Chương 25: SHI 25: Two in a Day

There were actually two rounds on the first day—a test of endurance, and to swiftly cut down the number of contestants. Which, fair enough… but it was going to be a long-ass day. Most matches were pretty fast—five minutes, tops. Some, like mine, ended in seconds, including the other Spiritual Realm contestants. The strongest at the Second Stage of the Spiritual Realm, Liang Daoyi of the Heavenly Pillar Sect, replicated my feat, speed blitzing his opponent. He moved fast, but not too fast for me to react to…

but his movement was much smoother than mine. He made not a sound, as to most he suddenly just appeared, his spear leveled at his opponent's throat. He politely asked his foe to yield, and the other guy took the out for what it was, making the gesture of respect and forfeiting. Then, Daoyi turned to look at my portion of the seating. Our eyes met for a moment, and I could feel the challenge in them. Oh. Oh yeah, this was what a tournament was about!

My next match was against Wu Fen, who was in the Third Stage of the Profound Realm. He looked incredibly nervous, glancing continuously up at the Soaring Heaven's Isle box… who were all staring with stone faces at him. He looked like he wanted to piss himself. He swallowed, and glanced at me. Like last time, I brought my hands together in the gesture of respect.

"Let's have a good match!" I said.

"Ah! Yes, Young Master! May we have a good match!" he shouted, and bowed nearly ninety degrees. He flinched and jerked up when sound came from the Soaring Heaven's Isle box. His fear paused though, when he realised that it was polite clapping, rather than an explosion of aggression. The stone masks had returned to neutral faces, the women of the sect leaning back and relaxing in their seats, with some of them nodding at Feng's polite response to me. That, more than anything, calmed his nerves.

The gong to begin the match sounded, and I got into my stance instead of just rushing him.

"You ready?" I asked. For a brief moment, I could see the panic in his eyes, before he forcefully calmed himself. He let out a breath, drew his sword, and got into a stance of his own.

"Yes, Young Master!" he declared. It was always interesting going against a sword while barehanded. In the Before, the advice was basically just, "if this happens you have fucked up, run." Here though, there was an entire suite of moves you could use—both stuff from Gramps's lessons, as well as stuff I had learned from Soaring Heaven's Isle. Both Storm Wings had helped out a lot... though Seiyu more than Bailu.

Seiyu would have probably been called a living national treasure for her skill with every form of Japanese, or rather Wa, weaponry, and I had been on the receiving end of that skill. Chunhua sometimes showed up to play, and that occasionally ended up in sparring where she would kick my ass and expect to be praised. Xiaobao would gently and tenderly absolutely dismantle me with a Guandao. Minyan would occasionally 'spar' me to test how much I had grown, with a sword of her own.

I was pretty used to going against weapons because of them… though if somebody brought a bow I would probably have a PTSD episode. Sometimes Elder Song, after she put Big D to sleep through her pampering, would take a look at me and tell me it was time to learn how to dodge. … those were not fun days. But that was the past, and now was the present. I nodded at my foe and we began. Both of us closed the distance, and we clashed, him going for a swing, and my fist darting out to slap the flat of his blade aside.

The difference was immediately telling. I was stronger, faster, more skilled, and clearly holding back. The roles immediately shifted to him being in survival mode as I went on the offense. I considered if I wanted to hold back even more, and drag this out, give the crowd a show… or if that would be disrespectful. I didn't want to be an arrogant asshat who toyed with people, but I also didn't want to do to this guy what I did to the last guy. So I settled on a compromise.

I broke through his guard, and like the last guy, I slammed a strike into his chest—though the power of this one was carefully modulated. Fen barely managed to keep his feet. He still went backwards like he had been hit by a truck, skidding all the way. His feet nearly went off the edge, but he managed to catch himself. One hand went to his ribs, and he coughed, before collapsing to a knee. Nothing was broken, and there was no cultivation damage. I was already in front of him, but my hands weren't raised.

There was clearly only one way this could go. He bowed his head.

"Thank you for the pointers, Senior," he said, his voice shaky.

"I concede." The crowd roared. Soaring Heaven's Isle's box went from stone-faced to being nearly the loudest, clapping and cheering—and to Fen's surprise, he was being praised too. His face flushed as a couple winks and smiles were sent his way. But Soaring Heaven's Isle was eclipsed by Bailu and Seiyu.

