66 Three ways (2/2)
”So, kiddo, why are you looking to leave the Cloud Wilderness? Tired of working as a farmer, hoping to make it big as a member of the Royal Dragon Pavilion?”
Tian Donghu was weak, but even he could tell that Li Yang was weaker than him. For such a young and weak child to leave the tribe he was born in, Tian Donghu could only guess that he had likely already lost his parents. Li Yang put on a bright and excited smile, nodding his head rapidly as he answered.
”I heard that a place called the Huo clan was going to hold a grand competition soon, so I am hoping to join it.”
Tian Donghu was quite taken aback by Li Yang's answer, his brows furrowing as he looked Li Yang up and down one more time. In the end, he let out a sigh and shook his head.
”You, join the Huo clan competition? You better give up, kiddo. That world is not a nice one, if you try to join, you are more likely to needlessly lose your life. You should focus on quietly cultivating and raising your strength.”
Tian Donghu knew what it was like to be weak, he knew what it was like to have large ambitions. But he also knew that it was unlikely for people like them to ever achieve their ambitions. The way he saw it, it was better for Li Yang to completely give up on the competition. But contrary to what he expected, Li Yang's face lit up as he leaned forward and pressed on.
”You know about the competition?! Do you know how I can join?!”
This was exactly what Li Yang was looking for, information on how he could join the competition. He guessed that even if Tian Donghu was one of the lowest ranking members in the Tian clan, he likely knew more about the competition than Li Yang did. Tian Donghu gave a short wave of his hand, shaking his head once more.
”Did you not listen, kiddo? You will only lose your life if you try it.”
Since Li Yang was somewhat similar to him, both of them being the smallest fish in the pond, Tian Donghu felt a little unwilling to simply let Li Yang walk to his death. But even after warning him twice, he saw that Li Yang was still looking at him with childlike curiosity and excitement, so he could only put on a bitter smile and respond in exasperation.
”Fine, fine, I'll tell you, just stop looking at me like that.”
Li Yang's face became even brighter after Tian Donghu let out his exasperated answer. He waited quietly while Tian Donghu organized his thoughts, steering the wagon with his right hand and raising his left, stretching out three fingers.
”There are three ways to join the competition. The first one requires you to be part of either a clan or sect and have them vouch for your strength. The second way is to participate in one of the frequent contests that are being held in the various cities owned by the Huo clan, reaching the top 10 in one of those contests will allow you to join the grand competition. The last way is to show up a little before the start of the competition and show off your strength to a few judges chosen by the Huo clan, if they give the clear signal, you can join the competition.”
The Huo clan competition was supposed to be fairly open, allowing almost anyone above a certain level of strength to join it, which was why they had so many different ways of joining it. Li Yang quickly memorized the different ways of joining the competition, mulling over which one was best suited to him. The two last ones were rather suitable, but as the competition was still two years away, and he was looking to join one of the great powers anyway, he settled on the first way of joining the competition.
”How does one go about joining one of these clans or sects, do you know?!”
Li Yang doubted that joining any of the great powers was as easy as simply walking up to the gates and asking if he could join. Tian Donghu furrowed his brows slightly, but seeing the innocent expression on Li Yang's face, he could only put on another bitter smile.
”kiddo...Haah, fine, fine. The best ways to join a sect or clan is by participating in one of the yearly entrance exams, or by having someone else recommend you. But if you have no one to recommend you, or are unwilling to wait until the next entrance exam, there is another way. The contests that are held in the cities of the Huo clan are watched by scouts of all the clans and sects, show enough strength or potential and they might reach out to you.”
The clans and sects needed fresh blood to continue their growth, so every year they had a set of tests that people could take, the winners getting the privilege to join. But those tests had already taken place for this year, so if Li Yang wanted to join in that way, he would have to wait for a year. After getting such a helpful response, Li Yang gave several rapid nods of his head, a bright smile on his face.
”Thank you very much! Father said that a man must always reward those who help him, so here, take this!”
He put his arm into his robe, pretending to search for something, but in reality, he took out a Spirit Stone from his interspatial ring. The Spirit Stone he took out was of the very lowest quality, even worse than low quality. He presented it to Tian Donghu, acting like it was a great treasure he had saved up. Tian Donghu looked at the Spirit Stone with a somewhat awkward smile, but in the end, he accepted it.
”This...Thanks, kiddo.”
Even though he was one of the weakest members of the Tian clan, he was still someone who had the blood of the Tian clan flowing in his veins. The Spirit Stones he had access to were far better than the one Li Yang was presenting to him. The two continued to chat, Li Yang trying to figure out how much strength he had to show during one of the contests to be accepted into one of the great powers.