Chương 96: The Competition

I walked into the registration hall; it was filled with dozens of disciples waiting to register for the upcoming tournament. The noise in here was deafening. It was like a cloud of spiritual insects buzzing around.

"It looks like a big turnout," Azure said as I made my way through the crowd.

"Did you notice the way most of the teams are all looking at each other? Every team here believes they will make it to the finals." Most of the disciples were standing in small groups of 3, all of which had formed their teams for the first round, but as Azure pointed out, there was an undercurrent of stress beneath the surface. Each team was assessing the competition while also displaying their abilities. It felt like a complex dance with every team acting as both performers and audience members.

Most of these disciples had spent years studying in the sect, but when it came to cultivation, I wasn't outmatched as much as I thought I might be. A lot of them seemed to be at the fifth or sixth stage of Qi condensation.

"Those six people by the window are all at the sixth stage of Qi condensation," Azure said.

"And those four people near the registration desk are a mix, one person at the sixth stage, and two people at the fourth stage." I nodded slightly. The variety of the teams was fascinating. Some teams seemed to be organized around a very strong leader supported by much weaker followers. Other teams chose to balance their strength more equally. Suddenly, a hush went over the crowd. The focus shifted to the entrance. In walked three disciples.

One of them was a tall slender youth with sharp facial features, who strode confidently through the door. And when I sensed the aura coming off of him, I understood why he was so arrogant, he was a seventh stage cultivator.

"That is the Shadow Wraith Squad, headed by Chen Feng," someone whispered nearby.

"People say he learned to master Shadow Walking in two months."

"He's called the Ghost Step Expert because nobody can touch him."

"They say he's never lost a fight," another disciple added.

"Never had to fight," his companion corrected.

"Nobody dares try to fight what they can't hit." The whispers continued as Chen Feng made his way to the registration desk with his two sixth stage teammates. The crowd parted before them, not daring to challenge them, and who would be stupid enough to? A seventh stage leader backed by two sixth stage partners was a solid team.

"What an interesting technique choice," Azure mused.

"Shadow techniques are normally too difficult for Qi Condensation cultivators. The comprehension needed to use shadow techniques…" Before I could respond, a ripple of excitement ran through the crowd as another team appeared. This team consisted of a girl who moved with the fluidity of a water cultivator, however there was something predatory in her stride. She was also at the seventh stage, if I read her qi right.

"That is Ming Yue," someone whispered.

"They say she—""Killed three bandits with one move?" Another disciple finished the sentence.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Her whole team is dangerous. That short one is a poison master and that tall guy uses some type of sonic technique that can rupture meridian lines." I made a mental note of this information. A team focused on control and debilitating effects would be difficult to face. Ming Yue's team positioned themselves on the opposite side of the room from Chen Feng's squad. Tension was evident between the two squads, although neither acknowledged the other.

The room grew quiet once again as a third seventh-stage squad entered. This group had a completely different feel: entirely focused on work, and no showboating. The leader of this group resembled a mountain; his qi density was extremely heavy and earthy. Stolen story; please report.

"Earth Fist Liu," Azure told me after picking up on snippets of conversation happening around us.

"Close-combat specialist, and his teammates specialize in ranged attacks, one throws needles, and the other summons a spirit-beast using some sort of technique." I started to see why senior sister Liu told us about this year's competition being so tough. We would likely lose to any of these teams if we weren't careful. But nothing could prepare me for what happened next. The spiritual pressure hit me first. It was a blast of force that sent several weak disciples stumbling backward.

Three figures emerged from the doorway. Their presence created such a stir in the crowd that earlier reactions now seemed tame in comparison. The leader looked completely normal, he had average height, plain features, and simple robes. If it wasn't for the wave of power rolling off of him, I wouldn't have given him a second glance. This was none other than Yuan Zhen, an eighth stage cultivator, and apparently the favourite to win not just the first stage of the competition, but possibly the whole thing!

