On his way back to the hut, Han Xuhan was forced to consider one very puzzling issue.

The rest of the masters in other mountain peaks were not at all willing to help their disciples in any way, going so far as to not even detach the void-begotten objects from their bodies.

There had to be a good reason behind that, the obvious one being a penalty from the judges of this round.

He had seen clearly when Kong Ye had been struck with lightning bolts whenever he crossed the limits placed by the organizers by helping his disciples. Sometimes, even answering a simple question concerning the tournament invited heavy punishment.

Kong Ye, an elder with an unfathomable cultivation level, couldn't remain unaffected at the face of those bolts; that's how deadly they were.

So why had Kong Ye helped him by teaching him how to attach and detach the knee guard?

He must have suffered the consequent retributions, but how? When? Why had he not seen it take place? As far as he was aware, the punishments were meted out instantaneously along with the offense committed.

Did Kong Ye figure out a loophole to exploit here?

Impressive! Very impressive! That master of his was truly resourceful!

He doubted Kong Ye would answer if he asked about it, so he put the issue past his concerns and hurried back to Xiao Wu's hut. The baggage he was carrying wasn't small, after all. Everything had to be rearranged.

His business venture was a massive success, even though in terms of financial gains, he had made a big loss. But this was his investment.

Out of the hundreds of objects claimed by his fellow disciples from the void, he had managed to buy nine. Since most of them couldn't figure out what the special functions of objects were, many were willing to sell their findings.

Han Xuhan wasn't willing to buy everything up for sale, though. He had spent the whole time fishing for a specific type of treasure he was familiar with, thanks to Kong Ye...pieces of armor!

His hard work had paid off. He had found over a dozen disciples who had been wearing armor of various types, all from the void. But most of them were unwilling to sell, and it had taken a good chunk of his stash to convince nine of them.

The pieces he had procured weren't parts of the same armor, though. Two were even designed for ladies. But the workmanship was so exquisite and magical that anyone who could wear them could use them.

Han Xuhan entered the silent hut carefully and set the baggage down. Mu Ran was still asleep, and Xiao Wu was nodding off in his sentry post.

Right as he was about to begin re-examining the future additions to his armor, he felt the ground vibrate.

Eyes narrowing, Han Xuhan stood up and walked out of the hut.

The Heavenly Hailstorm Mountain Peak was placed at a corner of the floating island, which made it easy for its residents to have a good view of the rest of the sect. And that perk came in handy right then.

He barely needed to walk to a higher portion of the mountain to notice the source of the earthquake.

A ship the size of one of their mountains was visible from where he stood, hovering very, very close to the floating island like a silent monstrosity.

It was airborne, first of all, with no visible clues telling him how. Hovering at the same height as the floating island of the Crimson Snow Sect, the ship had just rammed into the least populated side of the island.

It was a disconcerting view, to say the least.

Masts wider than the hut he lived in, sails tall enough to hide both the sky and the sea in that direction, and most importantly, a billboard sized flag that displayed the image of a cute, black lobster at the center of the countless blue sails...the gargantuan construct of wonder rammed into the island once more.

BOOMBOOMBOOMMMMMMMMM!

The loose soil at his feet vibrated for a good dozen seconds.

The sound of rushed footsteps came from behind as Mu Ran sprinted out of the hut.

"What in the world is that?" He gasped in shock, taking in the full view.

Xiao Wu, who had been half-asleep at the corner of the yard had also run out, following him. He was the one to answer the inquiry.

"The Abyss Guild's first target of the day seems to be our sect, Brother Ran."

The real event of this round of the tournament was officially open! And they had been attacked before they could initiate one!

"Tsk, such a show-off," Mu Ran said in half-disgust, half-jealousy. "Do they think we can't do any damage to a target so huge?"

"What are we supposed to do? Just...sit and watch the treasure-defenders fight off the invaders?" Han Xuhan asked Xiao Wu, their team leader in papers.

"Yes, the rules state that other than the defending team, the rest of the disciples present in the scene cannot interfere."

Xiao Wu's answer did not please either of them. The three teams which had been ordered to stay behind in the sect to do the chores and defend the treasure consisted of weak disciples. How would those guys put up a fight against a team of elite disciples from the Abyss Guild?

"Wanna watch?" Xiao Wu suggested. "We've got some time left before the assembly."

Shrugging, Mu Ran followed Xiao Wu, and Han Xuhan was sent to ask Yuen Zhou if she wished to go witness their probable shameful defeat as well. She agreed as well.

The four of them were not the only disciples who had made the decision, as it turned out. Nearly a hundred disciples were out of their huts, headed toward the area where the ship had violently docked. But none of the elders, nor the sect master himself made an appearance this time.

The ship had placed itself between two misshapen peaks unsuitable to house residents. It didn't touch the ground, hovering just a few meters above steadily.

Han Xuhan could not detect any power sources, or engines, or even any magical mechanisms that kept the huge object afloat, which meant that whatever it was, he wouldn't understand how it worked.

Up close, the Ship was actually even more impressive, as expected from one of the top three sects on the planet. It could house thousands of passengers, probably. And Han Xuhan could not understand why a ship so huge would be required to transport a team of ten disciples through the spatial cracks....until he realized that the ship wasn't made of wood.

The main body of the ship was made out of a glassy substance, and behind the semi-transparent walls, they saw numerous faces mirroring the same abject look of wonder on the faces of the disciples of the Crimson Snow Sect.

This ship was not just carrying an attacking team of ten disciples, it was also carrying over a hundred spectators, each sitting comfortably in their own cabins and observing the world outside through the glass.

Many of them were sitting with papers and quills, ready to take notes while many were eating and drinking leisurely!

The ten disciples who would attack the sect were up on the deck, garbed in exotic combat apparel. One of them, a girl wearing form-fitting leather armor and...goggles, jumped up on top of the figurehead at the front of the ship.

"Greetings, Crimson Snow Sect. The Abyss Guild is here to issue its first challenge. You know the rules. We will search for the treasure using the clues we've been provided. We do not know where, or with whom it is hidden. We do not even know which disciples among you are the defenders. Unless incited for a fight, none except the defenders are allowed to land a finger on us or bar our search. The team of ten defenders may attack, hide, or defend; it is entirely up to you."

Her speech finished, she leaped down to the soil of Crimson Snow Sect with the momentum of a heavyweight predator, raising a wave of dust all around her landing spot.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud...

Nine more youths followed her gracefully. Their appearance, gait, and synchronized movements revealed a trace of experienced teamwork that Han Xuhan had never seen in anyone except soldiers from the royal court.

"This Abyss Guild resembles a naval army," Yuen Zhou muttered what all of them were thinking.

"Brother Wu, where is our defending team? Have they prepared at all for the invasion?" Han Xuhan asked anxiously as he watched the team of attackers survey the landscape and exchange words among themselves in a foreign language.

Xiao Wu rubbed his face awkwardly. All three of them looked at him simultaneously, feeling a foreboding sensation in their hearts.

"Yeah...about that, I'm pretty sure those guys haven't prepared for this yet. The amount of chores and labor they were given yesterday wasn't small. We were supposed to sort out everything in the assembly, like which team would attack which sect, and what our defense strategy would be like...but these guys were so eager to attack that they didn't even wait for the sun to rise fully."

"...."

"...."

"...."