Meanwhile, inside a sealed chamber aboard a flying boat, a woman sat in the lotus position, her figure calm and unmoving like a statue carved from jade.
The room itself was silent, isolated from the outside world by layers of restrictions that shimmered faintly along the walls.
Around her, thousands of cards floated in the air, circling slowly as if guided by an invisible current.
Each card emitted a faint glow, their edges flickering with strands of spiritual energy that intertwined like threads of fate.
"Flap!"
Without warning, the entire formation shifted.
The cards began to reshuffle, their movements accelerating as they spun around her in a widening vortex.
The air grew heavy, and the faint hum of spiritual power deepened into a low, resonating pulse.
A dozen breaths later, a single card broke away from the swirling mass and drifted toward her.
It hovered just inches from her face before flipping open.
