Despite her best efforts, Jia was not able to get Heian to repeat her first word—or any others. At least she had conclusive proof that Kim Yongsun was right—it was definitely possible to teach her to speak. Getting her to converse normally with humans would be a crucial part of developing Heian’s identity and teaching her to empathize with humans. According to Kim, spirits were naturally inclined towards empathy, but had as much difficulty understanding humans as humans did understanding them. If she could bridge the gap of understanding, then the empathy would follow naturally.

In the meantime, she and Eui experimented with different methods of developing their artifact creation project. With the tournament so close on the horizon, they couldn’t spare the time and focus that they had back when they first made the gloves, but they could at least explore the different ways that they might develop the items further. After weeks of experimentation, it seemed like the best results came from trying to produce essence with a strong intent, and then infusing the items with that essence.

Of course, that ran into a familiar problem—Eui’s destruction element was terribly volatile. Though her mastery of it had improved dramatically, it was still nearly impossible to keep stable while not under her direct control. In order to avoid accidentally destroying the gloves, they’d been experimenting with other items, and the result was always total destruction. Theoretically, a high grade core could stabilize the essence, but destruction element cores were absurdly rare and hard to work with, and even lower grade cores were rarely traded. They’d need to either find their own somehow, or come up with another method.

Between practicing with their team, working on their crafting, and teaching Heian, the month seemed to just blur past. All too soon, caravans began arriving from all over the continent with people who had come to watch the tournament. The size of the town was finally put to proper use, as visitors and dignitaries were accommodated in the mostly unused north and south districts of the campus.

The southern district was normally where the merchants stayed when the market was in town, and now they were joined by the common visitors and some of the lesser nobility—mostly direct family of academy students that were wealthy enough to leave whatever business they had behind to travel for a few months.

The northern district was where the lecture hall was located, and also where the instructors lived. It had the finest construction by far, and the extra buildings there were used to house the visitors with the highest status—nobles and royalty. Not that Jia was aware of any royalty, but with Eunae and Hayakawa present, she wasn’t about to rule anything out.

Jia hadn’t been expecting so many people to arrive. The streets had grown increasingly crowded since the caravans started arriving, and discussions about who had arrived and who might yet be coming dominated the conversations among academy students. Yue was especially concerned.

“He’s not going to come, right? He’s always far too busy for such frivolities, and he doesn’t care about me. Yan Hao’s already here, so there’s no reason for him to come. He thinks his business here is being taken care of by the agents he sent, so there’s no reason for him to attend some houtian level tournament, right? Right!?”

Yue was practically spilling her drink, she was trembling so badly. Eunae and Rika had joined them to chat about the influx of visitors over tea. Eunae gave Yue a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure you’re right. Your father probably won’t be coming here. I don’t blame you for being anxious, though—the thought of one of my sisters or cousins appearing is appalling—especially Seong Min, though she’s probably got her hands full as Prime Minister.”

Jia and Eui exchanged a glance and shrugged.

“I don’t have any real family, and the people that raised me...well, they won’t be showing up here, that’s for sure.”

Eui nodded.

“I don’t think I have to worry about that, either. My parents probably just think I’m dead.”

That got them a few looks of pity, but Rika grimaced.

“Lucky. I know my grandfather is here, and I can’t keep avoiding him forever, but he’s so embarrassing! Plus, I wanted to make sure my new style was a bit more polished before showing it off to him.”

Jia nodded along politely, not really understanding.

“I wonder if Dae has anyone coming to watch the tournament.”

Eui chuckled.

“Isn’t Do Hye already embarrassing enough for him?”

They shared a moment of silence for poor Dae.

“Anyway, they’re going to be announcing qualifiers in a few days, what do you think they’re going to be like?”

Yue set her teacup down and bit her thumbnail thoughtfully, eager to distract herself from the thought of her father arriving at the academy.

“There are only so many ways to handle it. Some kind of trial, or test perhaps, but that has the potential to pass far too many. No, if they’re looking to pare it down to a specific number of entries, then it will most likely be a battle royale. That’s the most expedient method.”

Rika nodded in agreement.

“That’s pretty much always how these things work. Throw ‘em all in a ring, then let whoever’s left go one-on-one.”

Jia put a finger to her chin as she thought.

“But what about the doubles and team divisions? Won’t they need qualifiers, too?”

Eunae shook her head.

“I don’t think so. Many students weren’t able to form teams and thus won’t be participating in that division, and the doubles division has been rather unpopular. The prevailing sentiment is that there’s no point in signing up for it.”

“Why not?”

Jia was met with flat stares from everyone in the room, causing her to blush.

“O-Oh...do we really have that much of a reputation?”

Rika chuckled, shaking her head.

“Kinda hard to miss the giant lightning bolts striking your house. Pretty much everyone knows that you two are both in the third stage, and that you’ve got a dual cultivation thing going on, and that Eui’s a demon, and that you’re both dating.”

“What!? How did—?”

Rika’s eyes lit up mischievously.

