“Now pay close attention, Auslen.” Victor signaled from across Liliane for Auslen to look toward the arena, his tone impassioned as he continued, “I don't blame you for possibly misjudging my strength, but you should know that I’m even stronger than your Mentor Michail down there.”

Auslen didn’t comment on his statement, showing no interest in the discussion.

Misinterpreting Auslen’s silence as disbelief, Victor gritted his teeth. “Trust me! He’ll lose to that Cathal even worse than I—”

“Move aside. You’re in my seat.”

The irritation from being interrupted by Irene didn’t stop Victor from obediently scooting to the right, leaving an empty spot between him and the laughing Liliane for Irene to seat herself.

“And stop lying to your Junior Brother,” Irene continued before laughing in Auslen’s direction.

“Unless Michail doesn’t retaliate and lets this guy whack at him repeatedly with that oversized sword of his...Well, let’s just say that your Senior Brother Victor is still a ways away from beating him.”

“You’re underestimating me a little too much, aren’t you? You know I’ve mastered more Martial Techniques than him. You’re discriminating against you own brother!”

Technically, Victor wasn’t lying. Aside from his Black Tier Crimson Blade Technique, his mastery over an abundant number of Yellow Tier Martial Techniques was one of his strong points. He was a frequent visitor to the Palace of Methods and Techniques, which partially explained his perpetual lack of Merit Points.

Irene glanced at Victor disdainfully. “And yet, you’re up here, in the stands, and Michail’s down there, in the arena.”

Victor scoffed, but wisely abstained from arguing further.

For a brief moment, Auslen regarded Irene, taking in the subconscious raising of the corners of her lips, the slight squinting of her eyes, the slow bat of her long lashes when she blinked.

With Auslen’s mature gaze, it wasn’t tough to discern the pleasure hidden underneath her otherwise annoyed expression.

Retrieving his glance, Auslen turned his eyes back to the imminent match, unconcerned over what about her conversation with Aiden made her so happy. As long as her elation didn’t involve him, Auslen couldn’t care less.

Unfortunately, Auslen still couldn’t shake the persistent twinge of uncertainty in his heart.

…

“You may begin.”

Following the refereeing Elder’s command, Michail was calm and composed when Profound Qi rushed through his Dao Roots.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

The air around his legs vibrated as he rushed forward, boots thudding against the metal arena like repeated strikes of a hammer.

At the same time, Cathal’s relaxed smile widened excitedly. With a quick lunge forward, his body curled as he clenched both his fists below his rib cage. The large tendons on his body began to pulsate, and faint sounds of bowstrings rang, gushing with ferocity.

Knuckles protruding, his clenched fists shot forward with a burst of air from underneath his stomach, piercing towards Michail’s chest like the horns of a savage bull!

Unperturbed, Michail’s shoulder-length, brunette hair undulated as he arrived in front of Cathal. He gently swung his shortsword horizontally to meet the incoming fists.

Cathal’s arms shuddered right before his fists met with the sharp blade, shifting his attack trajectory instantly. His arms curved with disconcerting fluidity to dodge underneath the blade by a hair’s breadth, the rest of his tall upper body following suit.

Puff.

But just before his fists made contact with Michail’s chest, they were silently blocked by Michail’s buckler shield. The force behind Cathal’s punch was drained away, transferring harmlessly through Michail’s body before shooting out the pores in his back in a burst of hot air and Qi, causing Michail’s hair and Outer Sect robe to flap wildly.

Whoosh!

Stomping from his lunged foot, Cathal backflipped away from Michail’s second slash before landing with his body flushed with the ground. Head raised, his teeth were bared into a grin even wider than before.

Utilizing his hands and feet, his body twisted and writhed like a large, agile snake. His speed was extraordinarily fast, slithering sinisterly towards Michail without a sound.

Michail’s shortsword shot out repeatedly, releasing countless incorporeal blades. But none of his attacks could make purchase on Cathal’s contorting figure.

Then, Cathal’s snake-like body vanished from Michail’s view.

