Several days passed quietly while Han Xuhan laid down the groundwork for his massive project. Plans, counter-plans, contingencies, and ergency steps were all slowly put in place. So went smoothly, so took a great deal of convincing (money).
The first step of the plan was set in motion while Han Xuhan was still tweaking the later phases. It took place one evening just after Elder Kong Ye’s lecture had ended.
As it was the last lecture of the day, nobody was in a hurry to leave. Nurous small and large groups of disciples sat in circles and discussed their new learnings, contemplated and compared each other’s recent growth, alongside casual gossip.
At this mont, a strange scene caught their attention. On the highest step of the sloped mountainback, a group of three familiar-looking disciples was holding up a massive banner. It read:
Offer! Offer! Offer!
Make A Fortune By Proving Your Talent!
Any Challenger Can Win Up To 1000 Spirit Stones!
Sponsored By: The Disciples of the 278th Generation, Outer Court, Crimson Snow Sect.
Naturally, the curiosity of the entire disciple body was piqued. Especially the amount of prize money offered... It was enough to tempt even the richest disciple here.
Several large groups jogged over to make inquiries. Han Xuhan, acting as the spokesperson of the project, took the lead in explaining what was going on.
"As many of you are well aware, our seniors will be taking their leave from the sect soon. Nearly five years have passed since their entry into the outer court. So of them were promoted to the inner court, while the others barely made the cut to remain in the sect’s shelter. But nobody is allowed to stay here for more than five years.
"Before leaving, so of our seniors wished to learn the identities of the rising stars of the next generation, so that even if they travel to the other side of the world, they can have a few exceptional juniors to keep up with and contact them in tis of need.
"But how can they find out who these juniors might be? After extensive discussion, the seniors ca up with a simple sche. This is it."
Han Xuhan pointed at the banner proudly.
"They have even provided huge incentives for the disciples to show their true potential, sothing that many of us try to keep hidden in fear of attracting unwanted attention. Exceptional performance by a challenger can be showered with an award as high as 1000 spirit stones!"
"So how does this challenge work? The banner says we need to prove our talent, right? What kind of challenge can prove that?" Soone in the crowd asked.
"Like I said, it’s a simple thod. True talent can be distinguished only if every challenger is put on an equal footing. To make that happen, every challenger will be taught the basics of a Mystic Art that none of you are familiar with. Whoever can make the most progress with it within a short tifra is bound to have the highest talent, most potential, and best future!"
Nurous eyes lit up, not just because of the simple, accessible opportunity, but also because of the secondary reward involved.
A Mystic Art! They were going to be taught the basics of a Mystic Art for free! They would have a fair chance against everyone in their generation, and the victors would be able to form a tight relationship with the rich senior disciples who had co up with the idea!
The promised 1000 spirit stones were almost a secondary reward compared to these!
What was there to not like about this competition? The offer was too good to let go!
"When does it begin?"
"Where are the lessons being held?"
"Who’s going to teach us?"
"What Mystic Art are we going to learn? If it favors any natural affinities, the competition won’t be fair!"
A storm of questions rose from the crowd, to which Han Xuhan only offered a mysterious smile. Now that the curiosity had been planted in their hearts, it was ti to edge them!
"All in due ti, all in due ti. You’ll hear the finalized details eventually. This announcent today is just to help you all prepare ntally and keep your schedules clear for the first lesson on the Mystic Art. The seniors of your own mountain peaks shall inform you beforehand."
His own words would never carry the sa weight as the words of those senior disciples. For the sche to succeed with great montum, this part was necessary, despite the sacrifices he had to make to make those senior disciples agree.
At this mont, every mountain peak of the Crimson Snow Sect had at least one senior disciple whose pocket had been blessed with Han Xuhan’s money!
That evening, rumors spread across the sect wildly.
Han Xuhan, Mu Ran, and Xuanyuan Zhou used every bit of their recently acquired fa to sensationalize the rumors. Han Xuhan’s past experience with elections gave him enough skill to gauge the reactions it got. The results weren’t half bad!
It even reached the ears of Senior Brother Lin from the Archives Pavilion, who ca over to the Salted Fish Mountain Peak in great alarm, asking if Han Xuhan was about to violate the contract of sale of the Force-type Law Cultivation Manual. The agreent with the sect was quite strict about that particular clause.
Han Xuhan had been waiting for this very mont. So he handled Senior Lin’s concern easily. He imdiately claid that they weren’t going to hand out the contents of the original technique for free.
"The basics, just enough to initiate them into the technique and nothing more. Even the servants in the sect have access to such basic knowledge!
"Think about it, Brother Lin! Isn’t it only beneficial to the sect if the disciples purchase any manual? Where’s the harm in guiding them towards one specific manual? At the end of the day, the money will flow into your coffers!"
"But... The private lessons... The blatant manipulation... I don’t think the Elders would find it proper." Senior Lin’s argunt grew weaker as he went by the rules and failed to discover any outright violations.
"What’s wrong with holding private lessons, Brother Lin? The manual is a new addition to the archives. So few Elders in the sect know about it, and none could claim to be skillful enough at it to teach newly initiated disciples...
"None except and my two teammates, who were forced to master it during our mission!"
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