The [Void Palace] elders trained a unique method to channel their senses into the void called [Feeling the Nothingness].
It allowed them to dedicate their senses, partially or entirely, to glean and penetrate inside the void.
He Delan had followed all of Chun Hua's battles with it, but it was only as the latter delved into the deepest part of the void that He Delan activated the real [Feeling the Nothingness], a full-submersion version of it.
It wasn't a quick procedure, but it did require utmost concentration while active, which had been the reason for He Delan's lack of attention to anything happening on the physical, planar side of the stages.
And while the formations around the stages interfered slightly, especially with sensing qi and aura, He Delan still noticed that what Chun Hua encountered before leaving the void to attack her opponent wasn't a natural force, nor was it something sent by Xun Gengxin.
Breaking out of any sensory method was always a distressing and molesting feeling. And with Chun Hua's bloodied body in sight, neither helped He Delan maintain her calm, culminating in her anger-filled, thunderous yell, "What the damned demons is going on?!"
On the martial path, one would encounter several different kinds of opponents, and their reactions to winning or losing would severely vary.
Some would boast or threaten, while some would brush it off. Others would show either compassion or acceptance, Ye Yijun falling in the former as if not for the arrival of what she supposed to be Fan Jia's companions, she would have been the first to rush to the fallen enemy side. As for Xun Gengxin, he was the exact opposite.
Seeing a bloodied, wounded, and unconscious Chun Hua, not caring about the win not being even his own doing, Xun Gengxin's grin grew even more prominent. And then, he did what no self-respecting, lawful, or even adequate cultivator would do...
*Step*
His foot landed on Chun Hua's back, and he loudly proclaimed his victory before even the stage manager arrived. And if such disrespect wasn't enough, he did it in the most offensive form he could think of, "See, this is what happens when a weak dog like you dares to fight a tiger!"
***
Angered or not, He Delan had planned to wait until the manager declared the combat finished and only after that rush out to help Chun Hua. Investigating the void was also a priority for her, considering what she had felt. Still, she had no plans to interfere in the procedure, believing everyone had to follow the arena's rules and customs.
Yet, something in her changed as the damned bastard Xun Gengxin dared to act as he did.
*Swoosh*
Using all of her speed, she forcefully flew off the seating while not caring about anyone around.
She did not stop before the barriers, directly crashing through them, shattering any obstacle in her path unto the stage.
*CRASH* *SHATTER*
"You, cheating dog, dare to treat my disciple like that?!" He Delan's roar, accompanied by a full release of her aura, froze not only Xun Gengxin but even the minor arena managers rushing towards it.
"I..." Xun Gengxin attempted to say something, but He Delan's aura wasn't comparable to any he had felt in his entire life. It was one of a genuinely enraged Warrior King and not a low-level one either. After all, He Delan was an intermediate 7th level Warrior King, not weaker than his protector, Song Lin, by any means.
He Delan's aura first forced Xun Gengxin back and then sent him down on the stage's floor, entirely suppressed, unable to breathe.
*Plop*
"I would kill you on the spot, but I will not do so until I am entirely sure what kind of trick you used." He Delan had calmed enough by this moment to avoid making a scene, not that it would mean anything to her if she just killed the man that dared to hurt and then disrespect her disciple.
***
Yi Bingwen had only finished dealing with the situation in the 1st stage, the unexpected force of Ye Yijun's attack. And he was planning to ask the two Saint Beasts and the Warrior King that arrived near the wounded combatant to retire, as they would disrupt the arena's operations.
Yet, the nearly two-hundred years old, peak 1st level Warrior King had only prepared himself for the talk with the three overbearing companions of Fan Jia's, as the situation on the 4th stage grew out of control, forcing him to rush there.
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{Get out of the arena, send a talisman, no, better rush to the Clan's quarters, ask them to prepare assistance if the situation spirals out of control.} Commanding one of the arena's servants, Yi Bingwen himself moved on to the 4th stage.
"Estemeed guest, I am the head manager of this arena, Yi Bingwen. Could you please release your aura?" With a half bow, the old cultivator introduced himself, keeping up the most friendly of smiles while sweating from the pressure, enough to hinder him, even though he wasn't the target!
"Not before I check on my disciple and find out what kind of trick this filthy dog used." He Delan's answer was cold, and she frankly did not care about offending anyone, not right now.
"The Yi Clan guarantees the safety of everyone inside the city, and as part of it, I can not allow you to..."
"You will not allow me what?!" He Delan interrupted the man, snarling with notable menace, showing that she would do what she intended, allowed or not.
