Moreover, seventy thousand martial arts practitioners from the Martial League were also dispatched to lend a hand to uphold security at the center.
In addition, the Armored Corps had strategically withdrawn the majority of their units ten miles away to guarantee a smooth running of both events. They were also prepared to take swift action to quash any disturbances during the matches in the instance of any unforeseen incidents.
In the distance, convoys of cars could be seen traveling through the designated routes as they approached the venue. These convoys were prepared particularly for taking participants from different organizations to the events.
When the crowd exited the car, a receptionist wearing a staff badge greeted them. “Good morning, we’re the staff in charge of the competition. Please come with us to the lounge.”
After making an inviting gesture, the staff member began to walk forward. Even though this passage was intended solely for the participating representatives, it was packed.
People had begun crossing the corridor one after the other, which was thirty feet wide and nearly seventy feet high, and officers from the Martial League’s security team were positioned around every twenty feet along the sides of the passage.
The competitors could be divided roughly into three groups. Representatives from powerful families or factions made up the first group, those from hidden sects formed the second, and people from the private sector created the third.
The majority of those who were taking part were from the private sector, followed by those from powerful families. There weren’t many representatives from the hidden sects-including Matthew, there were barely twenty of them present.
Of course, this was mostly caused by the fact that many disciples of hidden sects specialized in martial arts, therefore lacking in medical knowledge. Additionally, certain hidden sects either loathed or possessed no desire to take part in such events, which also contributed to their current predicament.
Besides, the three factions were not particularly cordial with one another. To be eligible for the Holy Doctor Competition, representatives from the private sector must successfully navigate through a selection procedure that began with local competitions before advancing to regionals and then the national selections.
However, some slots were set aside for recommendations by influential organizations and hidden sects, making them able to participate without having to undergo any form of the selection process as long as they had submitted a letter of recommendation, resulting in disputes and conflicts.
The competitors from the private sector regarded the representatives with power and influence as unfit candidates who were dependent on underhanded methods, while the representatives from important families viewed the others as outsiders seeking to make their mark amongst themselves.
At the same time, both sides harbored resentment for the hidden sects. After all, how were those country bumpkins supposed to compete with them?
It was only for the occasion that these disputes were put aside temporarily.
The disciples from the hidden sect, including Matthew, acted like people from the countryside or even the mountains on their first trip to the city. With most of them peering about in amazement while pointing in a particular direction, the other participants were inevitably drawn to the commotion.
In addition, there were several stunning and elegant people in their midst who garnered attention from spectators, such as Lola, whose every step exuded grace. Either way, many competitors gave Matthew and the others unpleasant looks as they passed, presumably out of jealousy or even genuine contempt.
However, as the Martial League’s security team was vigilantly monitoring everything inside the passage, any malicious troublemakers would be removed from the event and disqualified, and each person kept themselves from being excessively outrageous due to this.
All of the representatives had already arrived with just one hour until the commencement of the Holy Doctor Competition. However, a fourth group of competitors showed up just as the representatives were enthusiastically getting ready for the competition.
Under the watchful gaze of the spectators, a flag sporting the shape of a cherry blossom fluttered in the wind. Behind it, a group of arrogant competitors from Emsgate followed.
At the jarring sight, the competitors from the private sector grumbled disdainfully amongst themselves.
“Where did these fools get the nerve to join our country’s Holy Doctor Competition?”
“No idea. Do they think they stand a chance?”
“Look at how arrogant they are even though they’re here to lose. They really don’t know their place.”
After hearing the conversation, the representatives with influence added, “Since they want to be at the bottom, why should we stop them?”
“Just think of it as humoring the fools. We’ll drill some sense into them later.”
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