Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Five: The Sect Competition (Part One)

Two days later, the sect’s grand tournament began. Gu Mingxi arrived at the sect’s main plaza right on time, neither too early nor too late.

The tournament schedules were staggered for different cultivation stages, starting with the Qi Condensation stage, followed by Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and finally, the Nascent Soul stage. As Gu Mingxi reached the plaza, she was struck by the sheer number of disciples gathered to register. None of the new disciples from her intake had achieved a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment within those three years. With over four hundred new recruits from three years ago and the existing disciples still at the Qi Condensation stage, the total number of participants reached nearly two thousand.

One might wonder why even those at the early stages of Qi Condensation dared to participate. The reason was simple: the matches were not life-or-death, and there was no danger to one's life. Participating offered a risk-free way to gain combat experience—why pass that up? Normally, Qi Condensation disciples were not allowed to leave the sect for training; they were restricted to performing tasks in the back mountains or hunting spirit beasts. However, combat against beasts was unreliable, as it differed significantly from fighting humans. Beasts often acted on instinct, whereas humans possessed intellect and used ever-changing, unpredictable techniques. To truly improve, one had to face other people.

Beyond the experience, there was a more tangible incentive: the sect offered fifty contribution points to every participant, regardless of win or loss. For an outer disciple, fifty points was a significant sum. They usually had to grind for long hours on minor tasks to earn a mere ten or fifteen points. With fifty points practically handed to them for showing up, almost every eligible disciple took part. While the lower-level disciples were motivated by these points, the more advanced ones were there to hone their skills.

These rewards were disbursed promptly after the tournament; participants simply needed to present their identity tokens at the administration office. For those who reached the top ten, the sect provided magical artifacts from the Treasure Pavilion. While someone like Gu Mingxi or Gu Mingyue—hailing from prestigious clans with ample resources—might not find these artifacts particularly impressive, for disciples lacking such support, they were precious treasures.

Most importantly, the top one hundred finishers in the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment categories would earn entry into the Purple Cloud Secret Realm. Everyone knew the value of that opportunity, driving the disciples to compete fiercely for those spots.

Upon arriving, Gu Mingxi did not see Gu Mingyue, so she simply waited in place. Once all participants had gathered, an elder announced the rules. The tournament would consist of three rounds.

The first was a fifty-person melee, a chaotic "battle royale" designed to filter out the crowd. Participants were divided among forty stages, with only ten remaining on each by the end of the round. This was an efficient way to clear out the weaker competitors and isolate the high-level talents. Of course, it was not strictly about cultivation; a bit of luck could keep a lower-level disciple on the stage—and after all, luck was considered a part of one's strength, or so they said.

Gu Mingxi had been assigned to the twelfth stage, holding token number 888. With her cultivation at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, and wearing the robes denoting her status as a personal disciple, no one dared to challenge her. She raised an eyebrow, content to stand back and watch the chaos unfold. Soon, the stage was decided; the ten survivors were all at the late stage of Qi Condensation, with the lowest being at the eighth level. After the first round, the field was narrowed from two thousand to four hundred.

The second round was a king-of-the-hill style format across twenty arenas. Participants could choose to hold a stage or challenge the current defender. To advance, a defender had to hold their position for one hour and defeat at least five challengers. If a defender was knocked off, they had to move to another stage and start over. If a participant was knocked off the stage twice, they were disqualified, and repeat duels against the same opponent were prohibited.

The rules were fair, emphasizing raw ability. Stronger disciples moved to the next round quickly, while the weak were eliminated. However, it wasn't just about winning five matches; the one-hour duration requirement meant that even if a strong defender defeated five opponents quickly, they had to continue defending against new challengers for the remainder of the time. This ensured that weaker disciples had a chance to gain experience while forcing the strong to prove their endurance.