Cultivation is Creation

By the time I arrived, the registration hall was packed with outer disciples. The excited chattering of their voices was like a swarm of spiritual insects. I had never seen the usually quiet space so alive with energy. Clusters of disciples gathered around the registration tables, sizing up potential competitors while pretending not to.

“Quite the turnout," Azure noted as I made my way through the crowd.

He wasn't wrong. I'd known the tournament this year would be competitive, but seeing the sheer number of participants drove the point home. Most were gathered in groups of three, already formed into their teams, ready for the first stage.

"Did you notice the look in their eyes," Azure asked, "the way they're all watching each other? Every team here thinks they have a chance of winning."

He had a point. Despite the casual conversations and apparent relaxed atmosphere, there was an underlying tension in the room. Everyone was evaluating everyone else, trying to gauge the competition while simultaneously showing off their own strength. It was like a complicated dance where everyone was both performer and audience.

I found an empty spot near one of the stone pillars and leaned against it, the vantage point would let me observe the room more carefully.

Most of these disciples had been in the sect for years, but cultivation-wise, I wasn't as outmatched as I'd expected. While I definitely wasn't among the strongest, plenty of participants seemed to be around the fifth or sixth stage of Qi Condensation.

"That group by the window," Azure highlighted, "they are all at the sixth stage. And the team near the registration table is mixed – one sixth stage with two fourth stage members."

I nodded slightly. The variety was interesting – some teams seemed built around a strong leader with weaker support, while others had chosen to balance their strength more evenly.

A sudden hush fell over the crowd, drawing my attention to the entrance. Three disciples walked in. The leader was a tall, lean young man with sharp features; he moved with the confident stride of one who knew precisely how powerful they were. The spiritual pressure radiating from him marked him clearly as a seventh stage cultivator.

"The Shadow Wraith Squad," someone whispered nearby, voice tinged with awe and fear. "Led by Chen Feng."

"I heard he mastered the Shadow Walking technique in just two months," another disciple added. "That's why they call him the Ghost Step Expert."

“They say he's never lost a fight in the outer sect."

"Never had to fight," his companion corrected. "Most people are smart enough not to challenge what they can’t hit.”

The whispers continued as Chen Feng's team made their way to the registration table, the crowd parting before them like water around a stone. His teammates – both sixth stage cultivators from what I could sense – moved with similar grace, though their pressure was notably less intense.

"Interesting technique choice," Azure mused. "The shadow element is usually considered too difficult for Qi Condensation cultivators. The comprehension ability needed alone..."

Before I could reply, another ripple of excitement passed through the crowd. This group was led by a girl who moved with the fluid grace of a water cultivator, but there was something predatory in her stride. Also seventh stage, if I was reading her qi correctly.

"That's Ming Yue," someone whispered. "They say she—"

"Killed three bandits with a single technique?" another disciple finished. "Yeah, I heard about that. Her whole team's dangerous. The short one's a poison expert, and the tall guy's got some kind of sound-based attack that can rupture meridians."

I filed that information away. A team specializing in control and debuffs would be tricky to deal with.

Ming Yue’s team took position on the opposite side of the room from Chen Feng's group. The tension between the two teams was palpable, though neither acknowledged the other directly.

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The hall fell silent again as a third seventh-stage team arrived. This group had a different energy – all business, no showing off. Their leader was built like a mountain, his qi dense and earthy.

"Earth Fist Liu," Azure provided, picking up fragments of nearby conversations. "Specializes in close combat. His teammates are both ranged specialists – one uses throwing needles, the other some kind of spirit beast summoning technique."

I was starting to see why Senior Sister Liu had warned us about this year's competition. Any of these teams could probably wipe the floor with us if we weren't careful.

But the real shock came when the final team arrived.

The spiritual pressure hit first – a wave of force that made several weaker disciples stumble. Three figures appeared in the doorway, their arrival sending a shock through the crowd that made the previous reactions seem mild in comparison.

