Li Yuan's return to the sect was a silent affair. And he was being quite literal with that statement.

  Because in his brief absence, it seemed that most of the disciple within the Outer Sect seemed to have packed up and left. He had not seen a single outer court disciple ever since he entered through the Sect Gates.

  It made the place feel quite eery and filled him with a sense of foreboding as he passed through many places in the sect that were usually crowded with disciples. To see those places so quiet and empty was nerve wrecking.

  Even the many servant disciples that usually dotted these places were missing.

  Only the small fact that his halo remained completely white this entire time gave him a small sense of relief. He exhaled once and continued forward.

  At the fork leading toward the market district, he finally spotted someone. An outer disciple sprinting uphill in great hurry.

  "Hey." Li Yuan stepped into his path.

  The older boy nearly collided with him and stumbled back. "Junior Brother! Don't block the way. I'm already late enough as it is."

  "Late for what?"

  The boy blinked and then did a double take, looking at him as if he was looking at some sort of alien creature. "You don't know? How do you not know?"

  Li Yuan stared at him. "Just tell me what's going on."

  "It's the Outer Sect Tournament! Everyone's at the arena! Now move! I'm already late!"

  The older boy didn't wait for a response. He darted around Li Yuan and kept running.

  Li Yuan stood still for a moment. 'So that's why.' He thought, suddenly remembering this event that took place every year.

  He had heard of it before. Or, to be more exact, the previous owner of this body had heard of it. Mostly because he had been looking for ways in which Outer Sect Disciples could join the Inner Sect.

  From what he'd gather, it was a yearly tournament, held once per year by one of the peaks within the Nine Peak Sect. As the name of the sect suggested, there were nine peaks, so each one of the peak rotated once every nine year.

  Not all the tournaments were the same. As the Alchemist Peak held a tournament that was focused on a disciple's Alchemy achievements. While the Formation Peak held tournament regarding formations.

  The number of Inner Sect spots available is also said to fluctuate quite randomly. With the Alchemist Peak taking in as many talented disciples as they could. While the Snow Peak, led by Nascent Soul Elder Wu Yuechan only offers a single spot.

  Back when Li Yuan had first heard of this tournament, he had decided to reach at least the Peak of Qi Gathering before deciding to try his luck. Mostly because of how violent these tournaments tended to be.

  Death, dismemberment and crippling of the participants was not a common outcome, but they weren't rare either.

  After all, there were more than ten thousand outer sect disciples in the Nine Peak Sect.

  Even if only a fraction participated, the number still reached into the hundreds. Hundreds of Qi Condensation cultivators fighting for a rather limited number of spots.

  He turned his gaze toward the peak where the outer sect disciple had rushed off toward. And now that he was thinking with a calmer mind, he used his Spirit Residue Following Technique, and was able to see the Qi signatures of thousands of disciples going in the same direction.

  The Sword Peak.

  'Should I go and take part as well?' He wondered, feeling rather unsure about the whole thing. Especially since with his improved talent, he could simply cultivate at his current pace and he would be able to enter the Inner Sect without any hassle once he reaches Foundation Establishment.

  After all, reaching Foundation Establishment before eighteen was the second of the three paths available to Outer Sect Disciples to join the Inner sect.

  The first method was showing immense talent at the Sect Entrance Ceremony and getting plucked immediately by the elders.

  It goes without saying that original Li Yuan's talent had not been anywhere near enough to join the Inner Sect via this route.

  The third and final method of joining the Inner Sect was the Tournament itself.

  The original Li Yuan had very little hope of reaching Foundation Establishment Realm before the age of eighteen. After all, as one progresses through the minor stages in Qi Condensation realm, it starts taking longer and longer to cultivate to the next minor realm.

  The time difference becomes so large, in fact, that breaking through from 9th to 10th stage of Qi Condensation was said to take four times as much time as breaking through 1st to 2nd stage takes.

  So just because Li Yuan had gone from 1st stage to the 3rd Stage of Qi Condensation in one year was no indication that he would break through to Foundation Establishment before age 18. The complete opposite in fact.

