Tang Ze remained calm when hearing this news, but his squad members didn't seem to be able to control their outrage.
"How is that fair?" Zhang Long asked. "Someone is always going to be better than someone else - so if Tang Ze is just that much better, they should compete harder, not say that Tang Ze can't fight!"
"Anyway, they must be mistaken," Chen Yu said. "It was that despicable Ze Tang who beat Ling Kuang, not our respectable brother Tang Ze!"
"Indeed," Yin Tiang said. "These people are courting death! Don't they know that Tang Ze is friends with the son of the person who is one hundred and ninety-fifth in line for the throne? He'll use his influence to change the Imperial Family's decisions!"
"Nice to know that you two can still joke," Elder He Xuan said to Yin Tiang and Chen Yu. He then turned to Zhang Long. "What you say is true - cultivation is about strength, but remember that the tournaments only allow people till the Qi Refinement stage for a reason. Even the Advanced Tournament is for Golden Core cultivators only. Those who are Nascent Soul and higher must compete in other ways, by training others, and they cannot compete directly. That is the precedent they are using to disqualify Tang Ze."
"I see," Zhang Long said. He still didn't think it was fair - but what was he going to do?
"It's fine," Tang Ze said. "So long as I do my best in the other three categories, it'll be fine."
"That is correct," Elder He Xuan said. "You'll be heading towards where the tournament is being held a few days beforehand - use this remaining time to prepare as much as you can."
They didn't have any boulders handy to help simulate Tang Ze pushing them up a hill - so they improvised.
Using the Komainu.
It was quite eager to help with Tang Ze regarding whatever he needed, and so it would curl up into a ball, and then Tang Ze would roll it up a hill.
"Remember, it isn't just about pure strength. Straighten your arms, lock your elbows - no need to put your back into it, use your knees instead!" the martial arts instructor cried out as Tang Ze rolled the Komainu up the hill.
For the Komainu, this was like playing a game and it quite enjoyed being rolled up the hill by Tang Ze, uncurling from its ball, running downhills, and then Tang Ze coming down to roll it back up the hill again.
"Glad to see that someone's enjoying this," Tang Ze said. This was a bit of a Sisyphean task, quite literally, which is why he felt it got boring after a few hours, but the Komainu seemed to have fun every single time Tang Ze rolled it up the hill. It was like playing fetch with a normal dog.
Other than that, Tang Ze was instructed on some proper punching techniques, as well as given more training on the track such as regulating his breathing and whatnot.
For the first time since the past few months, Tang Ze actually felt like he wasn't sore all over - because he could now stop swallowing pills every single day and no longer had to deal with their side effects.
Of course, time marched onward, and the day finally came when Tang Ze would be leaving for the actual tournament. He was the only one from this division of the sect that had managed to make it to be considered a candidate, so it would just be him and two prefects going towards the Starfall Basin, which was where the novice tournament was being held.
The Starfall Basin was so called because it had been formed as the result of a meteor shower sixty thousand years ago. It was said that the meteor shower had been incredibly destructive - but also incredibly beautiful. Many paintings from the era depicted the meteor shower as the shooting stars streaked their way across the firmament, and the image had been inscribed into the societal consciousness of that time period. The emperor at the time had also been fond of the same, and had often set up retreats in this valley which had been carved out by the meteors.
It was quite scenic, with the resulting crater forming a beautiful lake upon which several lotuses grew (which had been planted there by the emperor of that era during his retreats). The Imperial Family had chosen it to be a suitable location for the Novice Tournament this time.
To Tang Ze, who had never gone too far from this sect division, it was quite a tantalizing prospect to visit the Starfall Basin.
Before he was about to depart, several people came to meet with him.
One was the martial arts instructor, who just said, "Junior Brother Tang Ze, you have been the most capable student I've ever had the privilege of teaching. Good luck."
It was a simple statement, but it had a profound impact on Tang Ze.
Up till now, the martial arts instructor had rarely if ever praised him. And when he did say something positive, it was almost always followed by a 'but' at the end. For example: 'You are extraordinarily strong, but you lack discipline.'
There was none of that in his words this time, just praise.
"I promise to make you proud!" Tang Ze said in response.
Elder He Xuan also came by to wish him luck, though it wasn't just for that purpose.
