Chapter 31: Cultivation Realms
I sat cross-legged in my quarters, Wei Lin's words from yesterday's study session echoing in my mind. His face had been unusually serious as he'd shown me the records from previous tournaments.
"Most of the serious contenders are at the 4th or 5th Stage of Qi Condensation," he'd explained, spreading out old competition records. "These aren't new disciples - they're people who've been stuck in the Outer Sect for years, accumulating resources and slowly building their cultivation base. Anyone who reaches the 6th stage usually dominates the competition."
"Please, please let there be no one at the 6th stage this year," he'd practically begged the heavens.
I couldn't help but laugh at the memory, though the sound held a hint of nervousness now. With all these protagonist-level characters running around, I'd be shocked if we didn't see someone at the 7th stage before the tournament even started.
The Outer Sect tournament wasn't limited to first-years like me - it was open to everyone who hadn't managed to advance to Inner Disciple status yet. That meant facing disciples who'd been cultivating for years, some of them having failed to advance multiple times.
"The last new disciple to win the tournament was ten years ago," Wei Lin had told me. "Ming Yue - she's a Core Disciple now. Most first-years are lucky to make it into the top twenty, and that's assuming they're brave enough to participate at all."
My stomach clenched at the thought. I needed to reach at least the 5th Stage of Qi Condensation to have any chance. As that realization settled over me, my mind drifted back to Senior Sister Liu's lecture from a few months ago. Her words had seemed academic then, but now they held new meaning.
"The path of cultivation," she had said, "is fundamentally about creating your own universe. Each realm represents a different stage in this cosmic creation."
Her hands had moved gracefully as she spoke, using qi to create illustrated examples in the air.