The Azure Profound Sect was built upon a humongous mountain.

The higher you went up that mountain, the greater the status an individual staying there would have.

As you would expect, the servant compound was on the very foot of the mountain. This was done so as it made it easier for them to do menial tasks such as gathering wood or collecting taxes from mortal cities/villages.

The servants would also only have to go up the mountain for a short while until they arrived at the outer sect area, hence, allowing them to complete their tasks quicker as well.

Overall, the servant compound was designed with practicality in mind.

The four massive dormitory buildings, which could house a hundred or so servants each, all faced each other and had a decent amount of space in between them, allowing a cafeteria, task collection hall and task submission hall to be placed.

With that, the servants could wake up, go to the cafeteria to get their energy for the day, and then they could head to get a task next door.

After they've gone and completed said task, they could go back to the task submission hall and get paid, then either grab another task or have a rest.

The places labelled as 'rest areas' here were not like theatres, amusement parks or arcades. Instead, they were, training grounds, social areas, and the martial arts library- Of course, these were also close by as 'practicality took precedence'.

Currently, Zhang Wei and the group were at the massive area called the 'training grounds', frantically scuffling around as if in a rush.

The reason they were there was, naturally, because of the competition.

The sect never bothered making a designated place for competition, whether that be due to negligence or other reasons.

But, to be fair, there wasn't a need for a new area anyways.

The training area already had multiple square stages, all of which were very spacious- Around 30x30 metres in size- hence making it perfect for a tournament like this.

Today, being the day of the competition, the whole place was jam-packed with people- Some even brought chairs to sit on and snacks to munch on, in order to enhance their viewing pleasure!

Charging amidst the swarms of people, was Zhang Wei and his friends.

"Tan Lin, you fool!

How could you mess up reading the bloody time?

Have you punctured a hole in your head recently, or was it always an empty void in there?!"

"Hey, don't talk sh*t!

I was just a bit nervous about the competition... that's all!

Everyone makes mistakes here and then, plus, it's not as if we won't be able to register in time!

All you need to do is move your fat asses a bit faster than usual!"

As they pushed their way through the crowd, curses could be heard from behind but they all ignored them and kept moving forward.

Soon, they arrived at one of the registration desks- Which consisted of a simple wooden desk with a wooden box and a few sheets of paper on top of it.

The person behind the desk was just about to pack up, but seeing the group of five, his face darkened and he sat back down helplessly.

Damn it!

Just when I thought I could go home and call it a day, more b*stards come for the last-minute sign-up!

Is this some sort of new fetish, or are these people just incapable of reading the f*cking time?

That guy before even rambled on about him being a fated god-king and that it was his job to show up last second!

Before the worker could utter a word, the five boys shouted simultaneously,

"We'd like to register for the servant competition!"

The worker helplessly grabbed a few sheets of paper, tore them up into small pieces, and then responded to them in a monotone voice- As if he was a machine giving an automated response.

"Please sign this slip with your name, then stick it into the box.

Remember, death is a possibility."

The boys seemed unphased by the warning and quickly done as he said so.

As they registered, one of them spoke up and said arrogantly,

"What did I tell you all?

We got in just fine!

To think you bunch of unfilial dogs would doubt this granddaddy's expert time management skills!

Clearly, you lot are too green!"

As they walked away, the rest all cursed him for being shameless and mocked him for not knowing how to use a clock.

Looking at their backs as they left, the worker shook his head and thought to himself,

Haiz, another three months, another massacre!

It seems like this time there will be more deaths than usual.

Well, it's not my problem anymore.

I'm just gonna go home and take a nice long rest. Of course, I'll also grab a celebratory vat of that newly imported wine from the cafeteria whilst every other fool is focusing on this slaughterfest!

After thinking of this, the worker stood up with a small smile and was about to pack away when...

"WAAAIIIIITTTTT!

I, LIN FAN, MUST JOIN THIS TOURNAMENT!"

...

Zhang Wei was sitting down on a bench at the sidelines of the largest stage, staring at the sheets of paper in his hands with wide eyes.

He turned his head to the left, looked over at Jin Feng who was next to him, and asked curiously,

"How in the nine heavens were you able to get your grubby hands on this sort of info?!

