The entrance of the Swan Sea Sect was over a mile away, yet Harry heard the voice clearly all the same.
It was a loud voice, but it was calm, as if the speaker was just casually conversing with his neighbor. Despite that, it projected across the entire sect. And there was a hidden edge in the voice, a provocation that was obvious to all who heard it.
The New Port Sect was also a Tier 2 sect of the Scarlet Phoenix Empire, alongside the Swan Sea Sect and 18 others. As for why they were here to challenge the Swan Sea Sect, Harry had no idea.
"Disciples of the Swan Sea Sect, gather by the entrance," a female voice rang through the sect seconds later.
Hearing the Sect Master's order, Harry dutifully joined the crowd of disciples heading towards the entrance. Along the way, he ran into Slade.
"Hey, what's happening? Why's the New Port Sect here?"
Slade scowled while he explained.
"It's a tradition between our two sects. Of the other 19 Tier 2 sects, the New Port Sect is the closest one to us. Every couple of years, our sects meet for a competition, where the disciples exchange pointers. Of course, 'exchange pointers' just means that we fight. Basically, the disciples battle each other to see which sect has recruited stronger disciples, or trained their disciples better. It's all under the guise of a friendly competition and getting fighting experience, but it's really just to determine which sect is stronger. It's gone on for over a century by now, I think."
Harry nodded in understanding. "So, it's just a competition – wait, why does everyone look so unhappy? Don't tell me, do we usually lose?"
Slade just laughed bitterly.
"Lose? Yeah, we lose, pretty much every single time. I've only witnessed two competitions myself, but we lost both. In fact, we've lost the last 10 times, I believe. Maybe even more than 10. In any case, it's been a very long time since we last won. At least 30 years."
"Oh," Harry said ineloquently as Slade's words settled in. "That's, uh, pretty bad."
"It's really bad. The New Port Sect's disciples are all scoundrels, the whole lot of them. They'll use all sorts of methods to humiliate their opponent. Last time, one of our strongest Inner Disciples had his cultivation crippled. The New Port Sect claimed it was an accident, and that accidents were common in fights. Then they declared victory and left, laughing the whole way out. Just like that, we lost one of our strongest cultivators! I'll bet my own cultivation they'll try the same thing this time. Every time we compete, they grow more rampant."
"Our Sect Master allows that?" Harry asked in surprise. He would have expected their Sect Master would have put a stop to it, or made a move to protect him.
"Of course not. You think she wants to see us crippled? But the New Port Sect's Sect Master always comes. He's just as strong as our Sect Master, and apparently, they have some history together. Er, I don't mean the romantic kind. I mean, they've fought against each other countless times. So even if she intervened in a fight, he could stop her. Or if she intervened, he would find an excuse to intervene in the next fight, and injure our disciples himself. That's just the nasty sort of person he is."
Harry nodded in understanding and sighed. In the cultivation world, despicable people like that were everywhere. As long as humans existed, conflict was inevitable, and there would always be those who were strong and preyed on the weak.
"Then that voice we just heard – was that their Sect Master?"
"Yeah, that was him. He'll take every chance he can to humiliate our sect."
Of course, announcing one's presence in that manner was extremely rude. It was no different than a person going to someone's house, but instead of knocking on the door, yelling that the owner should come out to greet them. Actually… it was just like Nelson and Maynard, now that Harry thought about it.
Besides, that voice said, 'the disciples of the New Port Sect have arrived to challenge the Swan Sea Sect'. Not that the New Port Sect's disciples were here to challenge the Swan Sea Sect's disciples, but rather, they were challenging the whole sect. It was a minor detail, but from just that, the New Port Sect's attitude towards the Swan Sea Sect was clear.
"Their Sect Master, there's no way to describe him other than a butcher. Our Sect Master is known as the Swan Sea Harpy, but they just call him the Executioner. Nobody knows how many men and beasts he's killed, but it's a lot. You'll see what I mean when you see him. I've heard that in the last war, he fought on the Death Eater's side, and killed countless people."
"Death Eaters?" Harry frowned at the unfamiliar side. And what war was Slade talking about?
"Never mind," Slade shook his head. "Just whatever you do, don't piss him off," he warned.
Harry nodded, but wasn't worried. He was just an Outer Disciple; how could he possibly piss off the Sect Master of a Tier 2 sect?
"What do you know about the New Port Sect?" Harry asked, curious how the other Tier 2 sects of the empire operated.
