Hanbi carefully led all of them through the streets, making sure to explain the details of the tournament while she was at it. Frankly, there was a weird rule where they couldn’t kill certain members of sects, since they had some kind of jade slip that gave them immunity.

Even though Hanbi was famous and she was a loved child as well as someone very capable, she didn’t have such a slip. That meant just about anyone could try to kill her. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

As for the people who had those jade slips, if Xuan or Yuelan tried to pull a move on them, they would be punished and hunted down by every single sect present until their deaths.

Basically, it was a stupid rule and something that favored those who organized these shitty tournaments to begin with.

Nonetheless, Xuan didn’t concern himself with the bullshit, since he was sure where there was a will, there was a way. With that in mind, he continued walking after Hanbi until finally, they arrived at a particular crossing.

And at the same time, Xuan and the others managed to spot hundreds of people scattered around. All of them wore their own unique Daoist robes, each representing their sects. Hanbi, in that regard, didn’t wear anything fancy.

Or that was what he thought, but once he took another glance at Hanbi, he realized she had changed into some dark purple Daoist robes. Not to mention, she had also turned back to them and handed them three robes too.

"Put these on. It’ll make it look like you’re in my sect."

"Correct me if I’m stupid, but didn’t you say the Serene Blossom Valley Sect is a women’s only sect?" Xuan asked the obvious.

She thought it over for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Eunuchs are allowed, but they have their own separate branch away from the women. You’re a eunuch now, Xuan."

"Pfft..." Yuelan did her best to hold back her laughter. Sierra did too, as she just smiled, the corners of her lips trembling.

Xuan’s brow twitched in annoyance, but so be it. If the universe wanted him to be a eunuch, then he’d be a eunuch.

"Fine..."

"Good. Put them on then."

With that, the three of them quickly got into cover and changed clothes. Xuan really quickly realized that dark purple didn’t suit him that well. Or rather, such tight robes made each of his muscles stand out that much more.

Basically, he looked like some kind of male stripper. That suspicion of his only grew stronger when Hanbi led them deeper into the crowd, and every single woman present was staring at him.

Though, every single woman present also knew what a male being a part of the Serene Blossom Valley Sect meant. A man without his tool was no man. He was a eunuch.

So despite their lustful gazes, they were more lustful about his appearance rather than anything else. Xuan, on the other hand, didn’t mind the gazes. It wasn’t like he didn’t know he looked half decent.

And getting a free ego boost didn’t seem that bad either. So when they finally arrived in the center of the city where there were even more cultivators gathered, Xuan knew that it was only a matter of time before the whole charade started.

Except a few minutes passed, which turned into a few hours. Nothing was happening. Xuan thought that Hanbi might’ve tricked them, but by the time the sun went down, Xuan finally felt the presence of someone decently powerful approaching from the distance.

Turning to the side, Xuan spotted a man wearing flaming golden robes. He looked badass, but also very, very arrogant. All the women glanced over to him instead of Xuan now, since he was more conventionally attractive.

And on the bright side, unlike a eunuch, those women could have a future with that kind of man. Xuan wasn’t jealous, since with a face like that, just about anyone would want to punch that man.

Still, it seemed like that man was who everyone had been waiting for, as the moment he approached the crowd and settled in by himself, a seemingly ordinary woman stood up and jumped atop the fountain in the very center.

She cleared her throat, and then spoke, her voice traveling loudly enough for everyone present to hear.

"Thank you all for coming! As you might’ve heard, this tournament is meant to determine which sect has the most powerful disciples. You’re all special in your own regard, and so that was why we decided to pick such a large venue."

After a brief pause, she extended her arms and added:

"The radius of 100 kilometers from the center of this city is your playground. There are 100 jade slips scattered all around. They don’t contain a single trace of Qi, so you can only find them through good luck or skill."

Letting out a chuckle, she let her words be understood by everyone.

"Only one person from their respective sect needs to find a jade slip to allow the others to pass too. However, that doesn’t mean one person can’t hoard all the jade slips. You can steal from others, and you can also hoard all the jade slips so fewer people pass. Killing is very much allowed."

Murmurs spread throughout the cultivators as they began discussing who to target and who to avoid. Obviously, a lot of people talked about Hanbi in particular, since unlike everyone else, she brought along a couple of people.

And having so many people on one side was dangerous. But on the flip side, Yuelan and Xuan had an opportunity to fight against more people. So they weren’t exactly saddened by this favoritism.

Welp.

"You may now all scatter and try finding the jade slips. Do note, there isn’t a single jade slip within a 10 kilometer radius. You may only find some within the 10 to 100 kilometer radius. Good luck everyone, and may the lucky few pass!"

With those words, every single one of the cultivators scattered.

Everyone except that man wearing flaming golden robes.

As it so happens, his gaze was locked firmly onto Xuan.

And it didn’t take long for him to approach Xuan as well.