“Haha! Looks like it's your turn next, Xiucai.” Lin Shu attempted to slam her palm on Xiucai’s back for support. “Good luck!”
Xiucai vanished from where he was standing and appeared behind Lin Shu. “..!” She wasn’t holding back with that “friendly” gesture! Lin Shu took herself off balance with the amount of force she put into the motion. That was how Xiucai knew she wanted to hurt him.
“Hehehe... Can’t I give a fellow disciple some encouragement? Why’re you so timid, junior brother?” Lin Shu tried to play off her malicious attack disguised as “encouragement.”
“You’re the last one out of master’s disciples, Xiucai. You have to make sure you win for master’s sake!” He Wenqing suddenly appeared behind him.
A feat impossible for a simple farmer’s son to sneak up on a trained assassin since birth! Unless, he deliberately used Withering Willow to erase his presence! He Wenqing tried to grab him in a hold from behind but Xiucai’s clan didn’t train him for years so that he could be caught off guard by two mortal-born cultivators who haven’t been trained anywhere near as hard as him. Xiucai loosened his joints, slipped in between He’s thick arms and dashed toward the stage to avoid any further complications with his senior brother and sister.
Yes, Xiucai was younger than both He and Lin, surprisingly enough. A fact that he was rather surprised by once he got a decent grasp on their temperament. But then again, Xiucai was also shorter and thinner than both of them as well. Another fact that Lin Shu loved to boast about. “You know, if you didn’t have that mask, I think you’d look more like a girl than I do.” Lin Shu once commented.
Xiucai ignored her as he and only his family knew how he really looked. He definitely didn’t promise to make sure that Lin and He never saw his true appearance. That would be ridiculous. An assassin caring about judgment from others? If his mother or father found out, he would immediately be snatched back to the clan for additional training. Something that might last until he was 25 or 30 years old.
“Have you even been listening, kid?! We’re going to need to work together if we want to win this, you know? Hello?!” A rather tall girl with a personality somewhat similar to Lin appeared in front of him.
Slim waist, beauty suitable for seduction, but a temperament that would scare most men away. Not suitable for assassinating. She waved her thin smooth hand in front of him back and forth to gain his attention but Xiucai was paying attention from the very beginning. Xiucai may have looked like he was staring off into space but an assassin-born cultivator like himself was always paying attention to his surroundings. Especially if he sensed killing intent like he did from one of his teammates.
However, it wasn’t from the loud girl still trying to gain his attention.
“You really dare to ignore me? I’ve never seen someone so courageous, you know?” She laughed with anger behind her laughter.
It was from the servant of the loud girl. His eyes were filled with disbelief and hostility for some reason. Xiucai wasn’t the most sensible of assassins as he never really had any friends he didn’t have to kill growing up but killing intent was second nature for him. At first, he questioned how this noble managed to get on a team with her servant when all of Heaven’s Angels were split up. Perhaps it was luck or maybe the tournament was rigged.
But then the match started and Xiucai could no longer afford to split his attention between his thoughts and his teammates.
“Follow.” Was the only word Xiucai spoke to Chu Hua and Chu Bolin.
Xiucai tossed two shining black capture beads into the air. Hua and Bolin looked up along with everyone else as another member of Heaven’s Angel revealed their attainment of a heaven-ranked spirit beast. It made people wonder if gathering heaven-ranked spirit beasts was really this easy! Even the Heavenly Collectors, the only spirit beast tamer faction in the Golden Serpent Sect, only had a single heaven-ranked spirit beast among their members!
“Should Heaven’s Angels be called the Heavenly Collectors?”
“They really do have a lot of strong spirit beasts! I’ve never seen a single one of them beside the Golden Panda one from earlier!”
“Even that one looked different from a regular Golden Panda! Didn’t you see those giant gauntlets around its fists!?”
During this time, Xiucai wasn’t idly wasting his time admiring and questioning his spirit beasts like everyone else. As they were released from their capture beads, Xiucai immediately erased his presence and raced toward his opponents who were caught up in seeing what type of spirit beasts were being released. Many hoped it was a spirit beast as beautiful as the strange human-like one from before after hearing Xiucai was the junior brother of the cultivator with the human-fish spirit beast.
It only took the time for one to blink for Xiucai to deal with his distracted opponents. His finger jabbed into the side of their necks one by one. Then they dropped like corpses, unable to control their bodies in the slightest. Xiucai was relieved his first match was so easy. He didn’t have to show any of his martial arts or techniques.
Xiucai was a bit worried about using this method to win though. He didn’t include his teammates at all but at the same time he wasn’t too worried. In matches where one person can decide the outcome in a 1v3, the elders usually decide for that team to win. Especially when it ends so quickly.
As Xiucai waited for the elders to decide the outcome, two strange, silly, and enormous creatures slowly raced their way to him. Standing on four legs, mostly black but with white spots lightly plastered in certain places, and teeth that only a beast that ate meat would have. They were both happily clicking at the sight of Xiucai while running toward him. Like they were having their own conversation together in a different language.
Xiucai wanted to embrace the two creatures that formed a large shadow over him when they arrived from their great size but he had a reputation to keep. So, he only patted their heads while continuing to wait for the elder’s decision of the match. Guang and Hei were more than happy with this simple petting as they finally took in their surroundings.
The Chu’s were less than thrilled about this type of outcome. They glared at Xiucai with hatred for taking attention away from them but consoled themselves by saying it was only the first match. There were still more fights to be had and they could show off their clan’s strength during those rounds. Hopefully, Xiucai would have a sudden heart attack or something, they hoped.
