We were in the courtyard, and before us was a line of fifteen elders, all representing disparate sects. Among them was the Beggar Saint, though I couldn’t for the life of me sense or make out if any of the others were Transcendents as well. I knew the Shaolin didn’t put forward their Transcendent, since I could recognize the Abbot by sight and he wasn’t before me. The only one I saw was Dong Ho. He was what one in the jianghu would term an ‘eccentric’, meaning they didn’t care so much for propriety or face, and would follow their whims and curiosity more than their station suggested.

Between the group of elders, and my classmates—all standing in a grid formation five wide and four deep—was a crier, facing us, shouting about the lauded history of these sects.

Eventually, he finally got to the point. “You are gathered here today to accept gifts on behalf of the fifteen sect representatives you see before you. The elders who choose to sponsor you do so because they are confident in your future, and would like for you to consider joining their sect when the time of the Selection occurs. Of course, there are no strings attached in accepting a gift aside from a humble request for your consideration and gratitude. These strings are not material therefore, but karmic, and should you ignore these karmic strings, the consequences will be unpredictable and uncanny. Therefore, it is our sincere recommendation that you honor these karmic ties of favor in any way that you can, obviously within reason and acceptability. This system only works based on good faith.”

One of my favorite parts of the jianghu was its concept of honesty. It was enforced by the heavens, sure, but it was also an intuitive system. Solemn promises that were made had to be two-sided, meaning that unequal and unjust contracts that overly exploited one party did not exist. Both parties had to enter into a promise in good faith as well, not seeking to deceive the other or gain an unexpected boon at their expense. And finally, any breach of promise had the potential to label one as ‘forsworn’, which was for some… a fate worse than death.

Your words would forever ring false, depending on the severity of the breach. A minor breach and people will find it naturally difficult to trust you, always believing that even the most innocuous statement carried a double meaning. A severe breach could lead to the heavens cursing your speech forever, making it so that every word you uttered was almost impossible to be believed or taken seriously. You would forever remain a verbal non-entity.

“Li Ren!” the crier called, and he stepped forward. Two servants stepped forward with their own small chests on top of velvet pillows. “The Kongtong sect and the Kunlun sect award you each a pill containing fifteen years worth of qi cultivation! The combined thirty years worth of qi cultivation would make you no less powerful than a First-Rate martial warrior in terms of internal energy! Accept your gifts with your head held high! All of you who gain similar gifts will later be instructed on how to process these elixirs.”

The crier continued announcing more names, and each new person received only qi cultivation pills, which were amazing boons as any, no doubt, albeit… boring.

I theorized that the crier was announcing us based on an ascending order of the value of our prizes, as soon they were giving out three, and then four such pills, all in multiples of fifteen years, as was the convention of this kind of alchemy.

Finally, Wang Qiang was told to step forward, and things became interesting.

“For you!” the crier announced, and a host of servants stepped forward. “From Kunlun, Kongtong and Wudang, Qi pills equal to sixty years of cultivation a runic breastplate that uses your internal energy to deflect damage, making sword and spear strikes slide off like water droplets on the back of a duck, and finally, the Celestial Insight Mirror, a mirror that reflects the inner energies of the user, allowing for a deeper understanding and manipulation of their own qi. This will be an invaluable training aide for years to come!”

Okay, interesting. And since my name hadn’t been announced yet, I was assuming my stuff would be even better.

“Zhou Hao!” the crier announced. The self-assured youth who had thought he could go up against Wenhao, only to get soundly beaten, had turned his attitude around and sought strength in training. He had full faith in his own rise to the top, even if Wenhao had a headstart on him, and seemed to genuinely believe himself to be the boy’s rival. I didn’t have much of an idea on how he viewed me, however, but I doubted it was anything too wholesome. He seemed to suffer from chronic main character syndrome. “For you,” the crier continued as a group of servants mobbed him. “From Emei, Hua and the Beggar’s sects, sixty years worth of qi cultivation pills, a sword crafted from the finest mortal-grade steel in the lands, and the Dragonheart Pearl – a pearl said to contain the essence of a dragon's heart, enhancing strength and fortitude during martial arts practice. This pearl will immediately grant you ten years worth of vital energy, and will also temper your bones and internal organs for you!”

Wait, what? So he would get ten years of usable vital energy right off the bat while I had to train to integrate mine? Surely, there were better ways for me to integrate my vital energy. Maybe some kind of elixir that actually increased my physical mass, and not just my energy?

