Emperor Halycon left little time for discussion between Sect members after his announcement before starting the first phase of the competition. The secondary profession competition was slated to begin immediately. Arch's had been established, one for competitors, a slew for those interested in observing. The arch's work as gates, allowing a person to step through and into an illusionary space constructed with spatial techniques to expand as more people entered.

For this phase of the competition, there were no brackets, each individual would be competing against each other en mass. It would be impossible to create a test that allowed for head to head match-ups, instead, what was being tested was our proficiency in the creation process.

Over a hundred Sects had been invited to this tournament. The number of Outer members varied, with the most numbering in the hundreds. Flowing Water had a few more than forty members competing, almost all of those first-year Outer Sect members. Second-year members were testing, and for them, the stakes were higher. If they failed to place in the top ten of our internal Ranking, they would have to find another way to reach Inner Sect. They would no longer be allowed to compete to advance position.

Elder An was busy trying to withdraw Braun from the competition. The announcement that those Cultivators that performed well would be expected to join a new Sect infuriated him. There had been no words of coercion, nothing said that would make one think that you couldn't turn down the offer, that wasn't what worried Elder An.

Elder An made clear in his discussion with the Patriarch that there was no point for Braun to compete, he would not be assuming a position in a new Sect, even if the prize included being one of the founding members. He and his family already enjoyed that distinction at Flowing Water Sect, building the foundation of a new Sect would require hard work and sacrifice, that he saw no point in.

I wasn't the only Sect member surprised at this discussion, but I was the only one relieved. I wasn't guaranteed a spot, there was no telling who I might be competing with, but if I could win, it would give me and my family a fresh start, free of the pressures and dangers that Elder An and his faction offered.

"I will hear no more of this," Patriarch Amaya said finally having enough of Elder An's vitriol. "Braun will compete. The Emperor has made it clear that the only way to be excused from the competition requires one to be so seriously injured that it is impossible. Braun has no wounds; he is not injured. There is no medical reason he cannot prove himself against his fellow cultivators,"

"But if you are so against him entering this competition, then use your position as an Elder of Flowing Water Sect and elevate him as one of your core disciples. He will gain an exemption, and you will have filled the last spot you have open for Core members.

"But remember that this is the last Core position you have available. If you elevate Braun, Nero remains an Inner Sect member. The choice is yours," the Patriarch informed him, "do I strike Braun from the competition roles?"

The knowledge that each Elder was only allowed a certain number of Core disciples came as a surprise to most of us. I didn't know what the mechanics involved might be in that determination. Would Core disciples that became an Elder free up a position or was each Elder limited to a set number and once that limit was filled could no longer choose replacement candidates?

Braun's friends, the people that had been helping him torment me weren't happy to have their worth to the Sect made so glaringly obvious. I didn't understand their displeasure; they were sycophants; they existed as an extension of Braun, and they knew this from the very beginning.

I admit it was easy for that role to be forgotten and easily cast aside. Especially when for expedience’s sake, they had gained valuable resources in the process. Before this instance, Braun was had been obvious and eager to embrace the elevation from Outer Sect member to Inner the tournament would afford. Patriarch Amaya's words changed nothing.

I had no sympathy for the people that had attached themselves to him. Their fawning attempts to ingratiate themselves, in the end, came to nothing. They finally realized what I had known long ago. As cultivators, you needed to survive, to thrive, to grow using your own abilities and talents. They would have been much better off cultivating and completing missions that advanced their own strengths, instead of funneling all of those contribution points towards Braun.

Now they were weaker than they might have been, about to embark on a competition where they may be pitted against the best and brightest from around the empire.

Certainly, there had been some advantages for joining, they received higher quality missions, but those missions came with a cost, a third of the contribution points earned were tithed towards Braun. They would have been better off spending those earnings on pills, arrays, and weapons.