Unsurprisingly, Xiucai’s team was declared the winners but to no joy of any of the elders. Like they said before, this tournament was not to find individual geniuses but to find those capable of working with others. Although, many of the elders still took note of a few talented individuals. What elder wouldn’t want to take on a genius student untaught by others?
“This isn’t over masked boy!” Chu Hua reminded him.
“...” Xiucai nodded in agreement. They still had matches to participate in.
Xiucai returned to Heaven’s Angels with Guang and Hei by his side, clicking up a storm. They couldn’t stop talking about something and from time to time would start giggling as if one of them said a really funny joke. It was times like this that Xiucai wished he could speak spirit beast. He wanted to know what his beasts were talking about since they kept chatting.
“Hmph. Hmph! You did well.” Lin Shu congratulated him with a nod but he could see she was upset about something.
“Didn’t expect anything less from you Junior Brother.” He Wenqing nodded as well but didn’t look to be upset like Lin.
“...” Xiucai gave his thanks.
“Well done, Xiucai. Targeting that qi point was an excellent non-lethal way of taking someone unaware down. If they were on guard in any way, you would’ve had a much more difficult task in paralyzing them from the neck down. Your method in distracting them with Guang and Hei before attacking by erasing your presence was really great. A black capture bead is something that no cultivator can ignore. However, all of you, don’t forget that Withering Willow does not allow you to erase yourself as you’re attacking.” Lei Zhi lectured.
“Yes, master!” Lin Shu and He Wenqing responded loudly. Xiucai nodded along. All of them taking his words to heart.
Guang and Hei rubbed their large heads against Xiucai’s body before walking over to the other spirit beasts in Heaven’s Angels, this being Li Li and Plinky. All the other spirit beasts were put back in their capture bead for the time being. Li Li had no issue with the two coming over. Plinky was more interested in eating any fallen spirit cakes on the ground than interacting with the two.
“Would you two like to become one of my Heavenly Demons?” Li Li cawed, speaking in his original voice.
“Hmm? You are a strange creature...” Guang clicked.
“I don’t like being called strange. Call me unique.” Li Li hoo’d.
“Strange or unique, you are very strong. I don’t think even if we fought you together, we’d stand a chance.” Hei noted.
“You’re not wrong. If you wish, you two can gain strength similar to mine. All you need to do is become my friends and follow me.” Lei offered.
“Sounds like a good deal to me, brother. Kekekekekeke.” Guang couldn't help but laugh.
“As long as there’s fun to be had, I don’t see why not.” Hei responded.
“This is a gift from me for joining me.” Li Li initially wanted to split a single drop of his blood between the two brothers but decided against it. Instead, he reached into the storage ring given to him by his mother around his leg and pulled out two seeds.
Li Li flicked the seeds at the black and white brothers and it pierced their flesh but didn’t hurt at all for them. In a matter of seconds after being coated in their blood, the seeds began to sprout!
These seeds were from Cerulean! She made them like birds made eggs or women made babies. Li Li didn’t know exactly how Cerulean made babies just that she did. One day, when he went out to the front yard, there were these seeds and by communicating with Cerulean’s soul, he found out that these were her babies! Kind of.
His mother explained that some creatures could create babies without a mate of the opposite sex. This was a normal way of making children for most plants. Li Li and Jing needed mates to make babies with but Cerulean didn’t. After hearing that, Li Li was still mostly confused about the whole thing but understood that the seeds were Cerulean’s children.
Guang and Hei felt something wriggling and rooting inside their bodies as the seeds grew at a visible rate right in front of them. They sprouted after coming in contact with the orcas’ blood. Two mini copies of Cerulean revealed themselves to the world on top of the fins of the spirit beasts. Leafy teeth, a head bigger than its green stem body, and a mischievous smirk permanently plastered on their carnivorous looks.
“I feel strange...” Guang grumbled.
“Unique is the word I think you’re looking for brother.” Hei chuckled.
“Hahah! Unique! We are unique now too brother!” Guang loudly giggled.
“I am Li Li, your leader, and friend.” Li Li introduced himself to his new demons.
“My contractor calls me Guang!” Guang replied.
“I was named Hei.” Hei responded.
“Guang, Hei, as long as you stay by my side you will have nothing to worry about in the future.” Li Li promised.
“Sounds good to me, Leader!” Guang was more than happy to hear that. His plant was attempting to gobble one of the fallen spirit cakes on the floor but couldn’t stretch that far from Guang’s back.
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“I’m next.” Shang heard his number being called.
“Should be a piece of cake for a spellmaster like you.” Ying thought.
“Mhm.” Shang didn’t refute her claim. This tournament seemed like it favored anyone but simple martial artists over anything else.
“Good luck.” Jing gave him a simple smile.
Jing didn’t realize just how much of an encouragement that simple smile gave Shang. If before he was planning to just win, now he was planning to win with everything he had to look good for Jing. His eyes lingered on Jing’s smile for a bit too long before being kicked in the back by a certain child into the ring.
“I can’t even look at my woman...” Shang helplessly lamented as he got up from the ground.
“I HOPE YOU LOSE!!!” Li Li made sure to cheer him on.
“I’ll do my best.” Shang waved back as he saw the other angels giggling and smirking.
