Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Friendly Competition (3)
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The ten representatives of the Black Bamboo Sect spent the remaining period in communal training.
They sparred with sweat pouring down, shared meals together to build camaraderie.
And they slept in the grand hall where the training grounds were located.
The gender ratio among the representatives was eight men and two women.
The men would spar through the night, and when they grew tired, they’d grab their pillows and head straight back to the training grounds, saying they’d sleep right there.
Only Seoran and Ho Hye-mun, the two women, slept separately in a small room.
From far off in the training grounds came shouts of exertion.
But the bedroom where the two lay was utterly silent.
Putting two introverted people in the same space leads to this kind of situation.
Should I speak first?
Seoran, lying rigidly straight, pondered.
She rolled her eyes slightly and saw Elder Ho with her eyes closed.
She stared for a moment, but there was no movement.
Ah, she’s already asleep.
Seoran turned her gaze back to the ceiling.
To wake up early tomorrow, she needed to sleep soon.
Closing her eyes, Seoran made a vow.
Tomorrow, I’ll definitely get closer to her.
Seoran gradually drifted off to sleep.
And as if taking turns on watch, Ho Hye-mun opened her eyes on the bed beside her.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed proper for her, the senior, to approach first.
Alright, let’s start with talk about fist techniques.
Having resolved herself, Ho Hye-mun turned her head.
The already sleeping Seoran only let out steady breathing.
Ho Hye-mun straightened her posture again.
She sleeps early. I’ll do it in the morning.
Of course, the two didn’t grow close until the day of the friendly competition.
*****
The Qi Condensation cultivators could barely contain their pounding hearts as they awaited the friendly competition.
The excitement was especially intense for those like Jang Ok-gi, who had been born and raised within the Black Bamboo Sect.
Because Qi Condensation cultivators could not cross the sect’s barrier.
It was a long-standing tradition of the Black Bamboo Sect to never grant permission to leave unless one had at least reached Foundation Establishment.
It wasn’t as if the Black Bamboo Sect was some ragtag gang without pedigree, locking up disciples just to maintain discipline.
The purpose of this tradition from the start was to protect the Qi Condensation cultivators.
In the past, outings were permitted even for Qi Condensation cultivators.
They took into account a certain level of self-protection ability and a minimum age, but it wasn’t the total ban it is now.
So around age twenty, everyone rushed to cross the barrier to see the secular world.
And they dropped dead one after another.
Qi Condensation cultivators don’t catch diseases.
That doesn’t mean they won’t die from illness after a night outdoors.
Thus, it could be presumed that all the missing ones had been murdered.
Qi Condensation can be called the intermediate stage where a mortal with a spirit root truly becomes a cultivator.
The idea that through cultivation, one transcends human limits and gradually becomes superhuman sounds impressive at first glance.
But think about it carefully, and it also means they’re still not all that different from mortals.
Of course, all Qi Condensation cultivators are martial arts masters.
With bodies as tough as wild beasts, minds clear as a mirror, and martial arts honed through blood and sweat, they could slaughter a hundred mortals charging at them.
No one could defeat a Qi Condensation cultivator in a fair frontal clash.
But there’s no need to fight fair and square.
A Qi Condensation cultivator is half superhuman, but the other half is still mortal.
Thus, they retain all the vulnerabilities mortals have.
Mortals die with an arrow to the back of the head, or from eating poisoned food.
Qi Condensation cultivators were the same.
Some cultivators could shatter boulders with their bare hands.
But they had no eyes in the back of their heads, and bandits had no morals.
In the end, he died from an arrow shot from hiding in the brush.
A sword master who could deflect incoming arrows was slain pathetically at a remote inn.
He’d ordered dumplings out of hunger, and they were laced with poison.
It wasn’t just assassin groups targeting cultivators.
Ferocious beasts don’t even know what a cultivator is.
They just killed for the loot.
Healthy complexions and sturdy builds were symbols of wealth.
Dressed in fine clothes and carrying weapons worth a fortune, they looked just like rich travelers.
Even their wide-eyed gawking, like country bumpkins, made them perfect marks for a quick score.
Martial artists new to the secular world became cold corpses without swinging their weapons once.
Masters who had trained their whole lives lost their lives overnight.
They might have survived if they’d met a tiger instead.
Naturally, the Black Bamboo Sect was aware of this problem.
They repeatedly warned their disciples.
But it had little effect.
Cultivators who had only trained in remote mountains stood out in their every action.
That naivety made them immediate targets for jackals.
Young disciples fell victim to the treachery of the secular world.
While the blood was still flowing, a wide array of solutions was proposed.