Hmmm… that could work, but it would be prohibitively expensive to procure, as such pills were counted as miracle pills. The Medicine Hall could craft it, but it would be on me to figure out a way to get them to make it for me.

That was fine. I was the world’s richest man who had wealth beyond imagining: the wealth of future knowledge. I’d figure it out.

“Mei Ying!” the crier announced. “From the Emei, Shaolin and Medicine Hall, you have gained sixty years worth of qi cultivation pills and the Moonlit Silk Veil – A silk veil woven under the light of a full moon, it aids in the refinement of agility and swift movement techniques. And at night, it turns the wearer invisible!”

Wow, quite the miraculous treasure.

“Wei Jingshu!” the crier shouted. “From the Wudang, Shaolin and Kunlun sects, seventy-five years worth of qi cultivation pills, the Dragon Whisker Horsetail Whisk which can manipulate the winds at the user’s will, and the jade flute of harmonization. It emits a soothing melody when played. The flute resonates with the natural energies of the surroundings, promoting mental clarity and focus during cultivation. The soft tunes also have the ability to calm turbulent qi, aiding in the refinement of internal energy.”

We were definitely getting somewhere now. These were the sort of treasures that only the supremes were powerful enough to protect!

“Liu Xinyi!” The crier shouted. “From the Emei sect alone,” Wow, that was atypical. Was I sensing a backroom deal here? Then again, I was nobody to judge, seeing as I’d just made one with the Beggars. “Seventy-five years worth of qi cultivation pills, the Dragon Whisker Hanfu, which is impervious to regular damage, and highly resistant to energy-based damage, and finally, the Azure Flame Gem – A gemstone infused with the essence of azure flames, empowering fire-based techniques and refining control over elemental forces”

Thus was the start of the Star Goddess’ saga, and it all began with that gem of hers. She would go on to become one of the most powerful pyrokinetics in the jianghu owing to her setting an early foundation in these techniques.

The Dragon Whisker Hanfu was an overstated prize, however. Expensive, made of the finest silks, and immune to damage, sure, but how much protection would that actually confer to the wearer? She would be better off wearing armor if she wanted protection, but then she wouldn’t look pretty enough, which was always the main point with female martial artists. In the early game, where most martial warriors of the jianghu benefited the most from wearing armor, women had to wear hanfu. It was pretty disgusting, and no doubt contributed to why there were so few high-level women in martial arts.

Then there was… me.

“Li Tianming!” the man announced. “From the Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and the Kunlun sect,” oh, wow. So many karmic ties. “Ninety years worth of qi cultivation pills, a Monk’s Spade made from starmetal, an element even more powerful than the finest mortal-grade steel,” holy shit! The Shaolin sect were giving me Ahimsa right off the bat? Why? “And finally, a truly earth-shaking prize: the Starlight Sutra – A celestial scroll containing insights into the harmonization of internal energy with the stars, fostering rapid qi cultivation.”

I felt almost numb as I heard that. More qi cultivation talent? For me?

This would give me so much time to do other things. The lord Buddha truly smiled at me today!

I accepted the proffered prizes with a nod, letting the servants hold them.

“Zhang Wenhao!” the crier finally announced. “Last, but certainly not least. From the Wudang, Shaolin, Emei, Hua, Kunlun and Kongtong, one hundred and twenty years worth of qi pills!” Many of us gasped at hearing the sheer number of sponsoring sects, and the prizes given. “The Lunar Serenity Elixir – A rare elixir infused with the essence of the moon's serene energy. When consumed, it induces a deep meditative state, allowing Wenhao to connect more profoundly with his inner qi. The elixir facilitates the exploration of the mental realm during meditation, unlocking hidden potential within his consciousness. In short, it is Enlightenment in a bottle, and would be extremely useful to anyone trying to make the jump from Peak Master to Supreme Master!”

Insane. Utterly broken.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

My only consolation was that it would take him a while to reach that point.

All in all, however, it was safe to say that my time traveling had well and truly shaken things up in this timeline. The prizes were far more impressive this time around. On average, the number of years worth of qi in our pill prizes was at least fifty percent greater. And the Lunar Serenity Elixir? Wenhao had never received that to begin with.

“The Heavenly Lotus Bloom – A rare flower that enhances spiritual awareness and meditation, accelerating mental cultivation.”

Given to a guy who could already see a second into the future. The synergy could not be understated.

“Dual Heaven's Grace Blades – Rare twin blades forged with the heavenly material starmetal, enhancing both offense and defense.”

And it wouldn’t stop!

