Half an hour or two incense sticks worth of time had passed. And in that time, I was mentally prepared for the upcoming event. A group of alchemists donning similar robes stood at the front of the participants. They were five of them, four old-looking men and an elderly woman that all looked wise and calm. The five of them approached us and one of them moved ahead of the rest and coughed.
That single cough was so loud and yet at the same time felt natural. And was enough to quiet mutters of the audience. Having gained everyone's attention, the old man rubbed at his beard and said, "So many participants. Though I admire the dedication of so many disciples of the martial arts, alchemy is not for everyone. We cannot accept everyone to partake in this tournament so we will be doing an elimination round.
Out of the five hundred and eighty participants here, only one hundred will partake in the alchemy challenge."
