~~~~

The eyes of the numerous delegations waiting for the tournament to start follow them as they make their way inside the arena.

Whether it is a school, a Clan, or a Sect, each faction is only allowed to enter up to ten members in the Eastern Port City Tournament. This rule was put in place because the larger factions would send unfairly large delegations. That way, they would claim the top spots through numerical superiority. It is said the Xiao Sect once sent a delegation of over a hundred people.

Such tactics are no longer allowed.

Despite that restriction, the number of participants in the Eastern Port City Tournament is still in the hundreds.

That is why the group stage is held first.

All contestants are randomly divided into groups of ten where they must face each other in one-on-one matches. The top two fighters from each group will move to the next round. Since holding the fights one at a time would take too long, the group matches happen all simultaneously.

The true tournament begins right after that and continues until the Top 16 are chosen. The following fights will take place over the next two days, meaning the tournament lasts three days in total.

That is the Eastern Port City Tournament.

Big Nose Li guides them inside the arena, away from the noise and the crowd and into a more private area.

He opens a door for them, and they are greeted by the sight of Xiao Fang. The Xiao Sect's Young Master sits on a large, luxurious chair as though it were a throne. Standing beside him is the rest of Xiao Sect's delegation.

"I see we're finally all here."

Xiao Fang addresses them as they make their way in, but he makes no move to stand up. Liu Jin never expected any differently.

"I do apologize if we made you wait," Liu Jin says, taking the lead. He looks around the room for a moment, taking it in. It is spacious and has a good view of the arena below. Already the attendants are setting the rings for the group stages.

“I thought all participants had to wait in the main lobby.”

Xiao Fang snorts.

“We are the Xiao Sect, brother-in-law. It is only natural for us to receive special treatment.”

Brother-in-law?

It takes a lot of effort for Liu Jin not show any outward reaction to that. It has been over a year since he married Xiao Shuang. It has been over a year since he became Xiao Fang’s brother-in-law.

This is the first time Xiao Fang has ever referred to him as such.

While it is true the Xiao Sect must present a united front for the tournament, Liu Jin never imagined Xiao Fang would be willing to go this far. Rather, he had expected Xiao Fang to hold a grudge due to how their spar ended.

“Of course, how foolish of me, brother-in-law.” The words feel foreign to his mouth. Saying them is not unpleasant, but it is certainly weird. “You are right. We are the Xiao Sect.”

Even as Liu Jin speaks, he feels some tension draining away from the room.

Had the other disciples expected them to be at odds with each other?

“Indeed, we are.”

Xiao Fang rises from his seat. The moment he does, all eyes in the room go back to him.

“We are the Xiao Sect,” he repeats. “That is why all eyes will be on us. Those out there have already noticed we have only sent Inner Disciples for this tournament. Some of them foolishly think that means we have grown weak. Others feel this is a slight against them. That we’re insulting them by not sending our strongest.”

Xiao Fang throws his arm to the side in a wide sweeping motion. His words come out clearly and with authority to them, as befits the Young Master of the Xiao Sect.

“However, that has nothing to do with us! Their opinions do not matter to us! Whether they feel offended or not is of no consequence! We are the Xiao Sect! This tournament is ours to win! We have chosen to only send Inner Disciples this time around. What of it?! If we have done so, it is because that is all we need to win!”

It isn’t true. The reason why only Inner Disciples were sent this time is due to an agreement made with the Yun Sect. Liu Jin knows that to be the case, and he is certain Xiao Fang knows it as well. He is even sure most of the Inner Disciples present have figured it out already.

However, they cheer all the same. Xiao Fang’s words just now are something they all needed to hear.

“The Xiao Sect will win!”

Everyone echoes Xiao Fang’s words, their voices now full of confidence. Liu Jin doesn’t particularly care for such things, but he joins in regardless.

Once the cheers fade, Xiao Fang takes back his seat and motions over to Li. The Inner Disciple gives a start before moving to the center of the room and clearing his throat.

“As we all know, our Xiao Sect has worked tirelessly to gather information on every participant. With your permission, this Li will now go over what we know so far."

It is information they have all received. The Xiao Sect made sure to gather intel on all noteworthy participants and gave it to all members of their delegation. Liu Jin has already spent many nights memorizing it, and he knows the same can be said for Su An. He doubts the other disciples have done any differently.

That is why he can’t help but tune out Big Nose Li.

“... Of course, Yun Han’s Severing Palm has been noted to be quite potent. He’ll, without a doubt, be a most serious threat. However, the Yun Sect isn’t the only one who’ll oppose us. The Seven Leaves School is relatively new but is said to have many strong disciples competing. Among them are…”

Liu Jin resists the urge to yawn.

It is going to be a long time until Big Nose Li is finished.

