Chapter 111 – Lineup (1/2)

Chapter 111 – Lineup

Ye Wei and Cao Ning went to a quiet corner at the back of a hill on the South Star campus. He was going to bring Cao Ning to Crouching Dragon Hall, but he couldn’t make his injured friend limp so long. He sat Cao Ning down by a rock and took out a red pill.

“Take this!”

Ye Wei handed the pill over.

“No, I don’t need this. It’s just a scratch!” Cao Ning waved his hand nervously, and his pupils dilated when he saw what Ye Wei was trying to give him.

“Is this a Blood Prime pill!? I am not feeling that bad! No, I can’t accept this!” Cao Ning said when he recognized the red glow. He couldn’t believe Ye Wei would offer him a rare pill that was very hard to find anywhere on the market.

“Just take it! If you turn this down you are not my friend anymore!” Ye Wei laughed and stuffed the pill in Cao Ning’s hand.

“Okay… Fine!” Cao Ning hesitated and ground his teeth.

“That’s right!” Ye Wei smiled and patted Cao Ning’s shoulder.

The pair then started catching up on what they had been up to these three years. Ye Wei felt dry and boring when he compared what he had been doing with the eventful life Cao Ning had been living.

It wasn’t before the sky was completely dark when Ye Wei stood up and said his farewells to Cao Ning.

“Wei, do you really want to participate in the tournament?”

“Yeah.” Ye Wei paused and nodded.

“That’s great!” Cao Ning was excited to hear his decision. “I will bring the class to cheer for you!”

“Okay, I have to be on my way now!” Ye Wei did not know much about the tournament; he just wanted to ensure the South Star students’ safety considering these recent developments. He wanted to go back to ask his master about the details of the tournament.

After parting ways, Ye Wei headed deeper into the woods to a secret passage, deep into the hill where Master Yi’s hideout was where he spent the last three years getting stronger.

“Master, I would like to know more about this cultivation tournament everyone has been talking about!” Ye Wei went straight into Master Yi’s room when he came back.

“Why would you want to participate in that?” Master Yi smiled, “With your talent and all you’ve learned these past few years you are more or less guaranteed to pass the Runemaster entrance exam. Why would you waste time on a silly tournament?”

“I heard that there would be many strong cultivators from different schools attending, and I want to see how I stack up against others. I think I just put my schoolmates in danger…” Ye Wei said with determination in his eyes. He had been training alone this whole time and wanted to apply what he learned to real combat, to improve himself.

“Do you know why the Zhou dynasty holds a tournament every year?” Master Yi sighed and asked.

“To keep the school rankings up to date? To strengthen the dynasty by encouraging positive competition between young cultivators?” Ye Wei asked tentatively. He was aware that they dynasty distributed more resources to higher ranking schools.

“Correct, that is one of the reasons. The dynasty will not admit it publically, but they are actually doing it to for recruitment purposes, more specifically they are recruiting for the Green Army.” Master Yi answered in a low voice.

“The Green Army!?” Ye Wei was startled. The royal armed force was a household name. They were the strongest troops of the Zhou dynasty, and they were formed almost exclusively by condensed prime Warriors with a few exceptions of talented individuals who had potential.

Their duty was to deal with the threats posed by demons, wild beasts, and most importantly to protect the royal families.

“Among all armed forces, the Green Army’s authority reigns supreme within the borders. Furthermore, if you commit ‘Acts of Valor’ when you’re in service you could be given plots of land. This could be a city or even provinces if you’ve done something really flashy.”

“If you die while in the line of duty then the army will protect your family for at least a decade in case enemies of the state seek revenge.” Master Yi spoke slowly.

“Their families will be protected too…” Ye Wei mumbled. He never knew about the perks and details.

“But once you join the Green Army, you can never leave. In comparison, you will have a lot more freedom as a Runemaster!” Master Yi continued, “We are free men!”

“If you become a Runemaster and enter the union you will have as many benefits as the Green Army!” He laughed contentedly.

‘Haha! I don’t think Master wants me to join the Green Army…’ Ye Wei got the hint and chuckled. “Master, will they force people to join them?” He continued asking curiously.

“No, if you do not will to join then they will not force you to!” Master Yi shook his head. He had watched Ye Wei grow up for three years, and they had developed a father-son like relationship.

“If that’s the case then I would like to go and challenge people from the other schools!” A fighting spirit grew in Ye Wei’s heart.

Hearing Ye Wei’s wish, Master Yi smiled and said. “Okay then, I will ask the principal to reserve you a spot! And I will write you a letter of recommendation so you can file your application for the Runemaster Union’s entry exam while you’re at Ning City!”

“The tournament is divided into three stages,” Master Yi continued.

“The first stage is an inter-provincial selection. Only the ten strongest people from each province will be chosen to enter the next stage.”

“The second stage, of course, is the inter-state selection. Here the top ten contestants of each state will be qualified to join the Green Army.”