Chapter 61 - Eastern Exchange Tournament

To be honest, the speculation was absurd. It was like searching for a shortcut to become a genius.

Cassius knew the possibility was next to zero, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. After all, if such a thing were possible, the rewards would be incredible.

After shooting a pleasant smile at Negri, he pocketed his business card. There was no harm in trying anyway, even if nothing came out of it. After the banquet, he could visit Sunset Antiques and explore their warehouse. It wasn't like he was going there to buy anything anyway, he was just going to look around. Thoughts still roiling, Cassius grabbed some dessert before sitting back down next to Moses.

Time passed at a snail-like pace before it was finally almost 4 p.m.

As the banquet ended, the number of guests trickled down. Only the four brothers of the Wind Elephant Sect remained in the hall. Moses and Cassius sat on the sofa, while Lance, who was wearing a blue suit, perched casually on the armrest. Hykal, on the other hand, was on his feet, holding a wine glass as he stood on the red carpet.

"Actually, the reason why I came back from the East Sea County this time was to share some important news with all of you," Hykal said. He paused when he realized that not everyone was present. "Your second senior sister is in seclusion. I'll tell her when she comes out."

As soon as Moses heard "East Sea County," he rushed to ask, "Senior Brother, tell us what it's like over there. Is it really as prosperous as the newspapers say? And what about the martial artists..."

"The news I wanted to share is related to that." Hykal smiled slightly. "All of you probably know that the East Sea County has a famous Covert Martial Arts force called the Mountain Crushing Sea Roaring Cloud Dog Fist. The Cloud Dog Sect will unite with two other second-tier Covert Martial Arts forces in East Sea County to host the first ever Six Eastern Counties Martial Arts Exchange Tournament!

"When that happens, the entire eastern Covert Martial Arts world of the Hongli Federation will be turned on its head. Close to a hundred Covert Martial Arts sects will be invited, more than half of which I am certain will participate."

Cassius blinked. He had heard of the Cloud Dog Sect from Instructor Lisa. It was one of the top sects in the eastern martial arts world of the Hongli Federation; some people even recognized them as the top Covert Martial Arts sect in the six eastern counties.

Due to the Hongli Federation's vigorous development of maritime transport in recent decades, the number of ships traveling the ocean had multiplied several times over. As a result, many sea routes had been opened, allowing travel to different countries around the world.

The East Sea County had an elongated shape with a very long coastline and multiple bustling harbors. Because most of the trade between the Hongli Federation, Blue Star Empire, and the United States of Yana had to go through the East Sea County, East Sea County was very economically and culturally developed.

Originally considered a second-tier force at best, the Cloud Dog Sect also rose to prominence because of the economic boom. The sect managed to expand their influence significantly and quickly became the top sect in the east.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Hykal took a sip of wine, giving everyone some time to digest the information. Half a minute passed before he continued, "Since this is the first Eastern Exchange Tournament, they aren't considering participants over thirty for now. This means the people there will be our age and each sect's top talents."

Cassius could feel Fourth Senior Brother Moses's breathing quickening when he heard this, his whole body trembling with excitement. Third Senior Brother Lance also seemed eager to try it out.

Was it because of the inherent combative nature of martial artists? Or perhaps their desire to win?

In Li Wei’s era, travel information wasn't very sophisticated. In fact, it was actually quite inaccessible. Some people never left their home counties for their entire lives. Covert Martial Artists rarely had an opportunity to interact with the others. Even talented martial artists like Moses and Lance had, on a few occasions, sparred with some Covert Martial Arts sects in Beiliu County. Sometimes, there wouldn’t be any opponents and they'd have to settle for practicing with their own sect members.

This tournament gave them the opportunity to enter a broader world of martial arts and personally experience dozens of different Covert Martial Arts styles. The air was suffused with excitement and anticipation.

Hykal proceeded to detail the tournament rewards. Those in the top ten would be awarded prizes with the top three receiving special awards. While the prize, which was training resources, for the remaining seven were indistinct from each other, it was still quite a handsome reward.

Cassius couldn't help being swept along when he heard the prizes.

As expected of a top sect from a wealthy region—the rewards for the top four to tenth participants were only slightly less comparable to what he received for discovering the Lanxin Grass site. It went without saying that the top three would receive prizes graded several levels higher.

Plus, according to Senior Brother Hykal, the top ten participants' sects would also benefit. It seemed the Cloud Dog Sect planned to engage in economic resource cooperation with those sects, bringing benefits not only to the individual but the entire sect.

"The Cloud Dog Sect wants to make the Eastern Exchange Tournament a huge event because it would help to solidify its position as the top sect in the east," Cassius speculated.

"Exactly." Moses snapped his fingers beside him. "But this Eastern Exchange Tournament suits my tastes perfectly! I can't wait." He twisted his thick neck, producing a series of crisp cracking sounds.

"Don't worry. As core disciples of the Wind Elephant Sect, we're guaranteed a spot in the tournament. Just be patient," Hykal reassured with a smile. "Before we head on over to East Sea County for the Exchange Tournament, there will probably be an internal ranking competition in the county where participants will be grouped according to their rank."

Cassius fell silent as he recalled something.

The Wind Elephant Sect had been annihilated after the county ranking competition, when some high-ranking members took the participants and spectators to the East Sea County. They had been ambushed on their way there. The entire sect had almost been wiped out.

He vividly remembered the battle, where the sect leader and elders fought desperately to hold off the enemies. One by one, they fell, with many instructors sacrificing their lives to protect their disciples.

The memories in Li Wei's lingering attachment were like a movie. Only major scenes were clear and detailed, while there were large gaps and time jumps in between them.

Numerous questions flooded his mind: why had they been ambushed? Was there something fishy about this Eastern Martial Arts Exchange Tournament? Was it related to the Cloud Dog Sect?

He took a deep breath, shifting his focus back to the external world where Senior Brother Hykal was sharing his experiences in East Sea County at Moses's request, particularly about the prosperity of martial arts there.

The four of them left Ferrole Hall at around 4:30 p.m. They didn't need to worry about cleaning up after the banquet as the attendants and cleaning staff would handle it. Since the Wind Elephant Sect was the largest shareholder behind the Ferrole Hall, Hykal naturally didn't have to spend a single penny to host the banquet here.