All of the disciples were up well before dawn, eager to get going before the walk to the city gates got crowded for the morning with all the Cultivators entering to enter, watch or bet on the tournaments, as well as those who were coming for all of the seminars.
Elder Ling thought they were all overreacting, since it wasn't like they would be turned away, no matter what time today they registered, but the girls were adamant that earlier was better, and the ladies of the Lotus Blossom Sect were equally excited to get into the city and register their groups.
They would have two groups in the competition, Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples, but nothing for the Core Strength group, since they didn't have the power as a Sect without involving their Elders, which was considered shameful, as the tournament was mostly for up and coming talent, not the stronger Elders.
The Forbidden Treasures Sect would be going in the Outer Disciples group, as none of them was over twenty-five years old yet. The Inner Disciples might be a better fight for them, in Cain's mind, but this was their age group, and some of them were still at a rather low level, even if Cain had awakened them and activated the System for them.
They had no trouble getting into the city, as everyone was more focused on their own business, with the individual competitions starting in only a few hours.
The girls were scanned and given individual cards showing their official cultivation level, and bone age, as determined by the magical talismans of the tournament, as well as their Sect Name.
"Are you not competing in the Individual fights?" The Registration officer asked after Cain helped the girls get their names properly recorded and a group assigned for their matches, which would begin this afternoon.
"I don't think that would be particularly sporting." Cain laughed, while the man gave him a questioning look.
To him, Cain seemed to be a very regular sort of Spirit Rank Cultivator, of which there was an entire category participating.
"Don't go by appearances. Master Cain is a hidden Dragon in his own right. The reduced aura is a talent of his, and takes a great many off guard." Elder Ling told the group registering fighters.
The men nodded in acceptance. There were some like that, who always felt weaker.
Elder Ling didn't think anything of the comment, intending it to simply be a compliment to Cain, but one muscular man with Violet eyes got an intrigued smile on his face at that news and headed for the betting cage to make a wager.
"Friend, I wish to place a wager of three Spirit Rank Monster Cores on the Forbidden Treasure Sect as the top female Sect in the Outer Disciple category." The athletic man, clearly a body cultivator, informed the casino worker.
"That is a very large bet for the Outer Disciples sir. Are you certain that you wish to place that particular wager?" She asked, motioning for her boss to come over.
"Oh, it's you. What are you doing to scare my workers today?" The immense form of the casino boss asked the Cultivator.
"Nothing today. I simply want to make a bet. Three Spirit Cores on the Forbidden Treasures Sect as the top females among the Outer Disciples." The cultivator replied.
"Make it a bet for the podium or there is no deal. You know that being the only one to make the second round could make them the top females. The odds are too unpredictable." The boss decided.
"Fine, Three Cores says that the Forbidden Treasures Sect makes the final eight in the Outer Disciples division." The man declared, and the casino boss smiled while tucking his hands in the pockets of his vest.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you old friend. I will take that wager." The boss agreed.
"I will match it. Three more Spirit Cores on the Forbidden Treasures to make the Final Eight of the Outer Disciples." Master Moon declared from a few steps behind the cocky cultivator.
"Moon, have you seen them as well?" He asked, his violet eyes flashing.
"In the valley before I came here. They were not particularly strong when I met them, but there is something about them. I think they have a chance at making rapid progress in the group battle, though I might not pick any of them for the individual competition." Master Moon agreed.
The Casino boss looked a bit nervous at that news, he liked sure wins for the house, not a chance of a dark horse that would upset his odds. As a group of five, and from an unseeded Sect that nobody had ever heard of, with a Spirit Rank Sect Master and being all female, the odds were fifty to one that they would make the podium.
If too many saw the potential of the group, it would cost the casino a huge amount of money, even with the small sums that usually changed hands for the Outer Disciple battles.
As they were talking, a very sour-looking man in green robes came up with his friends.
"One Immortal Core on the children of that Monster from the Forbidden Treasures Sect." The man said bitterly, recalling the humiliation that he had taken at Cain's hands only a day earlier.
"Why do you say, children?" The woman at the counter asked.
"Did you not see their entry sheet? They are all underage, and two of them didn't even scan as teenagers. But don't be fooled. If they were taught by that demon, there is no telling what they will do." The man complained.
He might not like them, but he was still betting on them, even though his own Sect had a group in the Outer Disciple competition as well, and he hadn't yet placed a bet on their behalf.
"Oh, that man who won the test of power with the twin dragon's invocation? That was impressive." A cultivator in the crowd agreed.
"I saw him down a challenger outside with a single burst of [Flame Arrows] as well," one of the gamblers laughed, recalling the spectacle.
"It seems that the Sect Master for those little girls is something else entirely. Reduce the odds of them so that we aren't overwhelmed if the Dark Horse makes a run for the bank." The casino boss whispered to his minions, but it was already almost too late, as the cashiers were writing up gambling tickets at the fifty-to-one rate already.
The best he could do was cut his losses and write later bets at a lower rate.
"Is the tattooed Master of the Forbidden Treasures going to be in the individual competition? It would really help him get more disciples, even if he was only handsome and not particularly strong." One of the ladies in the line to bet asked.
"It seems that he won't be. The witch of the Lotus Blossom called him a hidden dragon, so he might be more powerful than he looks. He is two for two on the single-strike knockouts against Spirit Rank cultivators after all." The violet-eyed man who had started all the commotion informed her with a wink.
Cain and his disciples were waiting while the groups from the Lotus Blossom were all registered since the Inner Disciple lineup was both longer and slower moving than the one for Outer Disciples, who were mostly only sorted by age.
The Inner Disciples were put in brackets to start the tournament based on overall power so that the crowd could see more evenly matched fights, and getting that all calculated and measured took much longer than simply giving them an entry ticket and having the partners randomly assigned before the first matches.
A lot of groups were staring at Cain's disciples with a mixture of amusement and disdain, but the girls weren't letting it get to them. The more underestimated they were, the more easily they could defeat their first few opponents.
If everyone thought they were extremely weak, they would assume that their opponents were no better, and the sense of power from the fight was distorted by the other fights in the area, giving them an advantage.
They would need to win four out of five fights today to advance to the single elimination rounds tomorrow, by Cain's calculation, though if the Outer Disciple Category was more unbalanced than expected, they might advance with three, though that was unlikely and would likely require a tie-breaker match at the end of the day. It would be better to qualify straight away in the regular matches.
"Should we go get some snacks and listen to a lecture before the matches start? Some of those lessons on alchemical theory are really good at putting me to sleep." Jen suggested with a smile that made a lot of nearby contestants laugh and nod in agreement.
"Relaxation is one thing, but perhaps we should go to a seminar on meditation so you don't actually fall asleep? I don't need you all groggy from a nap when it's time to fight." Cain teased, looking to Elder Ling for verification that her teams were finished registering.
"Perfect. First the meditation seminar and then a light lunch, so everyone is ready to go with plenty of time before the Outer Disciples begin this afternoon." Elder Ling agreed.
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