The “Tournament” really just turned out to be a double elimination bracket with a lot of other stipulations. Kai didn’t really care for the inner workings of how the bye system worked, if there were an odd number left or how the matchup probabilities went or how they decided who fought who. Whoever they pointed him at, he’d fight.

And that’s exactly what he was currently doing. He stood in a large blue bubble created by the Advanced Elder standing on the outside, who had assured the two people inside that it could withstand any of their attacks. Three other such bubbles, four in total, covered the area of the Arena, with four fights set to begin at the same time.

Kai stood at one edge of the allotted area in the bubble and his opponent stood across at the other end. His first opponent seemed much like Rian, in that he seemed to be a Noble of a lower House, here to enter the school so that he could gain both power and prestige for himself and the rest of his House.

He was dressed in simple white robes with the crest of a leaf adorning his right chest area. He carried no weapon which meant that he was most likely a hand to hand fighter.

Hand to hand fighters excelled at controlled, powerful bursts of energy, but their usefulness solely required on the Techniques they controlled. An unarmed fighter without a powerful Technique was a waste with a weak Foundation. However, the fact that he’d made it this far meant that Kai’s opponent must have at least some power.

He was at the same Rank as Kai, Rank 1 of the Core Stage.

When the word “Begin” vibrated across the Arena from the man floating above it dressed in black, Kai wasted no time rushing forward. His opponent, instead, took a step back and readied himself, fists facing forward.

Kai could feel the energy gathering around his opponent in a Technique, before small balls of fire blasted out of his fists.

Yet, Kai had relied on his speed for much of his life and that wasn’t an exception now. He easily dodged the attacks, stepping side to side and following a zig zag pattern as he still moved towards his opponent.

The other man gathered another Technique as Kai rushed forward and threw out a fist just as Kai unsheathed his sword.

Four serpents of fire formed from the other man’s fist and flew forward and Kai, knowing he didn’t want to waste any time taking his opponent out so that he could get ready for the next fight, decided to grab just a sliver of the storm of silver Chi sitting in his Core and infuse his legs with it, so that he could launch himself upwards and perform a twisting leap with ease, jumping high over his opponent’s head, dodging all four of the flaming serpents that the other competitor had sent at him.

At the end of his maneuver he stood facing his opponent, with his sword at the other man’s neck. “Yield,” Kai whispered to his opponent.

***

Kai’s second and third fights went much the same way. His second fight, he fought a thin woman who used twin daggers and relied on her speed. However, her attributes that pointed to her being given assassin training had also made Kai expect an all out sneak attack from the start and when that failed, she was quick to surrender.

His third fight would’ve been more interesting, as he’d never fought a mace user before, but his opponent hadn’t gained a single understanding of the mace and was still in the midst of learning the Mace Forms. And before he could bring any Techniques to bear, Kai had already put his sword at the man’s neck, forcing him to yield.

He’d already secured entrance to the School after the second fight, and with only 32 remaining in the Tournament, Kai considered giving up the next fight, but two reasons made him continue.

First of all, his Core had been pushing its boundaries all day, and he hoped the completion of the Tournament would give him just enough energy to push into the next Rank.

Second of all, no matter how safe it would be to back out, his heart and soul refused to let him back down from a challenge or a fight and the singing blood rushing through his veins was hard to go against. He would strive to push as far as he could in the next fights and hope to reach the top.

However, Rian had done what Kai could not. He’d been taken out in his third fight. Even though they’d all been kept in that same room after their fights, unless healing was required, Kai’s third fight had been right after Rian’s and he’d been able to watch the last part of it. He’d seen his new friend fall to a clearly weaker opponent, in an effort to hide his own true strength, and Kai respected him and envied him for his prudence, even as Kai refused to do the same.

Another interesting observation had been the fact that the Landon heir had also taken interest in him. Kai had noticed surreptitious glances and strange auras being thrown his way whenever they were in the waiting room together, and though many of them were from the Heir to the Kingdom and her cousin, who refused to meet his eyes when he caught them looking, more than a few were from the green robed, Raven crested Cultivator. However, his glances, unlike the other two’s, seemed hostile in nature and rivalrous, as though he’d caught on to a new competitor and did not like it at all.

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Kai’s third fight, he learned, had been his last of the day, and so he was confused when the powerful Cultivator known as Executive Yannick entered the waiting room, where Kai and the rest of the 31 remaining were resting. He’d assumed one of the yellow or red robed Elders would release them soon and was surprised when the black robed Cultivator walked in.

He first tried to probe his strength, as he hadn’t really had a free chance to do so before and realized that he couldn’t read the powerful figure, which meant that he was at least above the Spirit Realm.