"That's our captain! He's the strongest!" Bailu shouted, her voice rolling across the arena like thunder. She was doing a merry jig, bottles of wine in both hands. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Eh, Eh, Uoh! Eh, Eh, Uooooh!" Seiyu waved around the ridiculous gunbai she had made. It was clearly making gusts of wind, and the crowd on either side of her was loving it—to the point where people were doing a proto-wave to catch the breeze. Big D crowed, his wings outstretched The announcer boomed stuff out.

"Thank you for the match, Wu Fen," I replied, holding my hand out. He looked at it for a moment, before accepting the hand. I pulled him back to his feet, and gave him a firm nod. The other man chuckled. He nodded back. We separated, and bowed to each other.

"A fine display of sportsmanship!" the announcer shouted. The Storm Wings, as well as the Soaring Heaven's Isle box, clapped and cheered. I turned to where Liang Daoyi was sitting. The other man gave me a small nod. … I hoped I got to fight him. He seemed like a guy who got it. I felt a sense of anticipation filling my guts. I couldn't wait for my next matches. ========================= Their Captain strode out of the arena with his head held high, the very image of a conquering hero.

Even now, as the stadium let out, his name was spreading through the city like a fire. Bailu didn't wait.

"Ah, Captain, you were amazing!" she cheered, grabbing him in a big hug, with Seiyu not far behind. Bi De crowed with abandon, and Ningjing's avatar whistled and chirped.

"You had excellent form!" Seiyu praised.

"Your blows and temperament were most befitting of a warrior! All the world shall know of your honour!" Their captain stood there, shocked, before a small smile formed on his face. He returned the embrace.

"... thanks, guys," he said… before his arms tightened further.

"But don't think that means I forgot about your little prank." He glared up at them both, and Bailu laughed.

"It was a good one, wasn't it?!" she stated, unrepentant. Her captain had put that name down—which meant he was hiding. Still holding on to bits of his past. He wasn't that man anymore. He wasn't just a street rat. He was Tianzhe Rou! Lady Minyan's son! The Captain of Ningjing! He needed to stride forward boldly, where he pleased, when he pleased!

"We accept all responsibility for our actions," Seiyu said, but she didn't sound sorry either. Their captain glared at them… before he sighed.

"I'm going to get you both back for this later," he huffed, but he said no more about it… because their captain realised why they had done it. He had told them he would trust their judgement… and he was making good on those words. They were his trusted crew, and they would always have his back.

"Now, let's go get something to eat! I'm starving!" their Captain declared, dropping the issue.

"And lemme see that gunbai—I didn't know you could make these, I kind of want one."

"Captain, you know—of course you know, our captain is a learned man! Of course, your servant shall craft for you a gunbai worthy of your station! Though… we shall have to visit Wa, if I am to make you the proper swords…" she started muttering, a gleam in her eyes. Bailu just laughed. Two victories. A fantastic start! And she had every faith in her captain for the next bouts! It was going to be hard. He had powerful opponents ahead of him. But that was the whole point, wasn't it?

She kept smiling the whole night, as whispers burned through the city like wildfire, and beyond. A new player had stepped foot onto the stage, and all the world was going to be talking about it. ============================= When the main formation had buzzed with the relevant information for an incoming transmission about their newest and most high priority asset, Minyan had immediately left her meditation to assemble in the secure transmission room.

The Empire knew well the limitations of transmission stones—spotty connections, interceptions, people listening in on private conversations… such things were beneath Soaring Heaven's Isle—quite literally in this case. If one took a stone high enough, and then compressed and focused the transmission directly onto a receiving stone, then most issues were resolved.

There were still range limitations, and it required a lot of skill to be able to transmit like this, but their transmissions were the clearest and most secure in the world. She swiftly arrived with her fellow Elders, where Vice Admiral Mengyao had been on duty. She was permitted to stay, on account of her station.

"Report," Minyan demanded.

"Yes, Elder Minyan!" Ma Lee said.

