16th of Season of Earth, 58th year of the 32nd cycle

  Newt returned to his residence, still shocked, unable to believe what had happened. When he left his realm after a handful of minutes he dedicated to checking its state, he was the only disciple in the field. He was terrified he had finished last, and in a sense he did.

  Emeraldstreak rushed him from her house, leaving the door open. She stopped before Newt, her stoic face sporting a smile.

  “Congratulations. Great job.”

  Her words were no louder than normal speech, but given the surrounding listeners, they might as well have been shouts. One by one, the majority of core disciples left their homes and approached to offer congratulations. Greenbow and Stegorock, Elder Alabaster’s more senior disciples, beamed with pride, while others showed fewer emotions.

  Twochains offered a short, choppy nod of acknowledgement before leaving the residential area. Most others uttered a kind word or two before heading off to handle their own matters, and Newt realized all those busy people had waited for him, giving him several hours of their precious time as a show of respect.

  “Thank you, thank you.” Newt returned the gestures of goodwill, memorizing the faces of his fellow disciples.

  Soon enough, there were only the four of them, Elder Alabaster’s personal disciples.

  “Do you want to grab a bite?” Greenbow said, and Newt wanted to say no.

  “Sure.”

  “Great! Master said she would prepare a celebratory meal.”

  Newt almost laughed. Giving in before peer pressure turned out a good thing, and taking an hour or two to rest and recover was not a complete waste. Besides, he would have had to eat something eventually.

  They took the road through the jungle, Stegorock chattering for all four of them, since his sisters and brother stayed silent. He did not mention a word about the trial, focusing on other things.

  “I heard your primary mission is to cultivate?” He asked, and Newt nodded.

  “Master and the Chamber of Instructions said the same. My focus for the time being is to make my realm as robust as possible. I am free to cultivate at my discretion, but the prices of all cultivation chambers are significantly reduced.”

  “I’ve heard the same about a number of other disciples.” Stegorock shot Emeraldstreak a meaningful look, and the stoic woman just nodded. “There’s an important tournament coming up. Sage’s Realm.”

  Newt was all ears, hoping his elder brother would not send him off to the library. Checking things, searching the library’s registry, and figuring out under which topics to find that which interested him no longer bothered him, but it was a needless distraction.

  Emeraldstreak was also interested, and Stegorock smiled before offering an explanation.

  “Sage’s realm is a major tournament for cultivators beneath the fifth realm, hosted once every one hundred and ninety-nine years.” Stegorock shrugged. “I don’t know why they didn’t make it once every two centuries, but the number is odd and there’s probably some reason behind it. All sects are invited to join, but since the tournament is meant to promote talent growth, the number of places is limited and depends on your sect’s previous results, with the caveat that disciples may only compete once. Even minor sects and wandering cultivators may join, but they have to fight through an elimination tournament, which starts about half the year before the main event. That one’s a pure martial contest, but given the minimal resources and the overwhelming number of hopeful participants, it’s the best the organizers can do.”

  The company left the jungle, the first inner elder housings coming into view.

  “The main tournament is a whole different dino. My search in the library turned up several dozen different challenges all mixed up into one large trial with four events. There’s a bunch of recorded options, hunting dinos, wandering a jungle, battles to the death with other disciples while the realm prevents mortal blows and heals your wounds afterwards…”

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  Stegorock spoke at length about what he had learned. Explorer’s Gate had fifteen slots. Their best disciples’ average score allowed the sect to reach the top thirty the last time the realm was active.

  “We placed twenty-second, but the rewards are counted separately for the top ten, then eleven through fifteen, sixteen through twenty, twenty-one through thirty, and so on.”

  It was obvious the man wanted to say more, but the disciples had reached their master’s white mansion and the outer elder attendant opened the door. The servant powerful enough to usurp Newt’s clan mere years ago greeted them with familiar politeness and led the way to the dining room.

  “Your disciples have arrived, Elder.” The outer elder said as he opened the door.

