For the next few hours, Mei listened to the gorilla speak.

He talked about a section of the sect, filled with dense forests, where he lived, and various stories from his time there. Mei wasn't all that surprised the sect had areas for spirit beasts, having seen several just casually working for the sect.

She didn't really think she'd be all that interested, but the antics the animals there ended up catching her interest. What stood out most was that apparently, Luye, the librarian crow that taught her was infamous back at the forest too! Even Da Xing fell victim to that bird. Mei wouldn't be surprised if even spirits weren't safe from that "slave-driving" instructor.

As they talked, the voice of the huge white spirit boomed across the forest.

"The tournament will be over in a minute. Please be prepared.

"Oh, I guess it's time to wrap up." Da Xing said. "It was nice talking to you. If you're interested in meeting again, you can find me at Verdant South, Unit 345."

"That's like, a house?" Mei asked, surprise in her voice.

"Hmm?" the gorilla raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think we'd sleep on grass, did you?"

"...maybe."

Da Xing tilted his head back and laughed.

"Of course not. Who would want to sleep without the comfort of a warm room and bed? We're not wild animals, you know?"

"Right..."

Mei felt a little silly.

"Well... thanks for the advice earlier. I might visit if I have time?" she said.

"Mm, that's good to hear." Da Xing nodded.

"Bye-bye!" Su Qing waved cheerfully.

Just like before, light washed over her.

Mei got up, a little disorientated.

Around her, the disciples got up as well, looking around the hall.

"The tournament is over! Did you enjoy yourselves?" the sect master's voice echoed through the hall.

Above the stage where he stood, a list of 10 numbers appeared above his head.

1st: Guang Ai - 4200 Points

Tsk, of course the girl with the overpowered dog got first place. Seeing the list, the disciples began to discuss, the sound of hundreds talking echoing through the hall.

"Oh, Wang Wei, you actually got the 10th spot!" Liu Qiang exclaimed.

10th: Wang Wei - 2400 Points

Mei was surprised; she figured he would have been taken down by people chasing his beacon.

She turned over to look at Wang Wei, who didn't seem all that pleased.

"Haha, so where are my 5 pills? You said you'd give them to me if you won, right?" Liu Qiang smirked.

"Shut up. This doesn't count as winning." Wang Wei grumbled.

At the side, Xiuying looked a little tired.

"What happened earlier, after we got separated?" Mei asked her.

Xiuying widened her eyes.

"Oh, right! I- We almost forgot to apologise for leaving you back then! Sorry for leaving you back there."

She turned to look at the boys.

"Hehe, sorry." Liu Qiang said sheepishly.

"We didn't have a choice." Wang Wei muttered.

"Sorry." Yingyi apologised half-heartedly.

"It's fine, it's not like it was life and death," said Mei. "Besides, I managed to survive the whole tournament thanks to Su Qing."

She put one of her arms around the little spirit's shoulder. Su Qing perked up, seemingly a little proud.

"I'm more interested in what happened on your end-" Mei started.

"Ahem!" the sect master said. "Disciples, silence, please."

The hall immediately quietened. Xiuying gestured to Mei that she would tell her later.

"Over the past month and a half, I'm sure most of you have long since reached the 9th level of qi gathering."

"The frustration of trying to continue cultivating, but making no progress. I'm sure all of you have felt it. Some disciples, whom I must praise, even reached out to me and the elders for advice."

The sect master nodded approvingly.

"Don't forget that the elders are available for guidance if you ever run into trouble. The methods of cultivation you see now are not the efforts of a single genius, but perfected over millennia, by the experiences of countless people. The path of cultivation is not a lonely path."

"Though, if it's not pressing, I suggest asking the elders instead. I'm happy you disciples are so willing to approach me, but I'm a rather busy person." he coughed.

Mei didn't understand why he couldn't just reject them if he wasn't interested.

"Now, back on topic. The reason why you've been unable to make progress is no fault of your own. The methods I provided were in fact not sufficient to reach the Foundational stage!" the sect master said sporting a devious grin.

What.

Hushed muttering could suddenly be heard throughout the hall. Mei clearly wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"As the disciples who have asked would know-"

Wait, was this a test all along, rewarding the disciples that knew how to ask questions?

"-the human body is limited. As we progress to new heights of cultivation, we condense large amounts of qi. With a frail mortal body, there's only so much qi you can hold. Unless you want to become a splatter of blood from raging currents of qi, you need to cultivate your body!"

"But ultimately, body cultivation takes preparation. The reason I've had all of you cultivate, to seemingly no avail, is for this very reason. As your dantians are full, the qi you absorb has nowhere to go. It cycles through your body aimlessly instead, streaming through your meridians. This process is essential to refining your body from inside out!"

Oh, nevermind, she was just overthinking it.

"I trust most of you are now prepared for body cultivation. Ming Jiang, please enter."

From outside the hall, steady footsteps could be heard from behind. Mei turned around and watched in awe as a man marched into the hall.

He wore undersized black elder's robes that clung to his figure, highlighting his muscles. He was so incredibly muscular, Mei felt like even trees would be shattered if he walked into them.

Despite the gentle looking steps he made, Mei felt tremors through the ground. Ming Jiang's face was stoic as he walked past the staring disciples, stepping onto the stage.

"Ming Jiang will be your body cultivation instructor! Lessons for the next week won't be here, but at his residence." the sect elder smiled. "Oh, and before I forget, here are your rewards."

Spirits flew into the hall, handing each of the disciples pouches and a slip of paper listing their position.

[35th: Mei - 900 Points.]

Oh, that was higher than she thought. Too bad it still didn't make her eligible for more than the participation award. Mei peeked into the pouch, looking at the Jade, before putting it in her bag, satisfied. 50 Jade wasn't the biggest sum, but it was still a step towards clearing her debt.