He really made a powerful enemy by following his heart... With a sigh filled with happiness and tiredness at the same time, Shang looked over to his teammates. They seemed to know him and that made things easier for him. Both of them introduced themselves as martial artists.
“How confident are you two in your martial arts?” Shang asked.
Neither responded with anything resembling confidence or pride.
“Just stick by me and attack when you have the chance.” Shang commanded before signaling to the elder that they were ready.
The other team didn’t take long to prepare either. Soon, the match started and in only a second, Shang tossed four talismans to each corner of the ring. From his storage ring, a golden sword came from out of it only to be tossed into the center of the ring with a talisman wrapped around the hilt. The other team immediately dashed toward them together but it still wasn’t anywhere as fast as Shang’s formation placement.
A bright blue light flashed within the ring that strengthened Shang’s team. Floating blue dust fell all around the ring, passing through the bodies of Shang’s opponents but slowly covering Shang and his teammates’ bodies. Once the two martial artists felt the increase in their physique, they rushed toward the confused enemies, not willing to waste this chance given to them by Array Prodigy Shang.
Shang stayed where he was as he watched the two. If they were capable of handling the three on their own, he didn’t need to do much more. But Jing was watching... Did he do well enough? Did he show off enough with his formation casting speed or using a sky-ranked supportive array with an earth-ranked spirit weapon as a base for the formation? This earth-ranked spirit weapon is a spirit weapon known for its durability rather than its offensive utility.
“Try harder! Stop losing!” Li Li cheered for the other team very loudly. “Work like a team! Stop fighting one by one like idiots!” The young child angrily shouted.
Shang couldn’t help but softly smile. He wasn’t the only one smiling either, the other angels were also amused by Li Li’s opposition to Shang. Everyone understood that he thought that Shang was trying to take his mother from him. A child’s jealousy.
Surprisingly enough, the other team actually listened to the child and got their act together. The two martial artists on Shang’s team were now more evenly matched against the trio on the other side. However, as time went on their advantage began to dwindle despite more and more blue dust covering their bodies. It wasn’t as if the formation strengthening their bodies were wearing off but the fact that the two of them were fighting three people at once now with Li Li’s advice continually coming in.
“Isn’t it against the rules to help people in a match?”
“He’s just saying how it is. I don’t see how that kid would be breaking the rules.”
“I never heard any rules that said we weren’t allowed to speak during a match.”
“But look! Because of that kid, they’re winning now!”
“So what? Strength is what matters in the end. If you were fighting someone and they were getting advice on how to beat you, are you just supposed to lose? No! You’d keep fighting until they’re dead.”
“That’s right. It doesn’t matter if they listen to the advice or not, teamwork is what matters in the end.”
The elders initially thought to silence the child’s incessant chattering but paused after seeing the benefits of his talking. That team began to perform more smoothly and cohesively after taking the advice of that child. They even got the upper hand now and were pushing the two martial artists back despite their advantage with the supportive array. This allowed the elders to judge the teamwork of both teams more deeply. So, they allowed it.
Li Li smirked as he continued to advise the three weaklings.
“Don’t let up even if you’re tired, stupid!”
“If that dumb dumb in the back moves, make sure to retreat!”
“Sloppy Girl! The dumb dumb left his base unattended! Why aren’t you trying to grab it and destroy it?!”
Seeing the shift in the battle, Shang no longer could sit back and watch. While he didn’t think he would lose, how could he make himself look good if he didn’t win effortlessly? Shang rushed forward with his long wooden staff in hand, ready to take on the trio by himself if need be. At the exact moment he moved, so did the other team at the command of Li Li.
“Sloppy Girl! Rip off that Conduit Spell and fall back.” Li Li ordered.
“Messy Hair and Shorty! Meet up with Sloppy Girl and get ready to defend!”
No longer was there any hesitation in listening to the child’s words. They moved seamlessly like they were trained to listen to all their lives. All three readied themselves to take on the Array Prodigy together as one. The one referred to as Sloppy Girl took the first strike with the golden sword in her hand that she guessed was better than her regular sword. Now that the supportive array was down, things would be a bit easier for them.
Shang’s staff slammed against earth-ranked spirit weapon but Sloppy Girl didn’t seem as if she felt any of the force Shang struck with. She gave a cute smile as the other two attacked immediately after he clashed with her on Li Li’s orders.
“Don’t forget he’s a spellmaster! Close combat isn’t his forte! Don’t give him the chance to use any spells and you will win!”
A ray of hope appeared in the eyes of the three that didn’t think they stood a chance of winning at all. With the little boy’s help, they were actually giving one of the sect’s Rising Prodigies an actual challenge! Could they actually win?! No, they had to win! His strength didn’t matter but how well they worked together!
Continuous attacks from all sides badgered Shang Zhai. His skill with the staff was admirable and easily above the other team’s individually but didn’t have the killing power it usually had combined with his talismans. It was enough to keep them away but not put them down. He was genuinely surprised as the match went on. These three weren’t bad! It looks like even trash can be decent with a good enough teacher.
“Don’t get too excited stupid! Know when to advance and know when to retreat! And don’t fall for obvious feints. Don’t forget who he is!” Li Li continued to teach.
“Be stronger!” Plinky shouted in encouragement despite only spirit beasts being able to understand him.
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‘To think I actually have to use some of my real strength against people like this.’ Shang sighed.
Li Li really wanted him to lose. Shang wondered if Jing was as stubborn as this and he got that trait from her. He could definitely see Jing as the silent stubborn type. Not willing to back down but also looks as beautiful and graceful as she always does. She’s really an amazing girl... And she’s his woman!
