The swordsages wanted the best of the best, and their process was different than when sects recruited disciples. The qualifications were stricter. What was more, the process was divided into two phases.0

In the first phase, the participants fought for the mere right to join the event. That section eliminated the vast majority of disciples, limiting how many people made it to the second phase. At the moment, there were 2,793 disciples from various sects who had come from all over Emperor-Receiving Prefecture in the hopes of taking advantage of this once-a-decade opportunity.2

In order to proceed to the next phase, they had to get into the top ten. Only ten people would participate in the second phase, and that was because only very special people were wanted.2

The finale was like a pilgrimage that all current swordsages would participate in. As per tradition, only a few people would succeed, to maintain the solemnity of the event. These recruitment assessments happened every ten years, and in the end, five people were selected. Three of them would be official swordsages, two would be adjunct swordsages.12

The official swordsages were full swordsages, who wielded a command sword and were blessed by a Grand Emperor. They were true swordsages, recognized as orthodox by all heaven and earth.2

The adjunct swordsages did not...1