"Nothing good," Slade muttered. "I've heard their sect is run like a military camp, where strength is the only thing that matters. You know how our sect has rules that prohibit fighting, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, in the New Port Sect, it's the opposite. All their rules are designed to make disciples fight for resources. Although their disciples aren't necessarily stronger than others at the same level, they end up having much more fighting experience, and they're way more vicious. For example, they have something called Pill Distribution Day. At first, I thought they just handed their disciples pills, you know, for cultivating."
Harry had a bad feeling about what Slade was going to say next…
"Then I found out, it's actually like this. All the disciples gather in some place, and the Elders toss pills into the crowd. Then they step back and let the disciples fight over them. After fifteen minutes, whoever is holding a pill gets to keep it. Anything can happen in those fifteen minutes, even death."
Harry's eyes widened in shock. There was actually a sect that allowed disciples to kill each other?
He could understand the Elders wanting their disciples to learn how to fight, to gain combat experience. He even felt the Swan Sea Sect's blanket rule of no fighting except in the Dueling Hall was actually detrimental. But encouraging the murder of one's fellow disciples seemed to go too far.
'How do they even gain disciples like that?' Harry wondered.
"Needless to say, people get injured or even killed in those fights all the time. Their sect might just have the highest disciple mortality rate out of all 20 Tier 2 sects. Their entire sect culture is based around activities like that. Instead of our system of merit points, they just settle everything with fighting. But as a result, all their disciples are more skilled in combat."
"You know what else they're skilled in?" Slade snorted. "Despicable tactics. They always pick the worst times to challenge us. It's no coincidence that they chose today to show up. We just dealt with that Beast Surge, so a lot of our Inner Disciples are in no condition to fight. How can we have the strength to face the New Port Sect?"
"That's true," Harry frowned. A lot of Inner Disciples would be exhausted from the constant fighting over the past few days. Many were injured. In this match, the Swan Sea Sect would definitely be at a disadvantage.
"Am I going to be asked to fight?" he suddenly asked. Given his strength, he wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
"Probably not," Slade responded. "The battles have always been between the Inner Disciples, since battles at the Body Tempering Realm are just people punching each other. Though the New Port Sect always brings their Outer Disciples along, so they can gain experience through watching their Inner Disciples fight."
'That's a relief,' Harry relaxed. Contrary to what others thought, he was no fighting maniac. If anything, after that fight against Maynard, he wanted to take a break from fighting to understand the Nameless Technique better.
Having arrived at the entrance of the sect, Harry and Slade slipped into the gathered crowd. Most of the disciples and Elders were already there. A few moments later, the Sect Master arrived, once again flying on her giant sword. With a wave of her hand, the doors began opening and she landed to greet the arrivals.
Now that he was closer to the Sect Master, he got a better look at her appearance. Surprisingly, she looked young. In Harry's mind, anyone at the high-level of the Core Formation Realm must have been an elderly person reaching the end of their life. But the Sect Master looked like she was only in her 40's.
Then the New Port Sect members came in, and the moment Harry laid his eyes on them, a bad feeling arose in his mind. Every single one of them strutted into the Swan Sea Sect like how a man might enter the servant's quarters, or how a wolf would stride into a chicken coop. With their despising expressions, it couldn't have been clearer. How were they here for a friendly challenge? These people were clearly here to stir up trouble.
In the lead was a tall, wiry man, with a scowl that may as well have been set into his face. His mouth was etched into a permanent frown, and his eyes gave Harry the appearance of a vicious beast. Short cropped hair and a thin goatee completed the look. A violent and bloody aura emanated off his body. Everyone could sense his bloodthirsty nature.
And on his back, an enormous battle-axe was strapped to his body. Just the shaft was larger than Harry, and the wickedly sharp blade, dyed red with blood, glinted with ominous light. The axe was so large it almost looked like he was carrying a tree trunk on his back.
'Executioner… that's a fitting title,' Harry thought.
"That's their Sect Master," Slade whispered to Harry. "I heard that axe is a Heaven Grade weapon that weighs six tons. There's also a rumor he once beheaded a Heaven Grade beast, some kind of Hippogriff, with a single chop."
"You know, I can believe that rumor," Harry whispered back. That bloody nature surrounding the New Port Sect's Sect Master couldn't be faked. It was only attainable after killing countless people or Magic Beasts. That axe on his back must have tasted the blood of thousands of creatures.
