Have You Joined the Tang Sect?

The referee sat down on the raised platform beside the arena, opened the roster in his hand, glanced at the two contestants' numbers, then looked up.

"Both contestants, take your positions."

The young man walked to his position and stood facing Situ Xuan from ten meters away. His right hand hung at his side, fingers slightly curled, his fingertips less than three inches from the hilt at his waist.

It was a stance that allowed him to draw his blade at any moment. It was not deliberately posed, but an instinct carved into his bones through years of blade practice—whenever he stood, his hand was always near the hilt.

Situ Xuan looked at his blade.

He was not looking at the character "Tang" on the scabbard. He was watching the man's stance, his breathing, the distance between his fingers and the hilt. There was no ripple in those indifferent eyes, as though he were looking at a tree, a stone, something utterly insignificant.

Then he spoke.

"Have you joined the Tang Sect?"

The young man froze for a moment.

His brows furrowed slightly. His gaze lingered on Situ Xuan's face for an instant, as if trying to determine what lay behind that question. He did not know this man, nor did he know why he was asking.

In the Star Luo Empire, joining the Tang Sect was an immense honor, an opportunity countless Soul Masters could never attain even after striving their entire lives.

The Tang Sect's Star Luo Empire branch had been rooted there for thousands of years. Most of its disciples were locals, and at Monster Academy, the finest academy in the Star Luo Empire, nearly every student with exceptional potential and strength was a Tang Sect disciple.

This was not something that needed to be hidden.

It