“Ah.” Shang was suddenly struck on the forehead by the girl Li Li kept calling sloppy. A judgment he wouldn’t say was wrong. “I got distracted...” Shang was sent sliding to the edge of the ring with a red welt on his forehead.
“I landed a hit!” Sloppy Girl cheered. An uncontrollable amount of pride and energy welled up inside her from landing a hit on the Rising Prodigy.
“Don’t get distracted, stupid!” Li Li admonished.
“Yes! Sorry!” She immediately ran to follow up on her successful hit.
Ahead of her, both of her teammates were already doing what she should’ve been doing a few seconds ago. The two of them engaged with Shang first, their swords constantly slashing and slicing at his body. Shang held his staff with one hand as he defended against the two while mentally reaching into his storage ring for a few spells. They immediately went into overdrive as the warnings of the kid flowed into their heads.
“Do not let him use his spells!”
All three cultivators focused all their attacks on Shang with crazed determination to prevent him from pulling anything out. They no longer gave any care for defense and focused all their attacks on pure offense. Something that Shang couldn’t take advantage of while searching for the right spells inside his storage ring. Their crazed attacks forced Shang into retreating off the stage but even then they didn’t let him go alone.
“Hehehehe... Lose! Lose!” Li Li giggled to himself, seeing Shang in a rough spot.
“I’ve never been so humiliated...” Shang's lips turned up. Of course, it would be Li Li that makes him feel that for the first time.
It really was the first time he’s ever been pushed this far by someone he considers below him. The fact that trash like this needed to work together to give him a solid fight would be something to mock and ridicule. But in this strange tournament, it was something to praise! Even now, the crowd was cheering on the three trashes forcing him to reveal his weaknesses and strengths.
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“Fine. I’ll lose but I’ll lose with pride, damn it. You win this time, Li Li.” Shang admitted.
Shang slammed his staff vertically into the ground as he reached into his robe and activated a spell. An explosion of darkness expanded as the talisman burnt to ash. A small black dome captured Shang and the three cultivators. Those outside of it could not see inside and those inside could not see outside or inside.
It was complete darkness inside the spell but Shang had no problem navigating inside. Amusing enough, the trash stuck to each other with their backs facing each other. That kid taught them too well. But, nonetheless, they were doomed to fall here and now. Shang attacked under the veil of darkness as his ally.
His staff struck the throat of Messy Hair before coming back around and smashing him across the face into the distance. Shang’s staff then tripped Shorty off his feet as he spun it around and slammed it on top of his stomach, burying him into the ground. For Sloppy Girl, she was crazily attacking the air around her as she heard the sounds of her companions falling. Shang smacked her on the back of her head and easily knocked her out.
With a tired sigh, he destroyed the spell with another and revealed to everyone that the match was over. As expected, Shang’s team lost and he had to walk back to Heaven’s Angels with his head hung high. He may have lost but he didn’t completely lose. Unfortunately, a certain little birdy thought otherwise.
Li Li hopped around the defeated Shang without saying a word. He just happily hummed while jumping around him with a gloating look on his face. Li Li knew he didn’t have to say a thing. Everyone knew what he was saying though.
‘I won! You lose. I win! You lost! You really think you can take my mom when you can only amount to this?! Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! The nerve!’
“I lost face for us. I apologize.’ Shang bowed to Jing but also gave a slight bow to everyone else.
“Train some more. Your skills aren’t bad.” Wan Qing advised.
“I will take your words to heart.” Shang nodded.
“Don’t be too down. He is Jing’s son after all. Although I didn’t expect Li Li to be such a great teacher even though it was done out of pure spite.” Lei Zhi noted.
“I can do anything if I put my mind to it.” Li Li confidently boasted.
“Can you turn into a girl?” Lin Shu joked, not knowing the true strength of the child.
“If I wanted to.” Li Li remembered how Wan Qing turned into a real female.
“What about a cow?” He Wenqing joined in.
“Of course.” Li Li manipulated his soul’s shape and transformed from a human child to that of a cow calf.
“He actually did it!” Lin Shu shook He Wenqing wide shoulders back and forth.
“He wasn’t kidding...” He Wenqing was completely shocked looking at the somehow ordinary but at the same time not ordinary cow.
Li Li had long white flowing hair on top of his head, his cowhide was black with white spots, and his tail was unusually long but that was it. Nothing more than that.
‘Hmph! I told you.’ Li Li spoke to their souls while in cow form.
Soon after, he transformed back to his human form that greatly resembled Jing. Both Lin Shu and He Wenqing bowed in reverence to the great spirit beast. Li Li was more than happy to receive such praise for something he considered quite mediocre for him now. If it was before the Endless Plains of Yin, he would still have to rely on communicating with people’s souls to talk to them and stay in his original form.
“All hail the Great Li Li!” The two chanted.
“Hail Li Li!” Plinky innocently praised.
A smile too wide couldn’t be hidden on Li Li’s young face. Li Li nodded in acknowledgment. He really was great. After all, he was his mother’s son.
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“Jie? Isn’t that Hu Tao’s woman?”
“Hu Tao’s woman??? She willingly gave herself to Hu Tao?”
“I don’t know. I just know that she’s in a relationship with Hu Tao.”
“Is she crazy too?”
“I guess we’ll see.”