"Be careful when you get there," he told Tang Ze. "I have no doubt that you will win a in a fair fight - and the sects have agreed upon rules, but since when has that ever stopped humans from trying to undermine the rules for their own gain? And remember that you have an extra target on your back after what you did to the Astral Winds sect Senior Elder. Do not eat anything that someone other than our prefects give you, and do not go wandering on your own anywhere. I know that sounds extreme, but in your case, I think such a level of paranoia is warranted."
Tang Ze nodded. He, as a matter of fact, had taken an extra layer of precaution. He was wearing his costume underneath his uniform - now, he couldn't get its power while this was happening, but that meant he only needed to take his clothes off to unlock his full potential should the need arise.
And of course, his farewell would be incomplete without Zhang Long, Yin Tiang, and Yu Chen coming to see him off.
"Good luck!"
"We know you'll win!"
"Yup, you've got this in the bag!"
Tang Ze wished that they could come with him, but the sect could only sponsor the travel of so many people and spectators could not join in. "Take care of the Komainu for me while I'm gone." He would be away for a few weeks, though hopefully all the extra exercise he had just given it while rolling it like a rock would mean that it would be fine during the time he was gone.
"Don't worry, we will!"
Their method of travel to the Starfall Basin, given how far away it was, was via carriage pulled by pegasi. It was clear that the sect had pulled out all the stops when it came to money given that they had allowed them to use the magical beasts to travel.
It would be Tang Ze and two prefects going with him - that was the normal number who accompanied the candidates, though it was a bit of overkill given Tang Ze was the only one from his sect division who had made the cut. Usually, there were a few outstanding sect divisions which had several people going from the sect so this rule made sense. Most divisions did not have anyone who qualified, and the last time the Novice Tournament had been held this sect division had been no exception.
By now, Tang Ze no longer had the reputation of being an extreme delinquent that he had before - and though some of it still followed him, in the end, he was going on this trip for the sake of the sect and the prefects did not openly antagonize him in any way on their journey. As it was, it could be said that these prefects wouldn't even be able to tag along with him to the event had he not qualified, and there was very little work for them to do given they were only watching over a single Initiate. In other words, Tang Ze had done them a favor from a certain point of view.
They were set to arrive three days before the actual event began - they could've arrived earlier if Tang Ze dressed up as a wizard and transported them there with magic. However when given this suggestion the two prefects said that they would definitely end up getting kicked out of the event if they arrived like that, so it was a no-go. It appeared that hating wizards was not unique to this division of the sect.
Riding in the carriage was far smoother than what Tang Ze had expected - these pegasi had been well-trained. However, while the journey was not as rocky as he'd have expected, the carriage still lurched occasionally when they ran into turbulence. All in all, he thought it was less comfortable than riding in an airplane back on Earth. Much slower slower as well.
For the very first time, Tang Ze got to see a proper city in this world. It was not huge by Earth standards, carrying a population of four hundred thousand, but it did have a much larger division of the Rising Phoenix Sect in it.
No, it was not that the city had a division of the sect - it was the sect that owned the city!
It was a sprawling metropolis with a river winding through it with two sets of walls surrounding it for defense. The buildings were mainly made of stone, though there were also the wooden cottages that Tang Ze was more used to seeing.
He didn't get to do much sightseeing though, as they immediately went to the sect headquarters.
It was not that much bigger than the smaller division headquarters they were coming from, but given that this was a city where land was at a premium, it still made its mark.
This division had many more Golden Core cultivators than the division they were coming from numbering five in total, though no Nascent Soul realm cultivators.
The three of them were greeted like honored guests and shown to their rooms, where they rested, and got ready to leave the very next day. There were also stables and veterinarians who specialized in taking care of pegasi who took care of their steeds while they slept.
Ultimately, Tang Ze didn't get to see much of this sect division given that he had spent most of the time there either asleep or eating, though he had to note that the insides were much more extravagant than the division they were coming from.
This was to be expected, of course, given that the city that this division controlled was far richer and would generate more revenue for the sect than a place which only had places like Zhang Long's village to rely on as a source of income. As a matter of fact, Tang Ze had once heard that overall, their own sect division operated at a slight loss, which was likely made up for by profits generated from wealthier divisions like this city.