  The words were a mere formality, Newt’s master naturally knew who had entered her domain even before her disciples reached the antechamber.

  The group walked into a spacious feasting hall. Much like Elder Woodhopper’s, the massive, wooden table had space enough to host twenty and uncomfortably fit twenty-six. A white cloth covered it, with only six plates at the far end. Before Newt could further examine the room, his master’s voice came from beyond a white door.

  “Thank you, Freshshine. Do you mind serving the food? And please mind the roasted stego tail, it’s just about done.” Elder Alabaster and Newt’s playful sister, Goodair, entered the room, bearing platters of steaming pastries.

  The aroma of freshly baked bread, mixed with herbs, meats, and vegetables spread like magic, conquering the chamber. Green, orange, and red strips of vegetables decorated the space between the tarts and the rolls.

  “Since you are our sect’s new star, we decorated them with stars.” Goodair cast a meaningful glance at the angular ornaments topping the delicacies.

  “These are the appetizers, third realm triceratops flesh.” Elder Alabaster smiled. “I would have offered fifth realm spirit meats, but you need to watch your realms before the tournament, and we can’t have any accidents.”

  The woman looked Newt in the eye.

  “Few get to taste the food I’ve prepared, and you should also thank your elder sister, she’s been working with me ever since we realized you were the last one still inside the Soul Waterfall.”

  “Thank you, Master, senior sister.” Newt bowed lightly, and the women acknowledged with nods before setting the food on the table.

  “You will sit to my right, Newstar.” Elder Alabaster took her seat at the head of the table, followed by her disciples. Greenbow and Emeraldstreak sat to her left, Newt and Stegorock to the right. Goodair filled their cups with wine, opening another two bottles and setting them at the center of the table, before joining Newt’s and Stegorock’s side.

  Newt looked at the pastries. The tarts’ crusts were perfect, filled with vegetables and finely diced meat. The rolls were more of a mystery, but they appeared crunchy.

  “I would like to tell you all to try to be more like Newstar,” Elder Alabaster started her speech. “But please don’t. Other than the amount of stress he has been causing me, there’s also the matter of collateral damage the sect has suffered, not to mention the heresy hunters knocking on our door to talk about affairs our sect really shouldn’t be involved in. Be yourself, advance at your own pace because that is what will propel you as high as you can climb. You are all excellent disciples, and I am proud to be your master.”

  Elder Alabaster raised her cup.

  “May you find enlightenment in whatever form benefits you the most, and may all of you rise higher than I will.”

  “Thank you, Master.”

  Tears of joy touched Newt’s eye, but he stopped them as the six of them shared a drink.

  “Enjoy your meal.” Elder Alabaster grabbed a roll and bit into it with a crunch.

  The sound of crunching and satisfied ums filled the room as disciples and their master enjoyed their canapes. Meats Newt ate when traversing the Valley of the Lost were of higher quality, more nourishing, but the taste could not compare. The meat was only a small portion of the meal, and most of the aroma came from herbs and spices while the pastries crunched so satisfyingly inside his mouth.

  “Earth is the least suited element for cooking,” Elder Alabaster said, noticing Newt’s bliss. “Hotheads sport the most superior reputation in the field, with both air and water cultivators having certain advantages of their own. But with enough experience, I believe anyone can become a passable cook and baker.”

  Newt did not know how to react to the statement, so he nodded. Luckily, Stegorock picked up the conversation, saving him the trouble.

  Elder Freshshine served a spicy shellfish stew, followed by the main course of stegosaurus tail roasted with potatoes, carrots, and apples. Everyone got two small bowls of sweet and sour dips and dug into the food.

  Newt thought he could not eat a bite more, but then appeared a plate with mouth-watering nut-and-fruit sweets covered in honeyed, beaten egg whites. While stuffed, everyone found some room for dessert, and soon enough the final plate lay defeated, void even of crumbs.

  The group sat, sipping wine, Stegorock and Goodair chattering while others enjoyed the moment.