~~~

When the time comes to draw lots, an attendant knocks on their door. He brings with him a box with numbers in it for them to pick.

Not a single one of them ends up being assigned to the same group.

Had even two of them being assigned to the same group due to random chance, they would have had to fight each other. Well, most likely, they would have had to decide who would give up before the match even began. The alternative was two members of the Xiao Sect fighting each other, leaving themselves weakened for the other fighters.

Had three members of the Xiao Sect being assigned to the same group, it would mean one of them would definitely not have made it to the next round.

However, they don’t have to worry about such things. They are the Xiao Sect. A certain amount of preferential treatment is only to be expected. No one says it, but Liu Jin imagines it is the same for the Yun Sect and other influential factions within the city.

When all is said and done, there are thirty-two groups in total. Out of the many fighters, only sixty-four will be passing to the next round of the tournament.

A list containing the names of all participants, the groups they are assigned to, and the tournament brackets is brought to Xiao Fang half an hour before the tournament begins. He reads it carefully before giving it to the others.

Xiao Fang is in Group 1.

Yun Han is in Group 32.

The only way for them to meet is in the finals.

As for Liu Jin, he is in Group 27. He takes a couple of seconds more than the others to study the brackets before heading out.

Thirty-two different rings have been set up on the arena floor. While it is crowded with over three hundred people walking around, it is nothing compared to the audience. It almost seems like everyone in the city has come to watch. There is no room, even for a mouse.

Liu Jin walks in silence, fully aware of all the eyes following him. The first thing that calls people's attention is his outfit. The robes of the Xiao Sect are easy to recognize. Then there is his age. At just twelve, Liu Jin is undeniably younger than most contestants.

It doesn’t take long for people to put two and two together. When talking about the Xiao Sect, there can only be two participants that are so young, and Xiao Fang’s face is already well-known. One by one, everyone realizes that fact. They realize he must be Liu Jin, the one who married Xiao Zheng’s daughter.

The one who is the son of a crippled doctor.

The one who spent three years in the First Level of the Inner Realm.

By the time he meets up with his group, Liu Jin is met with dismissive eyes. They are now aware of who he is and have judged him accordingly. He is not a threat. Even if it is known that he is no longer in the First Level of the Inner Realm, that still does not make him special.

It is as Su An told him once. By the standards of the Eastern Port City Tournament, the Seventh Level of the Inner Realm is not much. Liu Jin can now keenly feel the truth of those words. Many of the fighters, including those in his own group, are in the late stages of the Inner Realm.

That is why they barely pay him a passing glance. When they do look at him, their eyes seem to say, “That is one fight, I will surely win.”

That is what most of them are thinking.

Liu Jin does not make that mistake.

His eyes sift through every one of them, taking in their clothes, weapons, and anything that strikes him as noteworthy. More importantly, Liu Jin makes sure he has a good read on their Qi.

Eventually, a tournament official steps into the ring and begins speaking. A loud gong rings across the arena. It is time to begin the matches.

“Liu Jin of the Xiao Sect vs. Cui Tian of the Seven Leaves School!”

Liu Jin blinks, not having expected to go first. Nevertheless, he steps into the ring.

“What a joke! Is this Cui Tian truly expected to fight a child!?”

His opponent is massive. He is tall and broad-shouldered with powerful muscles that strain his robes. His skin is heavily tanned, and his face already shows facial hair. Just by looking at him, one can tell his age is near the limit for participation in the Eastern Port City Tournament. However, Liu Jin doesn’t have to guess his age. He has read the file on this person, and he knows him to be seventeen-years-old and in the First Level of the Nascent Realm.

Cui Tian. The strongest disciple of the Seven Leaves School.

Being only ten-years-old, the Seven Leaves School is one of the newest factions in Eastern Port City. However, the strength of their disciples is undeniable. Provided they manage to avoid angering one of the stronger Sects, they will undoubtedly become a significant player in Eastern Port City within a few generations.

“Listen well, child!” Cui Tian says, pointing his finger at him. “I will say this just once. This Cui Tian is only here to spread the name of the Seven Leaves School. I have no desire to incur the wrath of the Xiao Sect! Just by sensing our respective Qi, you should understand. You are not yet my match. Surrender now and spare yourself the embarrassment.”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow.

How quaint.

Well, from the beginning, he already knew what he planned to do for this match.

“Begin!”

The attendant cries out the words, and thirty-two fights start in an instant. Dozens of fighters leap into action.

Liu Jin merely raises a hand and looks at the attendant.

“I surrender.”

~~~