Before Jack arrived inside the arena, he had anticipated a competitive atmosphere full of tension. The first few moments did indeed conform to this notion of his. However, the official opening has left him with a pleasant surprise.

Several dancers wearing fancy clothing had already taken their positions on both the arena and above it. They danced in perfect synchrony, releasing different strands of colourful qi and creating a spectacular show of both visuals and acrobatics. Accompanying them were a number of cultivators playing different types of musical instruments, while some others utilised their powers to create colourful blasts above the arena.

Struggling to walk amongst the crowds, a number of stewards were all smiles as they provided wine to the cheering spectators. Jack couldn’t resist the temptation and immediately signalled for a cup. He was the only one to do so from his group.

As he took hold of the wooden cup, he remained to stare at it for a moment, observing his mouth’s reflection smiling back at him. He then swallowed the wine in one gulp.

His throat was still burning when he asked for another round.

As he held the cup again, his thoughts had momentary shifted away from the preoccupations of the tournament, instead recalling memories that he didn’t wish to remember. A time when he was still in the town of Wongye, locked up in a metal cage that wasn’t even suitable for animals, let alone a human being. From between the metal bars with his half-shut eyes, he could only observe the various lords slamming their cups together, their arrogant laughter still echoing inside his ears as if he was hearing it for the very first time.

He almost unintentionally released his qi as a tear leaked down over his reddening cheek. Just wait for me you mother f*ckers. The moment I find the coordinates of the plane, the first thing I am going to do is pay you back for all the atrocities you’ve committed!

He drank the second cup in one gulp again, and he had already extended his hand towards the puzzled steward when a prolonged snort muted his ear.

“Haven’t you had enough already? What if it is our turn to compete today?!”

Jack could only express a forced smile as he returned the cup, apologising to the steward. The Grand Elder kept snorting while Tian Jinse was becoming more interested in Jack’s unusual behaviour. On the other hand, Zheng Zexi remained expressionless.

The festivities continued like this for a whole hour, and a quarter of the arena was already drunk by then.

As the performers retreated following a standing ovation, it was the turn for the Palace Head to intervene again. For the leader of such a prestigious country, he seemed rather humble and happy-go-lucky. Though it could also be that his abnormal attitude was due to the excitement generated by the festival.

“What a fantastic performance. A well-deserved round of applause.”

He paused, glancing at the competing disciples. Almost all of them had nervous eyes, their hands itching to take the field. “Judging from your expressions, it seems that our esteemed guests can’t wait for the start of the festival’s next phase. As it should be.”

The Palace Head remained silent for a moment, his smile widening enough to show his teeth. “Since the establishment of this festival, the first part always consisted of festivities. What followed was a martial art contest of our younger generation. Then we ended everything with a treasure hunt inside the Counterbalance Realm, where every region was allocated four days to do so.

“However… in the last few days we have encountered some unexpected developments, so we were forced to make some changes to the schedule. I am not someone who beats around the bush… the martial art contest is being replaced by another event.”

Sounds of grumbling and furore immediately erupted after this announcement. Disappointment flared, and there was even some booing going on.

The Cult of blood’s elder frowned. “What type of changes? Why weren’t we informed? We had to travel three entire months to arrive here. The Demon Empress will certainly be displeased if she had to hear of this.”

This sentiment was also shared by a number of different regions. Seeing the situation getting out of hand, the Palace Head quickly intervened.

“We have kept silent about it because we weren’t sure yet. But now we can confirm that the Counterbalance Realm’s pattern is indeed acting irregularly. At first, we were shocked and thought that something was wrong with the realm. We have spent the last couple of days researching our ancient records. Fortunately, we did find recorded instances where the realm exhibit unusual behaviour. It seems that it is finally the time for another of these occurrences.”

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The Masked Elder finally showed a reaction. “Please do tell us, what exactly is this unusual behaviour you speak of?” His voice sounded soft, yet not even the roars of thunder could cover such a wide area.

The Palace Head sighed. “The Counterbalance Realm will be opening earlier than anticipated, in around two or three hours from now. We can predict that the portal will open in a volatile state, and will only last for three, max four days. Not everything is doom and gloom though. The area in which the portal will lead to should be very central… the chances for the appearance of valuable treasures will be much higher than normal.”

Discussions immediately erupted in the arena as the various elders discussed the implications with each other. Jack appeared confused as he glanced towards the Grand Elder, who seemed deep in thought. Indeed, this development was not according to their original plans.

“There are only three days instead of the usual forty, how exactly are we going to split up?”

