Elder Mengsha rose from her seat.
The crowd's attention shifted to her with the responsive immediacy of disciples who had been trained to attend to elders. She stood at the platform edge, her thick frame commanding, her Nascent Soul cultivation pressing outward in the professional aura of a senior sect figure conducting formal proceedings.
"The ancestor," she said, her voice carrying to the high tier without effort, "has honored this sect with his presence and his willingness to select cultivation companions from among our ranks. The tournament will determine who is worthy of this consideration." She paused. "Selection criteria belong to the ancestor alone. Perform with honesty. Perform with your full ability." A second pause. "Those who posture will be seen through immediately."
This last sentence landed with a weight that most of the assembled disciples recognized, correctly, as coming from personal knowledge.
