To The Arena

Kong Dandan turned out to be reliable and delivered the clothes and swords to Han Cai the next day. However, he also returned the 100 gold coins to Han Cai when the elder found out that he had only wanted clothes and swords. The elder had given him the gold coins for the swords and clothes and asked him to return them to Han Cai. Han Cai thought the elder had treated him well and decided he should make sure to repay his debt at some point.

When Kong Dandan was delivering the swords, Han Cai spoke with him.

Han Cai: "Kong Dandan, are you participating in the outer sect tournament with me?"

Kong Dandan: "Yes, I'll be participating. But to be honest, I don't have much expectations. The special faction disciples are incredibly strong, so if I could get a place in the top 80, I should be satisfied."

Han Cai: "How will our ranking in the tournament help the Zhou faction?"

Kong Dandan: "Well, you see, Han Cai, the elders of the outer sect only receive a monthly allowance of 5 spirit stones. If we want our allowance increased, we need disciples of our faction to perform well. For example, if I were to come in the top 80, I would personally receive twenty spirit stones per month. Meanwhile, Elder Zhou would receive double of that, forty spirit stones per month. The sect expects Elder Zhou to raise more talented disciples."

Han Cai: "I see, so our performance in the tournament will directly impact the resources available for our faction."

Kong Dandan: "Exactly. That's why it's important for us to do our best. It's not just about personal gain but also about helping our faction and elders."

After chatting with Han Cai for a while, Kong Dandan left his quarters.

[Object: Sword]

»Attack: 10

»Defence: 5

»Sharpness: 15

Special Characteristic: Allows channeling spirit Qi through the weapon.

Han Cai scanned the swords and saw that they were low-quality spirit weapons. One had a white sheath and white hilt, while the other had a black sheath and black hilt. Han Cai was satisfied with the swords.

On the second day, Han Cai cultivated all night, and in the morning, he bathed and dressed in all-white dao robes and shoes to prepare himself for the tournament.

His black hair was tied in a bun with white cloth and stick; he looked like a holy child of some religious sect. He kept the outer sect medallion inside his pocket and put his black sword and clothes in storage.

After some time, there was a knock on his door. Han Cai opened the door and saw Elder Zhou standing outside his quarters. When the elder Zhou saw Han Cai dressed all in white, he was mesmerized for a second.

The elder nodded and said "we should get going. The tournament will begin sometime."

Han Cai agreed and followed elder Zhou. When they got out, he saw Kong Dandan and a few other disciples waiting for him and Elder Zhou. They did not say anything and followed elder Zhou and Han Cai.

They walked for a while. The arena for the tournament was on the mountain of the discipline hall.

As they walked, Han Cai enjoyed the morning summer sun. He was worried about his white clothes getting dirty, so he covered them with a layer of Qi to prevent any stains.

After a few hours of walking, they reached the arena. There was a lot of commotion around the arena. Many gray-robed, yellow-robed, and red-robed disciples could be seen around. Red robes were inner sect disciples. Since it was announced that the tournament would be presided over by the sect master, many inner sect disciples came too. The discipline hall also had black and red-robed guards around, maintaining the decorum.