"Eighth stage," Azure confirmed unnecessarily. "And his teammates are both at the seventh."

The leader was surprisingly ordinary-looking – average height, plain features, simple robes. But the power rolling off him in waves was anything but ordinary. This was Yuan Zhen, apparently the favorite to win not just the first stage, but the entire tournament.

"They say he could have joined the inner sect last year..."

"Waiting so he could participate in the tournament with his sworn brothers..."

"No one else even has a chance..."

“Why did he have to participate in the same tournament as me?!”

The whispers painted a picture of someone who had been marked for greatness from the start. His teammates weren't far behind – both seventh stage cultivators with their own impressive reputations. Together, they were considered nearly unbeatable at the outer disciple level.

I watched as Yuan Zhen's team made their way to the registration table. Unlike the seventh stage teams, they didn't bother with any displays of power or coordination. They didn't need to. The gap between the seventh and eighth stages of Qi Condensation was like the difference between a creek and a river – you could admire both, but you'd never confuse one for the other.

"Well," I muttered, "at least we know what we're up against."

"True," Azure replied. "But I noticed that you don't sound particularly concerned."

I shrugged slightly. "My team only needs to pass the first stage. After that it’s on me to enter the top ten.”

"Assuming we survive the first stage."

"Always so optimistic."

The registration process itself was pretty straightforward. The inner disciples manning the tables looked bored as they recorded team names and member information in large ledgers.

"We need a team name," I realized as we approached the table.

"Something appropriately intimidating?" Azure suggested. "Peak Crushers? Demon Slayers? Death Lords?"

I snorted. "We'd sound ridiculous. Besides, Wei Lin would never let me hear the end of it if I picked something that dramatic without consulting him."

"Fair point. Something simple then?"

I thought about Wei Lin's merchant-style cultivation method, Lin Mei's love for the herb gardens, and my own somewhat complicated path. Three very different approaches to cultivation, yet somehow we worked well together.

"Three Paths?”

"Really?" Azure sounded disappointed. "That's... rather bland."

"Because we're all walking different roads to the same destination."

"That's... surprisingly poetic," Azure admitted. "Though it might be a bit too meaningful. Maybe something more—"

"It's accurate," I countered. "And it won't make us sound like idiots when we inevitably fail to live up to a more grandiose name."

When I reached the registration table, the disciple handling the paperwork looked up at me expectantly.

"Team name and members?" she asked, brush poised over the registration scroll.

"Three Paths," I stated clearly. "Members are Ke Yin, Wei Lin, and Lin Mei."

Her brush paused. "First-year disciples?" She looked up at me with new interest. "You understand this isn't a basic training exercise?"

"We understand," I replied evenly.

She shrugged and began writing. "Your funeral."

A laugh from behind me drew my attention. A team of three disciples had approached while I was registering – their leader, a sixth stage cultivator with an unnecessarily fancy sword at his hip, was looking at me with a grin.

"First-years entering the tournament?" he shook his head. "The sect really needs to set better standards. This is supposed to be a serious competition, not a playground for children."

His teammates – both fifth stage cultivators – laughed on cue.

I studied them for a moment, wondering what was wrong with them. Anyone with sense should realize that a first-year disciple reaching the fifth stage of Qi Condensation wasn't normal. Either I was some kind of genius, or I had serious backing. Either way, picking a fight seemed... unwise.

"Master," Azure's voice held a note of amusement, "I believe this is what humans call 'asking for it'."

"Azure, is seeking death a cultivation requirement I missed somewhere?" I wondered back.

The disciple was still talking, apparently taking my silence as fear rather than bewilderment at his life choices.

"Listen," he said, taking a step closer. "I'm trying to do you a favor here. The tournament is dangerous. Someone could get hurt." His tone made it clear that 'someone' meant me.

I turned to leave, not bothering to respond. I had more important things to do than deal with whatever this was. The tournament was only eight weeks away, and I needed to—

A hand grabbed my shoulder roughly from behind.

My eyes narrowed.

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