, causing those around to jump into excited discussions.

"Old man Ubue and Madam Ge teamed up to send people in?" someone said.

"Isn't that Me Tie behind them? I heard he has been training with Old Man Ubue for a while now."

"The dark Valley is here!" someone said. At this, hooded people stepped out of an array, faces hidden under their cloaks.

One by one, different powers arrived. Many looked upon their idols in wonder, their enemies in anger and their rivals, with scorn. This was normal, as many disciples would clash with one another on the way to the top.

"The five great sects!" someone exclaimed at the new groups that just stepped out of their portal. No matter how powerful one was, distinguished one seemed or proud one was of their different clans, groups and sects, they knew they were nothing compared to the nine powers... or better yet, eight powers.

"It's the spirit lantern's veiled ones." a young man drooled at the veiled girls behind the spirit lantern's lady Asin. Though there were many beautiful disciples and elders behind the sect leader, these mysteriously veiled girls held the attention of drooling men and anger of envious girls. It was said that one look at the veiled ones and a man would be trapped, tied to their will for a thousand years. This knowledge did nothing to stop the men from wondering at what could be under the veil.

"The Heaven sect has arrived!" someone exclaimed and all attention moved to those stepping out of an array.