“Hah! I knew it! I told you, Eun-eun!”

Eunae buried her face in a hand and shook her head while Jia and Eui did their best tomato impressions.

“That was hardly an appropriate way to bring it up, Rika. Not that there was any need to bring it up at all.”

Yue nodded with a frown.

“Indeed. Their relationship is none of our business.”

Rika rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner.

“Oh, come on! You guys are such prudes! I think it’s cute! Besides, don’t act like you don’t have someone you’re interested in. Let’s hear it, Yue—got a boy you’ve set your sights on? Maybe a girl?”

Yue blushed bright red as the spotlight suddenly fell on her.

“Definitely not a girl. I’m not—like that.”

“Fine, a boy then. Who is it?”

“Who says I have to be interested in anyone? I’ve spent enough of my life being treated like a decorative flower, thank you. I don’t need to define myself by the man I am attached to.”

Rika stuck out her tongue.

“So boring! I could have sworn there was something going on with you and Guan Yi.”

Yue stiffened up, and Jia sensed her intense discomfort—even more so than when the subject of romance had been first brought up. She remembered that Guan Yi had been uncharacteristically pensive after the battle with Zheng Long, and decided that Rika had probably hit a bit of a nerve. It was time to bail Yue out.

“What about you, Rika? You’ve been bullying us, but who are you interested in?”

Yue shot Jia a grateful look, and Rika just shrugged good naturedly.

“I’m not really hiding anything. I asked Eun-eun out ages ago and she shot me down. Yuuko’s pretty cute, but I don’t think she goes that way. I tried asking out Izumi, but she insisted she was straight and complained that she’d have to rethink her ‘chart’ whatever that means. That one really surprised me, I usually have a pretty good sense for it—I figured out Eui almost immediately.”

Jia nearly spat out a mouthful of tea as Rika straightforwardly listed off her romantic pursuits.

“Wait, you asked Eunae out!?”

Now it was Eunae’s turn to fall under the group's scrutiny. Her composure was perfect as she calmly took a sip of her tea—except for a slight rosiness on her cheeks.

“I have no interest in romantic pursuits with either sex. One day, if I’m inclined or obligated to have a child, I’ll arrange for a consort from another high noble family—or have one arranged for me. Given my bloodline, I’ll likely be obligated to bear at least one daughter.”

Jia frowned. The conversation suddenly felt like it had gotten a bit too heavy. The idea of being forced into having a child didn’t sit right with her, but Eunae lived in a different world, and she seemed mostly at peace with it. She swore that if Eunae ever wanted to change her destiny like Yue, she’d support her wholeheartedly.

Rika sighed—clearly the mood was no longer appropriate for girl talk, so she stood up and stretched.

“Well on that note, why don’t we get some last-minute training in before the big announcement?”

Thankful for the opportunity to end the conversation, the girls agreed and went out to the courtyard to practice.

The day of the qualifiers had finally arrived. All of the students gathered in the central courtyard of the academy, plus some of the lower class visitors—most of the noble visitors were receiving the announcement some other way. It was a clear day, despite the chill of winter beginning to set in—not that anyone in the academy could be bothered by the cold anymore. When Qin Zhao stepped forward to speak, the crowd went silent on its own.

“Welcome, disciples and esteemed guests. Today marks the beginning of the first annual end of year tournament. Consider this a test. Those of you who are successful will clearly set yourselves above your peers in the years to follow. It will be the victors of this tournament who will define this academy, and its future. I know that you will not disappoint.”

Elder Qin’s voice echoed through the courtyard using the same ventriloquism technique he favored so much, it sounded like a regular speaking voice that was always right near you. Jia still wanted to learn how to do that trick. Magus Hwang was next, stepping forward.

“Due to a lack of registrations, there will be no qualifiers for the doubles or team events—well, not that a qualifier would have been mathematically possible for the team event, but I digress. Nearly every student registered for the singles event, so we will certainly need to pare that number down.

“You will be split randomly into divisions of approximately fifty students each. Then, each division will participate in a battle royale, using the forest outside of the academy as an arena. A grand formation has been drawn surrounding it in order to ensure the safety of the students, as well as to facilitate outside observation of the battle.”

Hwang stepped back smoothly to make way for Master Ienaga. The students instinctively covered their ears, while the guests varied between warily copying them or looking around in confusion. Ienaga Yumi’s deafening shout filled the courtyard in an instant, and the confused visitors soon followed suit in covering their ears.

“The rules are as follows—any student who is knocked unconscious, leaves the formation, voices their surrender, or is otherwise rendered unable to continue will be eliminated. Each battle will be considered finished when only sixteen students remain. Causing the death of another student—intentionally or otherwise—will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the tournament, including other divisions.”

Jia felt a little bit nervous. As usual, there was no mention of crippling or permanent injury, and the punishment for killing was a slap on the wrist. Eui squeezed her hand reassuringly, sensing her trepidation.

