Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
111. Tournament: Rules & Challenges

Jin Shu watched with curiosity as dozens of women in red hanfus, their white sashes tied neatly around their waists, hurried about the arena, pasting talismans and drawing intricate runes.

"Those are the outer sect elders," Tian Li whispered in his ear.

"I've heard the terms 'outer sect' and 'inner sect' before. What do they mean exactly?"

"Do you see those children?" She pointed toward a large group that occupied nearly two full sections of the spectator stands.

"Yes?"

"Those are the outer sect disciples," she explained. "The outer sect consists of children too young to cultivate and anyone who hasn’t broken through to the Qi Realm."

"I see. So the inner sect is made up of everyone who has reached the Qi Realm?"

"Essentially, yes," Tian Li nodded. "But that doesn’t include us."

"Oh?"

"We're core disciples—those who have been personally taken in by an elder or a high-ranking member of the sect."

"Interesting."

By then, the outer sect elders had finished their preparations. One of the elders that had been seated on the raised platform earlier stepped onto the stage.

Jin Shu's gaze landed on her. She was breathtakingly beautiful—not that he had yet to meet a woman here who wasn't—but her appearance was particularly striking.

Her hair was styled in an elaborate phoenix crown adorned with jade ornaments, and her eyes were painted red at the corners, sharply angled. Her lips gleamed crimson. What stood out most, however, were her robes. Even Tian Li’s daring outfits seemed modest in comparison. The fabric draped loosely over her shoulders, barely concealing her chest, and the hem was cut so short it nearly exposed her bottom.

She hadn't been wearing that makeup or those revealing clothes moments ago when she'd been among the other elders. How had she changed so fast?

"Welcome to the Grand Sect Tournament!" Her voice rang through the arena, amplified by her qi. "I'll be your host—Di Ti!"

“Oh! Elder Di is the host!”

“Who’s Elder Di? And why is she wearing such scandalous clothes?”

“Elder Di is a core elder, and she practices seduction arts.”

"This tournament is special, so I will go over the rules quickly," she continued, pulling a scroll from the space ring on her finger. "First of all, only those at the Core Realm or higher may participate."

“Only Core Realm?”

“How's it a Grand Sect Tournament if they only allow Core Realm Disciples?”

"I see you're all curious why," Di Ti smirked. "This tournament is being held to select the eight strongest disciples who will accompany the Sect Master and Vice-Sect Master on an expedition. And that is all I can say. If you want to know more, earn your place in the top eight."

She motioned for silence before glancing back at her scroll.

"Now, back to the rules. The initial rounds will be single elimination. That means you get only one chance!"

She gestured to the martial stage behind her.

"This stage will be divided into sixty-four smaller arenas. Each round, two participants will go head-to-head. The number of matches will be halved each round until only two remain for the semi-finals."

“Only two?”

“That doesn't math!”

"I know what you're thinking," she said with a knowing smile. "We're selecting eight participants, but only two advance to the semi-finals."

She paused, then raised a hand. "That’s because of these six individuals!"

A large hologram appeared above the stage.

Jin Shu recognized it as an illusion formation—the outer sect elders had set up the runes for it earlier. But what truly caught his attention were the six names displayed on the screen.

1. Liu Hua — 4th Stage Spirit Realm

2. Ling Shi — 2nd Stage Spirit Realm

3. Tian Li — 1st Stage Spirit Realm

4. Fan Biyu — 9th Stage Core Realm

5. Jin Shu — 6th Stage Core Realm

6. Nameless — 8th Stage Core Realm

Di Ti continued speaking, even as the crowd's whispers grew louder.

"These six are the seeded participants! They are automatically entered into the semi-finals. However, anyone may challenge them before the tournament officially begins to take their place. Each seed may be challenged a total of three times."

She pulled out another scroll. "One more thing—about the sixth seed. You may have noticed their name is missing. That was by request, but they provided some information to make up for it."

Di Ti cleared her throat before reading aloud.

"'Hello, everyone! I'm Nameless! I am at the Eighth Stage of the Core Realm and practice a Wind Qi technique that makes me move swiftly and silently. Oh, and I have a husband! I want two children—'"

Di Ti stopped abruptly, blinking down at the scroll. Her lips twitched between laughter and disbelief.

"There’s more… but I’ll stop there," she said, her expression caught between amusement and exasperation.

Up on the raised platform, Jin Shu glanced at Li Xue.

Something about that message felt… familiar.

Feeling his gaze, Li Xue met his eyes with a bright smile and waved at him.

Jin Shu shook his head and turned back to the arena. No, it couldn’t be her. She wasn’t even a disciple. Right?

"Now," Di Ti announced, snapping his attention back. "Let’s open the challenges!"

Immediately, dozens of hands shot into the air.

