Another day of the tournament passed. Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Yu Qiang won their matches, as did Mei Xilan, Xian Fei, Hou Gun, and Húndàn Wang won their matches. Ye Chun also won his match. The Burning Hand Sect’s head elder must have said something to Ye Chun because he hadn’t acted as violently as he had during his battle against Xun Xi.

Wu Jian sat with Hou Jingshu and Yu Qiang as they ate breakfast and discussed everything they could about the tournament so far. Most of their conversation centered around what they knew about the participants.

“There are sixteen participants left,” Wu Jian said as he stirred some nuts and berries into his congee. “You, me, Yu Qiang, Hou Gun, Húndàn Wang, Mei Xilan, Zhan Zheng, Xian Fei, Wei Yin, Tian Hu, Tan Rong, Song Fen, Xiong Bo, Lup Zexi, Ye Chun, and Jia Xinyue. “I don’t think we need to worry too much about the last eight. They’re all elite cultivators of their respective sects and clans, but they’re still far behind the rest of us.”

“I agree with you to an extent, but we still can’t afford to underestimate them,” said Yu Qiang. Unlike Wu Jian who stuck with congee, he was having something called Jianbing. It was a crepe made of grain flour topped with an egg, chopped scallions, cilantro, sweet soy bean paste, and chili sauce, all wrapped around a crispy youtiao. It was another type of breakfast food that was popular in the Xia Dynasty.

“Let’s review what we know about them,” said Hou Jingshu.

She was eating congee and congyoubing--a type of scallion pancake. It was layered, flaky bread made from wheat-flour dough. They were an indulgent treat that had become popular among kids thanks to the flaky texture. Each one carried the taste of sesame oil and scallions. They were a bit too indulgent for Wu Jian, but he ate the one Hou Jingshu had hand fed him.

“Wei Yin and Tian Hu both belong to the Saintly Sword Sect. They’re not as strong as either Hou Gun or Húndàn Wang, but that doesn’t mean we can underestimate them. Both are at the ninth subrealm of the Asura Realm. Wei Yin wields a Hook Sword, while Tian Hu uses a longquan sword.”

A hook sword was a weapon with a complex shape that made it difficult to master, and as a result, was considered impractical for large-scale use. Typically used in pairs, hook swords had double-edged blades with a hook at the tip. It vaguely resembled a shepherd's crook. The hilts were sharpened to a point like a dagger and could be used for short-range combat. Meanwhile, the guards were crescent-shaped and very effective at catching and deflecting an enemy’s weapon. In the hands of a true master, the hook sword was incredibly versatile.

Meanwhile, the longquan sword was often considered the first ever forged, making it quite famous. Legend said that a master craftsman named Ou Yezi settled in the mountains of the Northern Kingdom near the Black Northern Sea. The area was well known for its underground hotsprings and underground volcanic activity. He took minerals from those very underground hot springs and used them to enhance the blade’s strength. Consequently, the longquan sword was also the very first weapon type to become a profound spirit weapon.

“Wei Yin hasn’t mastered using the hook swords yet, but he’s still proficient with them. He’s also really good at attacking from angles. Unlike a lot of the competitors, he seems well-versed in using the platforms to his advantage. However, the real problem will be Tian Hu. The longquan sword is much easier to master. I think he has also learned how to use Sword Intent,” said Yu Qiang.

“It’s impressive that he can use Sword Intent, especially since I thought only Húndàn Wang could wield Sword Intent,” said Wu Jian.

Practitioners in the Dao of the Sword intently studied sword techniques to deepen their understanding of swords. Once a cultivator’s understanding reached a certain level, they would be able to transform their chi into sword ki,which was a type of energy specifically used in sword techniques. Sword Intent was the ability to project sword ki into your intentions. It was like a form of killing intent, but instead of the sensation of death looming over you, what you felt was a thousand swords stabbing your body.