  The worst part was that even if Li Yuan had somehow managed to break through to the peak of Qi Condensation before age 18. He would still he stymied by the lack of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

  After all, pills like those were incredibly rare. And there was no guarantee that they would appear in the auction house in Redleaf Prefecture every year. And even if they did, it was a matter of chance whether his family would've been able to successfully bid for it for not.

  Many geniuses died ordinary because they couldn't cross that single step. Not due to a lack of talent. But because of a lack of resources. Or merely a case of bad luck.

  Li Yuan was not facing such a dilemma. Not anymore. In fact, if he cultivated seriously, he had no doubt that he would be able to break through to Foundation Establishment within a single year. No. Within half a year.

  So technically, there was really no need for him to put himself at risk by taking part in this tournament. There was no logical reason for him to do this.

  But… he wanted to.

  He wanted to set himself against the other talented disciples in the sect. And see how well he fared.

  So far, he had only ever been challenged by Spirit Beasts. And the few disciples he faced were not exactly the cream of the crop.

  Yes, he had killed Shu Dong who had previously been in the Inner sect disciple. But it wasn't really a fight as much as it was the assassination of a half crippled dude.

  Most importantly, his visit to the Outer Belt of the Forbidden Forest had done quite a number on his original confidence. And he wanted to see if his confidence had been earned. Or if he had truly been a frog in the well. A weakling who thought himself strong just because he had never faced a proper opponent.

  So. Despite being physically and mentally exhausted due to the long journey back home from the Outer Belt, he turned toward the Sword Peak, and broke into a run.

  By the time he reached the arena entrance, the noise had grown into a thunderous wave.

  Over ten thousand outer disciples, and almost ten times that number of Servant Disciples sat around in a giant stadium. While at the very centre, five battle platforms stood elevated above the ground.

  Already, four matches were underway. He studied those matches carefully for a moment, watching as Qi techniques collided mid-air in violent bursts. One disciple was sent skidding across the stone floor, coughing blood as the referee stepped in and announced the victor.

  After watching for another moment, he decided to go ahead and register himself as well.

  —————

  "You're late." The Inner Sect disciple said. Not even bothering to look up when he revealed his intention to register his name. He sat behind a long wooden table beneath a silk canopy, brush moving lazily over a scroll filled with names. "Registration closed a while ago."

  "I know." Li Yuan said, not arguing on the point. He simply reached into his storage pouch and placed a Crystal on the table. The crystal was the size of a fist, it was translucent in colour with three distinct flames—red, gold, and faint violet—frozen mid-flicker within its core.

  A Three-Colour Flame Crystal that he had found while travelling through the desert in the Outer Belt.

  Apparently, it forms from a Tribulation Lightning. When the lightning strikes the ground and turns sand into hyper dense glass. Why it showed three colours in the shape of a flame if that were the case? He had no idea. Not did he truly care to know.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  The crystal itself was of no use to him. But he knew that it could sell for thousands of spirit stones in the market.

  The Inner Sect disciple's brush stopped mid-stroke and he gazed at the crystal in silence. After a long moment, the disciple finally accepted the crystal.

  He then dipped his brush in the ink pot.

  "Name?"

  "Li Yuan." He said quietly.

  "Cultivation level?"

  "7th Stage of Qi Condensation."

  The Inner disciple hummed. "You're only allowed to use a sword or a sword-like weapon in the matches. And you're prohibited from using a talisman, artefact or any other items with offensive or defensive properties. Is that understood."

  "Yes, Senior Brother."

  The disciple nodded and handed him a token with the number 816 on it. "The fights are to the death. Or unless your opponent surrenders. In case where your opponent does surrender, you're to stop your attack. If you kill or severely injure your opponent after he or she has surrendered, then you'll be disqualified from the tournament. Is that understood?"

  "Understood."

  Around them, the noise of the arena roared on.

  "Your match will be near the end," the disciple said. "Now go and sit with the other participants and wait."

  Li Yuan nodded. Then, instead of leaving, he placed a small pouch onto the table. The soft clink of low-grade spirit stones was unmistakable.

  This time, the disciple didn't even pretend to hesitate. The pouch vanished into his sleeve.

  "What do you want to know?" The disciple asked, tone turning almost conversational.

  "Everything you can tell me about this tournament."

