Bai Qi jumped unto the [Petal Stage], absolutely sure that Go Fang would follow suit, even if the latter's face denoted the inner battle he was going on. There was not even a need to provoke or else, as from his conduct, even if silent and waiting as to be the last opponent, Go Fang had been the only one not to attempt to surrender or appease the situation.
Not that it was strange, as the man had allowed Bai Qi to work out a plan to get several pouches while also trying himself in several fights while having nothing but his mastery over weapons and experience to rely on. Being sure of his skill and ability to find and harvest enough herbs, Bai Qi actually already envisioned himself as the victor.
Arrogant? Yes, Bai Qi was so. But conceited? That was not the case, as Bai Qi kept his arrogance under check, only allowing himself to feel assured of something when he knew himself able of doing, reaching, or accomplishing it.
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Go Fang's heart sank as he watched Bai Qi dispatch each of the opponents with ease. He had hoped that Bai Qi's wounds and exhaustion would have played against the former, but regretfully, even now, that he was to fight without using either of the two masteries shown, Bai Qi looked absolutely unworried.
To make matters worse, Go Fang had witnessed Bai Qi's victory over Lei Guiying in the first of the six duels. And Lei Guiying was an opponent that Go Fang had fought before, just a few months ago, losing the combat in mere ten movements.
He honestly tried to find a way out of the duel - a way to avoid facing Bai Qi without losing face. But he knew that he had no choice. He was the one who forced the situation leading to this challenge, and he couldn't back down now. Thus, he kept silent.
Then, Go Fang attempted to assure himself he would be fine - that he could win even. But it didn't work at all. Bai Qi was up the stage, inviting him to join him, and bloodied or panting, Bai Qi still looked as someone sure of his victory!
Not even greed, with Bai Qi having seven pouches in his possession, had been enough motivation for Go Fang to go and jump on the stage. And still, Go Fang would do exactly that, immediately going after the [Mace] [Petal Mark].
A plan to at least keep his image as a hotheaded and aggressive-mannered cultivator who didn't back down from his words may have been already a sign of how Go Fang wasn't one, but for him, it was the only way.
***
Since the start, Go Fang intended to go all out and end this quickly. Be it a win or a loss, it would be quick and silent, that was the idea, and so he would attempt to do it.
And indeed, the duel would be quick and silent, even if part of the plan, the one about him going all out, would not happen at all. After all, how could Go Fang go all out if the duel would end with a single attack? And one that occurred just as the weapons materialized in their hands?!
"Cruel but deserved, huh..?" Breaking the silent part as he did the going all out one, Go Fang fell to his knees, feeling blood dripping from his dantian area, his physical manifestation of the organ pierced by a short dagger, weapon intent messing up skin, flesh, and innards.
And as his life-saving formation activated, sending him out of the [Martial Path of the Herbs] event's zone, he thought to have heard some words from Bai Qi, even if Go Fang was anything but sure the young cultivator actually spoke them up, "I'm sorry. I never intended the attack to be so damaging..."
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With his spear and saber intents depleted, and unwilling to spend what could be his trump card, sword intent, Bai Qi went after the paired daggers. His thoughts about the matter kept simple
And indeed, as he held the two wooden-handled and simple-looking daggers of just a mere seven-inch blade, Bai Qi felt that he could use them as throwing ones, applying his 3rd step of the throwing weapon mastery step. And so he did, the summoning and formation activation, the confirmation of the duel's start, transforming into an immediate throw with the left-hand held one as soon as the duel itself began. Was it a slip of hand? Not even Bai Qi could say, but the result was there, a damaged dantian, with the throwing weapon intent ravaging Go Fang's body from inside.
Bai Qi would even excuse himself, as he truly didn't plan to grievously wound his opponent, no matter the latter's words. And a grievous injury it was, after all, without cultivation, the physical manifestation of a dantian was undefended, and the attack would end wounding if not even destroying it.