Behind the Sect Master were two other middle-aged men, who must have been other Elders of the New Port Sect. The disciples of the New Port Sect stood at attention behind them, but in their lead was a handsome young man, tall and thin like his Sect Master. A single look into his eyes told Harry all he needed to know. There was a vicious glint in them, one that couldn't be found in ordinary men. This man was also a killer.
Around 150 disciples marched behind him, 50 in the Body Tempering Realm, the other 100 in the Qi Absorption Realm. Though none of them gave off the dangerous feeling of the Sect Master or the lead disciple, they were all battle-hardened cultivators.
The group from the New Port Sect stopped in front of the members of the Swan Sea Sect. Both sides gauged the other, while the Sect Masters met in the middle.
"Gwenog Jones, you are as pretty as ever," the New Port Sect's Sect Master forced his mouth into a lopsided grin, showing off his yellowed teeth. For a brief moment, he looked less like a killer and more like a perverted man.
"Walden Macnair," the Sect Master responded without missing a beat. "You are as repulsive as usual."
"Hehe, yes, I suppose so," Macnair chuckled, not offended by the insult.
"Well, what are you here for?"
"Come on Gwenog, why play dumb? Old friends like us shouldn't hide anything from each other. Why don't we take our time and get reacquainted?"
"I am very busy, with little time to entertain you. If you have business here, just state it."
"Fine, fine," Macnair laughed. If he was offended by the Sect Master's curt tone, he didn't show it. Instead, his face twisted into an evil smile, and he continued his fake, sadistic laughter.
"Why don't we start off with introductions? Allow me to introduce someone to you, Theodore Nott. I recently accepted him as my personal disciple. I believe you and your master knew his father quite well, am I right? Hehe," Macnair let out another long, drawn-out chuckle.
The man standing in the front of the disciples stepped forward, and bowed to the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master.
"Junior Theodore Nott greets Senior. For a long time, I have heard of the Swan Sea Sect's great reputation, and the might of its Sect Master. I would be honored to exchange pointers with your disciples today."
Theodore Nott smiled as he spoke, but there was no warmth in it. If anything, he just looked and sounded like he was eager to fight.
"Nott?" Slade whispered. "Isn't that one of the 28 Sacred Clans of the capital?"
Some people around him frowned and nodded, but Harry just looked around blankly. He had never heard of that term.
"What's his cultivation level?" Harry whispered.
"I can't tell," Slade shook his head. "But it's at least the high-level of the Qi Absorption Realm."
The Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master briefly glanced at Theodore, then looked back at Macnair. Her gaze was as cold as ice.
"Indeed, we were acquainted at one point," the Sect Master flatly said, with no emotion to her voice. "Macnair, if your goal today is just to cause trouble, then you can leave now."
"Come on Gwenog, how could you say that? Naturally, I am here so that our two sects can exchange pointers. Today is a rare opportunity for our two sects to get together, and I hope our disciples will be able to mutually learn from each other. Just like old times, don't you agree?"
Harry had no idea what Macnair was talking about, but he got the feeling Macnair had been not-so-subtly mocking the Sect Master this whole time.
"About this year's competition, actually – "
"Ah, wait. Just one more thing before we begin," Macnair quickly said. "You see, I recently got my hands on a middle-level Heaven Grade Beast Core. I was wondering what to do with it, and then had a fantastic idea. Just to make things a bit more exciting this time, why don't we make a little wager?"
After Macnair spoke, a lumpy gray Beast Core appeared in his hand. It was large, bigger than even some smaller Magic Beasts Harry had seen, and multifaceted like a crystal. It glittered and radiated light, but more than that, it radiated a resentment, as if Harry could sense the anguish and unwillingness as the beast was killed. The feeling made him shudder.
"What a coincidence," the Sect Master said lightly. "I recently obtained a middle-level Heaven Grade Beast Core too."
As she spoke, a red sphere twice the size of Harry's head appeared on her palm. It was no smaller than the Beast Core that Macnair held out, in fact, it was actually larger, and glowed dark red.
Macnair's face sank, obviously not expecting Gwenog Jones to also pull out a Beast Core of her own. Heaven Grade Beast Cores, especially fresh ones, were very difficult to get. His true purpose in taking out his Beast Core was more to show it off and prove his superiority rather than actually wager it. But since the other party already agreed, he couldn't back out now.
