Every year, the southern part of Bright Star City was cleared to host the Martial Exchange. It wasn't inside the city, but outside, bordering the Black Wind Wildlands.
There was a reason for that too.
As Ye Jun approached the clearing where the clans had built a structure similar to a stadium, he thought about the Martial Exchange itself.
The event wasn't held just for sect recruitment; it served many purposes. One, and the most obvious, was to decide the ruling areas of each clan.
Then there was also the matter of Black Winter. It didn't impact only the humans, but also Spiritual Beasts. They usually went into hibernation for this short period of time, so once it ended, all of them came out hunting, which created chaos everywhere.
The Black Wind also had weird effects on them, like giving them the urge to reproduce, so the period afterward made their need for food even greater.
This meant a sudden increase in the population of Spiritual Beasts, which created a food shortage.
The winds also affected the powerful Spiritual Beasts, causing them to hunt and devour even more to satisfy their humongous appetites.
This made the weaker Spiritual Beasts move away from the territories of those stronger beasts in fear, hoping for survival.
All of this led to a situation where Bright Star City was surrounded by a huge number of hungry Spiritual Beasts eyeing the hundreds of thousands of people living in the city.
The Festival of Returning Light hid this cruel reality, as it could always be the last thing they did before becoming food for Spiritual Beasts.
'Maybe that's why they celebrate it with so much enthusiasm. They want to go out with happiness.'
But Bright Star City played a crucial role for the Empire, as it connected the Northern States to the rest of the Empire. No one could afford to lose it.
'They can just build it again, but it'll cost a lot to clear the city and rebuild it.'
Hence, the Martial Exchange was held.
The goal was to let the Envoys kill the strong Spiritual Beasts that wandered near the city. As for the weaker ones… they had plans for them too.
'Of course, it isn't that easy. They're a sect, so they won't do this for small things. They thought of everything. Impressive!'
Soon, they reached the stadium, which was made of Black Clover Wood. It was small, but enough to house everyone needed there, especially catering to the Envoys' comfort.
Considering the way the Martial Exchange was held, they didn't need a general audience, and no one from outside would really come to watch. So it was technically a useless effort.
Still, just the people of the three clans, the participants, and their family members made the stadium full and lively. The stadium was already packed.
Ye Jun found many participants either warming up with their gear or standing in groups discussing things, a variety of emotions displayed on their faces. A few people also stood in corners, all alone with aloof expressions on their faces.
He rolled his eyes at their posture. 'The main character syndrome is strong with them.'
There were also three camps, represented by their respective Clan Marks. Since none of these clans were acknowledged by the Imperial Throne, they had Clan Marks instead of Emblems.
Only three clans in the entire North had Emblems, with the Song Clan being the strongest among them.
'What a mess!' Ye Jun thought, looking at all three camps.
The Xia Clan wore bright red robes with a rising sun on their backs. A tall flag with a rising sun showed the camp's identity.
When Ye Jun looked there, he caught sight of Xia Yan, who just happened to look at him as well. She smiled and nodded lightly toward him before looking away.
'Weirdo!' Ye Jun thought.
Of course, anyone being normal with Ye Jun was a weirdo to him. It was simply too odd, especially coming from a prodigy of the Xia Clan.
"Are you sure you didn't fabricate your stories?" Meihui whispered beside him. "Another woman is looking at you."
"It's simply because I'm too handsome. Nothing else," Ye Jun shook his head and looked at the other camps.
The Tang Clan wore ochre-colored robes, with a crane as their Clan Mark. All of them stood neatly, talking quietly with each other while their flag fluttered above their camp.
Lastly, the Ye Clan wore green robes with a leaf symbolizing their Clan Mark. At their center, many people gathered around a single individual who talked to them calmly, but his smug expression said otherwise.
Most of the Elders and adults of the clans were already seated in the stadium, glaring at each other with hostility, while a few stayed in the camps to oversee the participants.
When Ye Jun entered the stadium, nobody noticed him at first, but then more eyes turned toward him until all the Ye Clan members were looking at him.
And the moment their gazes fell on his clothes, all of them turned hostile. He wore blue and white, which was a clear sign of his rebellion against the Ye Clan and the Elders.
It was a direct slap to their faces.
Still, no one stood up to berate him or kill him right there. They all just glared at him with pure hostility. If looks could kill, he would have been dead a hundred times by now.
Of course, Ye Jun couldn't care less about their hostility. He was actually happy seeing their faces, so he just smiled widely and made a crude gesture, which made them even angrier.
Hearing giggles from his side, Ye Jun turned and found Meihui covering her face with the fan. Noticing his gaze, she asked, "What? I can't even be happy now?"
"No, no! Be happier. Actually, I'll give you more reasons to be happier," Ye Jun just laughed it off.
He made sure the Ye Clan saw that.
Then, he noticed a pair of eyes that made rage boil from the bottom of his being. Ye Chen stood there, staring back at him with a provocative grin on his face. His eyes said the words he didn't need to.
'You are dead!'
Ye Jun's lips curled into a cruel smile as he mouthed his words back.
'Bring it on, bastard!'
That wiped the smile off Ye Chen's face, which made Ye Jun laugh even more.