Three Sects and Six Palaces, Ten Spots

Li Nanting nodded and spoke softly. "The custom of the Hundred Sects Tournament has been passed down in the Northern Region for thousands of years." "The sects and forces across the Northern Region are countless, but only a hundred of them ever receive an invitation." "And each sect is granted only ten spots." Li Guanqi voiced his confusion upon hearing this. "With that many sects, that comes to a full thousand disciples taking part." "Isn't this tournament on too grand a scale?" The old man smiled, nodded, and said gently, "Indeed, it is a magnificent grand event." "Moreover, the higher an individual ranks within the top hundred, the more lavish the reward." "The tournament prizes are provided personally by the Northern Region's Heavenly King, Long Qu!" "On top of that, the sects whose disciples place in the top fifty receive numerous benefits." Li Guanqi remained silent at these words. He understood very well that in a competition like this, richer rewards only meant fiercer competition. Li Guanqi turned to Gu Ran beside him and asked in a low voice, "Senior Sister Gu, did the Great Xia Sword Sect participate last time?" Gu Ran's expression shifted several times before she answered truthfully, "We did." "Then what was our best placement last time?" Li Nanting coughed awkwardly and said, "*Cough, cough*... The best result was eighty-sixth..." As the words fell, sheepish looks surfaced on everyone's faces. "Uh... isn't that practically dead last?!" Li Guanqi had braced himself mentally, but he still hadn't expected the ranking to be so low. Second Elder Xu Zhengjie then spoke up calmly, "Be frank about it. There's nothing embarrassing to admit." "In the last Hundred Sects Tournament, the Great Xia Sword Sect's performance truly placed us at the bottom." "Yet three sessions back, when your master led the team, the Great Xia Sword Sect ranked thirty-ninth!" Li Guanqi looked at the old man in surprise, but Li Nanting merely waved his hand. "Why bring up ancient history? What happened back then isn't worth mentioning." Xu Zhengjie gave a slight nod and turned a warm, gratified gaze toward the two youths. "This time, it wasn't easy to secure these spots for the pair of you." "Needless to say for Guanqi, ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation, he has displayed astonishing sword talent." "He has faced life-or-death crises in actual combat several times, which makes him far sharper against enemies." At this point, the old man turned to Gu Ran and said chidingly, "You wretched girl, your talent is good, but your combat ability is too weak." "What do you spend all day delving into the path of spirit incantations for? This old man doesn't have that many spirit incantations for you to use. *Sigh*..." Then the elder's tone turned solemn. "The venue for this Hundred Sects Tournament is Tianyu Pass in the Northern Region." "There is only one month left. During this month, you must raise your strength as much as possible." "Strive for a decent ranking to win more resources for the sect." Listening to the elder's hopes, both of them felt a heavy burden settle on their shoulders. Just then, Li Nanting spoke softly, "There's no need to pile so much pressure on them. Just let nature take its course." "The sect's ranking is determined by the duel points earned by all its disciples." "It isn't something the two of them can carry alone." Saying that, Li Nanting waved his hand. "The selection of the remaining spots should be finalized in the next two days." "When you have time, go to the Scripture Pavilion on Tianzhu Peak to pick out suitable cultivation methods and secret manuals. You won't be charged any contribution points this time." "We will also open the back mountain's pavilion for you. Seize this opportunity." After a few more brief instructions, the two took their leave. Before parting, Gu Ran made plans to meet Li Guanqi early the next morning at Tianzhu Peak. Li Guanqi smiled, nodded, and flew toward Yuhu Peak atop his flying sword. Sure enough, when he returned, Ye Feng and the others were already waiting for him. *Tap, tap!* The moment Li Guanqi landed, he looked at them and asked, "Did you all receive the news too?" Ye Feng and the others exchanged glances and nodded one after another. Zhong Lin said in a quiet voice, "The internal trials to select our sect's representatives will take place over the next three days." "To think that over a hundred sects will be competing in such a grand tournament." Even the simple and honest Lin Dong scratched his head, speaking in a deep voice, "If that's how it works, it seems I might have a shot too." Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hm? You have a chance too, Dongzi?" "Aren't these ten spots chosen from among the late Foundation Establishment disciples?" Lin Dong blinked in surprise. "You didn't know?" "Among these ten spots, four are reserved for early Foundation Establishment disciples." "Three for middle Foundation Establishment, and three for late Foundation Establishment." Hearing this, Li Guanqi fell pensive for a moment. "If that's the case... will the Sect Master's closed-door disciple, our Eldest Senior Brother Wu Bing, be taking part as well?" Lin Dong, who was also a disciple of Tiantu Peak, shook his head. "Every participant in this tournament must be a Foundation Establishment disciple of their sect." "Senior Brother Wu broke through to the Core Formation realm not long ago, so he can't participate." Li Guanqi was taken aback. When he had first entered the sect, he heard that Wu Bing was only at middle Foundation Establishment. To think the man had broken through successive boundaries in such a short time, shattering the Foundation Establishment bottleneck to become a Core Formation cultivator. *He truly lives up to being chosen as the Sect Master's closed-door disciple. That talent is formidable indeed...* Li Guanqi looked around at his friends and smiled faintly. "Since everyone has a chance, give it your all! When the time comes, let's head to the tournament together!" As the words landed, an extra spark of resolve flared in their eyes. Li Guanqi then said softly, "For now, focus on fighting for the sect's slots." "Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to Tianzhu Peak. Once I return, I'll likely go to Daqian Waterfall behind Thousand Peaks Mountain." "If you have any questions about the sword, come find me anytime. Let's work hard together!" With that, Li Guanqi slowly extended his fist. The other three extended their fists as well. Their knuckles collided, their expressions hardening with determination. Before long, news of the Hundred Sects Tournament swept through the entire Northern Region. In an instant, countless cultivators rode their flying swords toward Tianyu Pass, eager to witness this rare grand event. Whether their sects were participating or not, crowds gathered to watch the spectacles and catch a glimpse of the favored scions of the various sects. Li Guanqi had also learned about the strongest sects in the tournament from his master. *The Great Xia Domain is divided into four continents: Qingyun, Lingxu, Cangwu, and Xuanming.* *Between the four continents lie boundless, perilous sea realms.* With closed eyes and focused concentration, Li Guanqi recalled the information his master had shared. *The topmost powers of Qingyun Continent are known as the Three Sects and Six Palaces.* *And in the Northern Region, there are only Ziyang Palace and Xuanmen Palace, with Ziyang Palace being the stronger of the two.*