บท 23: A spar
White's solemn mood left as fast as it came. He continued his chattering, giving guidance and suggestion as Ruan Yanxi tried his best to make a smooth line. He felt a bead of sweat rolling on his forehead. A cool and smooth finger wiped it off. Ruan Yanxi was startled and looked at White.
"See? You're starting to get fatigued." White wiped his finger on his sleeve. "Want to rest a bit?"
For a second, an image of someone else overlapped with White. Yet like before, it dissipated like mist before he could grasp it.
"Hmm." Ruan Yanxi forced himself to focus on his exercise.
After the class ended, they saw a group of disciples gathering in front of the administration building's board.
"What's going on?" Nea asked. From her position, she could see that it was some form of announcement. "Tournament?"
"I forgot to tell you guys," Xiao Kanque said. "The 5-year tournament of Qing Yang Sect will be held in 3 months. There are a lot of great rewards offered like a spiritual weapon and a giant qiankun bag. But most disciples tried to get into the top 50 so they can go to the hidden realm which will open in 4 months."
"What kind of hidden realm?" White asked. "Any treasure there?"
"Nothing world breaking but there are quite a lot of rare spiritual herbs and materials. You can also find good spiritual beasts there. I doubt there are any spiritual tools though. The hidden realm is relatively safe. This tournament is also a way to weed out weak disciples that won't be able to survive going into the hidden realm. You guys want to participate?"
"Sounds interesting, I'm in!" Nea said.
Ruan Yanxi nodded.
"I won't participate," White said.
"Eh?"
The three looked at White who smiled at them.
"Why not?" Nea frowned.
"Too lazy." White linked his hands behind his head. "If I participate then the tournament will be too boring. I'll crush everyone with one move."
"I want to beat you up," Nea said. "If you dare to boast then prove it."
"Let me think… Nope."
"You!" Nea raised her fist.
White cackled and dragged Ruan Yanxi away.
"Come back!" Nea shouted.
Ruan Yanxi didn't struggle against White and soon they stopped near a lake.
"You think you can beat me?" Ruan Yanxi asked.
White grinned. "In your current state, you will definitely lose. But if you recover your memory then maybe you'll provide an entertaining fight."
Ruan Yanxi couldn't measure the strength of the being in front of him. But despite all his failings, White wasn't someone who lied. "Let's fight now."
"Okay."
Ruan Yanxi blinked, he had expected some resistance from White but the man seemed intent to break his expectations.
White said, "But let's make a bet, if I win then I'll join the tournament, if I lose then you can have one request."
Ruan Yanxi frowned at the strange bet. "Why?"
"Because you'll get another chance to try to beat me."
They found a deserted small training ground. Ruan Yanxi had borrowed another training sword. They faced each other, a good distance between them.
"Are you not going to use a weapon?" Ruan Yanxi asked.
"No need. For this to be fair, I'll use one hand only." White raised his right hand, smiling.
Ruan Yanxi saluted to begin their spar. "Let's begin."
Without any pause, Ruan Yanxi dashed forward and attacked. White dodged his attack with ease. Unlike his flailing movements while sword training, White moved with a mix of laziness and grace. Although he looked unguarded, it felt as if there was an impregnable barrier around him.
Ruan Yanxi attacked without pausing. His sword was too fast for an average man to see yet White dodged all of them with that ever-present smile. His hands were linked behind his back. Ruan Yanxi couldn't help but feel ticked off. He gathered his qi into his sword. But before his sword could finish its movement, White caught it between his fingers.
White said, "You already use too much energy in our previous class. Don't waste any more until you've rested."
Ruan Yanxi's eyes widened. The qi he stored in his sword was dispelled just like that. Usually, when a technique was interrupted it would cause a backlash but White seemed to wipe off the qi into nothing.
"I lose." Ruan Yanxi returned the sword to its sheath. This spar had shown him the difference between their strength. If having White as an ally meant dealing with his ridiculousness, then it was not a loss. With his memory gone, he didn't have anyone who could be his aide. This maverick might be his only help in this journey.
They returned to the administration building to register for the tournament. Nea and Xiao Kanque were walking out of the building when they arrived.
"Why are you here?" Nea glared at White, still annoyed.
"We want to register for the tournament." White gave a cheeky smile.
"You just said you don't want to!"
"I changed my mind. It happens to the best of us."
Nea's eye twitched. As time went by White had lost that mystical and mysterious air and somehow changed into this bothersome man. Nea was utterly flabbergasted. "If we met each other on the tournament, I promise you that I'll knock you down."
White laughed. "Looking forward to that."
They had to line up to register. Although the registering period lasts until the end of this month, the tournament only accepted 300 participants. Not to mention 150 of those were saved for disciples from other sects. Thankfully, there were still available spots for them.
Later that night, Xiao Yichen had finished compiling the list of participants. It was only a day but there were already 150 disciples registering. He headed off toward the sect leader's abode. As usual, the sect leader stood in front of his pond, hands linked on his back.
"Sect leader." Xiao Yichen saluted. "I've brought you the list of the tournament participants."
"The disciples are as motivated as ever." Han Bingde accepted the list and skimmed over it.
"This is a big opportunity, after all, your daughter and her friends also registered."
"How's she?" Han Bingde asked.
"The elders said that she was very talented but had the brashness of youth. With time and experience, she will surely be a great cultivator."
"She's just like her mother." Han Bingde gave a forlorn sigh. "How are our two other guests?"
Xiao Yichen said, "Ruan Yanxi was serious and hardworking. He is a talented swordsman. He kept to himself and didn't break any rules. He is also in good health. The other one…"
"Has he made troubles?" Han Bingde arched an eyebrow, eyes glinting.
"Not particularly but the elders reported that he often slacked off and didn't pay attention to their teaching."
Han Bingde chuckled. "Hardly surprising. Inform him to see me tomorrow if he has the time."
Xiao Yichen was confused why Han Bingde would care if a disciple had free time to meet him. This level of consideration was perplexing. But he kept his question to himself. "Understood."
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