Taking advantage of Michail’s blind spot during one of his thrusts, Cathal arrived behind his back. In a split second, his extremities exerted strength, and he launched himself off the ground towards Michail’s backside. His arms and legs were soft and flexible, reaching out with intentions of coiling around Michail in a stranglehold.

Those intentions dissipated in an instant once he saw the suddenly searing red blade piercing towards his chest from over Michail’s shoulder.

Just as Cathal felt a burning heat infiltrating his skin, Profound Qi erupted from his Dantian, stimulating his spine to perform a sudden whipping motion, allowing him to alter his trajectory just enough to escape the unexpected attack, sailing over Michail’s head to land back in front of his opponent.

Faint embers and smoke could be seen rising from Cathal’s chest, but he retained his delight as he expeditiously closed the distance between them once more.

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…

Profound Qi was incessantly being circulated through Auslen’s meridians and into his pupils, but he still found it a strenuous exercise to catch a decent amount of what was occurring down on the stage.

Although Auslen’s martial experience mainly involved his sparring with Nathaniel, both Michail and Cathal’s rich combat sense was still apparent to him.

Michail’s moves were not explosive or all that powerful, but his control over his Profound Qi was impressive, considering how quickly he alternated between Martial Techniques. From what Auslen could comprehend, Michail had comfortably utilized at least three Black Tier Martial Techniques.

Cathal was excellent in a similar regard, on the other hand. His unique, bestial Martial Techniques were novel in Auslen’s eyes, as he was unaware the human body could move in such interesting and almost grotesque ways.

Eventually the two began to exchange blows and injuries were visible on both their bodies.

However, Auslen didn’t continue assessing the situation for much longer. He had grown bored once again. In addition, the two youths were battling at a level above him in both strength and experience, so he had no meaningful assessments nor expectations.

He pulled his eyes away from the match and sat back with an open book suddenly in his hand, allowing the feverish sounds from the surrounding crowds to wash over him while he read. The energy in the stadium continued to rise in tandem with the increasing momentum of the match.

…

Inside the arena, it was almost time to decide the winner of the Qi Refinement Tournament!

Both Michail and Cathal looked extremely miserable.

Michail’s left arm was broken and sagging from his shoulder socket, his shield having long been knocked out of the arena. Bruises covered his body and a trail of blood leaked continuously from the corner of his mouth from his various internal injuries.

Cathal, on the other hand, was not faring any better. He couldn’t stand up straight. His hands and arms were burned and cut up terribly, with blood oozing from many of his wounds. He was gasping for breath, and his eyelids were partially closed, as though he was struggling to maintain his consciousness.

It was at this moment that their stalemate came to an end with a peculiar change from Cathal.

Strange, guttural noises suddenly resonated from his breathing. His muscles writhed and trembled rapidly, spraying particles of blood into the air from his open wounds. A bloody fog seemed to cloak his burly figure, which was now exuding a towering murderous aura that stunned Michail momentarily, causing him to pause.

This overbearing aura was pervasive, causing many of the closest audience members to pale and shiver from the chilling fright.

Glancing to the arena with raised his brows, Auslen only looked for a moment before lowering his eyes back to the book in his lap, not taking the situation seriously.

With so many Elders nearby, no one would be foolish enough to violate Sect rules in such a public manner.

Once he got control of himself, Michail sensed immense danger, but he failed to raise his shortsword before his eyes widened with bewilderment.

All of a sudden, Cathal fell forward to the ground, his face-down body now motionless.

It was only then that Michail, in his astonishment, realized that the strange noise resounding from Cathal was actually loud snoring!

He was sleeping!

For several seconds, the sound of Cathal’s snoring was the only noise echoing within the expansive stadium.

“The winner of the Qi Refinement Tournament is Michail Nikolaou. Congratulations.”

…

In the stands.

After Elder Griselda’s announcement, Auslen heard several relieved sighs. Then, Inner Sect Disciples from the Conflagration Nurturing Peak, Sword Controlling Peak, and the Vital Spirit Peak descended into the arena, causing the widespread shock from the sudden events to disperse.

While Michail was bathing in Elder Griselda’s healing light, the crowds began to cheer for the final time.

The Qi Refinement Tournament was now over, and soon, disciples were making their way to the exits one after another.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince would like to speak with you.”

