Sorry for the delays. I hadn't intended to take this long on this chapter, but things came up. Hopefully things should start speeding up again, and I can get back onto a chapter every 3 days or so. As always, if you spot any problems (grammar or otherwise) let me know so I can address it. Thanks for reading.

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  I took a seat once more, looking at the Governor who went from staring at the platinum bak, to looking intently at me. There was a burning desire in his eyes, and I knew he wouldn't let the money in front of him slip away. People in the crowd nearby were chattering intently as I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs with a slow confidence. I smiled as he looked at me eagerly.

The show seemed to stall as people were running around down in the pits, and on the arena floor. After a few minutes two guards showed up escorting the young Ethan, who had been stripped out of his armor and was looking around nervously wearing nothing more than a loin cloth. I noticed that there wasn't a blemish on his skin, and I frowned. If he had been training for the arena, I would have expected to see bruises at the very least, if not scars. His skin was pale, like it ha dn't seen the light of day for months...The boy had been sent into the arena to die for some reason. I looked Ethan over, and then smiled.

Ethan stared at me like a deer caught in headlights. His body immediately tensed as he held his hands in front of him, grasping at the thin cloth covering him nervously. Something about it struck me as funny, and I barely suppressed a giggle. Biting my lip, and clearing my throat I motioned to the young elf. “Come have a seat.” I said motioning to the spot beside me on the small bench.

The young man sat beside me, his hands staying in his lap, while his shoulders stayed tense. I wasn't sure I could get a read on him. He seemed relieved, I was sure, for avoiding a death sentence, but something was making him nervous. I reached down and patted his thigh reassuringly, and glancing up at the Governor who was looking at me with a wide grin. “I take it Mr. Sannis agreed to the sale?” I asked, causing him to blink.

He smiled and laughed, “Ahh, yes. The sale was agreed to by the men, though I assume there will be questions about the period of service. Sannis said that he would meet with you after the tournament to work out the specifics, but it's more or less a formality. Sannis most likely is just waiting until he can retrieve the contracts.” the Governor said

I nodded, and glanced up at the rest of the room. The constant stream of conversation had died down, and my mother was staring at me with a grin on her face that I couldn't quite place. “I look forward to the meeting.” I said with a smile. Pulling my hand from Ethan's lap, I removed my cloak and handed it to him. The weather was warm enough, but I looked like he could use some cover, and it would have to do until we could shop for something. I stepped to the bannister overlooking the arena, and bent forward, the silk of my skirt whipping around my spread legs in the breeze.

As I leaned down further I could see an Asian looking man in his thirties or forties stepping onto the field. He was dressed in a set of black silk pants and shirt with a white sash wrapped around his waist. There looked to be a dragon stitched into the sash, and I could detect a hint of magic on it. At a guess from the construction it seemed to physically inhibit him...maybe this world's version of a weight set?

Name: Shen Yu

Race: Human (Immortal)

Age: 755

Sex: Male

Class: Warrior 20, Martial Artist 280,

Subclass: Dragon-Warrior 170

Profession: Alchemist 80,

Strength: 2520

Dexterity: 4510

Endurance: 3830

Intelligence: 305

Power: 8080

Luck: 100

Health: 46500 HP Health Regen: 383 HP/day

Mana: 3050 MP Mana Regen: 808 MP/Day

Ki: 10880 Ki Recovery: 450/day

Skills:

Alchemy: 390/400

Athletics: 290/400

Calligraphy: 325/400

Climbing: 300/400

Gardening: 334/400

Herbalism: 274/400

Horsemanship: 267/400

Instrument:

-Guqin: 340/400

-Flute: 305/400

Lore: 284/400

Medicine: 365/400

Persuasion: 135/400

Sailing: 150/400

Survival: 299/400

Swimming: 264/400

Weiqi: 385/400

Woodworking 302/400

Combat Skills:

Kung Fu: 400/400

Tai Chi: 325/400

Xing Quan: 360/400

Heaven's Emperor Form: 290/400

Lu Jiao Dao: 190/400

Sanjiegun: 244/400

Hu Die Dao: 305/400

Staff: 224/400

Blessings: Battle Blessed, Dragon's Soul

Traits: Body of the Dragon, Limitless Form

“HOLY SHIT!” I yelled out immediately straightening as I looked at the man down on the field. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The martial artist down in the arena had managed to break whatever rules seemed to govern 'stats' in this world...Not that I could say with assurance what exactly was possible, but I hadn't seen anything like it so far. I wasn't sure what it all meant, but I knew that the man down in the arena could have easily killed every other challenger down there. I knew from experience that martial artists could boost their stats, but nothing I was seeing made me thing he had actually activated that ability.

