The hundreds of disciples who had gathered at the central plain looked listless and hesitant, which was understandable. Even last night, they had been filled with enthusiasm, imagining the adventures and glory they would experience starting from this morning.
However, their sect had been invaded long before their defending team could get ready, meaning that the Crimson Snow sect was about to experience a massive setback on the first day! Their only treasure, which was supposedly the unit of measurement in determining the winners of the round, was about to be taken away.
How could they not be affected?
Their only consolation was perhaps the incidence of one of their peers bombarding those invaders with half a mountain. It had given them such a fright that the marble-smooth ship that had carried them to the island was now no longer within the border of the sect. It was still hovering cautiously at the edge of the island, waiting for the results of the invasion.
This one incident made Mu Ran's popularity among the disciples spike up like a rocket.
Standing amidst the buzzing crowd, Han Xuhan and his peers frequently caught the rest of the disciples staring in their direction and whispering among themselves in awe and appreciation. Mu Ran glowed from all the attention.
"Aiya, underling, I've always wanted to keep a low profile. But I guess it couldn't be helped..."
"How can a man as majestic as yourself hide amongst us mediocre? That's too unrealistic, boss. I guarantee that you'll never, ever, achieve the status of a low-key person."
"Hey, I just didn't try hard enough to be low profile, Xuhan. What are you saying? I can obviously maintain a low profile if I try harder."
Han Xuhan couldn't be bothered to reply to that, so he focused on the development taking place a hundred meters away.
Luo Yi and Xuan Zi, accompanied by the Elders of the sect, were headed their way.
The hubbub in the crowd died down as they approached.
A small tremor ran through the ground beneath their feet, alarming the disciples. But almost immediately, the source of the tremor became visible to all of them.
The soil beneath Xuan Zi's feet was...rising up.
Like a crocodile hidden within grey mud, the soil shifted up gently, slowly, with each step Xuan Zi took forward, taking his body higher and higher until he towered over the assembly like an announcer on a podium. Below him, the shifting soil formed a dozen feet tall mound.
The Celestial Gateway Spell! The sect master was using the formations to control the soil just like Mu Ran had!
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Han Xuhan realized why none of the elders or the sect master himself hadn't used this technique to do anything until now. They had even left it to the disciples to remodel the island as they wished, which had resulted into the current stylish, but mostly useless design of their sect.
It was probably written in the rulebook of the tournament that they weren't supposed to teach or hint to the disciples anything valuable concerning the tournament or its elements. The Celestial Gateway Spell was certainly one of the most valuable elements of their current circumstances.
But now that Mu Ran had showed everyone how to take advantage of the spell, the sect master and the elders could openly abuse it!
No wonder none of the elders had shown any interest in the explosive news that Mu Ran had chucked a bunch of a mountains at the invaders! They hadn't even come out of their hut to investigate the earthquakes. Had they been expecting a development like that anyway?
Luo Yi and the Elders surfaced behind him. The entire assembly could see them now with their heads tilted up by a few degrees.
Standing at the forefront of the raised platform, Xuan Zi opened his arms wide and began to speak in a volume that reached every corner of the three-hundred-meter-wide field.
"Disciples, as much as I love an orderly spectacle, I'd love to have your opinions on an important issue. Are all of you comfortable with forming groups of ten members? Or would you like to execute your invasion missions with your trusted friends in smaller groups?"
Xuan Zi didn't look surprised at the replies the disciples gave him.
"We'd prefer the latter, sect master!"
"Yes! We can work better with our friends!"
"The second option would be more effective!"
Unlike Han Xuhan, most of the disciples didn't spend their time trying to form good relationships with disciples from other mountain peaks. Even within their own mountains, their circle of acquaintances usually fell short of ten members. So when the sect master had declared that they had to work in groups of ten, the disciples hadn't taken the news very well.
In a competitive situation like this, working with unfamiliar peers would not produce a smooth, cohesive output. It seemed that the sect master had also realized the issue...
"I understand the general sentiment, disciples. However, in the sects you invade, the teams of defenders shall absolutely consist of ten members. Are you certain that you can manage to defeat them with lesser numbers? Do you think the power of friendship can overcome the disadvantage in numbers?"
The disciples didn't dare to reply this time. They knew the answer. None of them were confident enough to say Ye-
"Yes, sect master!"
"Who's that? Who said that?" sect master Xuan Zi suddenly lost his cool. He looked into the crowd with narrowed eyes, searching for the culprit.
Meanwhile, Han Xuhan felt his stomach lurch. He knew who the culprit was. He was standing right next to him.
"I said that, sect master." Mu Ran raised his hand proudly.
"I believe that just me and my three martial siblings are enough to tackle the invasion mission. We don't need any riffraff tagging along."
And that was how Mu Ran lost every bit of respect he had earned from his peers by scaring off the Abyss Guild's disciples half an hour ago.
"Confident child, aren't you?" a trace of humor seeped into Xuan Zi's tone, which made Han Xuhan shiver.
"Is there anyone else who wants to form his own team of attackers with less than ten members? Raise your hands! Don't be afraid! It's not like I'm going to punish you for being so bold."
No one did, although many of them looked tempted to. But the last sentence of his had made them very, very afraid.
Xuan Zi nodded with a smile growing on his face.
"Then it is decided. The elders will help all of you form teams of ten members...except you, disciple Ran." He pointed in their direction.
"You and your martial siblings together shall form a team of four and handle your mission. But if you fail to produce results within the next 24 hours, your team shall be dismantled. I'll decide what to do with you four after that. You have no complaints, I take it?"
A good number of the disciples groaned, realizing that there indeed was no punishment for acting as audacious as Mu Ran and choosing to form their own teams. The sect master had skirted around the topic of punishment solely to test their resolve!
So insidious!
"Not at all!" Mu Ran replied to Xuan Zi.
"Good, good, good! Now, let's move on to the matter of your sec-"
"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!"
The interrupting voice was loud enough to cover the entire island.
A shadow fell on the crowd, making everyone turn their head up.
The flying ship of the Abyss Guild had breached their perimeters once more, unbeknownst to them. It now hovered about fifty meters above their heads. On its deck, ten familiar disciples in combat gear showed furious expressions on their faces.
"The shout was unnecessary, children, but sure, you have it. You want to do something with all that attention, now?" Xuan Zi yelled back.
"Madam Yi, we would like to report the Crimson Snow sect for committing fraud!" Declared the leader of the invasion team in a cold tone.