“Don’t worry, Jia. We’re not the ones who have to worry about getting hurt—the ones against us are!”

Jia smiled and squeezed Eui’s hand back. Eui was right—individually, they were in the top five strongest students in the entire academy. Together? Jia wasn’t sure if even Hayakawa would be able to stand against Yoshika, but she was looking forward to finding out. Jia realized that Elder Qin was speaking again and tuned back in.

“—qualifiers will take place over the course of one week, with the first event beginning tomorrow morning. There will be one event per day, followed by three days for the students to rest before the beginning of the single combat division. Students will have their lottery results delivered to their dorms. You are dismissed.”

The courtyard erupted into noise as the students began chattering excitedly about the tournament, but Jia and Eui only had their minds on one thing—they ran back to their dorm to find the delivery they’d been expecting. Inside the small box were three pale white jade slips.

Lee Jia - Qualifier Division four

Any attempt to trade or tamper with this slip will result in immediate disqualification.

An Eui - Qualifier Division one

Any attempt to trade or tamper with this slip will result in immediate disqualification.

Yan Yue - Qualifier Division two

Any attempt to trade or tamper with this slip will result in immediate disqualification.

“Fuck!”

Jia giggled at Eui’s outburst.

“Well, they said it was random, but something tells me there was no way they were going to let us go into the single combat qualifiers together.”

“Tsk, ancestors damn it. Let’s go see what the others got.”

By unspoken agreement, they met their friends and rivals in the training field where they had been practicing for the past months. A few holdouts—like Zheng Long and Han Yu—were unwilling to discuss which division they were in. Others had realized exactly what was happening. The fighting was to start tomorrow, but the battle had already begun.

“We both got division three.”

Rika and Eunae had gotten lucky and ended up in the same qualifier. Dae showed his own slip, indicating that he was in the second division with Yue.

“I suspect that the two of us will be able to manage on our own, but it might be prudent to find some others to work with.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Dae. Yue crossed her arms and scoffed.

“This is silly—why would they give us our divisions a full day before the event? Isn’t this meant to be the qualifier for single combat? It’s as if they want us to form groups.”

Jia shrugged, but Yue was right. There were sixteen winners in each group of fifty, and banding together seemed like an almost mindlessly obvious strategy. Over the course of the afternoon, they had managed to put together a few groups for the qualifiers.

In the first division, Eui, Yuuko, Kim, Fujikawa, and Xin Wei would be working together. The second had Dae, Yue, Guan Yi, Fujino, and Harada, while the third consisted of Eunae, Rika, Kasai, Satou, Izumi, and Ishihara. Each of their teams also had some of the half-spirits from Kim Yongsun’s team—though Lee Jia had never gotten around to learning their names. Each, except for Jia’s, that is.

In the fourth division, it was just Lee Jia. Not a single one of their immediate friends and allies had ended up in the same division. Hayakawa wasn’t saying which division she’d been assigned, and of course Miyata and the other two cronies followed her example. Eui grimaced once they’d returned to their own groups.

“That has to be intentional! What are the odds of this happening? Why rig it so much against you, specifically?”

Jia shrugged, feeling resigned to her fate.

“I don’t know. Maybe it really is just genuinely unlucky.”

Yue scoffed.

“Here’s a better theory—this tournament is as much a test and demonstration of our abilities as it is entertainment for nobility. If Jia is knocked out, then the upstart who came out of nowhere to rival us superior nobles is put in her proper place—if she wins, then it’s an underdog story. It’s win-win.”

Eui frowned grumpily.

“But why Jia specifically? It could have been either of us, or even Dae—he’s a commoner too.”

Yue shook her head.

“Dae wouldn’t have the same impact—he was groomed for his position by one of the most infamous and powerful cultivators on the continent. As for you, Eui—well, nobody wants to root for an underdog that has their criminal status literally written across their forehead, and frankly, you’re far too unlikely to lose in single combat. Jia falls right into the sweet spot.”

Jia frowned irritably. Why was she getting caught up in some dumb game like this? Before her mood could sour any further Dae came running up to them, panting for breath.

“I’ve found someone! There is someone else we know in the fourth division.”

Jia’s ears perked up excitedly as she stood to give Dae her full attention.

“Really? Who!?”

Dae scratched his cheek and chuckled nervously.

“Hehe, well, you’re probably not going to like this but...Tae In-Su.”

Jia’s face fell.

“Really? Ugh. Well, he hasn’t been so bad. Does he have a group already?”

Dae nodded, then averted his eyes with a pained expression.

“He does—it’s ah, hehe, a small group of other half-spirits.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Do you know who they are?”

Dae nodded slowly, still refusing to meet Jia’s eyes.

“Eh, some of them, yes. Decent mages—one of them is an aspiring apothecary I share notes with sometimes. His most powerful ally, however, is uh...um—”

Eui rolled her eyes.

“Get on with it already!”

Dae grimaced, but after another moment of hesitation, he blurted the name out as quickly as he could.

“It’s Sun Jaehwa!”