I looked back to see everyone staring at me again, though this time with looks of concern. I smiled sheepishly realizing my outburst, before clearing my throat. “Sorry...I was just surprised...” I said looking back down at Shen Yu. As I watched the first challenger walked onto the field, a level 60 gladiator. The gladiator was wielding a longsword in one hand, and was dressed in studded leathers. He moved gracefully across the intervening distance between him and his opponent. Shen Yu just stood passively until the gladiator's blade swung down on him, catching it between the fingers of one hand.

The gladiator growled, and began pulling at the blade as Shen Yu stood immobile, neither his hand nor the blade budging an inch. The gladiator released a palpable aura as his muscles bulged, repeating what I assumed was a warrior's buff I had seen before. He pulled leaned back and tried to kick at Yu's chest, but the martial artist just stood there. The entire crowd began roaring, quiet a few calling it a 'joke' or an 'act'. The gladiator dropped his foot, and a knife appeared from somewhere, which he tried to slam into Yu's sternum.

The blade bent with the force, but Shen Yu just stared down at the man assaulting him. Suddenly a pressure began to wash over the entire Amphitheater. Energy washed around me, causing my blood to boil and my body to tense. The stone bannister cracked in my grip as I forced myself to calm. Shen Yu's attention suddenly shifted from the gladiator in front of him, as his gaze went directly to me. Everything seemed to slow down as I saw the flow of ki on his body become visceral in the air, like liquid light burning around him.

In a flash the air exploded outward with a crack, and the next thing anyone saw was the body of the gladiator being knocked more than a hundred yards across the arena. Stone exploded as he struck the inner wall of the arena caving it in and toppling a portion of the audience into the debris. I could see magic seals and wards, obviously meant to protect against the battles of wizards, buckling in an instant. The response in the crowd was immediate as the dust kicked up. Off to the side magic shields and wards began appearing, but they were being suppressed by Shen Yu's battle aura.

The gladiators in the pit began fleeing and pushing their way past guards while people in the crowd screamed and rushed for the exit. I stared in shock, confused at the entire display. My attention was pulled from the destruction to see two guards pulling at my arm, trying to get me out of harms way. They were moving slowly as I watched them, the dust their feet had kicked up still hanging in the air. I hadn't noticed at first, but my Ki had started exerting itself under the onslaught of Shen Yu's battle aura. Much like Shen Yu, I was standing completely unmoved while armed men pulled at me with all of their strength. Down in the arena Shen Yu looked up at me, his eyes locking onto mine, and he smiled.

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“Now now! There's no reason to be alarmed! It's just a show of martial strength!” the Governor said, trying to calm the crowd of nobles who were rushing for the door. Apparently they had a strong sense of self preservation. Just the possibility of an assault put them into a panic. Or perhaps it was the battle aura. It wasn't driving me to fear, but it had set my mind on edge, like I was in the middle of an adrenaline rush.

“Charles wouldn't have panicked.” I muttered, looking down at Shen Yu. He flickered and disappeared from the arena for a moment, reappearing next in front of me. My quick sight barely caught the shift in position as he came up over the banister, my eyes more or less following his shadow. He stared at me for a few minutes with cold interest, while people around us rushed for the exit. Their bodies were twisting, as tables were knocked to the ground, glasses of wine clattering in slow motion. It took me a moment to realize that minutes weren't passing, only fractions of a second. As I forced my senses back into the normal flow of time Shen Yu grinned.

“It appears I have no more challengers.” Shen Yu said with a bit of an odd accent, turning his attention on the Governor. “Which means the prize is mine.” he said with a smile.

“Um...Yes...Of Course...” Governor Larousse said backing away, holding up his hands. “My apologies...Ur, I mean there were more matches planned, you see...with the other fighters.” he said nervously.

“Ahh, but if none are willing to challenge me, then I win by default...regardless of the outcome.” Shen Yu said, taking a seat across from Ethan, who was frozen in either confusion or panic. Shen Yu glanced back in my direction and seemed to be appraising me. “I can sense a good amount of Ki...but none of the other hallmarks of cultivation.” he said staring at me like the rest of the world didn't matter. “And...something of the divine. Do you walk the path of the heavens? Strange for one so young.” he said tapping a finger on the arm rest of his chair.

Shen Yu glanced again, seemed to realize something, and then as suddenly as it had appeared his battle aura faded. “Sorry, you caught me by surprised.” he said, cracking a smile at me. The sense of panic in the grand amphitheater dissipated, the screaming dying down as confusion set in. The nobility gathered in the governor's seating area had crowded the exit. Only a few stragglers were settled at the back. My mother was watching from nearby, holding a sword that had appeared out of nowhere...probably taken from one of the guards.

“It's alright.” I said clearing my throat, “I think everyone was.” I said forcing a smile, as I looked over at my mother. The tip of her blade came down, but her grip didn't loosen any.