Are you a spirit rat in disguise or something?!"

Zhang Wei was right to be shocked here, as those sheets of paper contained a detailed report of numerous competitors in the tournament- This even included those old powerhouses!

This was a godsend for Zhang Wei and the rest!

Seeing the shock on his face, Jin Feng rubbed his nose and said with a smug expression,

"I'll tell you, but don't blame me if you don't believe what I'm going to say!

You see, on the way here this thing just so happened to fly into my face!

No joke!

Just as I was about to throw it away after taking it off my face, thinking it was another stupid advertisement, I spotted that it was much more than that!

And there you go, that's the story!

If this doesn't reaffirm that even the heavens are on my side, I don't know what will!"

What?!

He basically said it fell from the sky!

Who'd ever believe that?

But, contrary to common sense, after listening to this seemingly nonsensical tale, Zhang Wei's first reaction wasn't disbelief and scepticism.

No.

Instead, his eyes seemed to brighten up!

For the first time in an entire week, a gleeful smile adorned his face and he relaxedly laid back whilst simultaneously letting out a huge sigh of relief- The exhale seemed to carry all his pent-up tension and stress.

Thank the heavens!

That bloody luck booster actually works!

And not only does it work, but it also does absolute f*cking wonders!

Although I'm still a bit wary, from the looks of it, it won't be me and my friends' death anniversary a year from today!

Zhang Wei decided that the most optimal moment to activate the luck booster was before handing in his application as it would maximise his chances of a good draw, and he would also be able to taste its effects before the competition started.

Of course, he'd also contemplated using it right before his match as well to see whether he could defeat his opponent with luck, but couldn't quite bring himself to put full trust in it to carry him.

Feeling in a good mood, Zhang Wei exclaimed,

"Indeed, Jin Feng!

You truly are a heaven's blessed, a lucky star!

Hey, all of you, our good brother here has just struck the jackpot!"

Soon, all five of them began rejoicing.

...

In the Servant Compound, it was a fact that the cultivation technique given was garbage.

But for martial arts, on the other hand, although the selection was rather pitiful, the few martial arts in there were rather decent in quality!

Of the martial arts, there were four mainstream ones.

Green Turtle Palm Art.

It was an art that focused on being more reactive, rather than proactive. Its footwork and stability allowed the user to have good defensive capabilities whilst also giving them satisfactory offensive power.

If there were to be a notable downside, it would be the speed of the punches and movements.

Blue Viper Fist Art.

An art which focused on its rapid speed and unpredictability. People who practised this art would focus on putting incredible amounts of pressure on the opponent and overwhelming them with a series of rapid punches.

A notable downside would be that its power wasn't fantastic and that it required the user to have high stamina.

Yellow Monkey Palm Art.

It was an art that focused on evading and dodging as much as possible, then going for multiple counter-attacks or one all-in attack.

One notable downside of this one was that it left the user particularly vulnerable at moments, meaning getting hit could be very fatal.

Black Bear Fist Art.

An art with balanced power and defence, but similar to the Green Turtle Palm Art its speed was rather lacking.

It was rumoured that all four of these arts originated from one single art, but to date, it remained a rumour and nothing more.

...

The thirteenth fight of the competition's first round was currently taking place.

On the stage, two young men faced each other on opposite sides- Both had dead-serious expressions.

One of the two was a young man in his late twenties who had long auburn hair, brown eyes and an overall average appearance.

His name was Chen Dou.

And right now, Chen Dou was feeling incredibly incredulous.

This damned b*stard!

Is he really just stoic, or is he actually a stone that's gained sentience, because I can't tell anymore!

I've been hurling insults at him for the past ten minutes to incite some sort of action from him, but he's not budging in the slightest!

To further solidify my stone theory, his expression remains completely impassive- As if my words were passing wind or something!

F*ck!

If it wasn't for my stupid knee, I would have long taken the initiative to give this guy a pounding and be done and dusted with this!

...Indeed, neither Chen Dou nor his opponent had initiated any form of combat for the past ten minutes.

At this point, even the organised referee began booing alongside the meagre audience!

However, just cause Chen Dou did not make any movement does not mean that he was scared to throw hands. Instead, he just wasn't capable of doing so!

