Amid the sound of drums, An Yu Yong only recovered his gaze when he heard the two little girls' conversation, "Qi'er, are you going back to your family's post?" An Bing Qing said before Ouyang Qiao Qi could ask her anything; Ouyang Qiao Qi seemed like she wanted to ask her something but didn't know how to and before she could utter a word she opened her mouth first.
"Nay, Qiao Qi will stay here", Ouyang Qiao shook her head and her thoughts drifted. Then, she added, "The Great Elder came this time so there won't be any trouble".
"Oh, our fathers are worthy of being friends. Sigh", An Bing Qing said with some helplessness. Normally, they wouldn't have sent the Great Elders to this event but because of them, the pair of good sisters, the Great Elders of their clans had to change their busy agendas at their fathers' calling.
"All right, stop chatting. Qi'er, come and greet the Elders", An Yu Yong said after reaching the pair of sisters' side.
"En", Ouyang Qiao Qi nodded with some shame, she forgot to salute An Family's Elders.
They went to the Elders and interchanged some words before going back to their places.
The people who had gone to greet the members of other clans returned to their respective families while the drums still resounded. There were some younglings like Ouyang Qiao Qi that preferred to be with their friends' family.
The thundering drumming began to subside and the main host finally made his entrance.
All the people around quieted down as they looked towards the arena made of white jade bricks.
A middle-aged man clad in dark-green went up to the fight field. The other hosts that came along with him and that also belonged to the Ancient Inn's people stayed in the building designed like a pavilion at his back; they were appeasing the already impatient honoured guests that came from the sects outside the Empires' territories.
One must know that there weren't cultivators' sects or schools located within the Empires' lands because those were powerful sects that had taken over the richest lands in the south.
"Welcome to the Ghost Forest Competition", the middle-aged man opened.
"I won't waste time introducing myself, how can all of you not know about the Great Men Kun", he added with a cheerful smile.
The spectators laughed for different reasons. Some because they found ridiculous that there would be actually someone who didn't know the Ancient Inn's Second Elder; even if they hadn't assisted before, their families were bound to pass down to them such an important information while others were laughing because of his sense of supremacy. There were many who didn't laugh and kept hold of their habitual temperaments.
Men Kun expected all these kinds of reactions. He waved his hand and the laughter subsided.
"This year's Ghost Forest Competition will be full of surprises. Therefore, it is better for all of you to forget the old rules and be prepared for new tests that will come with better prizes, of course". He watched how the confusion on most of the people's eyes changed after he highlighted -better prizes to glittering and greedy ones. The wisest didn't eat his tentative words and entered in a serious contemplation.
The rules and trials of the Ghost Forest Competition had only been changed at his earliest stages according to the records; and that had happened because some clans had revolted as they wanted access to the places that had the richest resources in the Empire that were sealed by the Imperial and Ancient families' experts, the latter families as a way to make peace without a fight opened some of those areas while the richest lands had only a change in their rules of management.
Still, all the people listened to this strange change.
"Then, without anything more to add, let the opening festivities begin and to all the contenders, settle your hearts for the first trial that will begin at noon". Men Kun didn't go into a deep explanation regarding his earlier words as that will be said at the beginning of each test. Hence, he flapped his long sleeves and walked towards the pavilion.
Shortly after, the drums resounded again for a moment, allowing all the clans to go to their respective buildings to rest and watch the show.
Then, when there was no soul on the greenery, one hundred beauties stepped on the arena to dance with the lively music that rose like fine silk threads into the air, reaching the ears of all the people present.
All ate and drank while watching the willowy females with snowy skin and swaying bodies dancing on the stage.
At the same time, inside the pavilion, a middle-aged man with grey hair clad in deep blue robes slipped from his talk with a brown-robed old man who had a blue coloured flame jade token hanging from his dark yellow broad belt and walked towards the laughing Men Kun who was talking with a middle-aged man clad in light blue clothes with a peculiar dark blue beast insignia embroidered on its back.
Men Kun dismissed himself when he saw the incoming familiar man. He then walked towards a corner of the pavilion.
The other hosts saw this from a corner of their eyes but they soon restrained his wondering eyes and continued to entertain the guests.
"Men Kun, what is the meaning of this? What new tests and prizes were you talking about?" The grey-haired middle-aged man asked with a frown.