…
"The third segment is almost coming to an end, I wonder who the victor will turn out to be?"
Back at the Great Whirlwind Sect, the audience eagerly awaits the next battle, especially the disciples who had placed their entire fortune on this competition.
"Humph, isn't it so obvious that Xun Shi would be the victor? Isn't he at the ninth layer of qi gathering, all you thinking otherwise are definitely not thinking right!" A sickly pale disciple sneers as he hears the surrounding conversations.
Things like: I think (Someone aside from Xun Shi) is going to win!, or I placed all my money on (Someone aside from Xun Shi) make the disciple even more infuriated.
"Seriously, you people need to—"
"No."
He gets cut off by a burly disciple, the burly disciple's eyes narrowed in contempt.
"Haven't you ever read one of those novels? The ones where a character who appears weak turns out to be a powerhouse?" He asks.
"H-huh?" The sickly pale disciple turns even more pale as he gets rebuked by the burly, more taller disciple towering over him.
"Haha." The burly disciple shakes his head, suddenly grinning mockingly. "Who knows, just because he has the highest level of cultivation doesn't mean he's the winner for sure. There are other aspects to look at, for example…"
He glances at the blue crystal near the elder stands, the one that announces battles.
Shortly after he glanced at it, the crystal shines brightly. Such is the intuition of a cultivator, even a qi gathering one.
This time around, though, the blue crystal doesn't announce a battle.
"Disciples, elders, as you know, the competition is coming to a finale."
The blue crystal dims as the sect leader steps out, his words as peaceful as the blue sky above, almost like he has no regrets.
The audience quiets down in respect, with most disciples bowing their heads. The sect leader is in a different league of power, more than they could ever imagine.
"I heard that a sect leader once lifted a mountain in order to create a new peak in the sect." A short haired disciple excitedly whispers to his nearby friend.
"The fact that we're graced by his presence is a blessing in itself!" Up in the elder stands, Han Kuang smiles as his eyes shine brightly.
"There's just something about sect leader Gao Yong…" Yin Song looks at the sect leader almost like a mortal would look at the statue he worships.
As the audience quietens down, Gao Yong continues.
"As the sect leader, it is my duty to watch over the new seeds in the sect, so they can eventually bloom into prosperous flowers, and give the sect life, just as the sect had given us life."
His gaze looks over the audience, before settling on Xun Shi.
"I am proud to announce the top 6 disciples fighting to be the victor." Gao Yong pauses, before listing them out.
"Xun Shi, a superior-grade talent, with many hopeful eyes cast upon him."
"Liu Huan, trained by the spear peak leader himself, Lu Bu."
"Zuo Lingxin…"
"Ren Zhexi…"
"Tan Jian…"
"These are the disciples competing, may they each battle to the best of their abilities!" He smiles as he announces the first fight.
"Xun Shi versus Liu Huan."
...
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
"Huuu!"
Away from the colosseum, Xuan Wu is currently cultivating in his abode.
He inhales a deep breath as his gaze snaps to a weird looking organ next to him. His eyebrows raise as he picks it up with trembling hands.
It rings periodically as it spews out some type of liquid.
"The Miracle Gallbladder?" Xuan Wu's face contorts in disgust as it suddenly starts shaking.
It cracks and ripples as eyes begin to form, eyes with sheer terror in them.
"W-what?" Xuan Wu quickly throws the gallbladder down, standing up with bated breaths. His gaze grows nervous as he continuously stares at the organ's newfound eyes.
The eyes start trembling, before several mouths appear, and a nose. The parts are all separated, mismatched.
"What could possibly be the meaning of this? Don't tell me Gao Hong suddenly woke up… d-did he?" Xuan Wu scratches his chin as he contemplates.
Krrrrrrrk!
All of a sudden, the organ squelches and contorts, and the facial features slowly form into what seems to be a human face.
Xuan Wu stares at the transformed gallbladder, a realization hitting him as the organ mutters a singular word.
"Run."
"W-what?" Xuan Wu slowly backs away, shaking his head in horror.
The gallbladder does not explain any further, instead choosing to scream. "Eughhhhhhh!" Like the sound of a nail scratching against a chalkboard.
"Fuck, don't tell me it's cursed." Xuan Wu starts packing his stuff. "Either way, it said 'Run' without elaborating, and according to common sense, I should run!"
He takes a deep breath as he leaves the sword peak, heading for the exit of the Great Whirlwind Sect. His eyes narrow as he walks past multiple clusters of small purple dots.
"Whatever is going on, it must be something bad." He rapidly approaches the exit gates.
"Halt!" Two disciples stand at the gate, suspiciously watching Xuan Wu sprinting at maximum speed while wearing a packed bag.
"Outer disciple, what business do you have here?" One of the disciples, spotting his lighter green robes, questions him.
"I… have a mission." Xuan Wu tries to lie his way through.
"A mission?" The other guard's eyebrow raises. "There aren't any missions during a competition like this… hey, wait!" Suddenly, as he speaks, Xuan Wu dashes towards the gate, breaching through easily.
"How dare you!" The disciple rushes to ring a giant jade bell, before being stopped by his colleague. "What?" He asks, panic evident in his voice.
"It's just one outer disciple, what's the point of alerting the sect like this, especially during such a big competition? I say we chase." He proposes.
"Ah… you're right!" They nod to each other before running after Xuan Wu, leaving the gate wide open. Though an array runs dormant, proving the gate to be worthless.
...
Back at the competition, in the fighting stage, Liu Huan and Xun Shi stand against each other.
"I thought you were afraid of fighting… what exactly happened to you?" Xun Shi coldly states, eyeing Liu Huan's burn marks.
Liu Huan, with his head down, sighs. "Brother Xun, I traveled to my hometown in order to reflect on myself, and…" He doesn't elaborate any further, yet Xun Shi understands.
"Well, this is our first fight. I hope you battle to the best of your abilities!" Xun Shi proudly states, if there is one person in this competition he deems worthy, it is Liu Huan!
Liu Huan smiles, wielding his spear. "Our first fight, and our last." He flexes his shoulders. "Fighting isn't my path, I've already realised my path!"
With just those words, Xun Shi ultimately understood at that moment why Liu Huan had decided to fight.
He had gone through the questioning phase.
And succeeded.
Xun Shi smiles.
"You really had it in you." He unsheathes his sword, arrogance returning to his eyes. "Let's see how well you fight." He whispers, getting into a stance.
…