Jie said nothing as she made her way up to the stage. Long black hair, generic Golden Serpent Sect robes, and a beautiful appearance. It was quite strange that someone this beautiful wasn’t known already! A 7th stage Qi Consolidator as well. This woman was a complete mystery to everyone in the sect! No one could recall her before the identities of those in the Heaven’s Angels faction started spreading.
She held a yellow umbrella in her hand and many assumed that this was also a strange spirit tool or weapon! It was a trademark of Heaven’s Angels to own a strange weapon by now. So many were excited to see the prowess of this umbrella in battle! No one dared to look down on their weapons after seeing an old man toss around a cultivator with a fishing rod!
“Maybe she’ll use it like a spear! The tip is pointed and looks sharp.”
“Or she could use it like a club.”
“What if it’s a trick and her real weapon isn’t the umbrella at all!? Maybe she hasn’t revealed her real weapon at all yet.”
“I wonder if Hu Tao’s woman is just as much of a Fighting Maniac as he is.”
“Speaking of which, where is Hu Tao!? If Hu Tao’s woman is in Heaven’s Angels, doesn’t that mean he’s involved with them too?”
“I haven’t heard anything about Hu Tao the week before the finale... Do you think he’s dead?”
“There would be a celebration in the Inner Court if that was true but it is strange there has been no news of him.”
“Hu Tao loves causing trouble.”
“Do you think his woman knows?”
“She doesn’t look like she’s distraught or in mourning. Either she’s stronger than she looks or Hu Tao is completely fine.”
“The sect would be better off without a crazy fighting genius like that. He would only ruin the reputation of our sect if he was let loose to represent us in the Evergreen continent.”
When the match started, a strange fog suddenly appeared over the stage. Whiteness filled the vision of those inside and outside the ring. Those inside the ring couldn’t see anything within reaching distance. Despite standing right next to their teammates, five of the six competitors couldn’t see anything but white fog.
“The fog will lead you.” Jie’s voice whispered into her teammates’ ears.
The two female cultivators were startled at the voice so close to their ears but listened to the directions. They felt a pulling on their clothes and skin that directed them in a certain direction. In their eyes, they could only see whiteness but they didn’t doubt the voice of their teammate. What would be the point of sabotaging someone on your team? Didn’t they all want to win and move on to the next round?
“Strike now.” Jie’s voice flowed into their minds again.
Simultaneously, three cries rang out from within the fog. Just as soon as those screams cried out, the fog quickly dispersed to reveal Jie and her teammates standing over the defeated bodies of their opponents. Silence filled the crowd. Whether it was awe or just the fact that they were simply stunned, it was no doubt that this was one of the fastest matches of the entire finale!
“I couldn’t see a thing...”
“I couldn’t fucking see anything! How strong is she!?”
“She hid her strength like a coward! Fighting Maniac’s Woman is a coward!”
“Idiots... Of course, she hid her strength. There are still more matches after this one.”
“Only someone lacking a brain or a genius wouldn’t care about hiding their skills.”
“Isn’t it strange that an idiot is comparable to a genius in that scenario though?”
“Don’t mention it and it won’t be!”
Jie smiled as she returned to the others.
“It looks like your training with Jing turned out well.” Wan Qing commented.
“I’ve certainly gained a lot...” Thinking back on her training with Jing’s water clone caused her to shiver at the memory.
“Did you get that umbrella for completing your training?” Ying asked.
“Mhmm.” Jie nodded. “I still have a lot more training to do before I feel confident in catching up with Hu Tao.” She added.
“If you’re lucky, his strength may not change at all from the time he disappeared. Like if he was sealed.” Wan Qing shared.
“Knowing Hu Tao, he’ll probably find a way to get stronger even while he’s sealed.” Bing chuckled.
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Lei agreed.
“Well even if he does, I'll just do what I can. Can’t really do much than that.” Jie shrugged.
“This Hu Tao guy must be pretty strong...” Lin Shu muttered. She sometimes practiced those strange poses with Jie the week before the tournament. It was hell to go through but felt heavenly afterward with such a great boost to her physique. To think that Jie still needed to get even stronger to compete with this Hu Tao guy was absurd to Shu.
“He’s the second strongest in the group, of course he is.” He Wenqing commented.
“...” Xiucai knew he wouldn’t be a match for this Hu Tao but he was certainly interested in how he compared to Jing in terms of danger.
Xiucai’s instincts screamed at him to stay as far away from Jing as he could if he was planning to attack her. The best way to deal with Jing according to his assassin’s instinct was to run as far away as he could while completely erasing his presence. However, he had a feeling that even if he mastered Withering Willow, she would still be able to sense him somehow. She didn’t make any sense to him. Not even the Patriarch of his clan made him feel this way.
‘Boss did ask me to keep an eye on Shang and Jie. Shang to measure his strength and what the hell made Jing accept him as her man over Hu Tao. Jie to check if she cheated on him with some other man.’ Runt wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the boss regularly played around with other men and women during his relationship with Jie.
It only strengthened his worldview more that the strong could do anything they pleased. As a beggar, Runt knew exactly how the world worked. Even those with flaws and terrible traits could be seen as heroes and people to look up to if they’re strong enough. How they treat people doesn’t matter, how they act doesn’t matter, all that matters is if they’re strong and not enemies with you personally. Things like compassion for the weak, helping those in need, and all that was worthless if there was no personal benefit to one’s self.
“What’re you thinking about Little Bro?” Jue curiously asked.
“Nothing. Just that I need to train some more as well.” Runt responded.
