novelraw Chapter 307: Invitation
Chapter 307: Invitation
Xu Wuyi pressed the "accept" button.
"Xu Wuyi!" Tana’s voice came through the receiver, as full-throated as ever, but her tone carried a rare hint of urgency. "Are you free right now? Get on the Battle Network. I need to talk to you about something."
"What is it?" Xu Wuyi asked.
"We’ll talk in person. The usual place. I’m waiting." Tana hung up as soon as she finished speaking.
Xu Wuyi stared at the darkened screen, one eyebrow slightly raised.
Tana was rarely this direct.
Given her personality, if it were a normal sparring session or just a casual chat, she would’ve definitely bantered for a bit first. She wouldn’t be this blunt.
’Looks like it’s really something important.’
He didn’t delay, getting up and walking into his Cultivation Pod.
His consciousness submerged.
...
「Star Martial Battle Network. Private training space.」
The environment Xu Wuyi had set up was still the same underground Cultivation Room. The rock walls were coarse, and the warm Energy emanating from the simulated Earth Fire Marrow was astonishingly lifelike.
Just as he appeared, Tana teleported in at almost the same moment.
Today, Tana wasn’t carrying her signature Heavy Hammer. Instead, she had changed into a West Desert-style outfit.
She wore a dark gold, waist-cinched long robe with intricate flame patterns embroidered on the cuffs. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, giving her a clean-cut and heroic look.
However, her expression was somewhat serious, lacking her usual carefree smile.
"You’re here?" Tana said, walking over quickly.
"Yeah." Xu Wuyi nodded. "What’s so urgent?"
Tana didn’t answer right away. Instead, she sized Xu Wuyi up for a moment before grinning. "You seem to have gotten a little stronger again."
"I just finished a mission. Made some gains," Xu Wuyi said succinctly. "What about you? I haven’t seen you online lately."
"I went back to the West Desert for a bit." Tana’s expression turned serious again. "It’s because of a family matter that I need your help."
She paused, as if organizing her thoughts.
Xu Wuyi didn’t press her, just waited quietly.
"In the West Desert, an old senior is setting up an arena," Tana finally began. "This senior is called ’Flame Venerable.’ He’s a veteran Grandmaster from the West Desert. He’s very old and has been in seclusion for a long time."
"He recently came out of seclusion and said he wanted to see the quality of the West Desert’s younger generation, so he organized an arena tournament."
"The rules of the tournament are simple: any Martial Artist under the age of 24 can participate. The winner will earn a part of Flame Venerable’s legacy for their affiliated faction."
A flicker of interest showed in Xu Wuyi’s eyes.
A Grandmaster’s legacy.
In the world of Martial Artists, those words carried immense weight.
Even the slightest insight, a single Martial Technique, or a Token leaked from between a Grandmaster’s fingers was enough to make countless factions fight to the death over it.
As if sensing Xu Wuyi’s thoughts, Tana added, "The legacy is more of a prize. No matter which faction gets it, it’ll eventually be shared. It’s just a matter of paying for it."
"However, the outcome of this tournament is a matter of face for the various factions."
Only then did Xu Wuyi nod. Given the current climate in the Federation Martial Arts Realm, knowledge sharing was indeed the mainstream. Very few people still hoarded their secrets.
"Initially, Flame Venerable only allowed local West Desert Martial Artists to participate," Tana continued. "But as you know, the major factions in the West Desert have deep and tangled roots. Who doesn’t have a few outside helpers?"
"Some families secretly invited geniuses from other Provinces, disguising them as local Martial Artists to compete. When this was discovered, Flame Venerable didn’t get angry. Instead, he simply lifted the restrictions entirely."
"Now the rules have changed: as long as you can invite a young expert under 24, regardless of where they come from, they can fight on behalf of your faction."
"But there’s one condition: the invitee must be invited through proper channels. They can’t be coerced or recruited using underhanded methods."
Tana looked at Xu Wuyi, her big, bright eyes filled with expectation.
"The moment I heard the news, you were the first person I thought of."
Xu Wuyi didn’t respond immediately.
He walked over to a stone bench on one side of the Cultivation Room and sat down, gesturing for Tana to sit as well.
"What’s the payment?" he asked directly.
He was willing to help, but when something on the level of a Grandmaster’s legacy was involved, he couldn’t be expected to do it for free.
Besides, Tana was representing the Ximo Royal Family. A faction of that caliber wouldn’t be ignorant of the rules of engagement.
Tana sat down across from him and held up two fingers.
"Thirty million Federation Coins. Win or lose, as long as you fight for the Ximo Royal Family, the money is yours. That’s the appearance fee."
She paused, then raised a third finger.
"If you can win the legacy, we’ll add another ten million. On top of that, you’ll be able to purchase cultivation resources at internal prices through the Ximo Royal Family’s channels."
"This includes certain special medicinal herbs not available on the open market, Star Beast Materials, and even Grandmaster Level cultivation insights."
Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds.
’The reward is certainly substantial, roughly equivalent to 3,000 points—maybe even more, because the Ximo Royal Family’s channels are definitely distinct from Star Martial’s.’
’Of course, this amount of money can’t compare to a Grandmaster’s legacy, but since the legacy is intended for the major factions and not an individual, the situation is different.’
"What are the specific rules of the tournament?" Xu Wuyi asked.
"It’s a single-elimination format." Tana had clearly prepared the information in advance. "There are thirty-two spots in total: sixteen for local West Desert factions, and sixteen for outside helpers. It’s a random draw for matchups. Winners advance until a champion is decided."
"The competition will be held in the ’Yanwu Arena’ in the Western Desert Royal Capital, one week from now. The organizers—that is, Flame Venerable’s side—will cover all participants’ food, lodging, and transportation costs."
"What about the combat rules?" Xu Wuyi continued to ask. "Are there any restrictions? For example, no killing blows, or a ban on certain types of weapons?"
"The fights will take place on the Battle Network, so you don’t need to worry about safety. However, because it uses a special internal network, you have to be physically present in the Western Desert Royal Capital to compete."
Xu Wuyi glanced at her and nodded.
’Most competitions within the Federation are conducted on the Battle Network, especially for those at our level.’
’In an intense exchange, it’s basically impossible to hold back. A single careless mistake could result in death or injury.’
"What’s the average skill level of the participants?" he asked, getting to the most critical question.
Tana’s expression grew solemn.
"Very strong." She let out a breath. "The sixteen local spots for the West Desert have been almost completely divided up by the major Prince’s Mansions, Noble Families, and Sects. Those who secured a spot are all standouts from the West Desert’s younger generation. Their Life Energy Levels are generally above Level 30, and the strongest few might be approaching Level 35."
"The outside helpers are even more complicated. Some factions have invited geniuses from other Provinces, and there might even be top students from other Martial Arts Universities. According to the intel I’ve received, there are two people in particular we need to watch out for—"
She pulled up a data file and shared it with Xu Wuyi.
A light screen materialized between them, displaying the basic information and photos of two individuals.
The first was a young man with a cold, stern face, carrying a Thick-Backed Saber on his back. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s.
"Meng Jingyuan, from Beiyuan Province, the current Senior Disciple of the Thunder Blade Sect. Life Energy Level: 36.2. His Saber Technique is tyrannical, and he’s famous for his ’Thunder True Intention’."
"He’s a rare top-tier genius who didn’t come from the Three Greats. He was previously admitted to Beiming Martial Arts Academy, then became a disciple under Grandmaster Lei. He graduated two years ago, just making the cut-off at 24 years old."
"In this competition, he’s likely to be the strongest opponent."