Chapter 298: Bold
~~~
The first stage of the Crimson Cloud Tournament does not take place in the Imperial Palace or even in one of the surrounding districts. Instead, four large warehouses near the city limits are repurposed for the occasion. All the merchandise is cleared out, and over a hundred fighting rings are moved in. This allows for multiple matches to take place simultaneously, but even at that pace, it will take many days for the first stage to reach completion.
Pushed against the walls of the warehouses are multiple rows of seats for the audience. The view they offer is by no means great, but people still pay money to sit on them and watch. Industrious citizens are already selling vision-enhancing items outside each warehouse. In the coming days, memory jades will be worth their weight in gold.
While the audience members vibrate with anticipation and try their best to spot the most famous fighters, the competitors all move in nearly perfect silence. Their minds are busy going over their preparations. For most, this will be a grueling test of endurance. The fate of certain Sects might be altered forever depending on the outcome of the matches.
Liu Jin cannot help but feel out of place.
His qualification to the next round is a forgone conclusion that requires only his attendance. If he had his way, he’d be watching the Blue and Green Groups. However, considering the caliber of competitors involved and their masters, sending a soul fragment to spy on them is unlikely to be successful.
“You could try to look a little less threatening. Your opponents might cry if you greet them with such a fearsome scowl.”
“It is a tournament, is it not?” Liu Jin replies, glancing back at Song Daiyu while he takes his place in the ring. “One would assume being threatening is the point.”
Song Daiyu merely smiles in reply, as though she knows something he doesn’t.