  The disciple leaned back slightly, placing his brush aside and finally looking up at him. "There's not much to know. Over eight hundred outer sect disciples have decided to participate this year. And the elders decided only one hundred will advance to the second stage. So that's how it'll be."

  Li Yuan nodded, listening carefully.

  "There will be 3 elimination rounds. The number of the participants will be halved after each round. From 400 to 200 to finally 100."

  "And after that?" He asked.

  "After that, you move on to the 2nd stage of the Tournament. Which no one but the elders know about." The disciple gave a slight shrug.

  Li Yuan's eyes flicked briefly toward the arena where a disciple was sent crashing off a platform in a spray of blood. His arm hanging loosely from his shoulder by a thread of flesh.

  "Anything else?" He asked.

  The disciple was silent for a moment before he spoke up once again. "The Sword Peak has opened five spots this year. In theory at least. In practice, most of the disciples are fighting for two spots."

  "Why is that?"

  The disciple gave him a look as if wondering if he was an idiot. Then, he pointed in the distance, toward where the participants were sitting. And he noticed three participants sitting apart from the crowd. Looking almost bored in sharp contrast to the other participants who looked nervous or determined.

  "Because three of the Outer Sect Disciples taking part this year are Foundation Establishment Cultivators. So it's a foregone conclusion that they'll take three of those spots. Because of that, the Qi Condensation cultivators could only fight for the remaining two spots."

  He nodded. He had personally never fought a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or a 2nd Grade Spirit Beast. But from what he had heard, the difference in strength between a Qi Condensation Cultivator and a Foundation Establishment expert was like that of a child and an adult.

  And that was just in strength. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were also faster, with a far better reaction time. Plus, their vitality is also far above that of Qi Condensation cultivators.

  All in all, in a fight between a Qi Condensation cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the end result was usually a foregone conclusion.

  Unless, of course, the underdog happened to be a xianxia protagonist.

  Or in his case, someone who stole the cheat ability of a xianxia protagonist.

  "Thanks for the information." He said and walked off to join the other participants.

  Hours passed. And the number of participants continued to go down with each passing match.

  Sunlight shifted across the mountain, painting the arena in a gold hue and long shadows as Dusk fell. But the matches continued as before.

  Names were called. Victors stood while the defeated were dragged away, or staggered off on their own. Until finally—

  "Li Yuan!"

  His name echoed across the arena.

  He stepped forward and with a light push of his foot, he leapt onto the flying platform. His robes fluttered once before settling.

  Across from him stood a broad-shouldered disciple with a scar cutting across his jaw. The man must've been in his late twenties. And judging by the energy emanating from him, he was at the last stage of Qi Condensation. Likely one or two minor real above his own.

  "I've waited the entire day for this." the opponent said, rolling his shoulders with a sharp grin. "Don't lose too quickly."

  Li Yuan rested his hand on his sword hilt. His halo remained white. So that was a good indication that he wasn't going to die. Not that he ever thought he would. Not so early in the Tournament, and not against an opponent like this.

  He met the man's gaze. "The same goes for you."

  Then, the referee ordered for the match to begin, and the bell rang.

  His opponent moved first. His large form rushed through the ground with heavy steps, his stance open wide as he raised his sword in a standard opening strike.

  Li Yuan stepped in to meet him with his own sword. Steel met steel—

  —and his brows nearly twitched.

  Slow. And weak.

  Not just physically. There was also something lacking about his opponent's swordsmanship. As if he wasn't completely sure about his strikes. It took him a moment to realise that what was lacking was intent. The swordsman in from of him lacked sword intent.

  He hadn't even known he could feel such a thing.

  His opponent seemed a bit surprised that he managed to block him so easily and swung again, from a different angle this time. And his disappointment grew.

  Not only was his opponent slow but his angles was also telegraphed. Plus, the weight distribution was flawed, not even able to make proper use of what little strength he truly had.

  Li Yuan parried lightly.

  The impact ran up his arm, but it carried none of the bone-rattling force he had grown used to in the Forbidden Forest. No overwhelming physicality like a Stoneback Horned Lizard. No savage killing intent like a Blackflame Horned Tiger lunging for his throat.

  They clashed again, and again.

  Within three exchanges, he had already taken a measure of his opponent's abilities.

