After the carriage left the Deng Kingdom, it passed by two other neighbouring kingdoms to reach the place where the Great Assessment would take place.
The distance was quite far and almost impossible to travel on foot in less than a few months.
Luckily, with the carriage they selected being the best one in the capital city, and their mounts were a pair of Lightning Bulls which could travel at a great speed and pull large weights at the same time.
Due to this, they managed to reach by the end of the second day, the very day before the tournament started.
The Great Assessment wasn't taking place inside any city, or was in any place where humans were already living. Instead, it was right in the centre of a boundless land filled with grass.
Once there, all Jian Shen could see were tents everywhere.
Turns out not just the participants, but the ones who were hosting the tournament, including the elders of the Give Great Sects were all supposed to live in the tents.
After getting off the carriage, Xinyi asked Jian Shen to follow him.
"As you know, Four of the Five Great Sects come together and host this tournament. But, that doesn't mean the Four Sects are friendly and get along. If you look around, you can easily spot the difference."
Listening to Xinyi, Jian Shen looked around himself one more time, and this time paid more attention to the details.
He then noticed that while all the tents were of the same white colour, the same couldn't be said about the emblems above the tent's opening.
Each tent had one of the Four Great Sects emblems on them, as if they were bragging that the tent belonged to their sect.
"It's just like you think. Depending on how many of the top ranked 10 join each of the Four Great Sects, the more number of tents they're allowed to have."
Before he could say anything, Xinyi said, "I know it sounds childish, and it is. But, that's just the way it is. Even if any of the sects have an excess number of tents, they don't give them up since it's a form of bragging."
Jian Shen nodded his head as a thought entered his mind.
"Xinyi, when there are Five Great Sects, how come only Four of them host the tournament?"
"The Five Great Sects include the Myriad Flame Sect, the Thousand Sword Sect, the Pill Refining Sect, the Iron Body Sect, and one more sect which isn't worthy of either of ours attention."
"It's that very sect which we don't even need to know about that doesn't take part in the assessment. Just know that if you ever meet someone and their robes have a red and blue coloured Yin-Yang, make sure to stay as far away from them as possible."
"If you feel like it, go ahead and kill them as well. Just don't waste your time talking to any woman from that sect. And don't believe a single word they say."
While feeling that Xinyi for some reason hated that the mysterious Fifth Great Sect a lot, and despite wanting to know more about it, Jian Shen only said, "Yes".
The rest of the walk the neither of them said anything else, until they finally stopped in front of the biggest white tent Jian Shen had seen until now.
The tent had quite a big multi coloured flame symbol on it, the same one that Xinyi had one her robes.
"Wait here, I need to report to the acting elder and get you a huge tent."
As Jian Shen waited outside the tent for what was most likely just a few minutes, Xinyi informed the Sect Elder who came to oversee the tournament from the Myriad Flame Sect that she was back, and to officially send Jian Shen an invitation as soon as the tournament starts.
Originally, she didn't want Jian Shen to receive an invitation before he entered the top 50, since the Sect wouldn't be able to see his true potential, and think that she was helping him out because they were related.
But now that Li Mei knew about it, the Thousand Sword Sect would definitely send Jian Shen an invitation as soon as the tournament started.
And once they did that, I'd the Myriad Flame Sect sent him another invitation, everyone would think that they were trying to steal a talent which the Thousand Sword Sect discovered.
Therefore Xinyi made sure the elder would do as she said and give him an invitation, and a huge tent as well, because Jian Shen's position would no longer be limited to just the top 50. He might become one of the top 3!
Hearing to Xinyi's request, the elder immediately accepted it, since giving an invitation to the one recommended by the next Sect Master wouldn't bring him any kind of trouble.
If anything, it gave him the chance to curry for her favour.
While everything was going smoothly, and just after the elder has assigned one of the biggest tents under their sects control to Jian Shen, someone barged in.
"How dare you just come inside! Can't you see I'm in a serious discussion with the next sect Master!"
"I'm very sorry elder, but there's some news you really need to hear."
"Humph! What is it? Tell me fast and get out!"
"Yes! The Thousand Sword Sect just made an announcement that there is a certain participant they are very keen on recruiting, and none of the other sects to try and fight them for him."
"Oh? It's been so long since any sect did such a thing. Tell me, who's the genius the Thousand Sword Sect is after."
As soon as Xinyi heard what the disciple came to report, she had a very bad feeling, and the boy's next words just further proved her intuition right.
"His name is Jian Shen."
"Huh? Jian Shen?"
Looking towards Xinyi in surprise, the elder asked, "Isn't he the same one you asked to send an invitation to?"