Elder J looked closely at the s.p.a.ce between the five stone gateways. The air s.h.i.+mmered and the empty s.p.a.ce seemed to momentarily bulge outwards.

The green-haired elder turned around and addressed the disciples gathered on the backs of the giant birds.

"There are still a few hours before the mausoleum materialises," Elder J said with his voice amplified by a talisman, "This gives us time for my favourite activity - mingling with stupid a.s.sholes!"

A long silence greeted the green-haired elder's sarcastic words.

Elder J giggled, "Whoops. Did I just say that out loud? a.s.sholes? I meant the other three of the Four Great Sects, of course. Hehe!!"

Van pursed his lips. Next to him, w.a.n.g Hao shook his head while smiling.

Mystra snorted, "Elder J is not wrong. Those pompous a.s.sholes from the other sects are gonna come and size up, as per tradition. They think they're such a big deal."

The birds descended through the skies.

The ground shook as giant carrier birds landed. They spread their wings to let the disciples descend.

______

With a false smile plastered on his face, Van was standing in the central part of the giant coliseum and standing tens of metres away from the nearest of the five runic gates.  This central pit was bounded by magical wards that only allowed the partic.i.p.ating disciples and their supervisors to enter.

Spectators were unable to enter the pit, but they could see and hear everything. In fact, the small dragonfly-like creatures that flew around the edges of the stage were broadcasting what they saw into large mirages high above in the air.

Looking around, the red-haired youth saw that most disciples were from the Four Great Sects of Dragon City. The number of rogue cultivators and disciples from the smaller sects amounted to around two hundred. Van surmised that each of the Great Sects would take one of the gates, with the rogue cultivators and small sects taking the final, fifth gate.

"Look! That's the top outer disciple of the Star-Cutting Sword Sect, Yun Hai!" Mystra exclaimed in a low tone.

Following her eyes, Van saw a young man of fifteen years of age with an intense and sharp aura. He was in the 8th level of Qi Distillation.  Yun Hai stood proudly at the centre of the Star-Cutting Sword Sect disciples like a crane among ducks. His hair was pure white and tied in a loose ponytail. His eyes were feverishly bright. With a charismatic and dominant personality, the other disciples of the Star-Cutting Sword Sect admired him like a G.o.d; the other sects avoided him like the plague.

Van sensed w.a.n.g Hao stiffen beside him. He turned his head slightly and saw his Senior Brother locking eyes with Yun Hai from across the distance.  Yun Hai's eyebrows twitched slightly – he did not hide the disdain in his eyes. w.a.n.g Hao smiled. The distance between them suddenly seemed filled with sharp swords that could slice you open.

All around the pit, similar scenes could be found. It was an arena filled with proud disciples with no shortage of talent. It was only natural that tensions ran high as inter-sect rivalry was ignited. A few fights broke out.

 "Elder J, I see you've arrived."

At that moment, a refined woman in blue robes approached the Cedar Sect delegation with a smile on her face.  Behind her stood three disciples, two girls and one boy. They were each of the 7th rank of QI Distillation.

"Hehe, Madam Sophia, it's nice to see you again," Elder J responded politely. He had expected that the relatively neutral Zephyr Sect would be first to approach the Cedar Sect on friendly terms. They would not openly support either them or the Star-Cutting Sword Sect.

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Madam Sophia was elder that the Zephyr Sect had sent to accompany their outer disciples. She held the equivalent of Elder J's role in her sect.

Madam Sophia's face was filled with gentle kindness, but Van felt no sincerity in her gaze.

There was a moment of silence as they each inspected the disciples standing behind one another.

"I see w.a.n.g Hao has reached the 8th rank. Impressive," Madam Sophia said courteously after she cursorily scanned the twenty-odd battalion captains the Cedar Sect had brought, "The rest look… promising."

Madam Sophia had no real interest in the disciples from the Cedar Sect. Her approaching them was just a polite show. As a result, she did not seriously inspect all the disciples. The only one she had heard about was w.a.n.g Hao, who – if he was really in the 8th level – would make the Cedar Sect a more worthy opponent.  

Elder J could hear the dismissal in her tone. He controlled his urge to roll his eyes. Tutor Lumia was watching him like a hawk!

"These are my twin nieces, Cordelia and Daphne," Madam Sophia introduced the two female disciples with her.

They were quite young, only around fourteen years of age, with identical faces. They had thick, straight bangs across the forehead and short, collarbone length hair. They were at the peak of the 7th rank. While both were fearsome, Cordelia had the upper hand on her sister. She had beaten the Zephyr Sect's top outer disciple at the time with just one finger, replacing him when she was just eleven years old. It was said that she alone was able to pose a challenge to Yun Hai, the top outer disciple of the Star-Cutting Sword Sect.

Van was watching the twins quietly; trying to scope them out without drawing their attention.

Mystra saw him looking at them and whispered in his ear.

"Those twins possess a unique talent for wind-element arts, which is the specialty of the Zephyr Sect. Together, they have the ability to summon immense tornados with a huge area of effect. They are highly valued in the sect and are expected to be shoo-ins for the Inner Sect. There is expectation that a high-ranking Elder will take them as their direct disciples."

Van looked at those two innocent-looking girls, who looked barely a day over eleven years old but had such immense talent and backing, he couldn't help but sigh.

 "Elder J!"

Suddenly, a large man with a smiling, weathered face lumbered over. Wearing blazing orange robes trimmed in black, it was clear he was the Sect Representative from the Boulder Sect. Two young men followed him closely.

Madam Sophia's tranquil face suddenly changed. Her eyes flicked between the smiling man and Elder J in quick succession.

Their surroundings quietened. The other sects were watching the exchange between the Boulder Sect and the Cedar Sect closely.

Elder J tilted his head curiously, "Elder Holt. How can I help you?"

The green-haired elder was quickly calculating on the inside. It was well-known that the Boulder Sect and Star-Cutting Sword Sect had some kind of loose agreement. It was not the sort of thing that was written down in contract, but implicitly understood by both parties. Why had the Boulder Sect changed their tune? Elder J wracked his brain but could not come up with any solutions.

Elder Holt chuckled. Without answering the green-haired cultivator's question, he flicked his eyes quickly to the side. The two young men behind him quickly stepped up and bowed their necks slightly.

"This disciple inconvenienced the Cedar Sect the other day. It is our hope that there will no bad blood between our sects."

Elder J blinked slowly. The Boulder Sect had inconvenienced the other day? When? Who? What? Why? He had so many questions.