“Yeh! It doesn’t make sense! Are you allowing each region only nine hours?”

“Forget the counterbalance realm, what about the rankings? How are we going to decide which region is going to win this year?”

The Palace Head could understand their frustrations. “Everyone, please calm down for a moment. We already have spent the last few days deliberating about this. To keep everything fair and simple, and at the same time compensate for the lack of a martial art contest, we have come up with an alternative plan. All competing disciples will be entering the realm at the same time. The main objective will be to farm the various gemstones scattered around the realm. The final rankings will be decided by the accumulated weight of these gemstones.”

A moment of silence followed. This proposal didn’t seem half bad. Although the more prominent sects had the advantage of strength, they lacked the numbers. The Masked Elder frowned behind his mask as he turned towards his disciple for his opinion.

The Masked Cultivator didn’t seem affected. “I’ll let them farm happily for two days. Then I’ll steal all their gemstones.”

The Masked Elder didn’t enquire any further; those words were enough for him to let things proceed without the need for interference.

On the other hand, the Grand Elder was in a dilemma. His original plan was to have the disciples obtain the seventh rank in the tournament, then let them farm for treasures inside the Counterbalance Realm. That’s the main reason why they even bothered about this festival in the first place, and also the only reason the Patriarch allowed his own daughter to compete. With her intelligence and aptitude, finding a valuable treasure inside the realm was highly likely.

But the Grand Elder knew that everything had changed for the worse. The fact that everyone was entering inside the realm together was surely going to trigger conflicts. Also, there was an even bigger treat, standing right opposite of him on the other side of the arena. The Desert Tribes would surely target them with the intent to kill. It wasn’t even a question of if, but when. Also, there was no telling how the other regions would act.

The easiest way out would be to retreat from the festival. But it was easier said than done. He knew that his decisions would not only concern the Sky Water Sect but the entire alliance.

Worrying, he asked for the opinion of the other guardians.

Dai Jun sighed. “Ah, I didn’t prepare any protective talismans… wasn’t expecting this manure.”

“I have five of them,” the Grand Elder confirmed, “but I still fear that Chief Iron Hand will give them a set of treasures. I think we should surrender.”

“I’m going in.” The always quite Zheng Zexi surprised everyone.

“Me too, I say we compete. If we stay together, I doubt we can be beaten that easily.”

“I agree with Shui Tao. It’s risky, but with the talisman, we should be safe for three days.”

Noting the inner sect disciples’ determination, the Grand Elder could only sigh. This didn’t make him feel any better. He glanced at Jack. He was the weakest of this group and probably of all competing contestants. He was the most likely to be targeted.

“Hmm, I don’t mind Grand Elder. I am good at avoiding troubles.”

Long Mu coughed. “But troubles are very good at finding you. But yeh, you’ve got one big fat lucky ass, bigger than the heavens.”

Jack could only smile wryly, realising that his earlier statement was full of bullshit.

As they discussed between each other, the other regions had already started voting about the proposed plan. Given that time was pressing and it wasn’t that bad of a deal, all the first five regions voted in favour of the proposal. Thus, the plan was approved before the Sky Water Sect could even cast their vote.

Once the matter of voting was cleared, the Palace Head quickly signalled the old man standing next to him to come forward.

The old man understood the meaning of this as he instantly floated down like a ghost, assuming his position at the middle of the arena. From his dimensional pocket, he took out a broad belt that contained around fifty talismans attached to it. He did an incantation with a language nobody could understand, breaking the seal locking the belt. He then affixed it inside a circular tile.

The lands immediately quaked as five pillars arcs began emerging from the ground, their base forming a circular platform slightly elevated from the surface. Each pillar arc could be attributed to a particular element. One was surrounded by metal plates while another burned with flames. There was another one that leaked water from the top, but strangely enough, the water remained attracted to it and didn’t disperse outwards. As for the last two pillar arcs, one was covered with wooden vines, and the other had its surface spoiled with dirt and soil.

The old man then confirmed, “The portal is ready. Everything seems in order.”

The Palace Head nodded. “Hurry up and bring the telepathic stone to record the disciples’ rank and age. We need to settle this before the portal connects.”

He then turned facing the crowds.

“There is something else I must tell you before the start of the competition. We are planning to hand out two exclusive rewards for the top-ranking male and female cultivators. The highest-ranking female that collects the most gemstones, regardless of the region’s overall rank, shall be rewarded with a spirit realm treasure.

“As for the male disciples, the individual candidate with the highest amount of gemstones… will be allowed to ask Zhongyang Palace’s own holy daughter for marriage!”