“We should be able to win even if he can use Sword Intent,” Hou Jingshu said. “We just need to be careful.”

“The real issue is still Mei Xilan. We haven’t seen what she’s capable of,” Wu Jian said.

A maidservant entered the room with a tray in hand. She set the tray on the table, placed a cup before each of them, then poured them some tea. The bitter scent of green tea hit Wu Jian’s nose. It served to wake him right up. He, Hou Jingshu, and Yu Qiang took a moment to swallow the tea before continuing.

“About the only thing we know of Mei Xilan is that she uses ice techniques,” Wu Jian said with a sigh.

“Her powers over ice are incredible,” Yu Qiang added. “We’ll need to be careful. I don’t want to turn into a popsicle like her last opponent.”

In her last battle, Mei Xilan had frozen the man she fought. It had only taken a single touch. The entire thing happened so fast that Wu Jian felt like he had missed it. One second, the man was charging at her with his axe, and the next, he was a solid block of ice and Mei Xilan was poking his back with a single finger.

“Not only does she have excellent control over ice, but she’s very fast,” Hou Jingshu tapped her lip with an index finger. “She was able to get behind Ping Mahn so quickly that I couldn’t even see it. I can’t think of how she did it though.”

“She was skating,” said Wu Jian.

“Skating?” Hou Jingshu furrowed her brow.

He nodded. “I believe her speed comes from skating across the surface. She gathers ice underneath her feet to decrease the friction coefficient between her and the ground. With ice on both the floor and her feet, there’s almost no resistance, and so she can move at extremely high speeds.”

“You’d think she would slip or miss her target moving like that, but I guess her stunning control over ice is the reason she can use such a reckless method of movement,” said Yu Qiang, looking impressed.

They continued to review the other participants even after finishing breakfast, but the topic eventually turned to the missing person in their group.

“Lili didn’t show up for breakfast again,” Wu Jian said.

“Lili--excuse me--Lihua is stuck with her family now, so it can’t really be helped,” Hou Jingshu said.

Wu Jian bit his lip, glad that no one could see past his mask.

Zhou Lihua hadn’t been having breakfast with them ever since the Zhou Clan arrived. He understood that she couldn’t just brush off the clan, and she hadn’t seen her father in almost two years, but it still bothered him. Wu Jian wanted to spend more time with her.

***

They arrived in the waiting room to find the other thirteen participants already present. Húndàn Wang was standing with Hou Gun, Wei Yin, and Tian Hu. In another corner of the room was Mei Xilan and Xian Fei. The remaining seven were scattered throughout the room. None of them belonged to the same faction, so they did not interact with each other.

There was still time before the tournament started, so the trio made their way toward the viewing window and looked at the stands.

“There are so many people,” murmured Hou Jingshu. “I think there are even more people today than there were yesterday.”

“It does look like the crowd has gotten bigger,” said Wu Jian.

Not only did the stands seem even more full than yesterday, but it looked like there were people standing on the arena’s roof to watch the upcoming tournament. He was a little surprised the Saintly Sword Sect would allow that. Having people stand up there had to present some kind of safety hazard. Perhaps those people were powerful rogue cultivators and the Saintly Sword Sect was letting them do what they wanted to avoid getting on their bad side? He shook his head, deciding that it really didn’t matter.

“I’ve heard that the last two days of the tournament are the most popular,” said Yu Qiang.

“Where did you hear that?” asked Wu Jian.

“From my uncle,” the young man answered. “Yu Chenguang said that a lot more people come during the last two days because that’s when all the nation’s strongest young cultivators get to showcase their power. Until that point, there are still cultivators who lack true strength and got through by being lucky. However, those in the top sixteen can’t get by on luck alone.”

“Makes sense to me,” Wu Jian said.

Time passed, and before too long, Húndàn Qie appeared on the platform, surveying the crowd with a pleased smile.