  Strength—comparable to a mid stage Spirit Beast. Even lower, due to his inability to put that strength behind his blows.

  Speed—comparable to an early stage Spirit Beast.

  As for his Technique—

  His opponent shifted into a sword art, blade tracing a diagonal arc meant to force him back.

  Li Yuan deflected and slid aside, watching carefully.

  The transitions were stiff. The footwork lacked cohesion. The Qi flow through the meridians was uneven.

  Moderate Accomplishment at best. Maybe not even that.

  The faint nervousness and expectations he had felt toward this battle was slowly replaced by a heavy disappointment.

  'Are all the cultivators this bad?' He wondered 'Or was this guy also the bottom of the barrel, like most others.'

  Maybe it wasn't even his opponent's fault.

  He had spent months hunting late-stage and peak-stage spirit beasts. Creatures whose raw physique far exceeded cultivators at the same realm. Fighting them was no joke, and single mistake could lead to heavy injuries or even death.

  And worse—

  He had no real baseline for other cultivators. The only standard he possessed was himself.

  And thanks to the Stele, even his lowest-tier techniques had reached Major Accomplishment. And his Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword Technique stood at Complete Perfection.

  A level most outer disciples might never reach in their lifetime.

  Yes, his opponent was older than him. But most of that extra time had likely gone into cultivation. Or doing sect tasks to gather resources for that cultivation. Only a fraction of his time must've been spent in practicing sword techniques and what not.

  'Are other cultivators also like this?' He wondered.

  He knew that the Stele was a bullshit cheat. Letting him fight far above his level thanks to his improved skills. But he had not realised the magnitude of it till this very moment. Not comprehended how much of a monster he had likely become in the eyes of the other outer sect disciples.

  They clashed again. And this time, he stopped holding back and used more of his strength, overpowering his opponent and pushing him back.

  Li Yuan's mind drifted unexpectedly as this fight started to remind him of a situation he'd faced beforehand.

  Counter Strike.

  In his past life, he used to play this game offline. And had slowly climbed from Easy Difficulty to Expert over a period of months. At the highest Difficulty, the game was brutal. The delay of a fraction of a second meant a headshot. A single mistake meant death.

  Then one day, out of boredom, he returned back to the Easy Difficulty.

  He remembered the feeling vividly.

  He mowed down the enemy like he was Rambo. Getting Aces in almost every match as he slaughtered them before they could fire a single bullet in his direction.

  Surprisingly, none of his victories had brought him much joy because of how lacking his bot opponents were.

  The present snapped back into focus as his opponent executed a swift forward thrust. Trying to catch him off guard.

  So predictable.

  Li Yuan sidestepped, pivoted, and let his blade slide along the other's. He felt it instantly… the imbalance in grip.

  His disappointment reached his peak and he sighed. The battle was not going to teach him anything.

  His wrist flicked. A sharp, precise strike at the junction of guard and the blade, and with a loud clang, the opponent's sword left his grip. It spun in the air a few times, then clattered off the edge of the floating platform.

  Li Yuan's blade stopped an inch from the man's throat.

  His opponent stared at his empty hand, as if not having expected this outcome at all. Then at the cold steel hovering before his neck.

  The man's shoulders sagged slightly. "…I concede."

  The referee stepped forward immediately.

  "Victory—Li Yuan!"

  Applause scattered through the stands, polite but otherwise unremarkable. After all, this was just one match among hundreds. And not entertaining enough to stand out.

  Li Yuan withdrew his sword, turned and jumped down the floating platform without further ceremony. His heart filled with disappointment, and a slow realisation that he might not face much of a challenge in this tournament.

  At least it restored some of his earlier shattered confidence. Which was… something. He supposed.

  —————

  He had expected the elders to call it a day after sunset. To continue the remaining matches tomorrow morning.

  They didn't.

  Instead, servants moved along the perimeter of the arena and began activating giant spirit lamps—towering bronze pillars inlaid with luminous crystals.

  One by one, they flared to life. And White-gold light flooded the stadium, making the floating platforms shine as if it was daylight.

  And so, the tournament continued.

  Li Yuan leaned back against his stone chair and watched the matches. Then, he turned his gaze toward the audience.

