As they all waited in silence, a knock suddenly echoed from the door. Hearing it, the old man stood up, followed by Yuan and the rest of the group.
When the door opened, they saw a young man in his prime standing outside. He wore a bright smile and greeted the old man with a graceful salute.
"Greetings, guests of the Loose Long Family. I am the guide assigned to you by the Martial Cloud Sect for today. Please finish any remaining business here, we'll be heading out shortly to the location of the Young Talent Tournament."
The teacher gave a short nod and glanced back at his students. "Anything you still need to do?"
All five of them shook their heads, prompting the teacher to smile and return his gaze to the guide. "Then lead the way."
With another polite nod, the guide turned and began walking, silently leading them toward their destination. He said nothing as they moved, and his quiet demeanor made the journey feel slow and uneventful, especially for the younger ones.
They exited the Martial Cloud Sect's main mountain and continued walking northward on foot. Nearly five hours passed without a single break. The path led them across another mountain, a physically demanding trek that wore down most of the group.
Even the guide began to sweat.
Only the teacher remained completely unaffected, his stride steady and relaxed, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through his own garden.
The group, meanwhile, grew more frustrated with every step. Still, they endured in silence.
At first, Yuan had wondered why they were walking at all. He assumed the location must be nearby. But after hours of travel, it became clear, it was no accident.
"A natural selection test, huh? How practical," Yuan thought, his lips curling into a bitter smile. Though annoyed, he couldn't help but admire the cleverness of it.
If a group couldn't even endure five hours of mountain climbing, then they were clearly unqualified to survive a week alone in a wilderness filled with demonic beasts, let alone fight them without supervision. Such groups would only embarrass themselves… or get themselves killed without a second thought.
It was, without a doubt, a practical way to weed out the unworthy before the tournament began.
After more time passed, they finally arrived at a small mountain valley filled with rows of white tents. The area was lively, with many people walking about, preparing for what was to come.
The valley was large, and once they reached its center, the guide came to a halt. The group followed his lead, stopping and waiting for further instructions.
Before the guide could say a word, the teacher let out a loud chuckle.
"So, it's the Deep Pond Forest this time? Not a bad choice!" he said, clearly amused. It was the first thing he'd spoken since the long trek had begun.
The guide smiled and nodded, giving a respectful salute. "Indeed. This year's Young Talent Tournament will be held in the Deep Pond Forest. One of our elders grew concerned after noticing the spread of a new demonic beast species there. After a thorough investigation, we discovered that this beast was multiplying rapidly and harming the natural balance of the forest."
He paused before continuing, "As a result, the decision was made to use the tournament as both a trial and a cleansing operation, to eradicate this unnatural race from the forest."
The teacher nodded in approval. "Where are the supervising elders stationed?"
"At the lowest layer of Deep Pond Valley," the guide replied. "Their tent is marked with a blue pattern, you'll spot it easily."
"Any other questions?" the guide asked politely, his tone professional.
The teacher simply shook his head. "No need. I know the rest."
With that, the guide gave one final bow, turned around, and began walking back the way they had come.
With the guide gone, the teacher waved his hand, gesturing for Yuan's group to follow. They entered Deep Pond Valley, quickly noticing people moving about everywhere. This came as a surprise to most of Yuan's group, they had assumed the Young Talent Tournament was exclusive, something meant only for them and other elite youths.
But clearly, that wasn't the case.
They walked for about ten minutes, heading toward the far end of the valley. Along the way, they saw a bustling scene: cultivators chatting, and merchants setting up small markets filled with goods. Stalls offered everything from weapons and herbs to medicine and armor.
Yet, most of these items seemed suited for mortals rather than high level cultivators.
Puzzled, Yuan turned to the teacher. "Why are they selling so many mortal goods here?"
The teacher chuckled. "Ah, good question. They're not just for mortals, they're useful for cultivators in the lower layers. This valley is divided into three layers. The top layer, where we are now, is open to everyone and serves as a general hub. The middle layer is where the real market for cultivation items is located, and finally, the bottom layer is the entry to the Deep Pond Forest itself."
He paused, then added, "That lowest layer is dangerous. Only cultivators are allowed there, it's regularly attacked by demonic beasts. No ordinary person could live there."
"Ah, makes sense," Yuan replied with a nod. He had originally thought the entire area was restricted to cultivators, but now it was clear they were currently only in the public, high layer of the valley.
