Bab 91: Chapter 91 - The matchups.
"Do you know any of them?" Xin asked Rui Ming. They were standing together with Yao Nang, waiting for the inspector, master Zhi and the opposing side's rank three master to finish their business. Despite being rank three, that master looked completely unremarkable, as if he was another middle aged monk, even his expression looked simple and carried no presence of someone with great power or life experience. Xin found it weird.
"Our guys or the enemy masters?" Rui Ming pointed at a flashy company approaching them.
"Both. Just tell me whatever."
"I don't know anyone there, except the Ember Fist. That rank three guy must be Curator Xi, Muni's right hand man. I don't know much about him."
"Got it. And on our side? So many unfamiliar people."
"Tei Zhuo, he's of water path and can manifest ice path abilities. He was lady Ting's favoured student. We used to be disciples together. I was stronger."
"Compared to me and Lei, where would you place him?"
"Below Lei, above you."
Xin's heart dropped.
"Wait, you think I'm weaker than Lei? I meant mortal level, not now."
"Yes, still. Mortal Lei with his hand intact is stronger than you, no offence."
"Huh." Xin scoffed. "Whatever. What about others?"
"Qin Bao is a fire path master, his qi reserves are quite large, for a rank one. He's a decent fighter, but he's not very skilled with his qi control. Don't expect anything fancy." Rui Ming glanced towards a tall and skinny man, whose right hand was covered in burns, with fancy tattoos painted over them.
"And the woman?"
"Cai Heng, she's a wood path master. And a bit of poison." Rui Ming whispered this part. "She was born in the sect, but her parents died early. She has a refined look, and a beautiful voice, but she's rather shallow. Don't mean to be negative, she's just very conformist and... structure-oriented."
"She's very anal about stuff, I get it." Xin was hoping he stood far enough for people not to hear their chatter. They spoke quietly, but someone could have a hearing method, just like lady Meiling back then.
"And Shen Hao and Shen Ning? What about those two?" Xin looked towards a handsome man wearing plate armour, and a woman dressed in enchanted red robes.
"Husband and wife, they have a venture away from the sect, I heard about them, never seen them in person. Two years ago, during the last rank two tournament, they didn't even participate. If they are called up now, their power has probably grown significantly."
"Good for us." Xin was already studying the approaching group of enemies.
Other than the unremarkable monk, there were nine other people there. Xin focused on the people that would be his enemies, of course.
One figure was a tall man with short hair, with sharp but uneven facial features, looking slightly unhinged and barbaric. He carried a massive two-handed sword, it looked around twenty jin in weight, and was crafted out of the meteoritic metal.
The second person was a young man, who looked around fifteen, with a boyish expression and a wide smile underlined by his bald head. He wore monk's half-robes above scale armour and joked around with the others, looking completely unaffected by the slaughter to come.
Xin's gaze couldn't help but get fixated on a third figure. She was a beautiful young maiden, with long, raven-black hair cascading down her shoulders on one side, while the other side of her head was completely shaved. Her eyes were big and of a piercing shade of blue, and Xin found them a bit creepy. If Lei's blue eyes made him look warm and energetic, this young woman looked like a she-wolf on a hunt, readying to lunge for your throat.
Given that she rode a beautiful black horse, adorned in expensive silvered plate barding, and was herself dressed into an expensive silver-adorned armour, riding with the other rank ones, her armband was the only sign betraying her mortal rank. Xin swallowed his saliva.
"Greetings, gentlemen. Name is Wang Buo, some of you have seen me before. Some of you were even marked by me." The inspector addressed everyone, but Xin felt like an invisible eye was watching specifically at him. "I'll oversee this fight. Let's establish the rules. You'll have a whole field to fight in. No mounts, no summoned creatures, no combat alchemy, other than mortal-level restorative pills, before or during combat.
No enchanted artefacts above your rank in power, no dao shards higher than your rank. The exception is made for mortals, you are allowed to carry rank one shards. My word is final, my word is the Emperor's word. Disobeying me if I'm intervening is a criminal offence. I'll give you a few moments of silence to think my words through." He calmly put his sleeves together, hiding his arms inside, and waited, as everyone stared at each other, probing the other side for weaknesses.
Xin felt his gaze meet with that rich young maiden. She smirked at him and raised her chin mockingly, as if asking "What?". Xin felt his blood boil, and also raised his chin.
"That's enough. Let's start the competition. We begin with mortals. Any challengers, or should we proceed randomly?"
"Which one of you is the strongest?" The girl dismounted from her horse, and put her hand on her decorated sheathe.
"Not so fast, young woman." The inspector said. "Your sword is not allowed. Please get another weapon."
"Hehe, can't buy your way into victory. Bitch." Yao Nang said somewhat quietly, as she stood near Xin.
"Fine, forgive me, inspector." The girl nodded to the inspector and pulled a meteoritic sword out of her bag of holding, hiding her enchanted blade inside. "Does this work?"
"Yes." The man nodded. Xin felt a hint of dislike towards her in the inspector's voice.
"Thank you. I'm asking again, which one of you is the strongest? With my bloodline and training, I'll crush anyone here, so let's get this over with."
"Blood line? Did she forget to change her underwear padding?" Xin said to Rui Ming somewhat quietly, but a few other masters heard him and laughed. Among them was rank two master Shen Hao, but his wife gave him a light cuff on the nape. He laughed at this, too.
"Let's throw some punches, I don't mind." Yao Nang stepped forward.
The armoured maiden looked her in the eyes, then waved her head. "No. You aren't it. Sorry. You, with a crossbow, what's your name?" She threw Xin another creepy glance.
"Xin."
"And the surname?"
"Huh?"
"The surname."
"Sorry, I got distracted looking at your bald spot. Could you repeat again?" Her attitude annoyed Xin on a deeper level. Her cliche stuck up noble demeanour was something Xin could manage. It was her perceiving herself as a protagonist of her own idiotic story that made Xin irritated, he hated this type of people.
"Fine, I get it. You're a rural loudmouth, with no manners and tact. But I can tell that you're good enough. I'm challenging you. Do you accept? Let's start the fight." She unsheathed her blade and prepared to enter the battle circle as if Xin had already agreed.
"No, I don't accept." He felt the urge to reject her. A part of him screamed she was too dangerous, but mostly he wanted to deny her something she wanted.
"Why not? What's going on? Are you scared?" The girl mocked him, but the inspector intervened.
"I'll count to three, if no one else challenges each other, we'll assign the fighters randomly. One.
Two.
Three. Random order.
Yao Nang — Meng Longhuan.
Tei Zhuo — Matuni.
Xin — Ling Yue.
First fight — Yao Nang and Meng Longhuan. Two minutes combat readiness."
"Got it!" Yao Nang nodded, as master Xiaodan approached her and spoke to her quietly.
"Listen, girl." Xin could still hear most of their discussion as he stood aside. "This man is a fencer, and will destroy your glaive and slice through your armour. Be ready to make some sacrifices, try and grapple him, you should be stronger in this particular aspect of strength. Be careful, his muscles are quite explosive, I can tell. And remember, don't underestimate yourself, don't hold back. Stop trying to go for non-lethal moves, it's a kill or be killed situation. Got it?"
"Yes, master. Thank you."
"Good luck, Nang. I believe in you."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone