Chapter 19: The Lottery

Within the grand and spacious Jade Purity Hall, Master Evergreen Pine stood at the front, droning on without pause. His words were nothing more than the same old tales of the glorious history and illustrious past of the Azure Cloud Sect—stories the disciples had heard so often their ears had grown calluses. Were it not for Evergreen Pine’s great reputation and venerable standing within the sect, not a single disciple would have wished to endure his tedious speech any longer. None among them suspected that the person standing before them was not the real Master Evergreen Pine, but someone else in his place. Yet who could ever imagine such a thing? In their eyes, Evergreen Pine was a being of immense power. However, to Shallow Stranger, whether it was the current Evergreen Pine or the original, both were nothing but ants.

Still, a few earnest new disciples listened intently—those with promising talent—who, upon hearing tales of the sect’s history, even cried out in surprise. The corner of Shallow Stranger’s mouth twitched; such a fuss over nothing. It seemed his subordinate was growing increasingly alike to himself.

Observing the disciples’ reactions, Evergreen Pine nodded in satisfaction and continued, “To this day, under the leadership of our Sect Leader Dao Xuan, the Azure Cloud Sect flourishes more than ever before, surpassing all previous generations. Among the younger generation, outstanding talents abound. Therefore, after discussion between the Sect Leader and the branch heads, it has been decided that the number of participants in this trial will be increased to sixty-four, so that none with true ability might be overlooked.”

At these words, Shallow Stranger curled his lip. “Discussion with the branch heads” indeed—it was only the two of you making the decision, with the others merely acquiescing. None of the other heads were truly involved.

At this moment, Tian Buyi sat just below Dao Xuan, expressionless yet clearly impatient. Increasing the number of participants was supposedly discussed with all the branch heads, but in reality, it was always only the two of them who had the final say.

Evergreen Pine continued, “With the number of contestants doubled, there are some changes to the drawing of lots. Please observe.”

As he spoke, he gestured to an open space to the right of the hall. There, everyone saw a large square rosewood box with a single small opening at the top, just large enough for an arm to reach inside.

“Inside this box are sixty-four wax pellets, each containing a slip of paper with a number from one to sixty-four.”

The disciples, now understanding the rules, began to murmur among themselves, but Evergreen Pine ignored them and pressed on, “After the drawing, matches will be determined by number: number one faces sixty-four, two faces sixty-three, three faces sixty-two, and so on. In the second round, the winner of one versus sixty-four meets the winner of two versus sixty-three, and so forth, until the final match. Do you all understand?”

In the storyline, Big Bamboo Peak had fewer members, so the contestant who drew number one would automatically advance the first round, as there were only sixty-three contenders and no sixty-fourth. In the Seven Peaks Tournament, Zhang Xiaofan was lucky enough to draw number one and passed the first round by default. But now, with Shallow Stranger’s participation, things might change—or perhaps not.

Tian Buyi sat upright and snorted, shooting an increasingly displeased glance at Evergreen Pine.

At this moment, Sect Leader Dao Xuan rose, surveying the hall. As the head of the Azure Cloud Sect, his presence immediately silenced the room. He nodded almost imperceptibly and said, “Since that is settled, all of you may proceed to draw your lots.”

In an instant, every gaze turned toward the rosewood box. First, the disciples of the Sect Leader’s branch—including Shallow Stranger—stepped forward, five in all, each drawing a wax pellet in turn. Next came the disciples of Dragon Head Peak. Shallow Stranger, having drawn his lot, returned to his place.

Lin Jingyu greeted Zhang Xiaofan before stepping out to draw his lot. Zhang Xiaofan watched his friend’s departing figure, then turned to gaze at Tian Ling’er.

Shallow Stranger’s gaze swept the hall, finally settling on the seven branch heads and elders seated above. He had met all these figures—Dao Xuan, Evergreen Pine, Heavenly Cloud, Shang Zhengliang, Zeng Shuchang, Master Shuiyue, and the rest—three years before.

His gaze lingered briefly on Master Shuiyue, then fell upon Lu Xueqi, who stood behind her. Lu Xueqi sensed his eyes upon her and turned, her beautiful gaze meeting his. In that moment, there was no one else in either of their eyes.

“Xueqi?”

Seeing Lu Xueqi momentarily lost in thought, Shuiyue followed her gaze and spotted Shallow Stranger among the crowd. She paused, then a faint smile appeared on her delicate face—she had not forgotten the Spirit Lord’s attitude toward this child three years ago.

She glanced at Lu Xueqi again and, noticing a hint of emotion in her disciple’s eyes, sighed softly. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of anticipation herself; three years had passed—how far had Shallow Stranger’s cultivation advanced? If he could place in the top three at the Seven Peaks Tournament, perhaps letting Xueqi be with him would not be out of the question.

“Xueqi, it’s time to draw your lot,” Shuiyue’s voice sounded at her ear. Lu Xueqi came back to herself and quickly averted her gaze, afraid her teacher might notice her expression. Yet a blush uncontrollably bloomed on her flawless cheeks.

“Yes, Master,” Lu Xueqi replied, joining the eight female disciples from Bamboo Peak, among them Wen Min and herself.

Shallow Stranger offered a slight bow to Shuiyue. Now, only Big Bamboo Peak and Little Bamboo Peak remained. Led by Song Daren, the disciples of Big Bamboo Peak drew their lots in turn and returned to their seats.

Throughout the hall, disciples eagerly examined their wax pellets, while the branch heads and elders above could not help but feel anxious, eyes fixed on their own disciples, each hoping for a favorable draw—especially if their disciple faced a weaker opponent.

As though responding to their teachers’ hopes, the young Azure Cloud Sect disciples began announcing their numbers:

“Ah, I drew twenty-five!”

“I’m thirty-one. What about you?”

“Oh, I got forty-six. I wonder who my opponent will be. Let me check…”

Shallow Stranger approached Zhang Xiaofan and smiled, “Xiaofan, what number did you get?”

“Number one.”

Shallow Stranger held the number three slip in his hand, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. As expected of the protagonist—without his own participation, Zhang Xiaofan would surely have advanced by default.

At the front of the hall, Evergreen Pine frowned at the noisy discussions, then spoke in a clear voice, “Enough. Now that the lots have been drawn, each of you will come to me in order and register your name and number. The pairings will soon be posted on the red board, so you’ll know your opponent. Now, let the Sect Leader speak.”

The previously boisterous disciples fell silent at the mention of Sect Leader Dao Xuan. He rose from his seat and strode slowly to the front, sweeping his gaze over the assembly before finally settling his eyes on Shallow Stranger, a faint smile touching his lips.