Seeing that Koinu Jun'ichirō had already gone far away, Elder Nangong said loudly, "Alright, let's continue. Now that the top three in the Martial Arts Tournament have been determined, we should give out the rewards."
Then, Elder Nangong waved his hand, and the twenty-five brocade boxes on the platform behind him flew into the air and opened their lids. Instantly, the air above was filled with the aura of weapons.
A total of twenty-five top-quality weapons were revealed, of all kinds.
The Grandmaster present couldn't help but marvel at the grand scale of the three sects.
These are all top-tier weapons, and they're not easy to come by. There aren't many top-tier weapons circulating in the Jianghu these days.
Forging a top-quality weapon can take at least three months if it's fast, and up to half a year if it's slow.
Besides, blacksmiths who can forge top-quality weapons are not easy to find. Even the most diligent blacksmiths can only forge two or three top-quality weapons a year at most.
The fact that the three sects can casually offer twenty-five top-quality weapons as rewards demonstrates just how deep their foundation is.
When everyone saw that the rewards included top-tier weapons, they thought the Three Sects would just give them away. They never expected the Three Sects to actually deliver. This deepened the awe and respect the Grandmaster held for the Three Sects.
In fact, this is one of the three sects' purposes. Otherwise, why would they go to such great lengths to hold this Martial Arts Tournament? Is it just to take on a few disciples?
And also help the major powers expand themselves? Divide their spheres of influence among them?
To put it bluntly, the main purpose of the Martial Arts Tournament held by the three sects this time is to intimidate other major forces, including by bringing out top-quality weapons.
Let them all see how generous and profound the three sects are, taking these top-grade weapons so easily, and even producing twenty-five of them at once.
This is a silent deterrent. Besides, the entire Great Qian Dynasty is supporting the Three Sects. How many top-grade weapons could the Three Sects possibly want?
Another objective is to unite various forces to eliminate the Martial Prohibition Hall in different regions first, so that the three sects can proceed with their next plan.
To get the major powers to contribute money and manpower, both inducement and intimidation are necessary; neither can be dispensed with. The rewards for this Martial Arts Tournament are a combination of intimidation and inducement.
The three sects certainly knew that most of those rewards would end up in the hands of the major powers, rather than in the hands of the participating martial artists.
The top twenty-five young martial artists had no idea what the Grandmaster present were thinking. They were just staring at the top-quality weapons in mid-air with shining eyes, wishing they could go up and choose their favorites.
"Let's begin the selection process, everyone!" Elder Nangong announced.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu leaped to the front of the twenty-five brocade boxes, casually picked up a large knife, examined it, and then felt the blade with his hand.
Feeling that it wasn't as good as the half-finished broadsword he had obtained from the secret realm, he put it back. The martial artists who used swords breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Jiang Liu put the broadsword back.
Jiang Liu picked up a longsword next to him and examined it, as if he had never used a longsword before, before putting it back. He then looked at several other weapons but found none to his liking.
Suddenly, Jiang Liu spotted a small, exquisite dagger. He picked it up, examined it, and discovered that it was also of exceptional quality. Overjoyed, he picked up the brocade box and found two more daggers underneath. It was a set of three!
Jiang Liu picked up the brocade box containing the dagger, nodded to Elder Nangong, and returned to Old Man Luo's side.
Seeing that Jiang Liu had made his choice, Elder Nangong gestured to Chen Yuke immediately flew to the swords she had chosen and began to pick them up.
Before long, Chen Yuke had also made her choice, and then it was Zheng Yunxiu's turn. Unsurprisingly, Zheng Yunxiu also chose a longsword. Then they picked out their favorites one by one.
Soon, the top twenty-five had all chosen their weapons, and the last one was left with only a hammer. Even if he wasn't satisfied, he had no choice but to accept it, since he was the last one to be chosen!
After choosing their weapons, the top three will then have the opportunity to select one of the three sects to join them. At the same time, the three sects will choose their most satisfactory disciple from among the three.
Immediately, the elders representing the three sects all looked at Jiang Liu. Tianming spoke first, saying, "Young Brother Jiang, now that you've won first place, would you be interested in joining my Haotian Sect?"
Elder Yuchi Yue of the Star Moon Sect also spoke up, saying, "Young Brother Jiang, our Star Moon Sect also welcomes you."
Elder Nangong looked Jiang Liu up and down before saying to Jiang Liu, "Jiang Liu, the Flowing Cloud Art of my Flowing Cloud Sect should be very suitable for you to cultivate."
Jiang Liu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The reward for the top ten is to choose a secret manual from the Three Sects Martial Arts Pavilion. Does this conflict with which Sects you join?"
Elder Nangong shook his head and said, "There is no conflict. Even if you join my Flowing Cloud Sect, you can still choose unique skills from Haotian Sect."
Jiang Liu thought for a moment. If he joined one of them, he could also learn the unique skills of the other Sects. Wouldn't that mean he could learn the unique skills of two Sects?
He wondered if Sects he hadn't joined would allow him to learn their most powerful techniques. Jiang Liu then looked at Elder Tianming, and then at Elder Yuchi and Elder Nangong.
The other young martial artists looked at Jiang Liu with envy, wishing they could be sought after by the three sects like Jiang Liu.
Chen Yuke and Zheng Yunxiu, on the other hand, had indifferent expressions, because they could both join the Sects they wanted.
Jiang Liu thought for a moment and then asked Elder Nangong, "Elder Nangong, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Elder Nangong looked at Jiang Liu with curiosity and said, "Oh? Tell me about it?"
"I'd like to know if the Thundercloud Art is related to your Flowing Cloud Art?" Jiang Liu asked.
"Thundercloud Art is a prerequisite skill for our Flowing Cloud Art. It has been scattered throughout the Jianghu for a long time and is used for selecting disciples. You have learned it? No wonder I always felt a familiar feeling in your vital energy. It seems you want to join my Flowing Cloud Sect."
Jiang Liu nodded and said, "I choose the Flowing Cloud Sect." Then he turned to Tianming and said, "I'm sorry, Elder Tianming, I choose the Flowing Cloud Sect."
Tianming nodded in understanding and said nothing more.
Then Jiang Liu apologized to Elder Yuchi nodded knowingly.
Then it was Chen Yuke and Zheng Yunxiu's turn to choose Sects. Zheng Yunxiu chose the Star Moon Sect, while Chen Yuke chose the Haotian Sect. Both Sects accepted them.
The top ten then chose which sect they wanted to select their ultimate techniques from.
Jiang Liu chose to go to the Star Moon Sect to learn their ultimate techniques because he wanted to learn the Star Moon Flowing Fire Art. He just didn't know if the Star Moon Sect would be willing to let him learn it. However, if they weren't willing, he could choose other ultimate techniques, just at a lower level.
With this, the National Martial Arts Tournament officially came to an end.
The Grandmaster present began to leave one after another with their juniors. As for those who wanted to go to the three sects to select their ultimate techniques, they could go on their own or go with the elders of the three sects.
The top three must first go to the Qiancheng outpost with the three sect elders to obtain identity tokens before they can freely enter and exit; otherwise, it will be troublesome.
Afterwards, Jiang Liu bid farewell to Old Man Luo, Mo Han, and Qiu Tian, and then left with Elder Nangong. The crowd around the arena also quickly dispersed.
All that remains is a scene of devastation, telling the legendary tale of the Jiang Liu that unfolded here.
Soon, news of Jiang Liu winning first place in the inaugural Martial Arts Tournament spread throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty.
Before long, Jiang Liu's reputation for taking on twenty-four opponents single-handedly spread throughout the entire martial arts Jianghu.