Instead of filling Kai with fear as it should have, it only made him more determined to reach that height and surpass even this powerful figure.

“I have already spoken to the other 68 of you, who have already been ranked, but first of all, I would like to say congratulations to all of you, who are officially Disciples of the Uroboros School. The rest of the Tournament is about Ranking the rest of you. Instead of four fights at once, one fight will occur at a time, using up the entire Arena.”

“And yes, I’m sure many of you are wondering,” the Executive continued. “What the point is for the Rankings. The truth is, the entire school and the benefits you get from Uroboros depend on your individual Ranking and team Ranking, which will be explained later. As to within this Tournament, your rewards based on where you are Ranked are as follows.”

He took a deep breath and said, “Of the 100 new Disciples, the top 50 are allowed to choose two items from the Lower Treasure Hall. If you fall within the top 25, you will gain access to the Upper Treasure Hall, from where you will choose one item.”

Whispering broke out amongst the remaining competitors as they heard this. Even Kai’s interest was peaked as the Treasure Halls of a School must be filled with high quality items. He’d made the right choice, it seemed, in pushing himself to finish the Tournament.

“This year, I am pleased to announce that the top 10,” the Executive said, cutting off all the whispers, “will receive entrance to the Shattered World that opens once a year.”

From the whispers that started up again, it seemed that this was a huge deal.

“The top four,” he continued, “will have the chance to draft their own team, which once again, will be explained after the conclusion of the Tournament. Along with that, fourth place will be awarded two extra Treasures from the Upper Treasure Hall of the School. Third place will receive the Core of a First Rank Spirit Realm Beast along with one Artifact of their choosing from the Personal Treasure Hall of the School. Second place will receive the Core of a Rank Two Spirit Realm Beast, two Artifacts from the Personal Treasure Hall of the School, and a Serenity Spirit Elixir. And finally, first place will obtain the Core of a Third Rank Spirit Realm Beast, effectively a Spiritlord, three Artifacts from the Personal Treasure Hall, a Serenity Spirit Elixir, and a Meridian Cleansing Pill.”

And with that,” he finished with, “I offer all of you good luck for tomorrow’s matches. May the best Cultivator win.”

***

Tap

A rhythm that could be created anywhere, a pattern so repetitive that his mind even years later, couldn’t purge itself of it.

Tap

From rhythm comes flow, like the unconquered flow of the river of black that still haunted his very Soul.

Tap

Yet where does a river end? A sea. Yet while most had a normal sea of calm, his was like a never-ending storm of chaos, silver lightning clashing with the black waves of power that overflowed his Soul and saturated his very Spirit.

Tap

And what did his sea want? What did the seas that resided in others want? To expand their boundaries. To push, with every breath of that rhythm, every wave within the flow, and every iteration of the wave, not past its home, but instead to create a larger home, an ocean.

Tap

Kai opened his eyes to the darkness of his room. All 100 of the Disciples had been given rooms within the Arena itself with Elders as guards, to ward away bitter competitors that hadn’t made the cut in the end, and even more so, Cultivators that were still left that wanted a higher Ranking before the morrow.

Noticing the churning in his Core, Kai had sat down on his bed as soon as he’d reached his room and started up a rhythm, with his sword tapping the ground every few seconds. For even though he no longer used a rhythm to Cultivate, the creation of one still helped him focus on his Soul and his Core.

He’d realized as soon as he looked at his Core, that he’d misjudged it and that he was actually ready to advance to the next Rank right away.

He’d made his preparations, circulating the Chi from his full Core to his Meridians and back again to see just how much pressure was required to Rank up. However, he’d stopped right before he advanced, letting his circulation slow down and letting his Core rest.

Because he realized, that if he advanced, the rest of the remaining competitors would feel the pulse of power and know that he had gained another Rank.

And before they’d been sent to their rooms, Kai had learned who his first opponent for tomorrow would be.

Gawain Azel, cousin to the Princess, yet powerful in his own right. Kai had been able to speak to Rian before they were all sent to their rooms and he’d learned small bits about his opponent.

Yes, most knew him as the Princess’s cousin and her most steadfast guard, some dissenters of the Crown going even as far as to call him the main family’s lapdog, yet he was truly a powerful man.

He was Rank 3 of the Core Stage, and most said he was easily the fifth most powerful Cultivator there, just behind the Heirs of the Four Great Houses.

Not only that, but he’d already made a name for himself fighting the notorious desert bandits to the East, called the Gory Lion by many. The stories of his axe work at such a young age were legendary but Kai had also heard that he was a just man who’s loyalty to the Crown was unquestionable.

A worthy opponent, I’m sure, Kai thought to himself as he laid down to rest.

But it seems I have another trump card now. One that no one will see coming.