“And finally!” Oh lord. “Runic Armor of Divine Favor, a full set of armor enchanted to let all strikes slide off, powered by the user’s internal energy, now made inexhaustible by their one-hundred and twenty years worth of qi!”

Hahahah.

I heaved a deep sigh.

I guess I was doing this then.

Operation crush Wenhao was coming in early, especially considering:

“Finally,” the crier said. “We reach the last stage of this event. The challenge stage! If you are unhappy with your prizes, then you need only challenge someone greater in the hierarchy, and you will thus receive their prizes, depending on what you wagered in order to battle them! Wagers must be roughly equal, and as such you cannot wager fifteen years worth of qi pills against a hundred and twenty, for example! And you may only fight for a total of three duels!”

Enter the chaos.

The students immediately scattered, eyeing each other hungrily for more prizes. Zhou Hao looked at Wenhao, but Wenhao only had eyes for me, and I him.

But no. That was too early.

I turned to Wang Qiang instead, Wenhao’s crony, who had earned himself a neat and tidy sum of prizes. “Hey, you brat,” I said to him. Wang Qiang, who was busy at the time staring down some lesser classmates, immediately turned to me, and glared. I never had the pleasure of beating him down: only Xu Leifeng, who nowadays wouldn’t dare to even look my way. “Challenge me if you have the balls,” I said to him.

He growled at me. “You think I won’t beat you now that I have my own training?” He walked up to me and looked down at me. Right. I was still a fair few inches shorter than the guy. “Face it: you’re weak.”

“Then challenge me,” I said. “Wager forty-five years of your qi pills, the breastplate and your mirror, and I’ll wager the same number of treasures.”

“Fine!” Wang Qiang said. “You’ll regret asking me for this!”

The crier caught on to our conversation. “Everyone clear away from the grounds! We have two fighters ready to fight! Name your stakes!”

“Forty-five years of qi,” I said. “The Starlight Sutra and the Monk’s Spade.”

“Forty-five years of qi,” said Wang Qiang. “The mirror and the breastplate.”

“Excellent!” the crier shouted. “Be ready to fight on the count of five!”

We took a couple of steps back from each other and the crier counted down. Once the battle began, I took in my opponent. He talked a big game about being stronger than me, but that was only if you took us by appearances.

Wang Qiang used a combination of the basic forms as well as just regular fighting to attempt a jab at me. I headbutted it. He cried out and stepped back. Wow, that never got old. People were always surprised when they tried to hit you on your face and realized the flipside of trying such a risky move: your skull.

I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him closer for a sound elbow to the side of his face that dazed him. Then I let go of him so he could gather himself—and his courage.

If I was being honest, this was… really mean of me. But hey, he rose to the bait. What was I to do but to take him for everything he was worth? The Spear Aficionado hadn’t been particularly useful to humanity anyway, so why feel bad? I was teaching him an important lesson: fighting wasn’t fun. Even if you had grudges, your best bet was to take a passive route, accept that violence was never the answer. Largely.

In this case, violence was a question.

And to me, the answer was yes.

Wang Qiang roared as he tried for a straight right, which was an obvious feint. I pretended to fall for it just to see the pain in his eyes turn to glee.

Only for it to morph back into pain as I dug my fist into his solar plexus, temporarily paralyzing his diaphragm and making it so that the pressure of his ribcage forced the air out from his lungs. He stepped back, gasping for a breath that wouldn’t come.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” I asked him. “Why did you get yourself mixed up in this? You could have been happy with your sixty years worth of qi and your gifts, but instead you chose to gamble it, not even just to gain more, but to chase a grudge of all things. A grudge that you initiated by being a piece of shit.”

I walked up to him, and he stepped back in fright. He didn’t get far. I grabbed him by his shirt and drove a punch into his liver that took the strength out of his legs. The only thing preventing him from falling was me holding onto him. “Do you regret your war-torn path because you’ve realized the horror of pain?” I asked him. “And of loss? Or do you regret it because you’ve realized you are not stronger? The latter is not the right reason. Regret it because it is inherently regrettable!”

He looked at my eyes with fear and horror.

“You will never be the strongest,” I said to him. “You will never benefit from war like the strong can. So why initiate it? Because you are delusional, because you believe there is potential in you. There is not.”

I let go of him, and he fell on his knees.

The crier shouted. “Is the contestant Wang Qiang able to continue fighting?” Wang Qiang, predictably, said nothing. “Very well! Li Tianming wins forty-five years more of Qi pills, the runic breastplate as well as the Celestial Insight Mirror!”

Yippee.