Not too long ago, whilst the was practising his martial arts, Chen Dou made a mistake during a movement. Consequently, he slammed his knee into a wall.

Hitting your knee into a wall was already quite a sore thing, but it wasn't something a cultivator on Chen Dou's level couldn't recover from given the time he had till today.

Unfortunately, the method he practised was the Yellow Monkey Palm Art.

This meant that he was much more prone to a worse injury when making a mistake, as compared to other martial arts.

Realistically, it was quite stupid of him to even be participating in this tournament right now.

But sometimes, emotions take precedence over rationality.

Unlike outliers such as Zhang Wei and the gang, Chen Dou desperately wanted out of this hellhole.

He had a loving family and good friends waiting for him back in his hometown, making this place akin to something like a cage that prevented him from seeing them.

The only reason he was there in the first place, was that he simply couldn't accept the reality that he lacked the talent for cultivation and, like others, he thought the servant compound was a chance for him to defy fate and accomplish his dream of becoming a cultivator.

Whenever he thought back to his naive smile whilst he signed that damned contract that got him into this mess, an urge to give his past self a tight slap in the face would arise.

Fortunately, over the years he remained unresigned to slaving away here and worked hard, day and night, to get to where he was today.

Due to that, he's reached the fourth stage of Qi Condensation Realm alongside having a decent grasp over his chosen martial art!

Taking into account his seven years of residency here it could be said that, even though he wasn't the most talented, he was at least slightly better than the bulk.

Unfortunately, that level of talent wasn't up to the Azure Profound Sect's standards.

Anyways, when you summed up all his efforts, desires, and the rashness that comes from being a young man, it became clear why he was reluctant to give up.

You know what?

F*ck this guy!

My legs are sore, and I don't think I can stand this anymore!

It's either do or die!

Thinking like this, Chen Dou burst forward with all his energy, ignoring the sharp pain in his knee, and executed a movement of the Yellow Monkey Palm Art- Monkey Reaching The Moon!

Around half a meter away from his opponent, he bent his knees and jumped upwards letting him reach a shocking height of a few meters!

Using the downward momentum from the fall, he struck out midair with a kick which aimed to shatter any sort of defence the enemy may have!

He wanted to end this in one kick!

*BANG*

Chen Dou felt a connection, and subconsciously thought it was over!

However, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Why am I so close to the ground?!

*THUD*

Without any explanation, he fell face-flat onto the solid ground and was knocked unconscious.

The referee promptly went on stage, then blew his whistle and said,

"PHWWWWWHHT, servant Zhang Wei wins round thirteen!"

A few servants then quickly walked on stage and dragged the unconscious Chen Dou off.

Whilst getting off stage himself, Zhang Wei felt rather emotional.

YES!

I've won my first official fight!

Aren't I just amazing?!

He then sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Thank god I had a good plan before stepping on stage, otherwise, even with that bad leg of his, he could've easily K.O'ed me into the next century!

To go further into detail, Zhang Wei's actions in that fight were all well thought out and based on the information he knew from the mysterious info sheet.

Zhang Wei initially planned to stay far away from his opponent, gunning for a battle of attrition whereby his opponent would eventually concede after realising that he couldn't do anything with his sore leg.

However, things usually don't always go to plan, and Chen Dou decided to charge at Zhang Wei instead of throwing in the towel.

But would Zhang Wei really be a paranoid caution-freak, if he didn't take this into account?

Zhang Wei considered a variety of attack patterns that someone practising the Yellow Monkey Palm Arts with a bad leg would take, and thought up various counters.

The Monkey Reaching The Moon movement was one he took into account, and Zhang Wei was already clear on the fact that Chen Dou would not use his bad foot.

Meaning that all Zhang Wei had to do was... get him off balance midair!

All he had to do was tap Zhang Wei's leg a bit, then furiously roll away- and that's exactly what he had done!

Now, it could be said that it was very shameless of him to do this.

But...Zhang Wei wasn't ashamed in the slightest!

In fact, as the fight was finished, Zhang Wei thought to himself in amazement.

What a great fight!

I feel like I've now begun to understand the essence of fighting in this Xianxia world!

Heh, is this what it's like to be a true martial warrior?

...