***
It will remain unknown what would have happened next if not for a direct mind message, an advanced and unusual type of qi transmission that could avoid the formations around the stages that reached He Delan.
{Do not seek conflict with the Yi Clan. They are not our enemies. As for that bastard, I will deal with him, myself. If there's some trick behind this, we will find it out. Send Chun Hua along with Fan Jia and the others off, and observe my next duel.}
Bai Qi would not have tried to directly command anyone of his companions if it wasn't required, and he had never thought of any one of them as subordinates. He Delan was a more special case as well, yet there was no other choice.
If the situation went out of control, Bai Qi's group would end in conflict with the entire Yi Clan, and while he did not fear such, the results would not be anything good for them. He was ready to use the events at the [Void Palace] to pressure He Delan if needed, but seemingly he would not have to resort to that approach.
He Delan understood what Bai Qi meant, even if he left most of it unsaid. A conflict with a 3rd tier power, led by a Warrior Emperor, would definitively end badly for them.
So, after a few moments of silence, she conceded to Yi Bingwen's first request and pulled back most of her aura, "I... I may have overreacted, Manager Yi. But, even if I have no proof about the trickery, this tra... man allowed himself to go too far after the combat finished."
"Thank you. May I know the esteemed guest's name?" Yi Bingwen did not know what solicited the sudden change in the expert's attitude, but he would not risk missing the opportunity to defuse the situation.
"He Delan, currently traveling along my disciple, Elder of the [Void Palace]." He Delan was reluctant to mention the Palace, but if she wanted the Yi Clan to forget about the issue, a 2nd-tier power was exactly the weight she needed behind herself.
{If you would like, we can expel this man from the arena. There are no rules against such conduct, but I do not tolerate it either.} In exchange for sweeping the entire incident under the rug, Yi Bingwen was ready to do whatever he had to a mere rogue Warrior Lord.
He Delan wasn't surprised by the manager's switching from speech to qi transmissions. Still, she was enraged, so she responded colder than she usually would before carrying Chun Hua away with her aura and stealthily signaling the Bai Sisters and Ma Su to leave the arena. {No need. I will send my disciple to heal and hope that someone gives that bastard a good trashing. Yet, I do feel that trickery was involved, so I recommend keeping an eye on his next duels.}
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Fu Guo's thoughts and emotions were conflicted.
From one side, he felt that fighting such an opponent was a heaven-sent opportunity.
Yet, on the other side, Bai Qi had obviously not fought seriously. Granted, both had bled a bit and could appear evenly matched, but somehow Fu Guo understood that Bai Qi was keeping back far more than he showed it to be.
And such thought could only make anger surge.
Anger led to hasty, impulsive decisions, and in Fu Guo's case, it wasn't different. Feeling that his opponent held back even more than he did, Fu Guo decided to reveal his strength. It would be a bet either for Bai Qi to take him seriously or for Fu Guo to take him by surprise and win.
Fu Guo's strength wasn't a bluff or a lie. He was undoubtedly a swordmaster at the 4th step of the path, and he had won all his combats without unsheathing his sword, only using his sword intent.
Fu Guo was a rogue cultivator, never trained formally under any master. Yet, he had fought hundreds, if not thousands of encounters, and his experience and masteries weren't for show.
His actual strength was even higher than the one he allowed his opponents to assume, as he was not only a swordmaster but a very advanced user of martial skills. Most of his bloodline related to the Earth element, but he also had trained in other, more sword-related ones.
Fu Guo started preparing for what he considered the decisive moment of the clash somewhere at the end of the first hour of the match, and everything was nearly ready by the moment when the events on the 4th stage occurred.
But noticing that Bai Qi was somewhat strange for the few last clashes, Fu Guo did not release the prepared barrage, choosing to observe or maybe to find out why an opponent that showed no care even for his duel had suddenly distressed.
The discovery shocked him and angered him even more. After all, it wasn't as if Bai Qi had some issue or was preparing something as Fu Guo had assumed.
No, the damned bastard's attention was entirely away from the combat!
His last movements, all of them, weren't controlled!
Bai Qi continued attacking as if a golem he was. All while concentrating on whatever was going on outside the stage!
"YOU?! It's not even a spar, but some distraction for you?!" Fu Guo lost his calm for the first time in a very long time. But even his roar had not made Bai Qi react at all. It was as..?
"Go die, conceited bastard!" Fu Guo growled and activated the skill he had long prepared. Exclusive to his clan bloodline named [Hallowed Grounds of the Earth God Killing]...