I approached the gates and sensed an array, feeling a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. Smiling, I extended my hand and softly touched the array. My hand didn't pass through it; instead, it felt the hard, stone-like texture of the barrier.
Immediately, two presences appeared behind me. I turned around, bowed, and greeted them respectfully, "Junior greets the two honorable Azure Frost Sect Elders!"
The two Azure Frost Sect Elders were female and appeared middle-aged, with some wrinkles at the corners of their eyes, but still quite beautiful. Although they were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the wrinkles probably meant they were close to a hundred years old.
"Why are you here?" asked the woman on the right.
"I'm here to deliver a letter for Lady Song Song," I said, offering them the letter after taking it out of my storage ring.
The Azure Frost Sect Elders were not as intimidated as the Blazing Sun Sect Elder when they heard Song Song's name.
The elder on the left, who hadn't spoken a word, took the letter from my hands and began reading it. Her face was calm like a spring beach, and her cold eyes stared at me after she finished reading.
"I hope you do not do anything stupid and bring shame to the Azure Frost Sect. Until she takes your family name, she is still a disciple of the Azure Frost Sect," she said, her voice a bit raspy, making her sound much older than she looked.
I knew it was a matter of honor to them. I couldn't see Fu Yating as important to the Azure Frost Sect. She was far less significant to them than he was to the Blazing Sun Sect.
"I'm not going to challenge or make an enemy of a power like the Azure Frost Sect," I said, carefully trying to read the elders' reactions. It was tough to tell; these cultivators were too good at maintaining a cold facade. So, to be sure, I added, "Also, Fu Yating is going to be the mother of my children, and that makes her the most important woman in my life. I will not disrespect her in any way."
I understood why they were being cautious. After all, cultivators were not exactly known for having reasonable control over their emotions.
The elder looked at me and nodded, "Good."
Then they turned around and disappeared in a cold mist as if they had never been there. The only sign left behind was that the green grass where they had stood had frozen solid like an icicle.
I turned around and shot away from the Azure Frost Sect's palace. With my mission done, I could return to doing my own thing.
But as I contemplated spending another all-nighter reading, my mind wandered toward the tournament tomorrow. I didn't know all the participants, but Song Song would definitely participate. She had no support from anyone else in the Sect or outside, so I had to be there for her.
…
Tomorrow came faster than I would have liked. Thankfully, nothing was a better sleep aid than training to exhaustion the night before.
I sat on one of the stone stands of an ancient arena that resembled a colosseum. Unlike my last world's ancient and broken Colosseums, this one looked new, with stones cut and polished to make a comfortable, though cold, seating place.
As for the audience filling these seats, most of them wore blue and occupied half of the seats, while the rest were left for our visitors.
In the middle of the Colosseum was a patch of sand, and in the center of that was a circular, marble-white arena the size of a basketball court.
Twenty people were next to the entrance of the arena, all wearing robes representing their Sects. They were going to be the fighters. Among them were Ye An, Song Song, and Song San. The others I mostly couldn't recognize.
Despite the simplicity and calm beauty of the place, what really stood out was the crowd. Though people were talking and jesting, there was an invisible tension in the air, grasping everyone's hearts. However, no one seemed to show it on their faces, as they all smiled and hung out with their friends.
This wasn't just a tournament; it was the closest we would get to an impromptu war.
"You can sense it, right?" my fiancée, the only one wearing a pure white uniform on this side of the stadium, said. "This tension… Do you think they're more likely to go for the kill?"
Fu Yating sat to my left, while my cousins sat to my right, with Liu Bo being closest to me.
"Not all of us are as smart as you are, my dear fiancée," I said in a sarcastic tone, which perhaps came out more biting than I had intended.
My gaze scanned the higher stands opposite the entrance of the Colosseum. Another person wearing a white uniform stood out like a sore thumb. He sat next to a muscular old man with a bald head and a beard like a lion's mane.
Hu Jin… How did he get the favor of someone like Zun Gon? It couldn't have been easy, and the Core Elder must have put quite a lot on the line just to have Hu Jin here. This was an official tournament where the four great sects competed.
It was no use wondering about such things, as it probably would not work for me and made no sense for anyone else to even try.
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"Sorry about that, Fu Yating. My words came out a bit too harsh," I turned toward my fiancée, meeting her dark gaze. She still had the mask of a starry-eyed girl and looked confused when I apologized.
My gaze returned to the higher stands again.
Amid the Core Elders stood a tan-skinned man wearing a red robe. He was the Blazing Sun Sect Leader, and he was expected to be here. But what confused me more was that the Titanic Blade Sect Leader was nowhere to be seen.
Why was that?
I tried to look at the other Elders up there, especially those from other Sects. But there was nothing on their faces except that the Void Piercing Elder, the same woman who had closed the space crack, was staring at Ye An like a hawk.
On the other hand, Ye An glared at Hu Jin with an eerie calm on her face. Meanwhile, Hu Jin was looking around and… he just stared at me.
I smiled and waved at him, which caused the red-haired young man to hurriedly turn and look around.
I was about to look to my left for other noteworthy sights when I was greeted by the innocent-looking face and starry-eyed gaze of my fiancée, who had been staring at me for who knew how long.
Holy shit!—I almost jumped out of my seat.—It was like a jumpscare!
