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It was at night that the two of them discussed. Owl requested for resources shamelessly and Sun Yong-Hik agreed without problems. It was beneficial for the both of them to have Owl grow. At least, they both believed so.

Beyond that, Sun Yong-Hik introduced to Owl a certain tournament that would take place in four years and some. It was held by all the surrounding sects which were all third rates and similar in power. The disciples under twenty would all be allowed to participate with a maximum headcount of ten per sect. To be honest, Owl didn't give a fuck about this event that was highly important for the face of this sect. Why should he care? The image of the sect didn't matter to him. The sect itself didn't matter. As for a tournament, what was the point in him joining this event? There weren't any. He asked to clarify and was told that the rewards were mostly pills, weapons or tutorships. They were all things useless to him.

Pills would be supplied by Yong-Hik constantly.

He didn't particularly need a weapon since he was an owl.

If he had any questions regarding cultivation, he could ask Yong-Hik.

All in all, he didn't see no reasons to care about the tournament. And he didn't understand why Yong-Hik spoke about it with so much zeal. Until he was told that participation was mandatory for his two new disciples. And that included him by addition…

He questioned the reasons behind the obligation and Yong-Hik explained. It couldn't be helped. The other senior elders planned this to test him and his disciples. To them, it was a way to drag him through the mud.

Owl could only sigh. He was indirectly dragged into this because of the relationships between sect elders.

After the Senior Elder left, Owl walked to his balcony and spent some time thinking. Even with the best rate of absorption of spiritual energy, he wouldn't be able to get to the 20th stage within five years. It was especially so considering he would need to train in his use of elements as well. He needed to grasp as many of them as possible while he was still in the lower stages to build a strong base. Would he have any chance of winning that tournament? Probably not. As for being helped by Jung-Su, he didn't consider it a possibility. The kid would be stronger than now but still too weak. Maybe Sun-Mi would be slightly useful but not much. He had low hopes regarding the two kids. Let's not even talk about the white owl. Which meant that it would be up to him if he didn't want to suffer and be beaten up.

Tournament were about fighting after all. Joining one meant being aware of the risks of being harmed. Owl didn't want to be harmed. Like just about everyone, he wasn't a fan of pain. He would have rather spent even more of his time secluded and cultivating but since he wouldn't have a choice this time, he would have to work with it.

In the end, the solution remained always the same: Cultivate to get stronger.

Only might would truly make a difference. It was true now and it would be true later as well. If you were strong, you wouldn't be facing dangers and risks.

That's why Owl's next goal was to cultivate to higher stages. He would first train a bit to get used to this new body and then go back to secluded cultivation. He would go through as many as pills as he would be given.

And time flew by as everyone cultivated and trained until it was the moment to leave for the tournament. Four years and some had gone by and Owl didn't laze around throughout. He worked hard and reached the 17th stage of spiritual accumulation. He managed to grasp the five origins when it came to elements which he was satisfied with. Life, Death, Space and Time were out of his reach even though he could feel them. Even if he managed to grasp how to harness them, he would end up with more difficulties than anything else. They were dangerous and powerful elements that could backfire if not wielded correctly. He didn't want to risk his own hide with them. Compared to those, the five origins were relatively tame. There were risks but they were at a minimum. Those elements were easier to manipulate and use.

As for Jung-Su, he actually managed to breakthrough to the 11th stage which was quite the feat according to Owl. The kid was still rather weak but he showed growth in those years. He became slightly arrogant though but Owl couldn't help it. He hadn't been able to reign in the kids constantly since he focused on himself. Even if Jung-Su became trash, as long as he listened to Owl, Owl really wouldn't mind.

Sun Yong-Hik walked them down his mountain and sent them away with smiles. They were leaving with the first elder under him, which, in fact, had a name. That man was called Toh Yon. He was rather amiable and the two kids seemed close to him. He trained them quite a few times, replacing the busy Yong-Hik throughout the years. Yong-Hik fo course wasn't busy. He was just lazy and found it bothersome from time to time and so, he sent Toh Yon to do it.

From the start, Yong-Hik only considered the two kids as baggage. The one he wanted was Owl. Those two ended up becoming his disciples so he did take care of them enough that he appeared to be a decent master but not much more. He wasn't really attached to them emotionally. He probably wouldn't even mind if either of them died. Scratch that, he would likely celebrate it.

While he couldn't forcefully take Owl for himself and tamed him due to his image in the sect and out of fear of being found out, if the kid died of a natural cause, he could always find an excuse to get Owl. Something along the lines of being reminded of his cherished disciple… A way to remember… It was ugly but realistic. Owl didn't have any illusions about the elder.

That being said, it was unlikely for anything to happen yet. The Senior Elder wasn't in a rush to get his hands on Owl as he had yet to turn into a sentient. Eventually though, he might orchestrate the demise of Jung-Su and Sun-Mi. That time would be the moment Owl left…

Regardless of the far away future, it was a fact that they were now stuck with a role in the event coming up. It would take place at the Flowing Sand through Wind Bastion, another third-rate sect in the surrounding land. All the sects close-by were of similar ability which made it so that there were few real arguments between them and they remained cordial in appearances. Behind the scene, they were of course fiercely competing for the limited resources. Owl believed that there were probably more to the tournament than just a show off of their promising disciples.

The sect wouldn't send out their elites for battle without expecting rewards. Even the disciples wouldn't agree to go for nothing and if there were rewards given, it meant the one giving them was receiving something better. The sect wasn't a charity. If it rewarded a disciple, it was because it got much more from what he did. According to Yong-Hik and even Toh Yon, there was no such behind-the-scenes dealings. Owl called bullshit but kept it to himself. The truth was that he didn't care. Whatever happened would happen, he was only thinking of his safety.

The group reached the sect entrance where a group of elite disciples and a few elders had been waiting. There were eight elites aside from Jung-Su and Sun-Mi. They were both between the 13th and 15th stage of spiritual accumulation. Considering this was a third-rate sect, it was quite good already. Even in the biggest sects, there were few geniuses who reached beyond the 20th stage while still under 20. That being said, there were some monsters with so much talent and background that they reached beyond the 30th stage before 20… But then again, it was unlikely to face one of those there.

The Flowing Sand through Wind Bastion was neither too close nor too far. As such, in order to travel without hindrances and comfortably, a beast tamer elder had been mobilized. He tamed a giant bird-type and the group would use it as a mean of transportation. It was more than ten meters tall and many times wider. There was a house tied to its back which was introduced as the flight cabin. This was where the group went in and would stay during the journey.

Owl didn't bother with the giant beast and just went straight for the cabin. Sure, it was a spiritual beast like him. True, it was also a bird. But then, so what? He had no plans to fly alongside it nor was he interested in trying to strike a conversation with it. He would likely be unable to anyways. And more than anything, the fate of a real spiritual beast unrelated in any ways to him had no impacts in his life. He would rather enjoy the warmth inside the house than waste his time. Compared to him, the white owl was proving to be a pain as it kept hooting at the big bird. Only after Sun-Mi spent a minute or so calming it did they finally join the rest of the group inside…

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