“I could help! If there’s one thing I'm good at, it's training!” Jue happily offered her services.
“I’m fine.” Runt denied her offer. Boss was enough as a training partner.
“Awh...” Jue hung her head in sorrow.
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“So, what do you think of Hu Tao’s woman? Do you think she’ll be a threat to us?” Meili asked her team.
“If tricks are her only method of fighting, I can deal with her easily.” Hong replied.
“Mhmm.” Bo Fai agreed with Yanyu standing somewhat distantly from him.
“Is he still looking...?” She hesitantly asked, nearly unable to control herself anymore.
“Yes, he’s still looking.” Meili answered her.
Yanyu’s brother was closely watching her throughout the tournament. Forcing her to restrain herself from outwardly expressing her overwhelming love for Bo Fai. A new torturous experience that she rarely ever had to do because of how often they were outside of the sect adventuring or looking for treasure. Outside of the sect, there was no need to restrain herself but inside the sect was a different story...
“Ugh!!!” Yanyu cutely cried out in anguish.
Yanyu released her frustration through the valuable treasures given to her by Bo Fai on her opponents. Bo Fai didn’t mind the situation as much as Yanyu did. Having her constantly clinging to him was rather annoying from time to time. There was a time and a place for everything. She didn’t need to express her love for him by attaching herself to him at the hip.
“I believe you can survive this.” Xiao Hong tried to lift her spirits.
“I don’t. I think I'm going to die because of it.” Yanyu whined.
“Don’t try to support her. She’s just overreacting.” Bo Fai spoke up.
“How could you say something like this...?” Tears welled up in Yanyu’s eyes. “Isn’t it killing you having me separated from your side?!”
“You’re not separated from me. You’re just not clinging on to me like a baby monkey anymore.”
“You just called me a baby monkey!” She yelled at him.
“I said you’re acting like a baby monkey, not that you were a baby monkey.” He corrected.
“That’s the same thing!”
“No, it isn’t. But if you feel that way, there isn’t much I can do about it.” Bo Fai closed his eyes as Yanyu whined even louder.
----------------------------------------
After several more matches, it was finally time for the sect’s Little Monster to go up and show her stuff. It was the moment nearly everyone was waiting for. Since individual prowess wasn’t as strongly focused in this tournament, how was the sect’s Little Monster going to bring her team to victory? Was she going to completely decimate the other team before they could show their stuff or somehow help out her team to win?
No one knew what was going to happen as the dark-skinned girl got up from her watery throne and walked up to the stage with a small child following behind her. Anticipation and excitement filled their bones and made the audience restless, elders included. So many rumors spread about the Little Monster that no one really knew which ones were true and which ones were false. Many were confused on why her little brother was following her up to the stage before it was explained to them by others what that child really was.
“Do you really think she’s as powerful as they say?”
“It's hard for me to believe that a Qi Gatherer could survive against a spirit beast in the Core Realm. It has to be an exaggeration.”
“What about her helping the Supreme Commander breakthrough in his cultivation!? If anything, that’s the craziest rumor I'd ever heard! How could someone so far below another in cultivation help someone higher? It doesn’t make any sense at all!”
“No, no, no what I find craziest about the Little Monster is her followers. Only one of them was known at all before the Little Monster arrived. I refuse to believe that all of those people over there were just biding their time to show their insane talent and potential. The Little Monster had to have a hand in making them stronger somehow. Perhaps she has a hidden bloodline that no one knows about that could drastically improve one’s martial talent!”
“Do you even hear yourself? You sound crazier than these rumors.”
“I wouldn’t dismiss him so quickly. That big-breasted girl with the large sword. I knew her before she got that evil sword. She’s a fallen noble but long ago I remember she used to be bullied. The strength and talent she had now was intentionally hidden or didn’t surface until she got that blade.”
“You really think she could improve one’s talent for cultivation...?”
“Do you hear all the other things being said about it?! Who knows what’s true and what’s false!”
Jing was happy to hear all the enthusiastic gossiping about her. Having her identity a mystery to those in her own sect will be helpful later on once news about her spreads to the other two big sects. No one will know her true capabilities and even if they do, it’ll be more difficult to have them actually believe it. All of it sounds completely absurd and it's all focused around one girl. A young girl at the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation Realm, unknown background, and no master. Unless the person was deeply paranoid and/or insane, no one should believe any of the rumors surrounding her. Only a number of elders knew that she had a hidden bloodline and of her match against the ape.
As Jing arrived on stage, thousands of ways of winning this match surfaced in her mind. Considering her future position within the sect, only those that would bring an overwhelming result seemed to work best for this situation. Along with her declaration of her faction a week ago, it would only benefit to show how she’s fit to be the future sect leader. Not that Jing cared much at all if people thought she was suited for the position or not, but it would be more beneficial and less of a hassle if people thought she was meant for the position.
None of her teammates or opponents were people she recognized. With a friendly smile, Jing pulled out a talisman and declared that she was a spellmaster. Much to the screaming of the crowd who were surprised by this statement. They didn’t know if it was true or if she was just bluffing. So some boldly asked a few Angels in hopes of getting an answer.
“Just watch and find out for yourself.” Ying shooed them away.
“She did tutor underneath an array elder for a short time...” Bing muttered. “But I don’t know anything about them.”
