It is contest day and the trainees are excited about it. Besides the fact that this was the first official contest they would have in years, the first three winners would be accompanying Master Lu on a journey.
Su and Lu Kang were already specifically chosen by the Master therefore they didn't have to compete with the others.
The trainees assembled in formatted line at the training ground while the Drillmaster read out the rules to them.
Then the contest started. Lots were drawn to organize them in groups. They were about 40 trainees qualified for the contest. The rules were simple – be the last man standing in a group. They were no regulations as to how you could win the fight. They were to fight with their swords or any other weapon of their choice, however, they were also allowed to win the battle with any method; that is, even if you completely choose to abandon your sword and chose to fist fight, wrestle, or find ways to paralyze the opponent, you would still be a qualified winner. They were not allowed to fight to death.
They were divided into 8 groups; 5 opponents in each. Each group would have a last man standing who would in turn fight with the other 7 contenders before the winners would be chosen.
It was a very tough contest. The higher-ups like Master Lu, Yeong and other seniors were present. The competition went on for hours with each man determined to win in his group. After a long day of the tournament, three trainees emerged as winners. Yangi, One of the trainees who qualified to participate with the contest, managed to be amongst the winners. Although he had been badly beaten and had a swollen eye, he was glad he made it to the top-three and would accompany Master Lu.
After the contest, they were informed to prepare themselves for the journey. Five days later, Master Lu and Yeong, a dozen warriors and five trainees left for Mt. Chi.
The three trainees who won in the contest were obviously glad to travel through the land as they had never left the Lu Academy since they were recruited. Su and Lu Kang had been opportune to follow Master Lu to the town on few occasions therefore they weren't as excited as the others. However, they had also never been to Mt. Chi. They discussed amongst themselves the things to expect on the journey...