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***
With the duels finished and now counting on eight [Holding Pouches], Bai Qi opted for a quick retreat. The reason wasn't that the damage he did was over what he would like to, no one among the over two dozen observers calling for in. On the contrary, most of the shouts and words he could discern actually congratulated him, making his win over Go Fang appear more akin to a feat than to something wrong. Yet, Bai Qi was perfectly aware of the cultivator's nature and how high would be the desire, stemming from nothing but greed, of others to challenge him now that he had revealed so much. And while Bai Qi still had kept his 4th step mastery of the sword hidden, he would prefer to keep it so, leaving it for later, as if a safeguard.
Thus, his decision to quickly retreat, even if not so logical when being claimed and clamored for, still stemmed from logic.
***
Ignoring everyone, Bai Qi jumped from the stage and began moving to the east, where he could see some silhouettes of what appeared to be trees. By running in zigzags and combining them with sudden stops and rushes, Bai Qi would end up shaking off both open and concealed tails.
And indeed, the open ones were open, as even without looking back, Bai Qi felt and heard how Lao De and surprisingly, Gao Xiulian called for him as they followed. Concealed there were also, following in silence and from afar, but still easy to detect as neither the pursuers nor pursuer had anything but mortal senses. Bai Qi determined this latter as a group of three cultivators in distinctive purple-colored robes. And while he had no idea of the reasons, he ended up supposing that the three probably followed him hoping to catch and challenge him as soon as they noticed him weaker than he was now. Which, with the harder, rarer herbs, would not be a far-fetched expectancy.
In any case, after successfully getting rid of the five tails he could see, hear or somewhat sense, Bai Qi returned to his herb hunt. With eight pouches and neither of the new seven having anything but a few herbs, there was no doubt he had to do what was in his hands to guarantee his win. Thankfully, as an unexpected benefit from the [Petal Stage], Bai Qi had found out the location of two different unique herbs, the [Red Jay's Blooddrop] and the [Sun of the Underground].
Not even he was sure of just how the information appeared in his mind, but still, Bai Qi had obtained the location of that two in between his duels, and the former, the dubbed [Blooddrop], was just in the direction of the trees, or woods to where he was moving.
***
While a red jay was a nonspiritual bird common to any low-tier plane, its namesake herb, a flower redder in color than blood itself, the [Red Jay's Blooddrop], was by all means not a common one.
Nestled in the roots of a several hundred feet tall tree, the common-sized, even small red flower's strange glow shone even brighter than the last rays of the setting sun, the [Blooddrop] deep red petals and velvety texture illuminated by the ethereal radiance emanating from within.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared entirely, night taking over the event's grounds, the flower's enchanting glow took center stage, filling the air with a sense of wonder. Even in the gathering darkness, the flower's radiance remained steady, a symbol of hope and beauty amidst the night. Or at least so it could appear if one didn't know the truth behind the magical radiance.
*Shhh* *Shhh*
With only a couple of steps into the several-foot-wide glowing aura, Bai Qi felt how he heated up, and the blood and sweat from the battles started evaporating.
*Sizzle *Sizzle*
And as he approached enough for his hands to reach the flower, Bai Qi's clothes began singeing, the heat from the aura, one impossible to sense from outside it, reaching a temperature enough to burn the common cloth of his already damaged robe.
*Splatter*
While the herb's name did contain the blood character in it, it was hard to assume that it actually required a certain amount of blood drops to be harvested. Still, Bai Qi was perfectly aware of it, and before he moved forward, he had cupped a bit of his own blood, splattering it on the flower as soon as he approached.
*Pluck* *Pluck* *Pluck* *Pluck* *Pluck*
Neither the aura nor the flower appeared to change in any way, and Bai Qi's skin felt as if it was about to be charred by the heat as it had been before, but when he tugged off the first petal, it actually suddenly subsided, allowing him to pluck the other four with ease.
*Glow*
Just as he finished, the petal-less flower shone in the green light of the event's [Holding Pouch] formation, for some reason not his half-filled one but one of the recently obtained, and a moment later, Bai Qi felt in his mind how the [Red Jay's Blooddrop] was now part of his harvest.
***
"Haaa..." Bai Qi's wounds and exhaustion weren't very dangerous. Yet, without qi to combat either, and with the aura of the [Red Jay's Blooddrop] having only added to his overexertion, Bai Qi heavily exhaled as he lowered to the ground.
It was a fact that he had to press on, at least if he planned to win the event, but even with all of his willpower - he found himself unable to do so,