Di Ti pointed to the first. "Who would you like to challenge?"

"Number five, Jin Shu!" a girl declared. "I’ve never heard of this disciple, and she’s much too weak at only the Sixth Stage of the Core Realm!"

Another wave of murmurs broke out.

"Right? How can someone be seeded with such a low cultivation—ranked higher than Nameless, even?"

"Maybe there’s a reason?"

"What reason could there be for an unknown disciple to get such a high ranking?"

Di Ti raised a hand for silence. "Does anyone else want to challenge another participant?"

More hands shot up.

She pointed to the second fastest.

"Jin Shu!" the disciple called out.

And the third.

"Jin Shu, as well."

Di Ti blinked. "No one else wants to challenge a different seed?"

The remaining hands lowered.

"Interesting," Di Ti chuckled. "It seems the Sect Master's newest disciple has caught everyone’s attention."

A stunned murmur spread through the crowd.

"The Sect Master's newest disciple?!"

"When did this happen?!"

"If that's true, then it explains the seeded position."

"Sure, but can she actually back it up?"

Jin Shu was just as surprised as the spectators. He hadn't expected his lower cultivation to paint such a target on his back.

He had deliberately stopped Nano from cultivating after waking from his coma to get used to his strength. Then, upon discovering flaws in his cultivation, he had decided to wait before advancing further.

"Jin Shu, please come down and accept your first challenge," Di Ti called out, looking up at the platform.

Jin Shu stood, exhaling.

"Good luck," Tian Li said.

"Thanks." He turned to Chen Ai Yun and bowed. "Master, I’ll be back shortly."

"Hm. Try not to get hurt," she warned.

He grinned. "I don’t plan on letting them touch me."

Then, with a single step, he disappeared.

A heartbeat later, he reappeared behind Di Ti on the martial arena.

“Who's my first opponent?” He asked.

She spun around, startled. "Oh! When did—?"

"Just now. Who is my first opponent?"

"Ahem." She cleared her throat. "Chu Bi, step onto the stage!"

The murmurs reached a fever pitch.

"Is that Jin Shu?"

"How did she move like that?"

"A movement technique?"

"Did anyone see her move?"

"She was just there all of a sudden."

"Oh! I recognize her! She was with Senior Sister Tian Li outside Phoenix City the other day!"

"You’re right! That was her!"

Jin Shu smirked, rolling his shoulders.

Let’s see what these challengers are made of.

His first challenger hopped onto the stage.

She was older than him, about twenty-two or twenty-three, with a sharp, confident gaze that suggested she had plenty of experience in combat.

“I am Chu Bi, ranked nineteenth in the inner sect and at the Eighth Stage of the Core Realm.” She announced with a slight bow.

“Hm, I'm Jin Shu, Sixth Stage.” He answered simply.

Di Ti stepped off the stage, and one of the outer sect elders stepped forward.

“Please stand in the center of the arena,” she instructed, pointing to a specific spot.

Once they were positioned approximately four meters apart, the elder spoke again. “Will either of you be using a weapon?”

Chu Bi pulled out a sword, its polished blade catching the light as she held it with practiced ease.

Jin Shu, in contrast, unsheathed a small combat knife no longer than six inches.

The elder stepped forward to inspect both weapons, ensuring they were non-lethal. Satisfied, she continued.

“The rules are simple. If either weapon touches a vital area, you are to stop immediately, and the attacker will be declared the winner. Otherwise, combat will continue until one of you is unable to continue, whether by knockout or Qi exhaustion.”

She glanced between them. “Understood?”

“Yes,” Chu Bi answered with firm confidence.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jin Shu replied, his tone light.

“Good. When the walls go up, you may begin.”

The elder took a step back, and four semi-transparent energy walls shot up from the ground, enclosing the combatants within the dueling stage.

Chu Bi eyed the knife in Jin Shu’s hand and let out a scoff. “Is that small thing really the weapon you’re going to use? A dagger? It’s not too late to forfeit, you know.”

Jin Shu glanced down at his blade, tilting it slightly as if appraising it. “This thing is enough. But if you’d prefer, I could use something longer.”

Chu Bi frowned. “Longer? Like a sword?”

Jin Shu gave her an assessing look before shaking his head. “A sword? That’s a bit excessive. I was thinking eight or nine inches… at most.”

A murmur rippled through the audience at his words, followed by scattered laughter. Some of the spectators caught the implication immediately, while others exchanged confused glances.

Chu Bi blinked, then her expression twisted in irritation. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing, never mind.” Jin Shu waved dismissively, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

The elder, who had remained silent until now, cleared her throat. “Ahem… Please begin combat and keep such uncivil comments to a minimum.” She spoke with a slightly flushed face, clearly having caught the joke.

More chuckles spread through the crowd, though anticipation quickly took over. The match was about to begin.