Yù Quán and Yàn Lìqín returned to their seats. There was a quick break before the ending ceremony that they would need to wait out. When Yù Quán arrived, Yin Mengxia and Rèn Chāngmíng were sitting there. Yin Mengxia looked a bit weak and bruised, and Rèn Chāngmíng was bandaged in quite a few places, but their faces were full of joy.
All of Yù Quán’s comrades, including Liàng Píng, cupped their hands before shouting: “Congratulations, Brother Yu!”
Yù Quán was touched. He didn’t think Yin Mengxia and Rèn Chāngmíng would be able to watch him avenge them. And he just didn’t expect Liàng Píng to congratulate him. But he couldn’t let them think he was a softy. Yù Quán rolled his eyes with a smile. He greeted Yin Mengxia and Rèn Chāngmíng to inquire about their condition. They had really left him worried. After finding that they were doing better, he turned to Yàn Lìqín.
“What happened at the end, Grand Elder?”
Yàn Lìqín, who now had his fan out and was waving it in front of his face, answered leisurely as if it were simple. “The reason the blows became more frequent when you began dodging the blows was due to some type of spirit. Tiān Zhēbì was not the only one attacking you.”
The Yellow Qilin disciples were surprised and then cold. Even cheating wasn’t too much for him. It left a bad taste in Yù Quán’s mouth. He wished he could have beaten Tiān Zhēbì even with the help he received.
“The spirit was very powerful. I only saw it because I knew about it beforehand. If the spirit really wanted to kill you, even the mayor couldn’t save you. Otherwise, the mayor would have noticed it when it happened.”
This made Yù Quán solemn. Even after all his growth and even winning the Blossom Tournament, there were still stronger beings that posed a threat to him. There was some weird type of ‘spirit’ thing in the area while he was fighting, and he didn’t even know. It even helped to attack him, and he had no idea. Then, Yàn Lìqín’s attack and the mayor’s seemingly endless amounts of qi to the point where he can expend so much on projecting his voice. Sure, he had become stronger than most, but he felt weak when he looked at the strongest around him. He didn’t like that feeling. Even with Yàn Lìqín around, it didn’t feel safe. How long could he rely on Yàn Lìqín anyway?
While Yù Quán was thinking all this, Rèn Chāngmíng, being the curious kid he was, had questions for Yàn Lìqín. Yàn Lìqín was happy to answer because talking about the great things he did fueled his ego.
“The Head Elder of the Yellow Qilin Academy had told me about the Flying Cloud Sect before. That there was a prodigy who received something they call ‘the will of the clouds.’ She didn’t know much about it, but it was enough for me to look into during his fights.”
“So, you knew what it was from the first time he fought?” Rèn Chāngmíng asked.
“No, I didn’t see anything. But since I didn’t see him using it, there were only a few possibilities: he wasn’t able to use it, he didn’t need to, or he wasn’t allowed to. I doubted the first one, so that left the last, too. That’s why I planned on having Yù Quán fight, because I knew he could improve quickly, and his means wouldn’t be countered by Tiān Zhēbì turning into mist. If I had Yù Quán improve and push Tiān Zhēbì to his limits, he would use it.”
Rèn Chāngmíng perked up in excitement. “Then you saw when Tiān Zhēbì used it?”
“No. If the mayor couldn’t see it, how could I? So, I assumed he wasn’t allowed to use whatever the ‘will of the cloud’ was. But then, I noticed the increase in attacks under the mist. It didn’t seem like something Tiān Zhēbì was capable of after seeing the last fights.”
Yin Mengxia rolled her eyes. “So it was just another gut feeling in the end then?”
Yàn Lìqín felt a hit to his ego after his disciple crushed the great picture of himself he was building. Yù Quán had snapped out of it by this point and was quite entertained by the exchange. Then he realized something.
“Why did the old lady from the Flying Cloud Sect step up and sit back down when you looked at her?” Yù Quán asked.
This question helped Yàn Lìqín recover a bit. At least he could leave this looking somewhat cool. “Well, I only hit the spirit because I knew what to look for. Strong spirits will only have the slightest imperfections when hiding in a person's aura. So, I really did get lucky. But, what does everything I found mean?”
All the disciples were confused. This made Yàn Lìqín smile before saying, “I said I only noticed it in the last round, but if the spirit helped him in Yù Quán’s fight, how could it not help him in the others? At the very least against Qing Shuazhi.”