Shen Yu started laughing and shaking his head. “Right. Of course.” he said looking at governor Larousse again. The governor began fishing out stacks of gold cintas from a box, trying to regain his composure. “I had intended to prolong the fighting a bit, but their showing here is poor. I had thought you were going to be a challenger for a moment...” he said leaning back and considering.

“I hope you didn't kill that man.” I said simply, glancing back at the wrecked wall across the arena. The arena guards were already in the process of pulling people from the debris as we spoke.

“Hrm?” Shen Yu asked confused, and then turned his gaze toward the broken wall. “He looks like he'll live. I wrapped him in ki when I threw him. Though I'm surprised you'd care. I thought the people of these lands enjoyed death matches.” he said raising an eyebrow.

I stared at him for a moment. “I value life, Shen Yu. When I came I had assumed this would be a show of skill, not a crass display of brutality and blood.” I said coldly.

Shen Yu grinned as he stared at me. “Well, no one's called me that in a very long time.” he said, his gaze boring into me. As I realized my mistake I put a hand on my forehead and groaned. “Interesting...Very interesting.” he said. I could feel a thin layer of his ki roll over me as he 'probed'. “No...Not a master...a prodigy, and one with the divine spark...and something of the primal.” he said looking at me.

My mother rushed to my side, interposing herself between the two of us, causing Shen Yu to smile again. “Ahh, I see. You must be her mother.” he said, looking my mother up and down. He looked at the sword in her hand, and held up one of his own. “Please, relax. I am no threat to you or your daughter.” he said.

My mothers hand snaked out and grabbed my arm, pulling me forward. “Come on Faith, we're leaving.” she said as she tried to get me to the exit. I grasped Ethan and pulled him with me, causing the boy to stumble to the ground. Meanwhile Shen Yu just watched and smiled.

“Ahhh...Your winnings.” the Governor said, placing the stacks of gold beside Shen Yu, but he kept watching me intently.

“Wait!” Shen Yu said standing up, causing my mother to tense again. Ethan stumbled forward over my cloak, which had been sitting in his lap before I dragged him from his seat. The elven boy fell into me, and I gripped his lower back, pulling him close and out of the way between me and Shen Yu. The foreign martial artist looked at me and grinned again. “Wait...don't flee. Forgive my behavior.” he said placing his hands together in front of him. “I have a proposal for you, if you would spare me a few moments.” he said.

My mother stepped between the two of us again, still suspicious, though his change in demeanor looked to be calming her. I looked around the room, and arena, thoughtfully. “Come to the Castle Caliburn. Ask for the Countess of Montevue.” I said weakly. “This would seem to be a bad time to discuss proposals.” I said, looking back at the Governor, who was staring at the emptying arena with mild horror. “Thank you Governor Larousse. I appreciate the invitation today, and look forward to more in the future.” I said with a smile.

“Have a wonderful day Governor Larousse, and please feel free to visit us anytime.” my mother said after me, pushing me toward the exit. I pulled Ethan with me as we made our way back down the stairs, and out of the stadium. As we exited into the street, I saw Aisha and Lily running toward us. Mother started waving down the driver for our carriage, which was stuck behind a half dozen others. People were still 'escaping' from the area, the dissipation of Shen Yu's battle aura obviously not making the crowd any more eager to stick around.

“Faith! Jasmine! Are you two all right?” Aisha asked as mother began pushing us into the carriage. I made sure Ethan, Lily and Aisha got in before me, while mother shut the door behind us. The carriage was more densely packed than on our trip here, and I was pushed onto Ethan's lap while Aisha dropped a backpack she was carrying onto the floor. “What happened?” she asked.

“Sorry Aisha...I was just so scared.” Mother said, leaning over to hug me, pressing me uncomfortably into Ethan.

“Ugh...” I said trying to readjust my seat, the thin silk fabric of my skirt riding up on something. “Mom, I'm fine!” I said as she gripped me close.

Lily raised an eyebrow, and then looked at my seat cushion. “Wow! Who's the pretty boy?” she asked. Lily leaned over and stared at the boy behind me like a predator, grinning wildly.

“Faith bought him. Paid a pretty cintas for him too.” Mother said, leaning back, and releasing me from her grip.

“Oh! Well, I can't blame her. He's gorgeous.” Lily said, still smirking. “Can I borrow him when you're not playing with him?” she asked me.

I glared at Lily, “He's not a toy Lily.” I said irritated.

“If you say so.” Lily said looking down at his lap. “Perhaps a bed warmer?” she asks with a grin.

Aisha started giggling, which caused my mother to start laughing. Ethan blushed and started squirming under me, while Aisha just reached out and hugged me. “So, tell me what happened...” she said.