By the time Chen Jinshu arrived at the center of the arena, a long line had already formed. She waited a while before finally drawing a token.
"Golden Arena, Number Thirteen!" she murmured, lightly rubbing the golden plaque in her hand.
The five arenas corresponded to the five elemental peaks—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The Golden Arena, a striking metallic color, was located near Tianyue Peak.
"What arena did you draw, Junior Sister?" Dai Yuzhu approached with several senior brothers and sisters.
"Golden Arena, Number Thirteen."
"Thirteen's not a bad number—pretty lucky. You'll be up soon," Dai Yuzhu smiled.
"After the first round ends, the second follows shortly—only an hour of rest between them. Don't use your full strength right at the start."
Moments later, the Sect Master of Xuanming Sect descended from the central Scripture Pavilion and addressed the gathered disciples:
"The grand tournament begins in half an hour. All participants, please report to your designated arenas!"
Before the Scripture Pavilion, rows of wooden chairs had been set up—only elders had the privilege to sit there. Chen Jinshu spotted her master, Shui Huanmeng, seated in one of the more secluded spots. Her master gave her a subtle nod.
Soon after, Chen Jinshu was escorted to the side of the Golden Arena by her seniors. There, a large number of disciples had already gathered—close to two hundred. Of them, only about 150 were actual combatants; the rest were spectators.
Chen Jinshu noted that most of the combatants on her arena were in the late Qi Refining stage or below. Fewer than twenty were above that level.
"Looks like that cultivation check earlier really did its job," she thought.
After a brief wait, it was finally her turn to go up.
"Golden Arena Number Thirteen vs. Number One-Forty-Two!"
"Good luck, Junior Sister!" several senior brothers and sisters said in unison.
"Mhm." Chen Jinshu nodded, stepping onto the arena.
Her opponent was a male cultivator at Qi Refining Level Six. His aura was unstable—clearly someone who had just broken through within the last three months. Breaking through right before a tournament? A poor decision.
"Chen Jinshu!"
"Cen Yunhua!"
"Both sides ready? Begin!" the late-stage Foundation Establishment referee called before jumping off the stage.
Whoosh!
Chen Jinshu immediately swung her Azure Frost Sword, drawing an arc of pale green light through the air as she lunged at her opponent.
Cen Yunhua was momentarily startled by her decisiveness but quickly raised his white longsword to block.
But Chen Jinshu wasn't about to give him the chance.
Her Rainbow Steps activated instantly, her body shifting rapidly in place. With a flourish of her Three Forms of Falling Plum Blossoms, illusory plum blossoms scattered through the air, disorienting Cen Yunhua and masking her sword's trajectory.
Though Cen Yunhua had some combat experience, he was still within the Qi Refining stage. He quickly backed out of the attack's range and unleashed several streaks of silver sword light to counter.
Chen Jinshu's form blurred again. She had long mastered the Flying Rainbow Steps—it no longer required conscious effort to execute.
Swish!
A flash of red light streaked past. The tip of her Azure Frost Sword was now at Cen Yunhua's neck. A few strands of his hair drifted down.
"Thank you for the match, Senior Brother."
"Golden Arena Number Thirteen—Victory!" the referee called out.
Looking down at her fellow disciples' approving gazes, Chen Jinshu finally relaxed.
"Thankfully, that wasn't too bad. At least I didn't embarrass my master."
She stepped down from the stage and returned to the central registration area to log her victory.
"Come back in half an hour for the next draw."
…
During the break, Chen Jinshu roamed the five arenas with her seniors, watching various matches. The goal was to gauge her potential opponents' strengths and weaknesses for future rounds. Most disciples held back their true power in the first round, using it as a trial run. Many skills were still hidden.
Half an hour passed quickly.
This time, Chen Jinshu drew Wood Arena Number Seventeen, an early match once again. But this time, her opponent was no ordinary one—a Qi Refining Level Seven disciple named Xie Yuxing.
He had previously fought on the Earth Arena and defeated his opponent in just three moves, wielding a high-grade Tier-One red broadsword. His blade technique was fierce and unrelenting—his opponent had no room to dodge and surrendered outright.
Clearly, that blade was his dedicated spirit weapon.
Chen Jinshu knew this would be a serious match.
"Junior Sister," said Xie Mofeng with a slight frown, "he's already been accepted by an elder of Tianyue Peak. A sword cultivator prodigy—he's just a step away from achieving the Sword Heart realm."
"Is he... related to you, Senior Brother?"
"Same clan, but not close," Xie Mofeng said with a blank expression, clearly not fond of Xie Yuxing.
But Chen Jinshu was focused only on one thing: how to win.
"Senior Brother, do you know if he has any weaknesses? I fear I may not be able to handle him otherwise."
She hadn't expected to face such a strong opponent in just the second round. To make it into the top 100, she needed two more victories. For the top 50, three more. Losing now would make all her preparation for nothing.
"He focuses solely on sword techniques. His footwork and mobility are weak points."
That was all she needed to know. A single-path sword cultivator.
Still, she couldn't get complacent. He might have been given advanced techniques by his elder teacher—after all, only Golden Core cultivators were allowed to take disciples in Xuanming Sect.
His master wouldn't have left him unprepared.
…
At the Elder's spectator area in the central pavilion, several elders were paying close attention to the tournament.
Among them was Yi Shuzi, Xie Yuxing's master.
"My Yuxing is quite lucky in his second match—yet another mid-stage Qi Refining opponent. He's got a solid chance at making the top hundred," Yi Shuzi said proudly.
"That girl seems impressive too. Isn't she Elder Meng's disciple?" another elder asked.
"My disciple is a sword genius, and his cultivation is a whole stage higher. Elder Meng will have to accept defeat today," Yi Shuzi said smugly, glancing sideways at Shui Huanmeng with a flicker of pride.
Taking Xie Yuxing as a disciple had taken considerable effort—he'd overpowered many elders on Tianyue Peak to claim this gem of a blade cultivator. He certainly wasn't comparable to the average disciple.
Shui Huanmeng simply smiled and didn't reply. She was nearing Nascent Soul cultivation and had long since reached a serene state of mind, far beyond that of most Golden Core elders.
"They're starting!" someone called out.
When Xie Yuxing and Chen Jinshu stepped onto the arena, excitement buzzed.
Yi Shuzi's eyes gleamed as he noticed Chen Jinshu drawing her green zither.
"Heh. That girl's zither—can it even withstand a single strike from my disciple?"