"So, what are your plans for the upcoming open tournament?" Elder Han asks me.
"I was thinking combat, since they will be overlapping the Inner Sect competition with the life skills competition this year. It's a bit of a shame really, I had a lot of fun last year."
"True, but I think they just didn't want you to win every single category this year, so they tweaked the schedule so a Sect other than the Shadowed Blade has a chance." Elder Han laughs.
"You can still do cooking though, it's the day before the tournament properly starts again this year."
"Elder Song, who would be better for the combat category, me or Karl?" I ask, hoping for an honest opinion.
"Karl. Too many would forfeit or run away when they saw you. He could probably still win too, if you could manage another breakthrough before the tournament."
The Elders are all laughing at me now, telling stories of last years competition in a way that has Karl snorting in amusement and recording it with his phone.
