Spring came slowly, melting ice off branches and snow into the ground. The air grew warmer, and blossoms budded on tree crowns, peeking out to see if it was time to emerge.
All this time, Qiu Yunru continued to train for that Nine Sects' Cultivation Tournament.
A few days after he and Li Chenyuan had had that emotional conversation, he received a notification from his game menu:
ATTENTION: Nine Sect's Cultivation Tournament prizes announced! The prizes will be as following:
IN-GAME PRIZES:
- Ten thousand spirit stones, Grade S
- Meeting with the Head of Baohu Mountain Range, Zhang Zian
- Talisman-writing class with Head of Mohua Peak, Xiong Xue
PLAYER PRIZES:
- +1000 Ability Points, distributable as desired (Cultivation, Martial)
- +1000 Mortal Realm Reputation Points
- Nascent Soul achievable within five years of continued training
Second place will achieve half of each prize. Third place will achieve a third of each prize.
Evidently, these prizes were just as extravagant as those impossible-to-obtain prizes Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits had offered in the real-world game. If he could come in first place, then he would on track to achieve his dream of a solitary and peaceful life in less than a decade. If he could some in second or even third place, he would still get an enormous leg up.
However, it wouldn't be nearly as helpful as getting first place, so this was what Qiu Yunru set his eyes on. In his past life, he had also had this type of ambition. It wasn't that he was a naturally ambitious and conniving person, but rather that his mother had pushed him so hard in every aspect of his life that he soon became used to trying only to be the best. It seemed this quality had followed him into this life as well.
However, Qiu Yunru had never been to therapy. Even being an overly self-aware person, he wasn't aware enough to pull apart what he'd been forced to become, and what he really was. So, he didn't think about this.
As a part of his training, Qiu Yunru began to collect information on other top-tier candidates who would be attending the tournament. Seeing as he'd trained so hard and even obtained a Golden Core in just these past two years, when he got ahold of some documents that listed out the favorites to win, he was relieved to see that he was actually on the list.
However, there were a good number of people listed above him.
The top three on the list were written as follows:
1) Fan Yao Peak's Head Disciple Tian Niu, first favorite for the Tournament. Reportedly known for her alchemical inventions that allow her to face any range of monsters and demons head-on without ever having to brute force her way through a situation. A prodigy and a genius.
2) None Left Mountain's Yan Wenqing, second favorite for the Tournament. Reportedly possesses immense martial strength. Though he is not keen on technique, his use of force is said to be so intimidating that many monsters flee upon seeing him, and he is able to swing his mao blade through anything that stood in his way. Surely, he will become a legend.
Both of these disciples had achieved Golden Core status recently, much like Qiu Yunru.
However, the third name on the list made him raise an eyebrow in surprise.
3) Jade Cloud Sect's Lei Ruolan, third favorite for the Tournament. Reportedly known for immense progress in cultivation. Daughter of Lord Lei Zemin, she had inherited prodigious martial talent and has incomparable sword technique among current disciples of Baohu Mountain Range.
So Lei Ruolan had made it this high onto the prediction charts? Interesting.
When he thought about it, it made sense. Even though both he and Li Chenyuan had achieved Golden Core status earlier than her, she had followed not close behind--just a month or so. What's more, her cultivation wasn't far below his own, but her martial prowess with the sword far exceeded his. Every time they sparred, it inevitably ended up with Qiu Yunru lying limply on the ground and covered in bruises. Anyone who ever had to spar with her knew that all they were in for was a beatdown!
But she wasn't simply strong. She was incredibly well-versed in sword techniques, and she seemed to have been so since before joining the sect.
Qiu Yunru thought back to that time he had seen her memories by accident, in the cave of the Giant Groundworm. She had been studying the sword since she was young, and was talented and motivated, too. She truly was a prodigy in the martial field.
Well, this complicated things a little.
He and Lei Ruolan had been on relatively amicable terms for a while now, ever since that Three Wind Fruits quest. She had beat down on his less during sparring, and even sometimes cracked sarcastic jokes around him.
If he was going to try his very best to win the tournament, he would have to beat her. That couldn't mean anything good for their relationship...
Qiu Yunru sighed, scanning down the rest of the page. He would have to deal with that when the time came. And if he didn't win...Well, what could he do? He'd have to trudge on and keep training until her gritted his way into Nascent Soul territory.
His name was twenty-seventh on the list, which went up to fifty. His description was rather short, but he didn't mind:
27) Jade Cloud Sect's Qiu Yunru, twenty-seventh favorite for the tournament. Reported immense cultivation progress and vast alchemical knowledge.
Considering the odds that a player usually had in these kinds of Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits tournaments, that was an incredible placement. He was relieved to see that he was ranked so highly.
However, a whole ten names above his own was another familiar name:
16) Jade Cloud Sect's Li Chenyuan, sixteenth favorite for the Tournament. Son of Li Guiren. Reportedly declared safe to participate. Immense cultivation progress and exceptional control of qi.
"Declared safe to participate" could only mean that the Baohu Mountain Range officials who had arranged the competition were aware of Li Chenyuan's family's condition. Qiu Yunru wondered how his "safeness" had been determined. Perhaps their Shizun had sent in a good report.
In any case, he felt a little anxious for some reason when seeing Li Chenyuan's name above his own.
He wasn't the kind of person who would resort to cheating or injuring other competitors in order to win, but the idea of competing with his shidi was...a little nerve wracking. He already didn't like being at odds with people, and he especially didn't want to be at odds with Li Chenyuan. As for why, he wasn't entirely sure. It must be because he wanted to be on good terms, in case of that negative future occurring.