"Greetings everyone! Today we are beginning the Banmian City Tournament!" Meng Liang said in a loud voice. The cheers that followed his words grew in volume.
"We have invited all of our distinguished guests to this event and the tournament is about to begin." Meng Liang paused to take a breath, allowing the crowd to let out a few more cheers before continuing.
"The competitors have been hand-picked by our various sects and have been training very hard these past weeks. And now, we present to you the contestants that have been chosen to compete today." Meng Liang said as the contestants took their spots on the stage. Jian Li was taken aback at how many of them there were. But Meng Liang did not stop there.
"These will fight against each other until only one remains victorious. But, it will not be easy. Each one of them has their own advantages and will be looking to take out the other. This is what makes the tournament so exciting! But first, let us have a small introduction of the participants." He then continued on and introduced each of the participants as he announced their respective schools and sects.
The crowd was in an uproar, shouting and cheering at the names that were called out. Jian Li could feel her heart beat faster with each new contestant announced.
"From the Jian Family, we have Jian Li, the True Sword Sect's youngest contestant." Meng Liang said, gesturing to Jian Li as she was brought forward by a pair of guards.
Jian Li was wearing a black long-sleeve robe and was wearing the Jian family's crest on her back. Her silver hair was tied up in a simple braid with a piece of red cloth attached. He Yu had told her to wear a traditional outfit that would symbolize the Jian Family and its connection to the True Sword Sect. For that reason, she also had her core disciple badge on her chest, along with her longsword.
As she was brought to the stage, the crowd cheered and she felt her face blush as she heard them. Jian Li had never been at the center of attention by so many people before, not even in her
previous life as Vanessa.
"The Jian Family has sent one of their most promising True Sword Sect disciples to the tournament. Let's hear it for the youngest of the Jian Family!"
The crowd roared again in response and left Jian Li feeling a little embarrassed as the attention focused momentarily on her. Jian Li smiled and bowed her head as the cheering began to die down.
"We are all waiting with anticipation for the Jian Family's youngest member, Jian Li. She is only eleven years old so she is among the youngest participating this year, but she is a great talent and we believe she can make her way through the competition." Meng Liang said, pointing to Jian Li.
She was feeling excited and nervous all at once, having never been involved in such a large tournament before. But Jian Li was also confident in her abilities. Her swordplay was something that she had worked incredibly hard on over the past couple of months. She had been practicing diligently, often practicing by herself for hours.
"Well, she is not the only one from the Jian Family entering the tournament! Let's hear it for one of the rising stars of the True Sword Sect, Jian Chen!", Meng Liang's voice echoed as he pointed towards Jian Chen who was being brought forward to Jian Li's spot.
The crowd gave them an even louder cheer as the brother and sister duo finally stood beside each other, taking the spotlight together.
Jian Chen was wearing the same kind of outfit as Jian Li, though the robe he was wearing was white, as well as some other minor details on his clothes and his weapon of choice.
Meng Liang continued introducing the next contestants, Jian Chen included. Jian Chen looked a little overwhelmed by the attention that they were getting, but he still managed to keep himself calm.
Jian Li was relieved to see that he regained his usual calm expression on his face as the audience roared and shouted at him.
The excitement among the crowd built up as Meng Liang continued to call out the next contestants from the True Sword Sect. The response given was about the same as Jian Li and Jian Chen got, but Jian Li had a feeling that some of them were still waiting for someone more well known.
"We have many talented young cultivators entering the tournament, but very few of them will be as young and talented as Chen Zhen here. Let's hear it for the young boy!" Meng Liang called out, causing the crowd to give him a deafening cheer unille any of the other ones before. The amount of sounds made by the crowd was almost ear piercing, but Chen Zhen looked like he was accustomed to it.
Chen Zhen stood tall as the crowd applauded loudly. His hands were folded behind his back and he had a serious look on his face.