Chapter 49: Fifteen Spirit Stones!

As Karn ascended his carriage Shin spoke up from behind him.

"Master, today is also the day of the Outer Martial Contest." Shin smiled at his master as he spoke.

"Ah right, this is the very first Outer Martial Contest for the two of you since you joined." Karn smiled. Even though Rei and Shin were personal disciples of an Elder like Karn meaning they had higher benefits. It did not mean they were exempt from participating in the mandatory Martial Contest to determine the rankings of each disciple.

The carriage slowly made its way through the streets of the Dragon Meteor Sect. As they approached the Outer Sect, the number of disciples increased considerably. The normally quiet streets were now packed with people.

Groups of outer disciples hurried toward the same destination, discussing the upcoming matches amongst themselves.

"Master, there are so many people." Shin’s eyes widened beneath his blindfold.

"Koko... Of course there are. This is the Outer Martial Contest. Every outer disciple wants to know where they stand among their peers." Karn chuckled.

"And there are many spectators as well." Rei looked through the carriage window.

"Naturally." Karn stroked his beard.

"Even those who aren’t participating will come to watch. You never know when some unknown disciple will suddenly emerge from the crowd and become the next great genius." The carriage continued forward. Eventually, the enormous arena came into view.

It was unlike anything Rei or Shin had seen before. A massive circular platform occupied the center of the grounds, surrounded by thousands of stone seats that climbed upward like a mountain. At the very top stood several enormous viewing platforms reserved for the elders.

Disciples filled almost every seat. The atmosphere was deafening. Cheers, arguments, laughter, and shouts blended together into one enormous roar.

Above the arena floated a massive golden formation. Words continuously appeared across its surface.

OUTER MARTIAL CONTEST

DRAGON METEOR SECT

ANNUAL RANKING

"Woah..." Shin stared upward.

"This is..." Rei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She had never seen so many cultivators gathered in one place.

"Koko... Looks like the sect is more lively than usual." Karn stepped out of the carriage. He looked around the arena with a smile.

Several nearby disciples immediately recognized him.

"It’s Elder Karn!"

"The infamous blind elder! He destroyed the Black Fang Bandits by himself?!"

"So that’s his disciples!"

"The girl is the one who defeated the Stone Mountain’s disciple, right? I thought she was supposed to have an appearance that was rather unremarkable. But this is..."

"That’s not her! That’s—"

The murmurs quickly spread through the crowd. Karn paid them no attention. Instead, he looked toward Rei and Shin.

"Remember." His voice became slightly more serious.

"You aren’t here to prove that you’re stronger than everyone else." Rei nodded.

"Then what are we here for?" Shin on the other hand tilted his head.

"To find out exactly how strong you are." Karn smiled.

"And more importantly to see who else is worth remembering." He tapped his cane against the ground as his gaze swept across the enormous arena.

Rei and Shin exchanged glances. The two followed their master toward the arena.

None of them noticed the figure sitting high above the arena. An oni mask hung from the individual’s waist. Calm eyes followed Karn’s every movement.

Karn made his way toward one of the elevated platforms reserved for the elders. As he settled into his seat, several elders nearby immediately noticed him and rose to their feet.

"Elder Karn, how has your cultivation been progressing? I was expecting to see you here today to watch your genius disciple." One of the elders greeted him with a courteous bow.

"Elder Xie, a pleasure to see you again." Karn returned the gesture with a smile. "Actually, both of my disciples are participating in this year’s contest."

"Both?" Elder Xie raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "Then Elder Karn’s second disciple must be just as much of a genius as the first."

"Koko... He is nowhere near as impressive as your disciple, Elder Xie." Karn stroked his beard as he watched Rei and Shin approach the registration area below.

Meanwhile, the two disciples made their way toward a young outer disciple responsible for handling the contest’s logistics. The moment he noticed the personal disciple plaques hanging from their waists, his expression became noticeably more respectful.

"Greetings. Your names and the elder you represent?"

"Rei. Elder Karn."

"Shin. Elder Karn."

The disciple’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced between the two.

"Cultivation realm? Disciples above Tier Three are not permitted to participate."

"Tier Three - Middle." Rei nodded.

"Tier Three - Low." Shin grinned as he released a small portion of his aura.

The registration disciple nodded before recording their names.

"No talismans or puppets are permitted inside the arena. Each cultivator may carry a maximum of one weapon." He paused to make sure they were listening.

"The contest will last three days. During a match, victory is achieved by forcing your opponent outside the arena boundary or when the elder presiding over the match determines that the battle is over." His expression became stern.

"Killing is strictly forbidden. Regardless of your status, background, or relationship with your opponent, killing another disciple will result in severe punishment." The rules were repeated for what was likely the hundredth time that day.

"Understood. Thank you, fellow disciple!" Shin bowed politely before jogging after Rei, who had already begun walking toward the waiting area.

"Rei, stop running off." Shin caught up with her. "If we keep treating everyone so rudely, it’ll reflect badly on Master."

Rei stopped at the mention of Karn.

"Our master doesn’t care about such small things." She immediately continued walking. Shin sighed before following after her.

The waiting area surrounding the arena was far livelier than either of them expected.

With thousands of disciples gathered for the contest, countless vendors had seized the opportunity to make some quick spirit stones. Temporary stalls lined the streets, selling everything from martial techniques and cultivation pills to food and strange trinkets.

"Only one spirit stone for four hundred stalks of Qi-Replenishing Bamboo!"

"Three spirit stones for a Yellow-Rank Fist Technique! Three spirit stones! Once they’re gone, they’re gone!"

"Fresh Spirit Beast skewers! Only two spirit stones!"

"Rei! Master gave us his monthly elder allowance of fifteen spirit stones to spend freely." Shin’s eyes immediately lit up. He held up several spirit stones excitedly.

"Let’s get the Qi-refining soup. It’s delicious! And should we buy something for Master?" He spoke.

"Of course!" Rei glanced at him.

"He’ll probably appreciate some food and tea more than anything else." Shin nodded enthusiastically.

Rei rolled her eyes but followed him deeper into the bustling streets. For a while, the two simply wandered through the temporary marketplace, sampling different delicacies and looking through the various treasures being sold.

Bump!

Shin accidentally collided with someone. A small figure stumbled backward and fell onto the ground. The contents of a worn cloth bag scattered across the street.

"I-I’m sorry, great cultivator!" The girl immediately scrambled to collect her belongings. Her voice trembled as she hurriedly gathered each item, clearly terrified that Shin might become angry.