This chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, when the three young men are preparing for the martial arts competition. The young men have been preparing for this competition for some time, but they haven't been able to compete successfully. The prize for today's competition is a huge one, and the young men wonder who is going to win it. They decide to go to the top of the mountain and compete, but the young man can't bring himself to do it, so he tells the other men to come down and fight him. They do, and they win again.