Then Du Lin, the finalist from the tournament, shouted. “I challenge Su Jian for his thirty years worth of qi pills!”

I stepped back into the sidelines, next to Mei Ying.

“Scary,” she muttered. “You didn’t have to torture him like that.”

“He’ll think twice the next time he tries to initiate a fight,” I said. “Speaking of, I should warn you not to challenge Xinyi.”

Mei Ying glared at me. “Why? You think she’s stronger?”

“Actually, I do,” I said.

“Screw you,” she growled. “I thought we were on the same side.”

“That is precisely why I’m cautioning you,” I said. “If you want additional prizes, you can have what I took from Wang Qiang. I have no use for his Celestial Insight Mirror.”

“Tell me how to win,” Mei Ying said.

“You’re not hearing me—”

“I am,” Mei Ying said. “You’re saying I’ll lose. I believe you. Now tell me: how do I not lose. And don’t say something stupid like ‘by not fighting’ or I’ll kick your ass.”

“You couldn’t kick my ass,” I said with a chuckle. She was not amused. I sighed. “Listen, she has size advantage over you, and she’s got the crown of unity. What do you want me to say? She has the potential to actually beat me. You’ve seen her perform the forms, haven’t you?”

Whereas all our classmates were still getting accustomed to it, with even Wenhao having minute stumbles every now and then, Xinyi traipsed through the forms like a virtuoso dancer of the highest level, a true genius that would win awards for her crisp and graceful movements back on Earth. The divide between her mind and body, her intention and movements, was null. She had the same bodily control of a Peak Master on the cusp of Supreme Master, if not the internal energy or the attainments in martial arts to go with them.

“So you can’t help me?” Mei Ying said.

“I…” I paused for a moment.

No. This was stupid.

Liu Xinyi was only ranked below Wenhao and I because she was a girl, but I truly believed she had the power to rival the both of us at this moment. The only thing that could take her out was a massive strength advantage that I didn’t quite possess yet.

Innate qi? No, fuck that! I couldn’t keep burning my lifespan every time I fell inadequate.

I sighed. She was really going to make me do this, wasn’t she?

“I can fight her,” I said. “Take her treasures for you. Which did you want? The Gem or the Hanfu?”

Mei Ying looked at me for a moment. “What would you want in return?”

“A fifteen year contract of slave labor at my latest cryptocurrency startup,” I said. “You’ll be doing long-form calculations trying to mine blocks.”

“I’m serious!”

“Your hand in marriage,” I scoffed and she just grimaced. Before letting her delve into her speech about how inadequate I was as a man, I spoke again. “Don’t ask me what I want in return. Your friendship is enough. And if your best effort pales in comparison to my own in returning the favor, then pay the favor forward to someone else in need. Change another life if you can’t change mine. I’m not trying to gain power here. I just want to make the world a better place.”

“You need to tell me your story,” Mei Ying said then. “At some point. I don’t understand you at all and it’s maddening.”

“Fine,” I said, with furrowed eyebrows. “You could just ask at any point, you know. It’s not like I’m keeping secrets here.” Well, there was the massive time-travel secret, sure, but I was fully ready to divulge that at some point, once I knew no one was listening, which was extremely unlikely up here in the Martial Arts Alliance stronghold. “You can tell me more about yourself, too, if you’re so keen on me sharing my life with you. Now tell me, what do you want from Xinyi?”

“Everything,” she said. “I want everything.”

I sighed. “Fine,” I said.

This was for the greater good. Xinyi was not a good sort anyway. Maybe she had the potential to be, but her refusal to regard me with respect was bound to have some consequences. Even the lord couldn’t convert those who wouldn’t listen, and if Xinyi didn’t listen, then there was no reason not to knock her down a peg.

I walked up to Xinyi, who was standing on another edge of the sidelines, surrounded by her cronies.

“Hey,” I said to her. All her friends looked at me with ill-contained disdain. Now why was that? Xinyi, however, continued to ignore me, still watching the fight going on between some of our other classmates who received negligible gifts. “Liu Xinyi,” I said. “You should consider challenging me, since you’d have no chance against Wenhao.” Nor would she actually fight him.

Liu Xinyi turned to me with a cold sneer. “You think I wasn’t going to do that already? I don’t need your convincing to put you in the dirt, you creep.”

I felt a flare of anger at that. “Bet everything, then.”

She smiled. “Fine!”

It was only then that I realized: I was going to beat a woman to the ground.

My anger deflated, replacing itself with disgust and reluctance.

No matter how this played out, I wouldn’t be gaining any favors with my classmates.