"Reporting! The Antlers has entered the Ascending Phoenix Martial Summit—under the name Tianzhe Rou." Minyan's eyes widened. She knew that she had given him permission, but to hear him actually using her surname—it sent a hot flush into her stomach. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"Oh, did he now?" she asked.

"And how is he doing?" She tried to sound only mildly interested. She didn't think she succeeded, by the way Lili raised an eyebrow.

"He is in the Fifth stage of the Profound Realm! He ascended only a week after arriving. His cultivation is stable, like a mountain."

"Already?" Song asked.

"And he's stable?"

"Yes. Like he's been there for a year already," Ma Lee replied. Lili shook her head and chuckled.

"It looks like he really was telling the truth about that aspect. He has finally spread his wings, and now he's soaring higher and higher." Song huffed, while Minyan was glad she had her veil on. Her smile was most unbecoming.

"His cultivation is not the only thing that is transcendent. Two bouts in, and he has acquitted himself very well—though… perhaps too well?" She sounded uncertain.

"What do you mean?" Minyan asked.

"A worthless creature from the Twilight Ember Sect spoke boldly about defeating him, and then… using us—after his patriarch declared for the whole arena that Soaring Heaven's Isle was weak and losing their touch, if someone so weak was the Admiral's son."

"Hmmm. A dog that likes barking, hm?" Lili asked.

"Do not compare that filth to a dog," Song instantly replied.

"And what happened?" Minyan interjected, before they could get off course.

"The worm was at the same level of cultivation as the Young Master," Ma Lee slipped up, not using the code, her voice thick with wrath and scorn.

"And yet, the Young Master defeated him in a single blow with a movement technique. It was a crushing, dominant, absolute victory—and when he stood over his foe, who was drooling and gasping and writhing like a speared fish, he commanded the wretch to never speak of my Elder Sisters in such a manner again." Song laughed.

"How delightfully adorable!" Lili tittered. Minyan had a proud smile on her face. Yes, that was indeed her boy! Of course he defended the honour of Soaring Heaven's Isle by having a crushing victory!

"Do you have a recording of it?" Mengyao demanded, speaking for the first time.

"Indeed I do, Vice Admiral," Ma Lee responded, recognising the voice.

"Good. Which one do you want for it?" Mengyao said, all smiles. Which one…? Minyan thought.

"Senior Sister's Instruction," was the instant reply. Minyan paused for a moment, before realising what the conversation was about. The woodblock prints? That was the one of Xiaobao correcting Rou's form, was it not? A gleam entered Mengyao's eyes.

"Oho? Junior, I knew there was a reason I liked you, your taste is impeccable. Very well! I shall print another, just for you!"

"Ahem," Minyan said, interrupting the conversation, and Mengyao flushed when she realised just what she had done.

"Amusements aside, again, what do you mean, 'problems'? This all sounds good."

"The girls are going to be… upset if I tell them he's exiled and we have to chase him out without giving a good reason," Ma Lee said bluntly.

"And well, even if we do, who is actually going to believe it?" Everyone paused at that. It was indeed a very good point. Though obedience would be kept, and they would do it… it would be better to ease the transition.

"Tell them it is for his growth, and his cultivation; it is a fiction that he needs to believe, and they will be assisting him in reaching his full potential. He cannot have easy nests if he is to grow."

"I see. Yes, Elder Minyan, I will make sure your orders are carried out," Ma Lee acknowledged.

"Good," Minyan replied. His tournament. His first tournament. Perhaps she could go and watch? She could sneak out, and be in the Capital in a couple of hours—"I also took the liberty of applying for permits for a Thousand Li View, and expedited the process," Ma Lee said.

"In case any in the sect desire to watch." Minyan was going to promote that woman. She was getting promoted as soon as she returned to the sect. That was the kind of initiative that made Soaring Heaven's Isle great!

"Oh? That is a good idea," Lili said, her grin full of amusement.

"Chunhua has been all mopey ever since he left…"

"Yes. indeed. We shall make arrangements. Excellent thinking, Ma Lee," Minyan said.

"Set it up as soon as possible." The woman on the other end was clearly preening at the compliments. Minyan, on the other hand, felt her heart beating faster. She was annoyed she had missed the first bouts, but being able to watch the rest of it made her want to grasp the sun, and force it up so it was tomorrow already.