"Ye An, Song San, Sect Leader, some red-haired outer disciple, and the Void Piercing Sect Elder. Even though no one is paying attention to you, you should try not to act so blatantly when spying on someone or staring at them," my fiancée said. Her face was as innocent as ever, and it sounded weird to have someone with such a look in her eyes say something like that.
Before I could respond, the contestants were declared. "From the Blazing Sun Sect, we have Song Song, Ye An, Song San…"
Most of them were people I didn't know, but I still made sure to memorize their faces and names. If they didn't die early, these people were likely going to be the backbones of their Sects in the future.
"The contestants have been examined and tested by specialists provided by the four great sects, who have confirmed that they are all twenty-five years old or younger!" the announcer declared.
After that, it was another babble about ancient traditions and how this tournament was to foster friendship. But the way the disciples looked at each other was anything but friendly.
Even if this was to play into their competition, and somehow I had grown dull at reading other people's intentions, I still knew one thing for sure: Song Song was going for the kill.
"It feels like we are in front of monstrous beasts," said one of the disciples on the edge of the arena from the Void Piercing Sect.
"Wasn't there something in the Monstrous Beast Encyclopedia that said something about monstrous beasts instinctively possessing killing intent?" asked another.
Like many others here, those two were likely friends discussing the tournament. My book had become somewhat famous! Even people from the Void Piercing Sect knew about it. A sense of excitement bubbled in my chest.
I hadn't even officially published the book; I just spread copies in nearby cities during the Beast Wave.
However, the excitement died down when the first fight was declared.
"Song Song of the Blazing Sun Sect versus Kong Ruo of the Void Piercing Sect!"
Since five people from each Sect were fighting, there would be twenty battles in the first round. There was a 10% chance that the first fight would include Song Song, quite a low chance for something to happen.
Did someone tweak this? Were there any disadvantages to going first? Perhaps I was grasping at straws here, but I could never be too careful with these things.
The other contestants exited the arena grounds, leaving only Song Song and another young man. They walked to the arena, with Song Song on one side and the guy on the other.
Kong Ruo was a tall young man with long dark hair tied in a loose ponytail. He had deep, dark eyes and a serious look on his face. He was pretty handsome, though a bit feminine-looking even by xianxia standards.
From what I could sense, he was around Foundation Establishment stage one or two.
Before the fight began, he stared at Song Song and said, "You should give up. The Void Piercing Sect's technique excels in one-on-one combat. I have mastered all of them."
Despite his words, it didn't seem like he had any mocking intentions. He truly believed that Song Song fighting against him was a useless endeavor.
Perhaps he was trying to use this tactic to enrage Song Song? Before we met, she had a berserker-like reputation. Or he could genuinely be a guy trying to save some stamina and not hurt a lady.
Of course, by saying that he just sealed his own death… Well, Song Song was going to go for the kill anyway.
Song Song kept her calm demeanor and did not respond to him in any way.
"Begin!" yelled the announcer.
The guy took out an obsidian-dark spear from his storage ring and twirled it around before getting into a stabbing position.
Song Song created two daggers out of blood, resembling the ones I made from jade. But instead of attacking, she crossed the daggers and looked ready to defend.
This was not like Song Song at all…
However, despite the distance, Kong Ruo stabbed his spear forward. That was when something strange happened right in front of my eyes.
The space twisted like those filters, creating a swirl in front of the camera. With my enhanced senses, it was even scarier than it might seem at first glance.
The air contorted and popped, and something that should have been impossible happened. The spear twisted and curved in ways that made no sense when the man stabbed forward. Even though I was looking at it, I couldn't understand it.
It was as if space was folded, and the world's laws had twisted and changed. No matter what, somehow I knew that attack would land…
Was this a Sky Grade Technique? No, it wasn't at all like what the books said. But it was one of the most unique and complex Earth Grade Techniques around!
Song Song's eyes shifted as she tried to predict where the strike would come from.
Despite her sharp instincts, the attack stabbed her in the shoulder and strangely made no sound as it pierced through flesh. The tip of the spear pierced through and came out of her back.
Song Song's eyes widened, clearly surprised. This was the first time her instincts had failed her despite her best efforts.
I was stunned, too. For the first time since I had met her, Song Song was in a fight where someone had drawn first blood against her. She was no longer fighting some schmuck she could overpower and defeat with pure talent alone. She was up against the cream of the crop from the Void Piercing Sect. In many ways, these people were equal to, or perhaps even better than, her.
For the first time since meeting her, I felt anxious about Song Song's well-being in a direct fight. These contestants didn't have to hold themselves back from killing.
Song Song had always been this undefeatable mountain in my eyes, constantly improving every day. But I just got a reality check: Song Song wasn't the only talented person out there.
"That is the signature technique of the Void Piercing Sect," said my cousin Liu Bo; for once, his smiling visage was replaced by a frown. "It is an undodgeable technique, and no one can block it. The attack will always hit its target. In single combat, it is undefeatable."
I was okay with her losing as long as she came out of this alive.
But suddenly, a chuckle reverberated through the field, and what I had feared all along turned out to be true.
Song Song revealed a gnarly smile as she reached to grab the spear on her shoulder, but the weapon withdrew in a flash, leaving her with a gaping wound.
The chuckles slowly turned into maniacal laughter. Song Song seemed to have grown excited at the prospect of fighting someone who could be considered her equal.