The outer sect courtyard filled before dawn.
New disciples stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting as names were read aloud. The arena had been cleared, the runes freshly activated. Today was the Ranking Duel—a public test of strength, control, and placement.
No beasts. No formations. Just cultivator against cultivator.
---
The senior instructor stepped onto the stone platform and unrolled a scroll.
"You will fight in single duels. Winners advance. Losers are removed from the top ten. You will not be allowed to fight more than once a round."
He glanced at the gathering, then continued.
"Your rank determines your path in the sect.
First through third place—direct promotion to Core Disciple.
Fourth through sixth—promotion to Inner Disciple, with access to better manuals, pills, and training grounds.
Seventh through tenth—outer court core disciples.(Those in this core disciple group can enter the Inner Sect automatically once they reach the seventh stage of Qi Refining—no additional testing required.")
The words settled over the courtyard like weight.
Everyone listened now.
Because everyone knew what these titles meant.
Resources, Attention, A future.
---
The instructor continued flatly:
"Kill no one. Maim no one. Control your power. Or be removed."
"Because controlling your power is a critical criteria for a cultivator."
No one replied.
He nodded once.
"Begin."
The duels began with quick pairings.
But this wasn't just sparring.
Everyone knew what was at stake.
Top three meant Core Disciple.
Entry into the sect's inner circles.
Private cultivation caves, better manuals, spiritual pills without limits.
A direct path upward—without waiting for years.
It changed how people fought.
Some masked it.
Some didn't.
.....
Zhao Ren
Zhao stepped onto the stage with calm, but his grip on the spear told the truth.
He wasn't loud. He never bragged. But he had told Mei Lin quietly the night before:
"If I place top three, my father's debt gets cleared. The sect will absolve it. I don't need more than that."
His first match was clean.
His opponent came in fast.
Zhao took a hit on purpose—then ended it with a sharp counter.
Not perfect. But controlled.
"He's not just fighting to win," Yue muttered from the sidelines. "He's fighting not to get injured early."
Smart.
...
Yue Shanshan
Her fights were different.
Precise. Cold. Efficient.
She didn't pause. Didn't posture. Didn't even look pleased when she won.
But when she returned to the waiting line, she murmured something to herself.
"Top three, then transfer request."
No one heard it but Li Heng.
He didn't ask.
Everyone in the sect knew her older brother was an Inner Disciple.
If she ranked high enough, she could join him in the inner halls without owing anyone a favor.
.....
Mei Lin
Mei Lin didn't act like she wanted top three.
But she did.
She just didn't say it out loud.
"I'm not here to be a Core Disciple," she'd said to Dawn once.
But when her match was announced, she didn't hold back.
Her arrows were faster than usual. Her footwork tighter.
When she won, she smiled wide, then turned away before anyone saw the strain behind it.
Zhao noticed. Said nothing.
....
Li Heng
Li Heng didn't seem to care about rankings at all.
But that was a lie.
He played his flute slowly, sitting on the edge of the dueling platform before his match was even called.
"Top three sounds boring," he said. "But I wouldn't mind a private library."
When his match came, he didn't even look up.
One note.
His opponent dropped their sword.
He hummed as he left the stage.
He didn't need to say it—but everyone knew.
He was planning for first place, if possible.
Wei Feng
Wei Feng was the only one who made his goal clear.
"I'm not leaving here without a Core disciple badge."
His technique was fast, aggressive. His strikes aimed to disable.
People whispered his name now.
"Top-tier foundation."
"Could be inner sect already."
He didn't just fight to win.
He fought to prove something.
And every time he turned toward Dawn in the crowd, it was clear:
He wanted to prove it against him.
....
Dawn
And then there was Dawn.
But when the scroll unfurled, his name was there.
Second bracket. Final match of the first round.
His opponent was a loud-mouthed staff user. Confident( Qi refining Stage 3).
He made jokes before the match. Taunted Dawn for being quiet. Called him lucky to even be here.
Dawn said nothing.
When the fight started, the staff cracked.
The boy dropped.
There was no aura.
No technique.
No visible Qi.
Just a light touch to the chest—
and silence.
For a moment, even the ranking faded from memory.
Because no one knew what they had just seen.
The instructor hesitated. Then raised his hand.
"Dawn… advances."
The crowd didn't cheer. They just watched him walk away.
And suddenly, everyone fighting for the top three—
started calculating differently.
_ _ _
End of Chapter Thirteen