  To his mild surprise, most of the audience remained. Servant disciples moving through the stands to sell snacks and drinks. If anything, the disciples watching from the stands seemed to have become even more excited and animated as the tournament progressed.

  He even noticed some inner disciples lingering above, below the VIP rooms that was reserved for the elders. Arms folded as they observed the competitors like hawk.

  It took him a moment to guess why. For them, this wasn't mere entertainment like it was for the outer and servant disciples. To them, it was recruitment. They wanted to pay attention to the competitors in case they missed a talented seedling by chance.

  The air grew colder as night deepened. And the roar of the crowd ebbed and surged with each match.

  Hours passed. And it was not until midnight that his name was finally called once again.

  "Li Yuan!"

  He pushed off the chair and stepped forward before jumping onto the platform. His opponent was already waiting for him at the centre.

  This opponent was even older than the previous one. In his early forties, with a weathered face. The man didn't look impressive by any measure but his stance was solid and he held his sword with great familiarity.

  From the little energy he could sense leaking from his opponent, he judged the guy to be at Peak Qi Condensation stage.

  Their eyes met and the man gave him a small, respectful nod. "Let's give this our best."

  Li Yuan inclined his head slightly and raised his sword.

  The referee signalled.

  The man moved first, but unlike the previous opponent, there was no wasted motion. His opening strike was clean. And the Qi in his blade was stable and controlled.

  Li Yuan parried and felt the difference immediately.

  This opponent was actually skilled. And didn't rely overly on his brute strength to follow him through. He was experienced as well, having honed his sword technique through countless matches before.

  Steel clashed in a rapid exchange. They clashed Three, five, eight times in quick succession. The older disciple transitioned smoothly between forms, adjusting angles mid-swing. His footwork forced Li Yuan back for once. Putting him on the defence.

  Better.

  Much better.

  The man shifted into a full sword technique, blade humming faintly as Qi surged through it. A crescent-shaped arc of compressed force swept toward Li Yuan's shoulder.

  Li Yuan stepped inside the arc rather than retreating. Their swords collided again. And for several more exchanges, he measured his opponent carefully.

  This guy was really experienced and had solid fundamentals. If he had been born with more talent, and given more resources early on in his life. Perhaps—

  But the sad thing about this world was that talent and a wealthy background mattered far more than hard work.

  There were no Rock Lees or Might Guys in this world.

  At least, Li Yuan had never seen or heard of such people.

  A minute passed. Then… he lost interest. He had seen everything he needed to see. The man was skilled, and experienced, yes. Maybe if his opponent had not faced him, he could've had a chance to take one of those two positions. But it was simply the man's misfortune to have faced him here and now.

  The man lunged again, committing to a forward thrust meant to end the exchange decisively.

  Li Yuan exhaled and finally let a trace of his Qi leak into his sword and used the technique that he'd taken to Complete Perfection.

  Mountain–Splitting Stillness Sword.

  His blade moved. There was no flash of light despite him sending his Qi into the blade. A display like that, as cool as it looked, signified a lack of control over your Qi. And his own control of his Qi as well as his usage of his sword art was too precise to let such a leakage happen.

  His sword drew a single, impossibly precise line through the air. And his opponent raised his own sword to clash against his own.

  The two blades met—

  And his sword cut through his opponent's like hot knife through butter. The older disciple's sword was cut into half at the midpoint. The upper half spun into the night air before clattering down onto the stone. Silence rippled outward from the platform.

  Li Yuan's blade rested calmly at the man's throat.

  The older disciple stared at the broken hilt in his hand in disbelief and great sadness. Then he gave a small, weary smile.

  "…Impressive." He stepped back and lowered his weapon. "I concede."

  The referee himself had grown silent at the display before he found his voice and spoke up.

  "Victory—Li Yuan!"

  The crowd erupted again, louder this time.

  Li Yuan withdrew his sword and leapt down from the platform. Now. To wait for the final match.

  His gaze inadvertently went toward the three Foundation Establishment Disciples who were still sitting comfortably in their chairs. And wondered if he'd get the chance to fight against one of them.

  Nah. Even after this round, there would still be over two hundred disciples left over. What were the chances that he'd be placed against one of the three?

  …

  …did he just jinx himself?