Chapter 4192 — An Unexpected Host
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Every last core disciple of the Triple Pavilion's inner sect had turned out in full. What mildly surprised Wei Zhao, however, was that the nearly hundred Golden Core experts present were not all dressed as inner-sect disciples; a number wore the garb of outer-sect disciples, yet their strength had already reached the Golden Core stage.
Listening to the chatter around him, Wei Zhao finally understood. The Triple Pavilion's inner-sect tournament was not restricted to core inner-sect disciples alone—even outer-sect disciples could step onto the arena, so long as their strength was sufficient.
And if one's strength was outstanding and one's performance dazzling, one might well catch the eye of some great figure and be taken on as a nominal disciple, rising to glory from that day forth. Such precedents were hardly few.
For the many inner-sect disciples present, the tournament was no less vital. It was the Triple Pavilion's fixed assessment of them—how well or poorly they performed bore directly on the allocation of cultivation resources for the coming year. It was not something to be taken lightly in the slightest.
At last the year's inner-sect tournament formally began. By the custom of previous years, the one who presided over it was always a high-ranking member of the Council of Elders. This year, remarkably enough, the one who came forward was Xu Lingchong's grandfather—Xu Yuanzheng.
"The rules of this year's inner-sect tournament are very simple: arena combat, much the same as in past years. This year's arena matches are divided into two events—one-on-one, and two-on-two!" Xu Yuanzheng swept his gaze over the assembled Golden Core disciples and announced in a ringing voice. "This, I imagine, you can all understand. After all, once you enter the inner sect, what is tested is no longer mere individual strength, but also your capacity for teamwork!"
At these words the crowd in the stands broke into animated discussion, and many nodded again and again. Once they entered the inner sect and became core disciples, they were often sent out on high-level missions, missions of extreme difficulty and danger that could usually be completed only through teamwork.
However formidable a man might be, if he could not work with others, in the end he would not make the grade.
"Whether one-on-one or two-on-two, only the top fifty earn corresponding combat points. First place gets fifty points, second forty-nine, and so on down the line. The scores from the two events added together will be your final result in this inner-sect tournament! If your final result falls outside the top fifty, then even if you are not eliminated from the inner sect outright, you will receive no preferential treatment in next year's cultivation resources." Xu Yuanzheng looked over the crowd and spoke coolly.
Hearing this, the inner-sect disciples in the stands could not help but turn grave. At a cultivation stage like the Golden Core, progress was far harder to come by than during Foundation Establishment. Without ample cultivation resources to assist them, no matter how diligently they applied themselves, decades of secluded cultivation would likely yield scarcely an inch of advance.
To truly fall outside the top fifty would mean receiving only the most basic cultivation resources—enough to keep from regressing would already be good fortune. As for climbing higher, they could forget it entirely.
"Very well, those are the rules. You may all go back and make your preparations. I give you five days to choose your teammates; five days from now, the tournament proper begins." With that, Xu Yuanzheng let his gaze rest meaningfully for a moment in Wei Zhao's direction, then turned with a look of relish on his face and stepped down from the platform.