The group quickly made their way through the gate, being led by the little monk and his guards who welcomed them. They swiftly entered another pathway that was surrounded by walls on each of their sides.
As they walked through the path together, Chumo looked a little confused as well as doubtful. Emery, who noticed his expression, quickly asked what was going on. He then whispered something that brought complete surprise to everyone in the group.
"The young monk is a rank 4 cultivator."
Several gasps immediately rang out in the air. Emery and the others turned to each other and could clearly see the disbelief in their eyes.
Not long after, the group arrived in an open area, where five towering buildings could be seen.
Upon a closer look, one would realize the buildings were made of stone and covered with countless vines, giving them an archaic atmosphere.
The buildings were apparently the temples. The main temple being the one in front of them, across the open area. Meanwhile, the four were split into two and situated at the sides, surrounding the open area.
The open area itself was not empty. There was a massive stone platform built there, which was currently surrounded with people who entered earlier than Emery's group.
Emery and the others, all five were led to an empty space in one corner. Apparently, being the last to come had made them the center of attention, especially when all of the five seemed to be in one group.
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Seeing the arrival of Emery and the others, one of the invitees evidently couldn't hold back what was on his mind as he commented,
"What is happening here? I never knew we are now allowing kids to spectate."
Emery's group swiftly turned their heads and saw a fat, bearded man; he was the one who spoke. As usual, it was Thrax who quickly responded as he glared at the man. In the meantime, the others walked toward their spot and took a seat.
Emery ignored Thrax's actions and observed everyone on the scene. There were about two dozen people gathered in this place and it was actually true that the five of them were the youngest among them.
Even so, the words said by the fat man were mostly ignored, as people with strong enough spirit force would know that Emery and the others were not to be trifled with. Hence, the situation quickly became normal, as if nothing happened.
"Please wait here until the ritual begins." said the little monk, before excusing himself and walking to the main temple.
While they were waiting for the main event to begin, Chumo decided to explain what it was all about. Apparently, it was just a plain, last man standing type of competition.
Those who thought they were strong enough could walk up to the platform and stand for the challenge. They would be then challenged and fought until there was only one from them remaining. Then, the renowned Holy Fruit would be given to that person.
"That seems simple enough." Emery commented, while Thrax was awed at how much Chumo had talked earlier.
"Participant in the group will be benefited then" Klea added, which was affirmed by Julian's nod.
This kind of rule was the reason why the duo of Hans swordsmen often won this event. Because it was stated that one only needed to be the last one standing to receive the reward, the Hans only had to swap places every few fights.
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Emery felt the rule was too flexible, but who was he to judge this hundreds of years of tradition?
They were already happy to be invited and allowed to participate, especially when there were five of them. Wouldn't this exact kind of rule be beneficial for them?
Chumo once again scanned all the invitees and found the strongest was still the two Hans swordsmen and that silver-masked figure with their Rank 6. The majority of people here were Rank 6, while the fat man who commented on them was merely a Rank 2.
Hearing this, a confident expression appeared and etched on Julian's face. "This is going to be a walk in the park. Just let them directly experience the might of our legendary gladiator, he alone will do."
The group mood immediately turned bright, as if their win was guaranteed.
Emery, on the other hand, still felt nervous unlike his friends. His Spirit Reading ability perceived something really bizarre with the five temples standing before them. And, in addition to it, there was the possibility of a magus living in this place.
Several minutes later, the sound of a gong rang out loudly in the air. In an instant, the same energy felt before exploded, which was then followed by chants.
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Everyone's attention was caught, as two dozen monks came out of the main temple in an orderly manner. They moved fast, but produced no sound. Among them were the little monk and the Abbot, the head monk who wore a slightly different yellow robe.
The group of monks walked toward the center and made lines with the Abbot positioned in the middle. The Abbot's appearance was not something that Emery, as well as the others, expected at all.
The figure was a tall charismatic man in his 50s, with a body that looked more like a fighter than a monk. Klea heard the whispers and murmurs of other invitees around them about the name of the Abbot and she quickly remembered drawings and rumors about a certain king who converted into a monk 200 years ago. A man named Ashaka.
"The Abbot is the great Ashaka?" Klea muttered with a look of disbelief on her face.
Ashaka was a famous tyrant that ruled the Mauryan Dynasty before the one currently ruled in this land. He was known for his deed of slaining ten thousand men before becoming a monk.
Knowing the Abbot's age should be more than 200 years if what Klea said was true, Chumo quickly used his [Eye of the Raven] on the former and found him to be a Rank 8 cultivator. This man was a person who was as strong as they were.
While they were busy discussing this, the Abbot addressed and welcomed all the invitees with warm words. He looked towards Emery's group with a smile as he said, "Our Holy Harvest Ritual this time will be a special one, as we are visited by a special group of people."
The Abbot then introduced Emery's group to other invitees, causing waves of discussion among the crowd.
"Like previously the winner will receive the Holy fruit, but on this special event, anyone able to defeat any of these youngsters may bring home our ancient cultivation technique"
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The Abbot's words immediately made the two dozen invitees excited. They all turned their heads toward Emery's group, staring at them with greed.
"Let the Ritual Begin" The Abbot gives a gesture asking which among them five will start first.