"Excellent, excellent," he forced himself to laugh. "In that case, let's put them up in a bet –"
"Ah, just a moment. About that… I see that the disciples you've brought this time are quite strong. As for my disciples, we are currently dealing with a Beast Surge. As a result, we're quite tired and not in the most optimal condition to fight. Not to mention, many of my disciples are injured and currently recovering, or not even in the sect. Therefore, our loss is probably guaranteed, and there's no point in fighting today. My Swan Sea Sect will have to decline your challenge."
'What?' the entire Swan Sea Sect thought in surprise. They didn't expect the Sect Master to forfeit the battle, just like that. But when Harry looked at the Sect Master's face, he saw a hidden slyness, like she was planning something.
"What do you mean you decline? Are you backing out of this competition?" Macnair glared, his voice turning cold.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem! This friendly competition is a long-standing tradition between our two sects. My disciples greatly cherish the opportunity to spar with the disciples of the Swan Sea Sect. By withdrawing, aren't you shaming the history of your Swan Sea Sect? Have you considered your choice carefully?"
"I have," the Sect Master shrugged. "As I said earlier, we are currently dealing with a Beast Surge. If it's combat experience, there are plenty of chances for them to get it. If my disciples don't want to fight against Magic Beasts, they are free to spar with each other. And as for shaming the history of the sect, that doesn't matter to me. History is dead, but humans are alive."
"Do you know how long we've traveled to reach your sect? Is your Swan Sea Sect normally this rude to its guests?" Macnair growled. Obviously, this wasn't going how he expected.
"If you're here as guests, then of course we will welcome you. But if you're determined to fight, well, how about you wait until the Beast Surge ends? It should only be a few more days, maybe a week, until it's over. After that, my disciples will want another week to rest. It's only fair, after all. Or are you saying that your New Port Sect can only fight my Swan Sea Sect when we're weakened?"
That jab sent Macnair over the edge.
"Gwenog, what are you implying about my sect? Don't you think you're going too far by not even agreeing to our traditional competition? I wonder what other people would say if they heard about the cowardice of your sect!"
Harry almost had to admire Macnair's stubbornness. When something wasn't going his way, he just pushed as hard as he could. Although Harry didn't know what the Sect Master was planning, he knew Macnair was playing right into her hand.
"Alright, fine, fine. If you're determined to fight, then so be it. However, as I've already explained, this competition is very unfair. How about you wager two Beast Cores?"
"Two Beast Cores?" Macnair exclaimed. "You want me to wager two Beast Cores, but you'll only wager one? Do you consider that fair?"
"The competition was already unfair," the Sect Master stubbornly insisted. "Besides, I know all about your shameless character. I know you picked this time on purpose, to catch us while we're weakened from dealing with the Beast Surge. If you won't accept this, then I have nothing more to say. You can return to the New Port Sect."
Macnair gritted his teeth, but finally agreed. He must have figured the Sect Master was just trying to intimidate him into backing down. To Harry's shock, he actually pulled out another Heaven Grade Beast Core, to prove he actually had it. The air around the two Sect Masters was filled the thick Qi emanating from the three cores.
"Alright, then let's have our competition. Everybody, head to the Dueling Hall," she ordered. As one, the disciples of the two sects walked towards the arena, exchanging dark glances all the way. The two Sect Masters walked in the front, and briefly conversed to agree on the rules of the spar. When everyone arrived at the stage, Walden Macnair addressed the crowd to explain the rules.
"There will be 50 fights between the Inner Disciples. Any Inner Disciple can step onto the stage and issue a challenge to the other sect. When you get on stage, state your age and cultivation level. The Elders on both sides will check to make sure there is no deception."
"To keep the fights fair, you cannot accept the challenge if you're older than the challenger, or if your cultivation level is higher. The only exception is if the challenger allows it. If nobody accepts the challenge, then the challenger can start directly challenging disciples of the other sect. Just like before, you can't directly challenge someone younger or weaker than you."
"There is one more restriction. You cannot challenge someone who has just fought a battle, so they have some time to recover their strength. This is to prevent a group of weaker cultivators ganging up to wear out a stronger cultivator. Of course, my New Port Sect would never act in such a despicable manner," Macnair added, giving the Swan Sea Sect disciples a sneer.
"When someone is unable to fight, or is pushed out of the arena, then they have lost. We will keep a running score, and whichever sect has the most victories will be declared the winner."
The New Port Sect's Sect Master looked over at the Swan Sea Sect's Sect Master, who nodded back. That was signal for the competition to begin.