After a month in the desolate cold of Lihnrest, Delphine was nearly brought to tears at the sight of the large gates of Dragon City. She gazed up at the curved walls with watery eyes.

Van was too pre-occupied with his thoughts to share her joy. As soon as they entered the city, he pushed his way through the crowded streets. Delphine and Ryan followed in his wake.

The Sect Master himself had promised Van he could directly become an Inner Disciple if he could reach the 6th level of Qi Distillation within two-months… on the condition that he lead a battalion of 10 disciples within the inter-sect tournament within the 'Monster Mausoleum.' If Van missed this opportunity, he would not be able to enter the Inner Sect for another year and four months, breaking his promise to his little sister.

He could not bear the thought of her disappointed face.

As the trio pa.s.sed through the streets, the small golden bear on Delphine's back lifted its round head and peered around. Frightened by the unfamiliar smells and sights, the little bear shrunk back and hid its face in the young girl's hair.

Delphine giggled and scratched the little bear on the snout. She fed him a snack.

"You're so cute, Stu!"

The little bear happily chowed down on the snack and soon forgot to be frightened.

Roused from his thoughts, Van glanced over.

He gave the golden fluff ball a dubious look, "You named it already? I hope you're not planning on keeping it. It doesn't have a very high IQ…"

 "That's why I named it 'Stu,'" Delphine smirked, "It's short for 'Stupid'!"

Delphine proceeded to tickle little Stupid under the chin.

Van choked.

Cough!

Cough!

A dopey look spread over Stu's little face; he drooled around the snacks in his mouth with happy little pants.

Ryan thumped Van on the back with a fist. 

 "Huh," Van said after he regained his breath.

It fit. 

Ryan's eyes were wide as saucers.

Never mind naming a bear 'Stupid,' Ryan was more concerned by the fact that the 'snack' Delphine had just fed Stu was most definitely a Lunar Nightingale pill - a rare and valuable pill that only the Grand Alchemist of Cloud River could make!

Delphine nonchalantly pulled out another handful of rare and expensive pills.

Cronch. Cronch. Cronch.

The little golden bear snaffled them down.

[!]

Ryan felt as if his heart was stabbed.

If the Grand Alchemist's n.o.ble customers knew that the vaunted alchemist's rare and valuable creations were being used as pet food by his granddaughter… they would have spewed blood and fainted on the spot due to overwhelming jealousy… Jealous that they weren't born a bear!

Speechless, Ryan trailed after his friends.

____________

[Simultaneously, in front of the Cedar Sect]

A large group of outer disciples wearing the orange robes of the Boulder Sect swaggered up to the elegant front gates of the Cedar Sect. Loud and obnoxious, they caught the attention of the guards manning the gates. At the helm of the group, a well-built young man was directing disdainful looks at the sweeping calligraphy above the gate. A scar down the youth's left cheek gave him an air of danger. 

The youngster was surrounded by other young men and women wearing the orange robes of the Boulder Sect. They were of varying cultivations, the highest being the scarred youth himself at the 7th level of QI Distillation. 

The guards at the gate approached the youth. One of his entourage produced a parchment from his sleeve and handed it over.

The guard skimmed quickly over the contents before nodding.

"The usual rules of a fair challenge will apply. The sect will not interfere with the match unless the stipulated rules are broken. Punishment for breaking the rules is severe and within the sect's rights," the guard handed the parchment back over.

The pair of guards resumed their normal positions, blank-faced and stiff.

The scarred youth turned and surveyed his entourage. He addressed the group behind him with a loud and sweeping voice.

"The Cedar Sect has long called itself one of the Great Four of Dragon City…but who doesn't know that it is all bark no fruit?"

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"Who doesn't know that the current Cedar Sect is a garden full of useless ornaments? They can make all the profits they like, but it won't negate the fact that their disciples are the weakest of the Four Great Sects of Dragon City!"

"Today, we have come to put them in their place!"

Each of the outer disciples grew in c.o.c.kiness as they heard their leader's words.

"They'll foul their pants the next time they see disciples from the Boulder Sect!" A thin girl on the scarred youth's left said.

The retinue sneered in agreement.

"They'd be better off becoming farmers and just concentrating on making more money for their sect!"

"s.h.i.+geru would thrash Dieter's a.s.s any day," someone commented, "That pansy is the weakest of the Four Suns."

"Indeed," The scar on the youth's face pulled his cheek into an ugly grimace when he smiled.

The scarred youth suddenly barked, "Oi, you!"

In front of them, a young girl in the dark green robes of an outer disciple of the Cedar Sect startled and dropped her handful of parchments.

"W-what do you want?" She asked softly, eyes darting from face to face.