They continued onward, soon reaching the middle layer. But contrary to the teacher's explanation, the market here was sparse. Only about a hundred tents stood scattered across the area, and barely anyone was around. It felt strangely empty, especially compared to the lively upper layer.
The contrast surprised not just Yuan's group, but the teacher as well. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing, merely shrugging it off as they continued their descent.
Finally, they reached the lowest layer of the valley. Here, only a few dozen tents were pitched, and the atmosphere was markedly more serious and quiet.
In the previous layers of the valley, most tents had been plain white, with only a few bearing different colors. But here, in the lowest layer of Deep Pond Valley, they finally saw tents adorned with patterns. The atmosphere was different, quieter, more tense.
Only a few people lingered nearby, and Yuan's group even spotted another team participating in the Young Talent Tournament. Neither side made an effort to interact; they simply exchanged brief glances and moved on, ignoring one another.
Their teacher continued walking without a word, and Yuan's group followed closely behind. Eventually, they arrived at a white tent with distinctive blue patterns. The teacher paused for a moment, scanning left and right to confirm this was the right location.
Seeing no other tent nearby with similar markings, he nodded to himself and stepped inside without hesitation.
Inside the tent, the group found several counters and about eighteen tables, most already occupied by other teams. It appeared they were among the last to arrive.
While Yuan and the others took in the scene, the teacher walked straight to one of the counters and spoke briefly with the person seated there. After a short exchange, he returned to the group with a small smile.
"Pick any of the empty tables and wait," he instructed. "Someone from the Martial Cloud Sect will come to give further instructions. From here on, you're on your own."
He turned to Yuan and gave his shoulder a light pat. "Be careful and don't get careless."
Yuan nodded, followed by the others. Seeing their silent understanding, the teacher sighed quietly and left the tent, leaving them among the many groups of the Eighteen Allies.
Yuan glanced around and then led the group to a table in the middle left section of the tent. They sat down on the ground and waited patiently for the tournament to begin.
As time passed, a few other groups approached to strike up conversation. Haoran and Yuxin chatted cheerfully with them at first, but once the others learned they were from the Loose Long Family, most quickly lost interest and walked away.
This irritated Haoran to no end, he clenched his fists and made a few attempts to confront them, but Tianyu always managed to hold him back in time. Meanwhile, Yuxin's cheerful expression faded. Her smile waned as she realized just how many people still looked down on her family.
Seeing even these youths look down on them spoke volumes about how little respect the other allied factions had for their family. It was a harsh realization. Though they already knew their Loose Long Family didn't hold the best reputation, being relatively reclusive and rarely venturing outside their own kingdom, it was still jarring to feel that scorn firsthand.
Even worse, the ones who had approached them earlier were from some of the weaker allies among the Eighteen.
The atmosphere among Yuan's group turned somber. They sat mostly in silence as the tent gradually filled with more participants. Then, the flap of the tent was drawn aside and someone entered. The attendants behind the counters stood up at once.
"Greetings, Elder!" they called out in unison, bowing and saluting.
The elder glanced at them briefly, then gave a nod of acknowledgment. The attendants returned to their seats.
As if on cue, the fifteen groups seated at the tables stood up as well and offered their polite salutes. The elder gave them a slight nod in response, allowing them to sit back down.
"Fifteen groups have arrived. Three have already been disqualified, they couldn't even handle the short walk from the main mountain to this location," the elder said coldly. "The sun is still high, and the Young Talent Tournament will begin shortly. Let me now explain the rules."
The room fell silent, everyone's attention focused on the elder.
"First, you will participate as groups, no individual entries. That said, death is a real possibility. If any of you are not prepared to risk your life, now is your chance to back out."
His tone was flat, but his gaze was sharp as he scanned the room. No one moved. Satisfied, he nodded again.
"Good. Now for the rules. The Deep Pond Forest is full of demonic beasts. Each beast you defeat will earn you points. For example, a beast at the First Sense of the Mortal Awakening Stage will give you one point. A demonic beast at the Fifth Sense will give you five points. It's straightforward. If you manage to defeat a beast at the Blood Purification Stage, you'll receive twenty points. However, I strongly advise against attempting that. Such beasts are extremely dangerous. If you encounter one, run."
He let the warning hang in the air for a moment before continuing.
"The group with the highest point total by the end of the tournament will be declared the winner. Stealing from other groups is allowed. Killing, however, is not. We do not want to see you slaughtering each other. That said… accidents happen."
He sighed after finishing the explanation.
"That's all for now. Everyone, follow me, the tournament is about to begin."