C44 - Preparation

By the fourth morning, the Outer Court Trial had become the only subject anyone seemed willing to discuss.

The sect's normally orderly routine had been replaced by a restless energy.

Disciples crowded around the Contribution Hall from early morning. The exchange counters were surrounded by people purchasing healing pills, spirit-recovery medicines, talismans, ropes, maps, and other supplies.

The sound of coins and contribution tokens changing hands filled the hall.

"I'll take three Blood-Replenishing Pills."

"Do you have any low-grade defensive talismans left?"

"How much for the Wind-Walking Talisman?"

"Too expensive!"

"Then don't buy it."

Arguments broke out everywhere.

Ye Chen stood quietly near the entrance.

He didn't enter the crowd.

Instead, he watched.

A young disciple rushed out carrying an enormous bundle of supplies.

Another walked out proudly with a newly purchased sword.

A third had spent nearly all his contribution points on medicinal pills.

Everyone was preparing for the same trial.

Yet everyone prepared differently.

Ye Chen eventually turned away.

He had already decided what he needed.

Not what he wanted.

What he needed.

He returned to his room.

His belongings were arranged neatly against the wall.

Sword.

Boots.

Travel bag.

Waterskin.

Rope.

Flint.

Medicine pouch.

Dried food.

A small oil lamp.

Nothing looked impressive.

But Ye Chen had learned long ago that usefulness mattered more than appearance.

He picked up his travel bag first.

The fabric was old but durable.

He inspected every seam.

One section near the bottom had begun to loosen.

It wasn't large enough to notice at first glance.

Ye Chen immediately fetched his needle and thread.

He repaired it carefully.

The process reminded him of his childhood.

His mother had taught him how to mend clothing when he was still young.

She had always insisted that damaged things should be repaired before they became useless.

At the time, Ye Chen had thought she was simply being thrifty.

Now he understood.

He finished the stitching and pulled the fabric firmly.

It held.

Next came his sword.

He removed the weapon from its sheath and examined the blade under the morning light.

There was no major damage.

Still, he cleaned it thoroughly.

He inspected the hilt.

The wrapping had loosened slightly.

He removed it and rewound the leather strip around the handle, tightening it carefully.

A loose grip during combat could mean a lost weapon.

A lost weapon could mean death.

There was no room for carelessness.

After that came his boots.

He turned them upside down and examined the soles.

The mountain paths within the Emerald Spirit Forest would likely be wet in several regions.

A damaged sole could become dangerous.

He reinforced the weakest portions and tested each boot by pressing his weight against it.

Satisfied, he placed them beside the travel bag.

He then turned his attention to food.

Three days of provisions had been officially provided to every disciple.

Ye Chen knew that three days was not necessarily enough.

The trial lasted seven.

He carefully divided his dried food into small portions and wrapped each one in waxed cloth.

He did not intend to eat everything quickly.

He wanted his supplies to last.

Water was more important.

He inspected his waterskin twice.

Then he added a second smaller container.

It took up additional space.

But water could not always be found safely in the wilderness.

He remembered the stream from yesterday.

Clean-looking water was not necessarily safe.

That was another lesson worth remembering.

Near noon, there was a knock at his door.

Ye Chen opened it.

A familiar outer disciple stood outside.

"You really are preparing like an old farmer."

Ye Chen recognized him as one of the disciples who trained in the same courtyard.

The young man looked around the room.

There were no expensive weapons.

No piles of pills.

No glowing talismans.

"You aren't buying anything?"

"I already have what I need."

The disciple looked skeptical.

"You'll regret that."

"Perhaps."

The young man shook his head.

"Everyone says the trial is dangerous. You should at least get a defensive talisman."

Ye Chen considered the suggestion.

"How much?"

"Twenty contribution points."

Ye Chen thought for a moment.

Then shook his head.

"Too expensive."

The disciple stared at him.

"You're going to risk your life over twenty points?"

"No."

Ye Chen pointed toward the equipment he had prepared.

"I'm trying not to need it."

The other disciple was silent.

After a moment, he laughed.

"You're strange."

Perhaps.

But Ye Chen had always preferred being prepared to being lucky.

After the disciple left, Ye Chen continued working.

He prepared a small collection of useful items.

A short length of cord.

Two pieces of flint.

A small cloth for filtering water.

A simple wooden spoon.

Several strips of clean cloth for wounds.

A small amount of salt.

None of these things possessed spiritual energy.

None would impress another cultivator.

But each had a purpose.

He placed everything into separate compartments.

Nothing was allowed to move freely inside the bag.

If he needed something in darkness, he wanted to find it immediately.

By late afternoon, his room looked almost exactly as it had that morning.

The difference was that every object now had a reason for being there.

Ye Chen sat beside the window.

The sunlight entered at an angle, illuminating tiny particles of dust floating through the room.

He opened the rough map he had sketched the previous day.

The Emerald Spirit Forest covered a vast region.

There were too many unknowns.

Too many possibilities.

He traced the river system with his finger.

Water.

Food.

Shelter.

Terrain.

Escape routes.

He began thinking not about how to win...

But how to survive.

That distinction mattered.

Winning the trial meant earning a high score.

Survival meant returning alive.

If the two could be achieved together, all the better.

A knock came again.

This time, Lin Xu entered.

His eyes immediately fell upon the neatly arranged equipment.

He smiled.

"You've turned your room into a supply warehouse."

Ye Chen looked at him.

"Have you finished preparing?"

"Mostly."

Lin Xu picked up one of the cloth-wrapped food portions.

"You really brought salt?"

"It can preserve food."

"I know."

Lin Xu put it back.

"I'm just surprised."

Ye Chen looked at him.

"What did you prepare?"

Lin Xu smiled.

"Less than you."

He pulled a small pouch from his robe.

"Three healing pills. Two spirit-recovery pills. A rope. Some food. And this."

He produced a small talisman.

Ye Chen examined it.

"Defensive talisman?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Lin Xu sat down.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then Lin Xu looked around the room.

"You know what most people are doing?"

"Buying weapons?"

"Exactly."

He laughed softly.

"Some disciples have spent everything they own."

"Will that help them?"

"It might."

Lin Xu's expression became thoughtful.

"But when people are afraid, they often buy things that make them feel powerful rather than things that make them safe."

Ye Chen nodded.

Fear changed judgment.

That was precisely what Elder Mo had warned them about.

The conversation eventually drifted toward the trial.

Neither made promises about ranking highly.

Neither spoke of becoming famous.

They simply discussed practical matters.

What to do if separated from a group.

How to recognize signs of nearby beasts.

Why following a river could be dangerous.

How to preserve energy during a long journey.

When Lin Xu finally left, evening had already arrived.

Ye Chen stood alone beside the window.

The sect was glowing beneath hundreds of lanterns.

Beyond those lights lay mountains.

Beyond the mountains lay the Emerald Spirit Forest.

And beyond that...

A world neither of them fully understood.

Ye Chen looked down at his hands.

He remembered Elder Mo's words.

Strength was important.

But judgment determined how strength was used.

He closed the window.

Everything he could prepare had been prepared.

Everything he could repair had been repaired.

There was nothing left to do tonight.

For the first time since the trial had been announced, Ye Chen felt completely calm.

He extinguished the lamp.

Four days remained.