The scarred youth sneered, "Tell your top outer disciple, w.a.n.g Hao, that Rhogar of the Boulder Sect has come to humiliate him in his own sect and prove that the Cedar Sect is trash that doesn't belong the t.i.tle of one of the Four Great Sects!"

_________

[At the outskirts of Dragon City.]

Van, Delphine and Ryan stopped walking at a familiar street corner and hailed a carriage.

As the beast-driven carriage stopped before them, Stupid poked its little head out and eyed the beast curiously. The dumb little bear tried to wriggle off Delphine's back for a closer look, but the young girl restrained it.

"Behave!" She hissed.

Van and Ryan just smiled.

Delphine's expression was hesitant as she spoke to them, "I'm really glad I came with you guys to the Blizzard Plains. Thank you for looking after me."

Her ears were pink.

"I hope we will see one another again soon," Delphine said, "And um… if you guys find something fun to play, remember to bring me along too!"

Van smirked, "Sure, pipsqueak."

Delphine's eyes narrowed. With a final 'hmph!' she waved goodbye and stepped up onto a carriage that would take her back to her grandfather's estate.

Van turned to Ryan, "We need to return to the sect quickly."

Ryan nodded.

Just under an hour later, the duo arrived at the sect's gates. A loud booming voice greeted the duo when they stepped off their carriage.

"Haha! Is this all your worthless sect has to offer?"

Van's expression turned gloomy as he took in the sight.

The crowd blocking the gates was composed of green and orange robes. The crowd was dense and big, with a small s.p.a.ce in the centre. Within that small s.p.a.ce, a disciple wearing orange robes was fighting a disciple wearing green robes.

[Such a dense crowd. It's going to take a long time to push our way through it… what a bother!]

Van was annoyed that he couldn't just teleport into the sect and kick in the door to the Sect Master's room. 

"The guys in the orange robes are outer disciples from the Boulder Sect," Ryan said with furrowed brows, "I recognise the symbol on their back. It's one of the top four sects of Dragon City, which includes the Cedar Sect, Zephyr Sect and Star-Cutting Sword Sect."

"But what are they doing here?" Van said with crossed his arms. Darkly, he thought about pulling out his Mysterious Obsidian Battle-axe and just cutting a path down the centre. He had a feeling that wouldn't go down well with the authorities.

Ryan shook his head, "I have no idea."

Van frowned.

The loud voice boomed again, "Where is w.a.n.g Hao?"

Immediately, a deathly silence greeted his words.

"What, is your top disciple too afraid to stick his neck and fight for the face of his sect? Or is he too scared to face me!?"

The Boulder Sect disciples roared with laughter.

The Cedar Sect's disciples went pale and green. Within their midst, a few of them had been beaten black and blue by the Boulder Sect disciples and were being supported by their friends. They all looked at each other.

Where WAS w.a.n.g Hao? If he didn't come out now, then the face of Cedar Sect's outer disciples would be completely lost. Within hours, news of this humiliating result would be spread throughout Dragon City and no disciple of the Cedar Sect would be able to hold their heads up high again! There was a lot at stake here!

The Cedar Sect disciples felt embarra.s.sed and queasy.

One brave disciple stepped out, "We already told you. w.a.n.g Hao is in secluded cultivation. If he exited just for this pointless challenge then his cultivation could be severely damaged!"

His friend chimed in, " Unlike you scheming b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, w.a.n.g Hao is upright and n.o.ble. If not for being in seclusion, he wouldn't back away from a fight like a coward. Nor would he barge into another sect and challenge them when they clearly knew their opponent was in secluded cultivation!"

None of the Boulder Sect disciples batted an eyelash. Of course, they knew w.a.n.g Hao was in secluded cultivation! The whole point of coming today was to rub the Cedar Sect's nose in the dirt - it would be much easier to humiliate them if their top disciple did not turn up.

And, if w.a.n.g Hao actually did cancel his seclusion to defend his sect's honour and damaged his cultivation... 

Well, that would be just what the Sect Master ordered!

Rhogar boomed with laughter, "Your w.a.n.g Hao is a spineless t.u.r.d who can't even face me! Actions speak louder than words. Who knows if he is really in secluded cultivation or not? He's just a coward like the lot of you!"

On the inside, Rhogar was reading the crowd's expressions and quietly calculating.

[I must stir them up so much that w.a.n.g Hao has no other way than to come out!]

Hearing Rhogar's incredibly insulting words, Cedar Sect disciples became full of suppressed indignation and rage. Even if they denied his words, they couldn't shut him up – they didn't have the strength to!

"I'll fight you!"

The crowd hushed as a new challenger appeared from the Cedar Sect.