Chương 317: Truths and Lies (III)

The kids left their room one by one as we slowly made our way out, under the somewhat peeved gaze of the old woman that, thankfully, didn't kick us out 'cause of that kicked-down door. When I came out, I was stunned for a moment as the image of the city was restored to the initial few days, with the crowds being corralled almost like sardines. You'd think they were handing out free candy with how everyone and their mother was racing out, all headed toward the lake rather than anywhere else.

And for a good reason, too. Where once was only open air above the still waters of the lake now stood a gargantuan complex that stilled the breath in me. Four rectangular arenas stood paved with marble, about forty yards off the lake's surface, suspended midair with a slight hum bursting from underneath them in addition to a teal taint webbing out from their centers. Surrounding them were seats, at least two thousand of them from my quick estimate, all overlooking the arenas. Sheesh.

People here sure love it when things float midair.

"Wooow, Master! That's amazing!" Dai Xiu said.

"How do they even do that?!" Xi Zhao commented.

"It's probably some kind of a formation, no?" Wan Lan suggested. Their comments drew the gazes from the surrounding folk, and, well, as I expected... they looked at us like we were country bumpkins. I didn't mind it, honestly, as we kind of were. And seeing as the kids themselves didn't care either, we simply moved along the sea of people until we got to the two sets of stairs--one for competitors, which would be situated on one of the elongated viewing terraces, and the other for the rest of us.

Bidding the kids a farewell, Long Tao, Lao Shun, Rayce, Xing Feng, and I headed toward the audience portion. Getting up, we found a fairly open set of seats nearby and huddled over there, looking over the entire thing again. We were on the western end, while the competitors were opposite of us, on the east, with the north being occupied by a marvelous, gilded balcony, likely reserved for VIPs and whatnot.

I couldn't even see who was in it as it was elevated an extra forty yards above us, cloaked in a faint haze that obscured both the eyes and Qi senses. I yawned, feeling a bit tired; there was a bit of worry in my heart, to be honest. Not that the kids wouldn't fare well against their peers, but that the reaction to them would be one of jealousy rather than awe.

For that, I'd practiced my movement technique like mad to try and get it to the next level of mastery and just barely succeeded--I don't know how well it compares to other movement arts, but I just hope it'll be enough for me to get next to one of the kids quick enough to activate the tortoise. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Welcome, everyone!" A speech was held... and then another... and then another... and, oh my God, what is this sense of déjà vu? Didn't they hold a billion speeches back in the Spirit Sword Sect too? These old dudes sure love their freakin' speeches. Luckily, it ended after about an hour and a half, as people slowly began waking up from the speech-induced comas.... something strange happened right off the bat. Dai Xiu, Light, Xi Zhao, and Wan Lan all participated in the first fight, though none fought each other.

Furthermore, their opponents... smelled fishy.

"Ooh! That's North Wind Zhao! I heard he once killed an entire bandit fortress because they insulted his lover!"

"Isn't that Searing Whip Lady? I heard she once publicly flogged an Elder of a Sect because he commented on her beauty, and nobody dared do anything to her!"

"And hey, isn't that Wau Lu? Isn't he one of the top ten Dragons?! I didn't know he'd participate!" There's, however, something... calming about such cliches. It's like I finally exist in a proper, perfect world. All things are right. All cards in place. Aah, such peace.

"Who are those country bumpkins? Hah. Look at them walking out confidently! They should have run with a tail between their legs..."

"Maybe they've come out to ask for their signature?"

"Pfft, ha ha ha! It might really be that! Ha ha ha!"

"... why do you look like you swallowed something bitter?" I asked Rayce and Xing Feng, who looked just about ready to shout back at them.

"They're insulting Brothers and Sisters!" Xing Feng said.

"Hm. That's because that's all they can do." My voice was certainly not low, and quite a few heads turned toward me in the process.

"Don't you know, Feng'er? There's nothing easier in the entire world than sitting on your ass and passing judgment on others. Even birds can do it."

"Really?!"

"Of course! I once saw two crows perched on a branch cawing at each other while two martial artists fought! Though, even the crows had the decency to not cover the world with their spittle."

"Aah!" I ignored the piercing gazes of the crowd; country bumpkins? I mean, they all knew who the kids were--there's no way there was a soul in the entire city who didn't know. So, what's with the commentary? I don't know, nor do I care. Truth be told, I'm kinda glad they sent out some powerhouses to test the kids from the onset--I, too, am pretty curious to see just how strong they've gotten.

The one that worried me the most, however, was definitely Wan Lan's opponent--he was the only one in the Revolving Core Realm. Thankfully, it was clearly the case of doping, kind of like it used to be with me, but still... somebody really wants to kick them out and kick them out fast.... but did they really have to send out a fucking bomb to do it?!

[--Creator's Eyes used] [Target: Long Shui] [Age: 49] [Talent: mid-Sky] [Cultivation Realm: 1st Cycle of Revolving Core Realm (Anomaly)] [Cultivation Method: Sixth Sutra of Spear Arts] [Cultivation Arts: Piercing the Heavens (peak-Sky), Shuttering Feet (low-Sky),...] [...] [Traits] [Wind-Blessed (Epic) -- blessed by the spirit of wind, increasing their general agility and nimbleness. Furthermore, all attacks are suffused with the trace of wind] [Reactive (Rare) -- increased level of hand-eye coordination, allowing them to react more quickly to the unexpected] [Shrewd (Epic) -- has tendency and skillset to mask their intentions, wrapping them in perfectly crafted lies] [...] [Assessing suitability...] [Anomaly Detected] [Target's cultivation realm wasn't reached by natural means; his core is extremely unstable and is likely to detonate if overused] [...] [Recommendation: due to the progressed stage of the core, there is little that can be done to salvage it. The target will never make any further advancement in cultivation and will be lucky to live out the rest of their days without detonating their core. It is recommended that the Host keep an eye out on him, as the explosion of the core, even the falsely forged one like his, is strong enough to decimate even a Demigod if they are unguarded] [Final Assessment: a fleeting talent that sacrificed the last saps of his potential for a quick ascension; he will never amount to anything more than his current state and is likely to suffer a painful death caused by his actions]