The murmur of conversation around me began to die down as more sect officials appeared on the viewing platforms. Elder Wan was taking his position at the announcement podium, while other elders settled into their observation seats.

I caught a glimpse of Elder Chen Yong among them, trying to look casually interested while probably being more invested in my performance than anyone else in the arena.

"Disciples of Azure Peak Sect," Elder Wan's voice rang out across the arena, enhanced by qi to carry clearly to every corner. "Welcome to the individual stage of this year's Outer Sect Tournament."

A cheer went up from the spectator sections, families and friends showing their support for the competitors below. I could hear my mother's voice among them, though I couldn't make out specific words.

"The rules for individual combat are straightforward," Elder Wan continued. "Single elimination, best of one battle per round. Victory is achieved through opponent surrender, incapacitation, or elimination from the battlefield. The sect's medical teams are standing by to ensure no competitor suffers permanent injury."

He gestured toward several groups of inner disciples wearing healer robes positioned around the arena's perimeter. That was reassuring, though I hoped not to need their services.

Elder Wan's expression grew stern as he continued. "I must emphasize that any deliberate attempt to kill or permanently cripple an opponent will result in immediate disqualification and severe punishment. The sect takes a dim view of disciples who cannot control their killing intent during sanctioned competition. Accidents happen in combat, but intentional maiming will not be tolerated."

That sounded reasonable in principle, though I couldn't help but think about the practical difficulties. In the heat of a real battle between Pseudo-Elemental Realm cultivators, the line between "trying to win decisively" and "trying to cripple" could get very blurry very quickly. When someone was throwing techniques that could level buildings, how exactly were the judges supposed to determine intent?

Still, I supposed the rule served its purpose. It would at least make people think twice before unleashing their most destructive abilities, and the threat of punishment might encourage competitors to show some restraint when their opponents were clearly defeated.

"Each battle will take place within a randomly selected inner world," Elder Wan explained. "These environments have been carefully chosen to test different aspects of cultivation: adaptability, technique mastery, strategic thinking, and raw power application."

Random selection. I found that difficult to believe, honestly. While the sect might claim pure randomness, anyone with experience in politics knew that "random" processes could be influenced by those with sufficient power and motivation.

Sect Master Yuan and the other elders undoubtedly had their own preferences for how the tournament should unfold. They'd want to see the most promising disciples advance as far as possible, both for the entertainment value and to properly assess the sect's future talent.

More likely, the "random" pairings would be carefully managed to avoid having the strongest competitors face each other too early, while still providing enough uncertainty to keep things interesting. The elders probably had a general bracket structure in mind, with adjustments based on real-time assessment of each competitor's actual capabilities.

"The formation arrays will now determine your opponents and battlegrounds," Elder Wan announced, gesturing toward the massive display formation that had materialized above the arena.

Names began appearing in pairs, accompanied by brief descriptions of the inner world where each battle would take place. The crowd's excitement was palpable as disciples searched for their own names and tried to assess their assigned opponents.

I watched the board carefully, tracking which competitors were being paired together. As I'd suspected, none of the obvious powerhouses were matched against each other in the first round. Yuan Zhen was paired with someone called Feng Ming, a name I didn't recognize, in something called the "Crimson Desert Realm."

Wu Kangming's name appeared next to "Li Hao" with a battleground listed as the "Thunder Valley World." Again, not someone I knew, though given Wu Kangming's abilities, that probably didn't matter much for his opponent's chances.

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Wei Lin was matched against "Zhang Wei" in the "Floating Island Realm." I suppressed a grimace at that pairing. Wei Lin's ability to adapt his techniques to different environments would give him a significant advantage in any world with unusual terrain features. Zhang Wei, whoever he was, would need either overwhelming power or very specific countermeasures to overcome Wei Lin's versatility.

Finally, my own name appeared on the board, and I felt my pulse quicken as I read the details.

"Ke Yin versus Tang Shuo - Eternal Winter Realm"

Tang Shuo. I'd never heard the name before, which could mean anything. Either he was one of the less notable competitors who'd somehow made it through the team trials, or he was someone who'd deliberately kept a low profile despite significant ability.

The battleground designation was equally concerning: "Eternal Winter Realm."