Before the crowd could go deep in their search for this mysterious elder, the match started and forcefully grabbed their attention. They couldn’t possibly miss the Little Monster’s first match! It might be over as soon as it started just like the Fighting Maniac’s Woman’s match! Luckily enough, the Little Monster didn’t start off strong in her match and pulled out dozens of talismans from within her storage ring.
She tossed them high into the air and just watched as they slowly floated down. No one could understand what was going on inside her head right now but her opponents didn’t waste time carefully trying to analyze her every move. If she really was as powerful as the rumors suggested, they needed to work quickly and not hold anything back. All three of them downed pills that turned their skin red like it was being steamed.
Teammate A and Teammate B felt a powerful impact land on their backs. Two of the talismans floating in the air suddenly crashed into their backs and attached themselves to the two of them. The effects of the talisman happened immediately. In their eyes, the world around them slowed to a crawl as they felt unexplainable ease in moving their bodies.
It was as if the world was coming to a stop while they were excluded from the world. The two of them didn’t know each other, what was going on, but they knew that it was because of the talisman. They nodded toward Jing and immediately moved forward to attack the three red opponents not even aware of the changes going on. During this time, Jing raised her index finger in preparation of something unexpected happening. The talismans continued to very slowly float down from the sky.
Teammate A and Teammate B ripped through the three opponents with their swords. Their blades effortlessly sliced through the muscles and tendons of the drugged-up cultivators. With the spell active on their bodies, they were moving at speeds barely perspective to the naked eye. However, this talisman only worked for as long as the wielder could withstand the drain on their body and qi. But in a battle, even a second was more than enough to turn the tides.
Teammate A and Teammate B could only last 3 seconds before they dropped but Jing complimented them as they passed out from the pain wracking their bodies. They effectively immobilized the three opponents before they fainted, giving Jing free reign to do this. Multiple water droplets formed in the sky that accurately pelted several talismans. The talismans fell all around the incapacitated opponents. Jing couldn’t help but smile as she tossed a larger-than-average cherry into the air with a talisman wrapped around it.
The talismans around the opponents lit up with a bright light as three individual trapping formations activated. The first one sparked with lightning. The second one began to fill with water. The last one ignited with bright lights.
Electrocution, drowning, and death by pelting. All very enjoyable ways of watching one die but Jing hasn’t forgotten the no-killing rule given by the elders. So, she only slightly tortured them. The one being electrocuted only passed out with blackened skin after screaming for about 10 seconds without stopping. With the drowning one, Jing had to be more careful since a person could drown in less than a minute. She watched him carefully as the last opponent was beaten severely by the bright particles of qi slamming into his body over and over again.
All in all, they suffered horribly before the match was forcefully called by the elder before anyone died. Jing was the last one standing if you didn’t include Li Li proudly standing by her side. Li Li dragged the bodies of Teammate A and Teammate B out of the ring as they made their way back to the Angels. Jing requested that Lei Zhi treat the two and paid him using the method he was comfortable with. She made a deal with him to complete ten good deeds within two days as payment for the complete healing of Teammate A and Teammate B.
“Pleasure doing business with you.” Lei Zhi smiled.
“Same.” Jing created two water clones that walked out of the tournament area to the nearby towns and villages near the sect.
“Does that count as a good deed if clones do it...?” Bing muttered.
“I guess we’ll see.” Jing answered him directly. “If not, I might have to suffer a bit in the near future.” Jing laughed at the thought.
“Don’t worry! I’ll help you, mom!” Li Li spoke up.
“Thanks, Li Li. But mom has to do this on her own. She signed the contract, not you.” Jing played with his hair.
“Hey make a contract with me too! Just like my mom!” Li Li demanded.
“That’s not how you ask someone for something.” Jing corrected him with a slight sharpness to her voice.
“..!” Li Li’s body shook when he heard that strange tone in his mom’s voice. She never spoke to him like that before! “I’m sorry... Please let me do good deeds too with a contract.” Li Li bowed to Lei Zhi.
“Hmm...” Lei Zhi thought long and hard, leaving Li Li very anxious about what he was about to say.
‘Why isn’t he just saying yes!?’ Li Li cursed.
“I’m sorry Li Li, I'll have to refuse your request. You don’t need to make a contract with me to do good deeds like your mom. All you need is the intent to help those less fortunate than you. You can do good deeds just like your mom without a contract at all. You can even help her accomplish her contract faster by helping her out by doing good deeds with her.” Lei Zhi tried to reason with the young bird.
“Fine. Come on, mom. Let’s go do some good deeds.” Li Li grabbed Jing’s hand and started leading her toward the Outer Court.
“I guess I'm leaving.” Jing chuckled. “If anything comes up, just let me know.” Jing waved goodbye to her Angels.
The first round for the Qi Consolidators ended and a small break was to be held before starting the quarter-finals. Food, drinks, alcohol, mortal women, and young men from nearby settlements under the protection of the Golden Serpent Sect. It was the Supreme Commander who got the idea of this from the Little Monster’s celebration for the Qi Gatherers. Smiles, cheers, and laughter were present all around.
“Selling medical services for anyone injured! Come and get fixed up at the Clinic of Peace!” Lin Shu shouted.
“If you got hidden internal injuries and can’t afford expensive treatment, we take other forms of currency besides spirit stones!” He Wenqing shouted alongside her.
“...” Xiucai held up a sign that said, “Treating those with internal and external injuries! Money not required!”