“We are nearing the end of this year’s tournament, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the fights that have taken place so far. The remaining sixteen competitors are those who have proven themselves time and again to be the very best this tournament has to offer. Let us see who among these bright and shining stars will earn the right to take part in the Thirteen Kingdom’s Tournament and enter the Pool of Cultivation.”

Wu Jian frowned when he heard the unfamiliar name.

“What’s the Pool of Cultivation?” he asked.

“You don’t know what the Pool of Cultivation is?” Hou Jingshu looked at him in confusion, but then her eyes widened. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I guess I never told you about that.”

“You didn’t,” Wu Jian said dryly.

Hou Jingshu blushed. “T-to be fair to myself, I’ve mostly been focused on the Thirteen Kingdom’s Tournament. A-anyway, the Pool of Cultivation is a Shang Kingdom national treasure that is jointly operated by the royal family and Saintly Sword Sect. Like this sect, it is located in a small world. However, it is different from the Saintly Sword Sect as well. The Pool of Cultivation is located within a legendary artifact that only activates once a year and only allows five people to enter. It was decided that the top five contestants in this tournament would enter.”

“With a name like that, I would assume the Pool of Cultivation has some kind of benefit for cultivators?” asked Wu Jian.

“You would assume correctly,” Hou Jingshu nodded. “The Pool of Cultivation is exactly what it sounds like. Of course, while it can increase your cultivation, its main purpose is strengthening the meridians. Anyone below the Human Limit Realm who uses it will have their meridians exponentially strengthened, which allows you to channel greater amounts of chi through your body.”

Increasing the strength of your meridians would definitely prove incredibly beneficial to any cultivator. The meridians were what cultivators channeled chi through. If the meridians were too weak, chi wouldn’t flow properly, which could result in injury or worse. Some cultivators had been crippled because they tried channeling more chi than their meridians could handle.

Wu Jian’s meridians were already quite strong thanks to all of his training and the various natural treasures he had consumed, but he hoped this Pool of Cultivation would provide even more benefits. He had every intention of entering it.

At that moment, Húndàn Qie finished speaking. “Now, let the tournament begin!”

The first battle was between Song Fen and Ye Chun.

Song Fen was a member of the Raging Tides Sect. He was their top student. Like most others in the sect, his weapon of choice was a trident, which he wielded with amazing proficiency. His water techniques were a combination of small-scale illusions and full-on frontal attacks.

Ye Chun was from the Burning Hands Sect. He wasn’t really their top student, which had been Retou Meng before Hou Jingshu killed him, but he was still very strong--actually, he was much stronger than Wu Jian would have thought possible. He used a fighting style similar to Hou Gun, but he also had a large array of long-range techniques.

“It looks like Ye Chun has gotten even stronger,” Wu Jian said with a frown.

“You’re right. The strength of his flames has increased even more,” Hou Jingshu said, shaking her head in dismay. “He’s a lot stronger now than he was yesterday. He was at the Ninth Subrealm of the Asura Realm… but now he’s half a step into the Human Limit Realm. I think Hua Xue’s theory has merit.”

Wu Jian narrowed his eyes. Ye Chun’s cultivation had been below Wu Jian’s, but now it was higher than his.

There were many ways to increase one’s cultivation, though they all came with drawbacks. Hua Xue had suggested that he was dual cultivating with the female disciples of the Burning Hands Sect. That would allow him to quickly raise his strength and cultivation at the cost of making his cultivation base unstable. Watching Ye Chun’s battle, it did look like his flames weren’t as steady as they had been yesterday.

I guess that confirms it.

It was the only reasonable explanation. It could not have been alchemy pills. There were alchemy pills that could increase a person’s strength. Wu Yong had taken a pill just like that during the Wu Clan’s Strength Competition. While pills like that did cause a person’s strength to explode, they came with a lot of drawbacks. Users would often become weaker than they were before. That was why they were only used as a last resort.

But it would all make sense if he was dual cultivating…