"Ice world," Azure observed. "That's going to present some unique challenges. Your wood-based techniques might be significantly less effective in an environment where plant life can't naturally flourish."

He was right. The Primordial Woods Arts and most of my plant manipulation abilities relied on either existing vegetation or the ability to grow new plant matter quickly. An eternal winter environment would likely have minimal existing plant life and soil conditions that would slow or prevent new growth.

But as I thought about it more, the situation wasn't completely hopeless. The tree manifestation technique would definitely still work, since it projected constructs from my inner world rather than manipulating the local environment. And while I wouldn't have natural plants for Verduring Step, I still had the Blink Step rune for mobility, maybe even better mobility since I wouldn't need to locate suitable anchor points first.

For offense, the Vine Whip rune could conjure vine constructs directly using red sun energy, completely bypassing any need for local soil or plant life. The energy cost would be higher than manipulating existing vegetation, but it would give me the flexibility to create attacking tendrils regardless of the environment.

"Actually," I said to Azure, "this might not be as limiting as we first thought. Most of my rune-based techniques don't rely on environmental factors at all. It's just the traditional cultivation arts that might struggle."

"True," Azure agreed. "And an ice world will likely present equal challenges for most cultivation methods. Unless Tang Shuo happens to be an ice specialist, he'll be just as disadvantaged by the terrain as you are."

Around me, other competitors were having similar discussions, either internally or with nearby allies. The nervous energy in the arena had shifted to something more focused and analytical as everyone began mentally preparing for their specific challenges.

I caught Wu Kangming's eye across the arena and nodded slightly. He returned the gesture with his characteristic calm expression, apparently unconcerned with his assigned opponent or battleground. That level of confidence was either admirably steady nerves or dangerous overconfidence. Knowing Wu Kangming, probably the former.

"Competitors," Elder Wan's voice cut through the growing chatter, "the first round begins now. Step forward when your portal appears."

As if summoned by his words, doorways began materializing throughout the arena floor. Each portal bore glowing characters identifying the match pairing and destination realm.

"Yuan Zhen - Feng Ming: Crimson Desert Realm," appeared above a portal wreathed in red energy that radiated heat even from a distance. Yuan Zhen walked toward it with steady, unhurried steps. His opponent, a nervous-looking disciple I didn't recognize, followed reluctantly.

"Wu Kangming - Li Hao: Thunder Valley World," blazed above another gateway crackling with electric energy. Wu Kangming approached his portal with the same calm expression he wore for everything else, while Li Hao, a thin outer disciple with darting eyes, looked like he was walking to his execution.

"Wei Lin - Zhang Wei: Floating Island Realm," materialized near the arena's eastern edge. Wei Lin strode toward his portal with obvious enthusiasm, probably already calculating how to turn floating terrain into a commercial advantage. His opponent looked confused by Wei Lin's apparent excitement.

"Luo Yichen – Jiang Li: Verdant Grove Realm," materialized with swirling green energy. Luo Yichen approached confidently, the Mirrorwater Blade gleaming at his back, while his opponent, a petite girl with sharp eyes and earth-element spiritual pressure, sized him up without showing even a hint of fear.

One by one, competitors found their assigned portals and stepped through, disappearing into flashes of multicolored light. The arena gradually emptied as pairs of disciples vanished into their respective battlegrounds.

Finally, near the arena's center, a gateway wreathed in pale blue energy appeared with my name glowing above it: "Ke Yin - Tang Shuo: Eternal Winter Realm." Cold air wafted from the portal's surface, carrying the scent of snow and ice.

A figure approached from the opposite side - presumably Tang Shuo.

He looked to be around my age, with aristocratic features and expensive-looking robes that practically screamed "powerful clan background." His posture radiated the kind of casual arrogance that came from a lifetime of privilege, and his eighth stage spiritual pressure felt more refined than most outer disciples could manage. Definitely a young master type who'd probably never faced real adversity.

Tang Shuo in the Eternal Winter Realm. An unknown opponent in an environment that would limit some of my capabilities.

The challenge was real, but so was my determination to overcome it.

After all, this was just the first of seven victories I needed to claim.

I stepped toward the portal, feeling the cold energy wash over me as I crossed the threshold and disappeared into swirling winter light.

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