Yuan left the room, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts.
After a brief rest, he made his way to Mother Bing's room. There, he received the exact same lecture as PM Meng's.
At the end of the lecture, she added, "Yuan, character decides the altitude while perseverance decides the longitude. Both are important for success in any aspect of life."
For a moment, Yuan even had a thought that both of them had rehearsed it somewhere and delivered it as it was in front of him.
"Go and rest. Tomorrow at 9 am, the tournament will start, and you are participating in it." She ordered, kicking him out of the room.
She also released Red and Silver who were taken into her custody when he made a failed attempt to run away. Red and Silver rushed to him with joyous wails. Yuan consoled them and spent the rest of the day playing with Xu'er and his furry companions.
*****
Early the next morning, under the leadership of PM Meng and Mother Bing, Yuan arrived at the city square alongside the pavilion's participants.
The city square was the bustling heart of Clear Cloud City. Following the previous Emperor's decree, arenas were built in every city within the Crimson Empire, encouraging friendly fights among the general public and hence, increasing the overall fighting strength of the Empire.
The one in Clear Cloud was colossal, capable of accommodating over 200,000 people.
When they arrived, the arena was already packed. The announcement of extra recruitment had drawn an unprecedented crowd. Because of this, city management had no choice but to build formation screens all around the arena, offering views to those unable to fit inside.
Yuan was amazed by the sheer number of people. This was the largest crowd he had ever witnessed.
After parting from his family at the arena gate, Yuan made his way to the contestant area, gripping his registration token tightly as he entered.
The arena was divided into 8 sections. Each section was designated for a different occupation: Beast Tamer, Beast Trainer, Beast Apothecary (doctor), Beast Evaluator, Beast Weaponry and Armory, Formations, Alchemy, and Weapon Refining.
After showing his registration token, Yuan found himself in the Beast Evaluator section, joined by two fellow pavilion members, Han Mu and Ming Kai.
Yuan glanced around and was shocked to see more than 1,000 participants, all competing for only 3 seats. The difficulty of the competition weighed heavily on him. He suddenly realized why his mother said it would be a good experience for him. 'She has no hope of me whatsoever.' A bitter smile crossed his face.
But a thought dawned on him, maybe she wasn't wrong. He only began practicing 3 months ago. How could he compete with so many people? Besides, there were bound to be more than a few talented people among these 1,000 participants.
Yet, something ignited within him. Determination sparked in his eyes as he resolved to give his all, hoping to surprise his parents—not realizing he was about to give them a bigger shock.
Ming Kai leaned closer to Yuan, his voice low but clear as he explained the competition's rules and the allocation of seats.
Yuan listened intently, his eyes widening as he learned that the number of available seats this year had doubled. All he knew was that Emperor Shu's imperial decree to increase student intake, but he had no idea the number of seats had directly been doubled.
A look of understanding flashed on his face. He had witnessed previous competitions, but he had never seen this many participants. He now understood the reason behind that.
"Aren't there 6 seats allocated for the Beast evaluation section? Why are we competing for top 5 positions?" Yuan confusedly asked.
According to his understanding of previous competitions, there were only 50 seats in total. All sections related to beasts: Beast Tamer, Beast Evaluator, Beast Apothecary, Beast Trainer, Beast Weaponry, and Armory were allocated 3 seats while Alchemy, Formations, and Weapon Refining were allocated 5 seats, making them 30 in total.
The last remaining 20 seats were for the Fighting Competition.
Now, this year's seats for the Beast Evaluation section should be 6, yet Ming Kai just told him that they were competing for the top 5 which puzzled him. Yuan's voice wasn't low so many people heard him. A look of disdain appeared in their eyes.
Ming Kai hesitated, his expression a mix of surprise and sympathy. It was common knowledge, but he wasn't aware that Yuan had spent the last month enduring grueling training.
"Country bumpkin" someone sneered from the crowd, and a ripple of laughter followed. Yuan's face changed slightly but he didn't care much.
Ming Kai hurriedly explained, "Young master, this is the privilege of 1st position. The winner is not only allowed to choose their academy or sect of choice, but also gets an extra seat to bring an additional person with him."
Yuan nodded thoughtfully. "Then you two should aim for the top position."
Ming Kai and Han Mu were speechless. It was already difficult for them to get into the top 50 considering the number of participants, let alone the top 10. As for the top position, it felt impossibly distant. Yuan's dismissal of his own involvement only deepened their disbelief.
Laughter erupted again; this time more pointed. "Forget the top position; you might not even make the top 100," a young man in a red outfit laughed.
A beautiful girl beside him chimed in, "Ming, why are you even talking to a nobody?"
A group of about 10 people stood not far from Yuan, their clothing and demeanor marking them as part of an influential family. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"They are from the Chen family—Young Prince Chen Ming and Princess Chen Mei," someone remarked, eyes wide. "Those two are the young masters of the Duan family."
Others murmured, recognizing the elite from the strongest families in Clear Cloud City. The Han, Chen, Cai, and Duan families were the strongest and most influential families in Clear Cloud City.
"But what are they doing here?" This question swirled among the spectators, but no one had an answer.