If Lei’s reputation as one of Heaven’s Angel wasn’t legitimate, 90% of the cultivators present would believe that the Clinic of Peace was nothing but a scam. Everything they were hearing sounded too good to be true. Which was natural, as there was no clinic that refused to accept money for their services! So, instead of running straight toward the suspicious clinic, everyone kept their eye on the area where Lei and his apprentices set up shop. If it really was as it said, they’d go but they definitely wouldn’t be the first one to find out. What if it was a sham and they were actually signing up to be to test subjects for the blind old man who wanted to play doctor? Wasn’t he just a Qi Gatherer? How could he treat anyone?
“I told you this wouldn’t work.” Lin Shu glared at the cowards in the distance.
“I agree with Lin. It feels like we’re selling a lie even though I know we aren’t.” He Wenqing nodded in agreement.
“???” Xiucai didn’t understand why everyone wasn’t jumping at the chance for free treatment.
“Well, just give them time. Eventually, someone will come over. For the time being, try and enjoy the festivities. It’s going to get real busy soon once people do start lining up.” Lei Zhi sat down and enjoyed a plate of spirit beast meat and water.
“I couldn’t be happier to hear that, Master!” Lin Shu grabbed a large plate of food from out of one of the servants’ hands and brought it over to the others.
“Haha! Those cakes earlier were fantastic but nothing can beat the texture and flavor of properly cooked meat!” He Wenqing snatched a thick cooked thigh of some beast and tore into it with no hesitation.
“What would a farmer boy like you know about good meat?” Lin Shu raised her eyebrows.
“We raised livestock and grew crops!” He proudly claimed.
“Your family wasn’t just any farmer’s family then, huh?” Lin cheekily chuckled.
“We were one of the best!”
“Look at this country bumpkin being proud of something like this. You’re embarrassing!” Lin Shu couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“We all have to start somewhere! It's not like becoming a cultivator made me any less of a farm boy than I was before becoming one. I haven’t changed that much.”
“I hated my life back home! I never ever want to return back to my life as a mortal. I’m more than willing to throw away my history as mortal Lin Shu and give everything for future immortal Lin Shu.”
“Hm...” Xiucai thought the conversation topic was interesting...
“What do you all think is the major difference between cultivators and mortals?” Lei Zhi smiled.
“Power.” Lin immediately replied.
“Lifespan.” He thought for a few seconds.
“Way of living...” Xiucai answered.
Lei Zhi took a bite of his meal, drank some watered-down wine, and then wiped his mouth clean before replying to his students’ answers.
“None of you are wrong in your answers. That question has no single answer because the answer is based on one’s own experiences. Both Lin and He came from mortal backgrounds but have different attitudes regarding mortals and the mortal world. Xiucai was raised since birth around cultivators and also has a different outlook from the both of you. The reason I asked was that I was simply curious and wanted to know more about you all.” Lei responded.
“Hmph! I have nothing to hide about myself. I am neither a coward nor embarrassed about where I came from. I will become someone great and take charge of my own life.” Lin Shu declared.
“Becoming someone great, huh...? I don’t think I'll be able to avoid something like that now that I'm a part of this insane group.” He chuckled. “I just want to make sure my family back home can live a good life before focusing on what I want to accomplish with my life.”
“Well, you have more than enough time to figure it out. Don’t feel rushed, cultivators, have very long lifespans after all.” Lei reassured him.
“...” Assassins weren’t supposed to share information about themselves, not even to their masters.
However, Xiucai thought that Lei was quite different from the average cultivator. While Xiucai wasn’t confident in killing him, he was confident in reading others. A skill that most assassins in his clan didn’t focus on in favor of assassination techniques. For some reason, Xiucai trusted this old man, and that wasn’t supposed to be the case for an assassin. Xiucai was taught that assassins weren’t even supposed to trust themselves, much less people they’ve known for less than a month.
Lei Zhi noticed the minute hesitation in Xiucai’s body language but didn’t comment on it. The boy would talk when he was ready. There was no need to rush him or any of them. His job right now was to properly get to know them, teach them and set them on the right path in life as best as he could. Lei was interested in seeing just how much he could reform a child raised by assassins but beyond that, he hoped to impart some humanity within him as well.
“I think we’re going to get our first batch of patients soon.” Lei suddenly spoke in the midst of their eating.
“Hmm?” Lin Shu looked over at him in confusion with food in her mouth.
“Over ‘dere!” He Wenqing was also eating at the moment but pointed in a certain direction with his finger.
“..!” Xiucai smelled blood in the air. There must be a fight happening nearby.
Lei Zhi stood up. This was probably the best moment for him to attract customers. When opportunity strikes, you need to stand up straight and grab ahold of it as tight as you can. He planned to advertise his clinic when he showed up on the scene and showed off a little.
“You all can continue eating and drinking. I’ll be back soon.” Lei told the trio as he started to walk away.
“Be safe, Master!” Lin Shu waved.
The smell of alcohol and wine happily floated through the air among the disciples and elders of the Golden Serpent Sect. Along with the happiness and drunken mood, eventually, there would be conflicts. Especially in a wicked sect like the Golden Serpent Sect who prided themselves on their survival of the fittest teaching style and those with the strongest fist are always right ideology. When Lei Zhi arrived on the scene, it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
At best, it was just a brawl. No one pulled out their weapons to kill each other. The most severe injuries at the site of the fight were broken arms. Thankfully, no one was on the verge of dying or suffering an internal injury. Performing surgery in an atmosphere like this would be rather difficult but thankfully Jing left him the perfect place to bring in patients. The strange shack she pulled out from her storage ring!