Group disciples in packs of a few.
They all died.
Send Foundation Establishment cultivators as escorts.
Every time they looked back, one or two Qi Condensation cultivators were gone.
Let the Yang Nation court handle it.
The officials who received the orders managed to convince the leadership with eloquent arguments about why the state couldn’t eradicate crime.
The leadership was just as ignorant of worldly affairs.
To cultivators, the secular world was just a place for a brief trip to broaden horizons.
All the knowledge gained from reports was superficial at best.
The Core Formation cultivators, putting their heads together, soon realized.
Deliberation by outsiders was pointless.
With their shallow understanding of the secular world, they could never propose a fundamental solution.
The only stopgap that came to mind was one.
From that day on, outings for Qi Condensation cultivators were unconditionally forbidden.
The Qi Condensation cultivators complained about their stifled lives, but there was no helping it.
Seeing the world and gaining experience is good, but it means nothing if you die.
That’s how the tradition was born.
*****
Jang Ok-gi, who had been full of anticipation, was disappointed.
He had finally come out to the secular world, only to see nothing but clouds.
The Black Bamboo Sect cultivators were currently flying toward the border region aboard several massive flying ships.
It was a mode of transport chosen purely for safety.
The flying ships, cloaked in concealment arts lest they be spotted from the ground, soon arrived at their destination.
In the middle of a barren highland lay a vast basin.
The arena and spectator stands were already prepared.
The leaders of the four cultivation sects, arriving right on time, exchanged brief words before parting.
The disciples seated row by row in the stands buzzed with chatter.
“Which sect is that over there?”
“Isn’t that Golden Sparrow Sect? Why are they from Jiao Nation...”
“Jiao Nation’s a pretty big country, right?”
The Golden Sparrow Sect ruled the Jiao Nation.
Geographically, Jiao Nation lay north of Yang Nation.
Its territory was about the same size as Yang Nation’s, but with more fertile plains, its population was about thirty percent larger.
If one had to rank today’s four gathered sects, it would be one top tier, two mid-tier, one low-tier.
Naturally, Golden Sparrow Sect was the top, and Black Bamboo Sect was middling.
Sects in nations with large populations are usually strong.
“So Golden Sparrow Sect is the favorite to win?”
“Probably.”
“Ah, I hope our first opponent isn’t Golden Sparrow Sect.”
“Don’t jinx it like that!”
By the way, no betting pool was set up this time.
Too many had gone bust last time, so there weren’t enough people.
Besides, this wasn’t internal competition; betting on matches against other sects could lead to unmanageable fallout if caught.
Core Formation cultivators from each sect came forward to draw lots in the arena.
The Core Formation cultivator sent by the Black Bamboo Sect drew and shouted.
“Black Bamboo Sect, first match!”
His expression brightened a bit.
The format was two sects facing off, with the winners then competing in the final.
Winning the first match allowed a bit more recovery time before the final.
Next was the Golden Sparrow Sect cultivator’s turn to draw.
“Golden Sparrow Sect, first match!”
They’d drawn the top favorite right away.
Disciples murmured in anxiety at the thought of possible immediate elimination.
“Will we be okay?”
“I trust Senior Brother Im and Elder Ho.”
“Right? What could go wrong?”
“I said don’t jinx it!”
“Yeah, yeah...”
“Cheer hard when the matches start.”
Amid the commotion, the tournament began.
Two combatants entered the arena, the winner stayed, the loser left.
The skilled could take down multiple opponents alone.
The Black Bamboo Sect’s first fighter was Ho Hye-mun.
Their strategy was simple.
Place the strongest at the beginning and end.
The opener seizes momentum, the closer seals the win—that’s the ideal flow.
Ho Hye-mun, bearing the heavy responsibility, won after a fierce struggle.
With the momentum seized, Black Bamboo Sect cultivators cheered fervently.
She lost narrowly to the second Golden Sparrow Sect fighter, but Elder Ho’s face was bright.
But the hopeful mood gradually sank.
Black Bamboo Sect fighters began losing in succession.
No accidents—just a skill gap.
The Golden Sparrow Sect cultivators were better than expected.
The eldest, Senior Brother Im, changed the plan.
He threw in the reserves meant to be saved for last.
Thus, Seoran, slotted mid-order, was pushed further back.
When the powerhouses stepped up, balance seemed briefly restored, but soon Black Bamboo Sect fell behind again.
Despite the desperate cheers from Black Bamboo Sect cultivators, victories kept going to Golden Sparrow Sect.
And finally, the last fighter, Seoran, took the arena.
Four Golden Sparrow Sect fighters remained.