Buzz~
Now, all the disciples understood. The only thing stopping him was that it was against the rules, which he didn’t mind doing against Yù Quán. Qing Shuazhi was a favorite for the entire competition. Yù Quán was strong, but was he strong enough to beat Qing Shuazhi that easily? Probably not. It was more likely Tiān Zhēbì had been helped by the spirit for more than the last match. Yàn Lìqín could have made mention of this and had Tiān Zhēbì disqualified, but he saved the Flying Cloud Sect some face by only doing so much. If they had pushed the issue, Yàn Lìqín could easily reveal the truth and have Tiān Zhēbì disqualified, taking him out of the top five and losing them the chance to earn any rewards.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Yàn Lìqín was getting ready to bask in all their praise and amazement, but the announcers called for everybody’s attention, leaving him sorely disappointed. The mayor had decided that because of some of the fights, there were too many places that couldn’t be surely determined. Namely Liàng Píng’s spot in third place since he didn’t forfeit so that Yù Quán could fight Tiān Zhēbì and whether Rèn Chāngmíng deserved fifth since he made similar achievements to other fighters. To solve this, the mayor had a loser’s bracket run before the award ceremony. Liàng Píng dominated, while Yin Mengxia put on a show even with their injuries holding them back. It was apparent they had only lost because it was Tiān Zhēbì. Although they were lucky Liàng Píng handled Wū Shòu a second time and Qing Shuazhi was unable to fight due to injuries, or they may not have made it as far as they did. It was determined that Liàng Píng, Yin Mengxia, and Rèn Chāngmíng deserved the third through fifth places, respectively.
The arena grounds now had raised platforms, each one taller than the next. There were five, and each was numbered, so there was no confusion. Each name was called, followed by the contestant walking to the platform and standing in their place. Each force received rewards for their contestant’s placements. Yàn Lìqín was nearly drooling form holding four out of five top spots worth of resources in his hands.
With all the contestants announced and rewards distributed. There was only one thing left to do. The first place reward: the designation of a representative. Yù Quán had forgotten about this prize. It was briefly mentioned to him when he was being briefed on the tournament, but it honestly wasn’t a goal of his. He just wanted to test how strong he was. He didn’t realize how important something like a representative could be.
“Grand Elder Yàn Lìqín of the Yellow Qilin Academy, what type of representative position would you like one of your people to fill?” the mayor asked.
Yàn Lìqín cupped his hands and bowed. “Mayor Yīng, I would like to establish a new branch of government solely operated by the Yellow Qilin Academy.”
The mayor was surprised and intrigued. “Oh?”
“Blossom Falls has always operated on the idea that justice should be carried out by those who feel justified. But, in my opinion, I feel this has led to some bias and some throwing around of weight or strength to get one’s way. The Yellow Qilin Academy has already taken some steps towards enacting justice for all citizens, not just the strong, but our efforts would mean much more if we had the authority. The Yellow Qilin Academy would like to form the Law Enforcement branch of the Blossom Falls government.”
The mayor scratched his beard and thought for a moment before answering. “I feel that is fair. This has always been something I considered but found to be too much work for me to implement. If you create a list of rules and laws with the other branches, you may form your branch and enforce them. I’ll be here to solve any disputes and add or remove laws as I see fit.”
Yàn Lìqín bowed once again. “Thank you, Mayor Yīng.”
This left a sour taste in the mouths of many of the forces of Blossom Falls. Many had thought of laws and law enforcement, but they purposefully left it out because of the work it would take and the shady dealings some of them engaged in. The Yellow Qilin Academy was new and hadn’t become acquainted with many other forces. They had few ways to influence them, meaning they wouldn’t be safe from law enforcement. They could only hope to prevent themselves from being considered criminals by influencing the laws.
The mayor continued. “And who will be the representative you choose.”
“I choose this year’s Blossom Tournament champion, Yù Quán.”
Yù Quán was dumbfounded. What had he done to deserve this? He just came to test his strength and he was leaving with a job. He just wanted to be a cultivation junkie, not a police officer. Plus, he wasn’t strong enough to demand respect from the stronger cultivators.
Yàn Lìqín continued. “Although Yù Quán isn’t strong enough and needs to focus on cultivation. So, I would like to be permitted to take on some of his responsibilities until he’s grown some.”
The mayor nodded without hesitation. “I believe that’s fair. A prodigy is a strong deterrent, especially if he’s allowed to grow. We shouldn’t hinder him now or he may not be able to complete his duties in the future. I accept.”
“Thank you, Mayor Yīng.”
Yù Quán was still reeling from everything that happened. He should have never joined the Yellow Qilin Academy. He should’ve known Yàn Lìqín was going to work him like a slave.
…
Yù Quán
Realm: Body Tempering Realm
Stage: 1st Level Skin Tempering
Main Cultivation Art: [Stolen-eyed Mùmùlián Body](Level 3)
Strength: 850 Catties
Qi: 706/2220 wisps
Mùmùlián Core: 22/100
Strange Fire: (Level 2)Murderous Flame(x1)
Techniques:
[Mùmùlián Eye Stealing](Level 3)
[Mùmùlián Eye Refining](Level 3)
[Murder Mantra](Level 1)
[Yellow Qilin Dance](Level 1)
Attributes:
[Strange Fire: Murderous Flame]
[Star Gazing Eyes](Level 1)
[Top-Quality Maned Hog Ferocity Eyes](Level 1)
[Low-Quality Winged Watcher Awareness Eyes](Level 1)
[Low-Quality False Dragon Pride Eyes](Level 1)
[Low-Quality Death-Dealing Dama Killing Eyes](Level 1)(x2)