Of course, not everyone wanted to keep fighting.
But many things were beyond a person's control. The cultivation world was also a vast arena of fame and profit, its relationships and power blocs tangled like roots. The sects the Suyuan Sect could gather all had ties to one faction or another. Sects that could truly keep to themselves, free of attachments, such as Wandering Rosy Clouds Mountain and Mount Wukang, neither dared nor wished to compete for fame or gain. Even the greatest rewards belonged to others. Once they entered, they had to find somewhere to hide and scrape by until they could leave at the end.
The rewards Victory Spirit Continent offered sects and individuals for good rankings were little more than a gesture. Building Xun Gates for the other continents was the greatest and most valuable reward it provided.
For the sects under each continent, the rewards their own continent offered were the real prize, the rewards that benefited a much broader range of people.
For instance, having a Xun Gate built right on their doorstep.
Once they returned, each continent would certainly reward the sects that had distinguished themselves in the competition. Granting them favorable terms in some area could give a sect the chance to rise an entire tier, far better than some house awarded by the Royal Court.
Without some tempting incentives, which of the sects that entered would be willing to risk their lives?
As long as their name appeared on the roll of merit, taking that record outside meant a future for them within their sect.
Before, they had lacked opportunities or never gotten their turn. Now the opportunity was right before their eyes, a clear and tangible hope, and they had already paid so much for it. Who could easily give up?