"The Global Cultivator Tournament has officially been confirmed to take place in our China, in Lingcheng Now, we need to choose a suitable site for the competition."
"There are no limits on cultivation stage or experience. It's open to all cultivators, and the risks involved are higher than ever. To avoid harming bystanders, I suggest we hold it far from any populated areas."
"Team Leader Zhao, do you have any recommendations?"
"If it's in Lingcheng, the only viable location is the Yunwu Mountain Nature Reserve. But why was Lingcheng chosen in the first place?"
"The other countries want to see the homeland of the world's strongest cultivator. They think the place itself must be a land of spiritual fortune. We proposed other locations, but none of them passed. In exchange, they agreed to let the host country have full authority over the competition rules. Other countries only get voting rights."
"In that case, we should probably inform Master Song ahead of time. Let's not have foreign participants disturbing her peace."
"And if she's willing to join the tournament, that would be ideal."
…
Watching all of this through her little paper servant, Song Miaozhu sat in silence.
Ever since the spiritual tide began, cultivators had been living far too comfortably. A few years ago, they held a tournament for new-generation cultivators. Now they were planning a full-scale global tournament—and they actually wanted to hold it in Lingcheng?
The SEIU had tested her bottom line so many times before they finally settled into this current, mutually respectful relationship. Foreigners? They wouldn't be nearly as restrained.
Song Miaozhu could already imagine how many people would come poking around Xiaozhu Mountain.
So when Zhao Huoyan came to ask for her opinion, she gave a single sentence:
"I'm not participating in the Global Cultivator Tournament. If anyone tries to trespass on Xiaozhu Mountain during the event, let them come. But their life and death will be their own responsibility. Don't expect me to release anyone in the name of international friendship."
Not a single reward from the tournament interested her. Participating would only expose her spiritual items for no gain. Worse, it would waste time she could spend cultivating. She would have to be a fool to agree.
Zhao Huoyan relayed her message word for word to the committee.
"If Master Song isn't participating, our chances of winning first place are shaky. The top cultivators from the US, Europe, and even Japan have already reached or surpassed Master Yu's level."
"High cultivation is important, but it's not everything. Master Yu hasn't made any dangerous spiritual items and his combat ability is just average. He's not our ace."
"True. Dangerous spiritual items will be the key to victory."
"What about Master Song's condition?"
"Add it directly into the competition rules. If the other countries don't agree, let them host it themselves. I'm not eager to have them absorbing our local spiritual energy anyway."
…
Song Miaozhu didn't bother watching after that.
She'd rather spend the time making more paper crafts to protect Xiaozhu Mountain.
Eventually, the SEIU's proposed rules were approved.
Once the host country, competition site, and rule set were finalized, the Global Cultivator Association officially announced the event: the first Global Cultivator Tournament would be held two years from now in the Yunwu Mountain Nature Reserve of China's Lingcheng.
Every nation began preparing with full force.
The SEIU promptly sealed off the designated mountain region and began building the tournament site.
Local SEIU teams also started selecting contestants based on the tournament rules and format, organizing internal matches to determine their final rosters.
This year's tournament would be held in team format.
Each country could field one team of five cultivators. Participants could only bring spiritual items they personally crafted. The entire tournament would be streamed live to a global audience.
Although Song Miaozhu wouldn't be competing, she still managed to earn a tidy profit.
The SEIU commissioned her to craft a batch of spiritual paper dragon mounts for emergency rescues during the event, offering a generous price.
She also received several pre-orders for her Paper Vine Blossoms, though those wouldn't be delivered until right before the tournament.