It was as though she was standing on top of a mountain, and the scene before her was even more beautiful than what she had seen in the outside world so far.

The mountain was surrounded by trees covered in lush green leaves and was a majestic sight to behold. The ground beneath her feet was grass-covered and covered with various flowers, giving the area a peaceful feel to it.

"I wonder where the other contestants have entered....", she muttered to herself as she gazed around her and took in her surroundings.

There was a lake on one side of the mountain and a small waterfall on the other. In the distance, Jian Li could see the sky turn from blue to a deep, dark purple as the sun set beyond the horizon and a starry sky appeared above. But it had happened unnaturally quick.

"The contestants who survive inside this world without getting defeated more than ten times, move forward to the second half of the tournament!", a voice rang out from everywhere around her.

The sudden voice caught Jian Li off guard, but she quickly gathered her wits and stood up, readying her wooden sword. She hadn't even finished preparing for the possible fight when another ethereal voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You have an hour to fight before you get teleported out of this world sphere. Keep in mind that everything you do will be broadcasted to the supervisors and the audience. Only after admitting defeat does it count as one. If you fall unconscious you'll be forcefully ejected from the realm and it will count as ten defeats.", an unknown voice said.

The voice echoed through the entire area before fading away completely, leaving Jian Li alone with only her own thoughts to keep her company.

The tournament had begun and the competitors were sent to fight inside this mysterious realm, with somewhat simple rules.

"So I can just fight whenever I want?", Jian Li asked the air, knowing full well that she wouldn't get a reply.

She took a step forward and sat down on the soft grass below her. Not far from her was a pile of different types of wooden weapons, all ready for her to pick.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that was brought here.", Jian Li sighed.

A few seconds later, she heard a rustling sound as something moved in the tall grass nearby and a figure slowly emerged.

Jian Li couldn't help but stare in surprise, for it was none other than a girl with long white hair that went down to her waist.

Her hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon and she wore a red and white checkered dress. Her blue eyes were piercing, filled with determination as they looked at Jian Li.

"Are you the one I came here to find?" The girl asked quietly, her voice sounding rather lonely.

"I don't know.", Jian Li answered quickly.

"You don't? But you're the first person that has shown up to this place!", the girl exclaimed in frustration, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Jian Li.

Jian Li recognized her as one of the first people that had gone inside the world sphere. Looking back at it, she seemed like one of the confident ones too.

"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life!", Jian Li replied, creeping towards the pile of wooden swords.

The girl frowned and shook her head, but she didn't say anything else as she walked away.

Jian Li breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up the sword closest to her.

It was a wooden longsword, almost like a longboard that felt very comfortable in her hands. The wood was smooth to the touch, giving it a very natural feeling to it.

"This is a good choice.", Jian Li whispered to herself. She made sure to add the rest of the weapon pile into her inner world as well to stop others from gaining them.

Jian Li felt weary as one person had already spotted her. And seeing as she was on top of a great vantage point, she guessed that other people would come over to her if she stayed there. She had to hurry and make her way out of there as soon as possible.

Before she could move far however, the young girl that had been watching her earlier emerged from the tall grasses again, her face flushed from exertion.

"You were just standing there looking at your sword! Get moving already!", she yelled at Jian Li.

Jian Li was confused as to why the girl was yelling at her but she didn't say anything. Instead, she lifted her wooden sword and prepared herself for combat.

The girl seemed impatient and stomped her foot loudly, pointing to where she had just come from. Jian Li took a breath and focused on her surroundings as she felt a strange feeling. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she became aware of many unhidden presences nearby.

She raised her wooden sword and took a defensive posture.

The girl beside her saw the sword in Jian Li's hand and narrowed her eyes as she moved to stand beside Jian Li. She turned towards the presences ahead of them with a wooden shortsword in her hand as well.

"Well then, let's go get ourselves some kills. I am Liu, by the way.", Liu said with a smile, holding out her hand.

Jian Li accepted the hand and shook it lightly before she let go of Liu's hand and returned the gesture.

"I am Jian Li of the Qianye Village. Nice to meet you.", she said.

Liu nodded in response, her expression slightly awkward for a moment before her smile returned to normal.

"And I suppose that you want to join forces with me, right?", Liu asked, her eyes glancing in Jian Li's direction.

”I don’t think I really have a choice here, we are outnumbered.”, Jian Li shrugged.

Liu smiled and gestured towards the direction the presences were coming from, pointing out to them as they made themselves seen.

There was a ragtag group of contestants before them, heading over with a stride.

”Haha, this will be easy. Let’s make that girl regret ever coming in our direction.”

”Indeed. She probably doesn't know what the point of this stage is.”

"We'll win this tournament easily!"

"Once we defeat all the stronger contestants, the second half will be a breeze!"

Their words rang out across the area as their arms were held high in the air. Their smiles were broad and they laughed loudly as they approached.

There was a muffled thump beside Jian Li as Liu made her way to the leader of the group in a single step, a sneer on her face as she immediately slashed across his face with her wooden sword.