The screens that had previously been used during Emperor Halycon's announcement were being moved. Not removed but stationed before new buildings that had sprung up, restaurants, bars, and tea rooms were opened as building arrays were triggered. These buildings were not the same store front's that had existed yesterday, they were the places for people to mingle and chat while viewing competitions on the viewscreens. Places where Sects could mingle and chat outside the stadium like seating areas that had been opened.

As each view screen was moved into position, and a testing facility was created, the people testing that profession was informed and directed to the appropriate gate. Each of the testing sites was further divided into novice and apprentice level tests, as well as Body Refinement and Qi Gathering realms.

Once Patriarch Amaya and Elder An had finished their discussion, the Patriarch released us, allowing us to find our way. There were just a few of us gathered to test our alchemy skills, the Blacksmith and Taming professions being more popular. Even the Array and Herb professions had a larger pool of potential talent, those people eschewing the difficulties of pill creation.

Part of the reason was because of the high requirement to advance Alchemy. Without the ability to channel and master Dharmic fire, there was no point in practicing this profession. You would never be able to advance beyond the novice level. The Herbal profession was the easiest to practice, I thought, the only requirement was the ability to generate a Qi perception aura so that you could identify, gather, and grow spirit plants.

Blacksmiths, Tamers, Armorers, and Array Practitioners, each had their own difficulties inherit in developing skills. These craftsmen would be required to find a way to harmonize Dharmic and Qi control if they hoped to become successful.

It didn't take me long to find and enter the correct array instance, the gate opening into a room that was set up with alchemical labs. They were separated by space, a few feet between each lab, so we would be able to see each other's progress as the test moved forward. I doubted this would matter, any hints or tips we might steal from our fellow competitors, at this late stage, would do little to change the outcome.

How we did today would depend on how serious we took the lessons imparted by our Elders. How dedicated we had been to practice and study. Even innate talent would fail if that talent wasn't built upon a foundation of knowledge and practice.

There was a Dragon Sect member waiting as we entered, she verified our identity against our Sect token and assigned each of us a workstation. I was forced to make do with an out of the way lab, very close to the last in a long row of labs. For some that would have been considered an insult, for me it was perfect. The fewer distractions I was forced to deal with the better the outcome, I felt.

The workstations had been formed into long lines; each line placed, so they faced the other. At both ends, a counter had been created. Staffed with attendants, it was here we would find the herbs we could requisition. Because the formula was being supplied to us only when the test began, we had no time to source our own materials. I didn't really understand the need for a requisition counter; the herbs required should have already been garnered and separated by weight for all of us.

There had to be some reason why we had to make our way to this counter to requisition the supplies we would need. Some parts of the test dealt with sourcing and choosing spirit herbs that we could then use in our attempts to craft pills.

We were about to find out as the last person was assigned to his station and the Dragon Sect member closed the Portal, her tally of participants matching the number of people that had entered.

"Each of you will find the formula for Soul Wandering pills at your station. This pill is ranked tier 2, a rare pill that can help those in the Qi Gathering Realm solidify and enhance their Spirit Oceans and Dharmic bodies.

"The test is two-fold.

"First, one of the ingredients for this formula has been left out. You will have to use your knowledge of pill creation and herbal properties to select the missing ingredient. The attendants behind the requisition station will supply you with whatever herb you requisition, as well as enough of the disclosed herbs listed in your formula for ten attempts.

"Secondly, the success and potency of your pills will be tested. In the event that none of you are able to create a pill, the monitoring judges will award points based on how close you were to success. They will monitor your use of Dharmic fire, heat control, how you prepared your herbs to be used, and how closely you followed the formula.

"There is a recording token placed at each lab. Every step of today's competition will be recorded, and if there are challenges or disputes about a person's score, those recordings will be reviewed by a panel of Alchemists.

A few people began asking questions, but they were ignored. "Time dilation works at the rate of four to one. Every four hours here is the equivalent of one hour outside this array. The contest will last for eight hours, allowing you to finish and leave in time for lunch and the afternoon's Martial competition.

"You can begin," she said turning to take a place at one of the requisition counters.