Once he received the voice transmission from one of the guards, Auslen nodded to no one in particular.

Auslen allowed Vincent to finish tidying up his appearance and said, “Stay with Nathan and the rest for now. I’ll join back up with you both shortly.”

Turning away from Vincent, Auslen smiled at Liliane, his voice bright and clear as the summer’s morning. “Excuse me, Senior Sister. I need to pass by.”

Nearly blinded by Auslen’s adorable smile, Liliane stepped back in a daze to give him room, wanting nothing more than to pinch his fleshy white cheeks.

After allowing Auslen to pass, Liliane thought of something and whispered, “Right, Irene. You never mentioned what you discussed with Auslen’s brother.”

Irene smiled, but chose to not answer.

…

Auslen entered the VIP room to see Aiden seated silently on the couch.

As he walked over, Auslen noticed Aiden’s fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the circlet he had removed from his head at some point.

“What did you need to tell me, brother?” Auslen asked smilingly as he seated himself next to Aiden. “I have to board the Sect’s airship soon.”

“You can go back with me in our family’s airship,” Aiden replied as he handed Auslen the box of chocolates he left behind. “My guest status within the Outer Sect will last for a couple weeks, and I’ve always wanted to see where you’ve been living this past year. We also haven’t eaten together in a while.”

Remaining silent, Auslen took the box and stored it away as his eyes examined his elder brother. Aiden’s act of side-stepping the question was not lost on him.

Aiden was a very smart kid, and had grown very familiar with keeping his demeanor composed, but Auslen didn’t miss the fleeting hesitation present in his words and the growing contrition rippling within his blue eyes the longer they stared at each other.

If Auslen hadn’t already been suspicious and focused all his attention on Aiden, perhaps he would not have noticed.

Auslen’s eyes narrowed, but his smile became gentle.

Auslen raised his right hand, and a small cube composed of various metals and crystals appeared, which he sat on the couch between himself and Aiden.

While his finger grazed the top of the Mystic Artifact — causing light to shine and metallic plates to shift and revolve — Aiden groaned in his heart, knowing he couldn’t stall any longer.

In a three meter range surrounding the cubic Mystic Artifact, light began to distort before fading, flowing away like seeping water until a prism of pitch darkness encompassed the entire couch.

And on the inside, Auslen and Aiden sat facing one another in the black enclosure. Meanwhile, the cube between them was releasing an abundance of light, allowing them to see each other even clearer than in broad daylight.

This Space Concealment Mystic Artifact was a Low Grade Mystic Artifact that obscured both light and sound, useful for conversations that needed to be kept private.

Its power didn’t truly involve manipulating the void. It merely confined the light and sound waves within a compact space. In fact, even cultivators within Foundation Establishment could penetrate the enclosed area of concealment with their Soul Force, given time. However, any attempts at infiltration were immediately detected by the Mystic Artifact, regardless of the cultivator’s strength, allowing Auslen to speak freely in the crowded room.

Auslen’s smile had fallen into a rare show of sternness, his eyes reflecting the illumination releasing from the Mystic Artifact like two piercing suns.

“Explain.”

Despite it being his much younger brother speaking to him, Aiden’s heart shook. He tightened his grip on the golden circlet in his hands, and at this moment, trembling shudders wracked through his body, forcing him to draw in several long, deep breaths in efforts to calm himself.

Auslen’s stern gaze faltered as he witnessed Aiden’s visible spell of discomfort.

“Hey, are you alright?” Auslen asked with some concern.

He can’t be sick, can he? He’s a cultivator now, so he should be immune to common illnesses. Is he injured?

After gaining control of his Soul Force, Aiden sighed and raised his head, seriousness suddenly etched into his features.

“I need your help, Auslen,” he spoke imploringly.

My… help?

Confusion replacing his worry, Auslen’s brows raised as he watched Aiden retrieve a letter from his sleeve.

Questions flew through Auslen’s mind as he took the letter and opened it, immediately seeing that it was written by their father.

Auslen’s eyes followed the perfectly written words of the letter in silence, his gaze growing more surprised and complicated the longer he read.