"They say he could've become an inner sect disciple last year…"

"He waited until this year so he could participate in the tournament with his sworn brothers…"

"No one else stands a chance…"

"Why does he have to compete in the same tournament as me?!" Whispers surrounding Yuan Zhen's team painted an image of someone destined for greatness from birth. Both of his teammates were also seventh-stage cultivators and had impressive reputations of their own. Together, they were considered nearly unbeatable at the outer-disciple level. I watched as Yuan Zhen's team walked up to the registration desk. Unlike the seventh-stage teams, they didn't show any signs of pride. They didn't need to.

The distance between seventh and eighth stages of Qi condensation was like comparing a stream to a river, you could admire both, but you'd never mistake one for the other.

"Well," I murmured, "at least we know what we're up against."

"True," Azure said dryly.

"But you don't sound worried, why is that?"

"I am worried," I admitted.

"But my team only needs to survive the first phase. Once we get past that point, it's on me to make it into the top ten."

"Only if we survive the first stage."

"You're always so optimistic." When the registration hall calmed down, it was time for me to register. The inner-disciples manning tables looked bored as they transcribed team names and member details into large ledgers.

"We need to come up with a team name," I suddenly realized as we approached the table.

"Maybe something that sounds intimidating?" Azure proposed.

"Peak Crushers? Demon Slayers? Death Lords?"

"We'd sound ridiculous," I snorted.

"Wei Lin would never let me hear the end of it if I picked something that dramatic without running it by him."

"Fair point," Azure agreed.

"Then maybe something more simple?" I thought about Wei Lin's merchant-style cultivation method, Lin Mei's love for gardening herbs, and my own complicated cultivation path. Three very different paths to cultivating, yet somehow they complemented each other nicely.

"How about 'Three Paths'?"

"Seriously?" Azure seemed unimpressed.

"That sounds almost as dull as possible."

"Because we're all traveling down different pathways that lead to the same place."

"That's surprisingly poetic," Azure admitted.

"Though it might be a bit too meaningful. Maybe something more—""It works," I countered.

"And it won't make us sound like total morons when we ultimately fail to meet expectations and have a team name like the Peak Crushers." With that decided, I reached the registration desk, and the disciple who was working there looked up at me.

"Team name and members?" she asked, quill poised above her registration scroll.

"Three Paths," I declared.

"I'm Ke Yin, and my teammates are Wei Lin and Lin Mei."

"You're all first-year disciples?" She stopped writing to look up at me with a taken aback expression.

"Do you realize that this isn't a training exercise? You could die."

"We understand." For a second, it looked like she was going to argue but then she just sighed.

"Good luck." As she was registering my team, a laugh from behind me drew my attention. I turned and saw three disciples approaching. The leader was a sixth stage cultivator, who had an excessively elaborate sword at his waist.

"First-years entering the tournament?" he chuckled and shook his head.

"The sect really needs to set higher standards than this. This is supposed to be a serious competition, not a playground for children." His teammates, who were both fifth stage, laughed on cue. I looked at them for a moment, wondering what was wrong with them. Anyone with sense should realize that a first-year disciple reaching the fifth stage of Qi Condensation wasn't normal. Either I was some kind of genius, or I had serious backing. Either way, picking a fight for no reason didn't make any sense.

"Master," Azure called out, "I think this is what humans refer to as 'begging for trouble.'

"Azure, is seeking death a cultivation requirement I missed somewhere?" I wondered back. The disciple was still talking, apparently taking my silence as fear rather than bewilderment at his life choices.

"Listen," he said, taking a step closer.

"I'm just trying to do you a favor here. The tournament is dangerous. Someone could get really hurt." The way he said it made it clear that 'someone' was me. I turned to leave. There was no point responding, I wasn't here to create trouble, and I had more important things to do than deal with whatever this was. The tournament was only eight weeks away, and I needed to— A hand grabbed my shoulder roughly from behind. My eyes narrowed.