If you don’t come out of retreat, you’ll miss the sect competition.

  Hey, did you sign up yet? Only three days left.

  Last day—don’t tell me you forgot?

  Shit, it’s over. I checked the list, your name isn’t on it. Lauren, you completely missed it.

  What a waste! Just entering gets you something. Even if you lose every match, there’s still a consolation prize—an entire bottle of Qi Condensation Pills.

  Ding. Still holed up in retreat? Want to come watch the fun?

  It’s already started. Didn’t you hear the bell?

  Lauren set the slips down with a sigh.

  Of course she knew about the sect competition.

  The first round was always for fresh disciples. Outer sect hopefuls who had clawed their way up over the past year could earn a shot at the inner sect. Inner sect slackers who’d been coasting, on the other hand, risked being demoted back outside.

  The difference between the inner and outer sects was like night and day—like a kid from some backwater village trying to compete with students from a top-tier city school. With enough hard work, a village kid could make it into the elite, but if you slacked in the city, even the best school would kick you to the curb.

  It didn’t matter the world—internal competition was always brutal.

  And the so-called “prestigious schools”? Those were the disciples who excelled enough to catch an elder’s eye, getting taken in as a personal student and skyrocketing overnight.

  Lauren, of course, was in a completely different category. She hadn’t even needed to test in—she was handpicked from day one, showered with resources most disciples couldn’t dream of, no matter how many lifetimes they sweated for it. To the rank and file, she was like someone born with a silver spoon in her mouth—envy was pointless.

  She finally sent Nash a reply: Has the Elite Competition started yet?

  That was the real event. The second round, where the strongest disciples—both in Qi Training and Foundation Establishment—fought for dominance.

  But she had no plans to enter.

  Sure, the rewards for winning were impressive, but what chance did she have? At the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, she’d get flattened.

  Dante had already reached Great Perfection—and he was suppressing his cultivation just to sharpen his edge for the Hidden Mist Secret Realm and this Elite Competition. Timothy was so strong he only barely scraped past Dante.

  Her joining would be nothing but suicide.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  And if she couldn’t crack the top three, it was meaningless. Consolation prizes? Please. She didn’t need that junk.

  Ding!

  A message flickered across the talisman.

  Finally! You replied. Lauren, what the hell? How long have you been in seclusion? I messaged you three months ago and got nothing.

  I’ve been in seclusion for over three months this time.

  Silence.

  Of course he was stunned. At their age and cultivation, nobody could keep their mind steady in retreat that long. A month at most before boredom, anxiety, or madness started eating at you.

  But Lauren… fourteen now, just a slip of a girl who’d hit Foundation Establishment at thirteen. Suddenly, it all made sense.

  No wonder she’d gotten so far so fast.

  Nash? she sent again when no reply came.

  This time, he answered: Yeah, it started. Yesterday. I’m guessing you didn’t sign up?

  No.

  Why not? Even the consolation prize is worth it—three bottles of Qi Condensation Pills! Don’t tell me you’re not tempted.

  Lauren: …

  Should she tell him the truth? That it wasn’t worth her time? Would that just crush him?

  Instead, she said bluntly, I was in seclusion. Missed it.

  Damn! Three bottles. Three whole bottles.

  Even through the talisman, she could practically hear his wailing.

  Lauren considered, then sent: Where are you? I’ll come find you.

  This back-and-forth was exhausting. Besides, she had been planning to see the matches anyway. Watching peak Foundation cultivators fight could give her an edge for the Hidden Mist Secret Realm in two years.

  Nash gave her directions, and soon Lauren was gliding down the mountain on her flying sword.

  He was already waiting at the southeast corner of the martial arena, waving like mad when he spotted her.

  “Over here!”

  The second she landed, his spiritual sense brushed her, checking her cultivation. His jaw dropped.

  “You’re kidding me. Fifth level? Already?”

  “You’re not mistaken,” Lauren said. “That’s where I am.”

  Nash just stood there, stroking his chin, staring like she’d grown horns. “So… which elder—no, which immortal—did you apprentice under?”

  “Drake.”

  Nash froze, his knees nearly giving out. “Dra—ah, hell! Tsk, tsk, tsk!” He slapped his own face, pacing in disbelief. “Your master is Immortal Drake. Stars above, I heard he left Starfell Summit over a year ago and brought back a disciple, but I never thought it was you! And you people from Starfell Summit never even come down the mountain.”

  Lauren chuckled. “We don’t. My senior brother picks up resources for me every month. I’ve only been down here three times.”

  Nash whistled low. “No wonder. You’ve got that whole cold, untouchable vibe. Definitely a Starfell disciple. Damn, Lauren, I don’t even know how to address you now…” He scratched his head, embarrassed. “Technically, I should call you Junior Grandmaster.”

  “Don’t,” Lauren said flatly. “Just call me name. And don’t tell anyone who my master is.”

  “Heh, fine by me.”

  Truth was, Nash wasn’t exactly ordinary either—he was Jade’s disciple, a prodigy with a rare single-wood spiritual root. He'd also signed up for this elite competition. The idea that he could only get a consolation prize was just pure academic pretense.

  Together, they moved to the front row, and he was already riling up the crowd.

  “Damn, Carter Sharpe is ruthless! Can’t believe he’d go that hard on such a pretty junior sister.”

  “Careful, Autumn! He’s like a wasp’s stinger—tricky as hell!”

  Lauren blinked. “Wait, you can just yell advice like that?”

  “Nope,” Nash said casually. “They can’t hear us inside the formation.”

  Lauren: … Then why are you screaming yourself hoarse?

  “Carter’s going to lose this one. Sure, he’s crafty, slippery as a fox—but Autumn’s defense is flawless. No cracks.”

  Lauren leaned back, unimpressed. Neither of these two were anywhere near strong enough to enter the Hidden Mist Secret Realm.

  She hadn’t come for them.

  She’d come for Dante. For Timothy. For the monsters at the very top.

  Just as Nash predicted, Autumn dismantled Carter’s tricks and walked away with the win. Another fight followed, but the contestants were even duller than the last.

  Lauren’s attention drifted. The real show hadn’t started yet.