Beware Of Chicken

The day of the tournament arrived with more fanfare than Bi De expected.

It was his first time really being at a tournament as he had only caught the aftermath of the Dueling Peaks. Xiulan, Tigu, Ri Zu, and the Xong Brothers had described the opening ceremony of the Tournament to Bi De, but he had been entirely unprepared for the sheer extravagance of the Shrouded Mountain Sect. Lightning blasted into the sky, thunder rolled like an invisible drum, and more fireworks than Bi De had ever seen in his life were set off in a constant barrage.

The normal, sound dampening wards around the Inner Sect had been silenced for today so that everybody could hear the festivities outside. Bi De watched it from his balcony. He did not feel nervous about the upcoming bouts, but there was something strange in the air. Some intangible force that he could feel in his very soul. It felt neither like an ill omen nor an auspicious moment—it was just there.

He took a breath and put it out of his mind. Instead, he finished his breakfast and stood, ready to depart.

“Good luck, Young Master! This Old Ling will be praying for your success,” the old servant said, bowing low.

“Thank you, Old Ling. I appreciate your consideration,” Bi De replied, and he did. The old man had been good to him. He only wished that he could possibly direct the man somewhere else. Somewhere where he wouldn’t work himself to the bone to maintain a crumbling house in a Sect which did not deserve Old Ling’s devotion.

But alas, the man was determined to live the rest of his days here and serving faithfully whoever resided in this manse.

Bi De stepped out into the Inner Sect where his fellow Inner Disciples gathered with their lackeys and servants. Zhong was out of seclusion and the head of the Inner Disciples, seemed slightly irritated…and he scowled slightly when he laid eyes on Bi De.

Bi De ignored the man and kept walking. Bi De felt a brief moment of pity for the man as he felt his power. Zhong had still not conquered his bottleneck and was at the same level of strength as when he had started, despite all his boasts and plans.

The streets heaved with disciples and mortal servants as Bi De made his way to the northern side of the mountain, where the Howling Fang Pinnacle Arena was located. ‘The place where the strongest of the Howling Fang Mountains gathered’ Bi De had heard people say. Bi De hadn’t seen the rest of the Sects and had no way to know whether the title was justified… but he suspected arrogance.

The arena itself was a truly massive thing—as big as the arena at the Dueling Peaks. However, the two were a study in contrasts.

The Dueling Peaks had felt old—Bi De, in the few hours he had spent exploring, could feel the weight of eons permeating the Peaks. Bi De had found that the Dueling Peaks were damaged and crumbling, most of its ancient mechanisms apparently offline. The Earthly Arena itself had been simple stone and sand, the seats mere rock. If you only looked upon the surface it would have been almost mortal, with its pulleys and chains.

Despite it all Bi De would dare to say the Dueling Peaks were hallowed. The massive mountain, split in two. The arena, rising to the next level after each bout. It was ancient and beautiful. A monument to an age long past. One that wore its age with a grace that provoked awe.

The Howling Fang Pinnacle Arena in contrast gleamed. Its walls were clad in polished, shining marble and inlaid with quartz and jade. The roof was a deep blue colour, with golden ornaments sticking out from the top. Crystals floated everywhere, providing light and water—and some even powered cooking stoves.

Bi De could see cushions on the seats and servants marching in their hundreds, finishing preparations. It was grand and opulent in the extreme. It was perfectly maintained. There was not a scrap of decorative stone cladding missing, not a single crack in the floor beneath them. And in its magnificence, it screamed to Bi De of its self importance.

What the Dueling Peaks achieved by simply being, the Howling Fang Pinnacle Arena begged at the door desperate to be seen and acknowledged like a young cock.

When he arrived at the arena itself, Bi De found that there were already hundreds of competitors waiting for the signal to begin. The disciples were supposed to be separated by their position in the Sect, but Bi De’s eyes scanned the Outer Disciples, searching for a familiar face… before he realised the person he was looking for was sneaking up beside him.

“Oh? What’s a handsome brother like you doing in a place like this?” Yushang asked, her voice teasing. 142.93.60.102

Bi De turned and smiled at her. She looked prepared for battle; her massive sword slung on her back. “So you did decide to compete after all.”

“Mmmm! Your pretty sister might not win, but it's a good way to get experience,” Yushang reasoned. She was the only other one of them to have signed up for the tournament. Ri Zu was in the Medical Pavilion and would be tending to the casualties while Fat Han, Yun Ren, and Shao Heng would be in the stands. “So give me a reward if I do well, okay?”

Bi De chuckled at Yushang’s cheeriness, but he knew the woman was more than ready for what was to come. She had grown quite a bit since they had first met, and was now sitting at the Second Stage of the Profound Realm.

“Of course. I’ll cook you dinner,” Bi De said, and Yushang excitedly pumped her fist.

They went to their respective sections to wait for the starting gong.

She received some polite clapping—and several members of the Fulmination Squadrons suddenly looked uneasy.

And so it continued. The crowd never seemed to tire of this entertainment, but for those waiting to be judged it was rather boring, just as Tigu had said based on her own experience. Bi De felt his attention wander to Yun Ren, who gave him a smile when he noticed Bi De’s gaze.

Nearly an hour later it was Bi De’s turn to be judged. He was the first of the Inner Disciples to do so.

He placed his hand on the stone.

A moon rose, a beautiful crescent in a dark sky; and to Bi De’s surprise, opposite that formed the sun. Day and night spun in a cycle, turning faster and faster, until the sun and moon met in the middle, forming a Taijitu, with all the faces of the moon around it.

But when it came time to display his level of cultivation, the stone shuddered slightly. The symbols on it flashed—before it finally seemed to decide.

Fifth Stage of the Profound Realm.

The crowd erupted at his level, the highest displayed so far.

“Fifth Stage! The Fifth Stage of the Profound Realm!” the announcer shouted. “Truly, the Inner Disciples show the true potential of the Shrouded Mountain Sect!”

It took a little while longer for everyone to have their cultivation level recorded—but in the end Bi De had, to his surprise, the highest, even among the Inner Disciples.

The announcer stepped forwards, ready to continue the ceremony, when another voice cut in.

“Is this it? Is this all our Sect has to offer?” a booming voice demanded.

Lightning shattered the sky, impacting the center of the arena—and from it strode three figures. One was a burly man who was slightly taller than Bi De’s Great Master. The other was a woman with a glaive, her lower face covered by a veil.

And the last was a young man. He had blonde hair and blue eyes that were narrowed into a sour frown. Immediately, fearful whispering began to circulate. Zhong, in the crowd, looked like he was about to spit blood.

All around the arena, people whispered the same name.

“The Young Master. Young Master Sheng.”

Even the Pavilion Masters looked shocked, though those in the Elders’ box didn’t. Elder Chongyun looked slightly annoyed, while the two others that Bi De didn’t recognise looked amused.

“I heard that brat Li won a tournament last year, and I thought it could not be. But if this is the quality of our disciples, then that stupid rumour must have been true,” he continued, his voice thundering. “And then that brat had the audacity to die. Can you all believe that?”

“He was indeed a failure, Young Master,” the giant man rumbled like an avalanche, while the woman only scoffed.

“A failure, winning one of our tournaments? It's depressing.” The man shook his head before his eyes landed back on the crowd of cultivators. The young man’s power flared, blanketing the arena as he looked down at all of them, his face twisted with contempt. “But rejoice, my juniors! For This Young Master, Zang Sheng, has exited his closed door cultivation just for you—so that we may all be reminded what true strength is.”

Sheng slammed his hand against the Heavenly Ascension Stone. The entire thing shuddered as lightning lashed across its surface, a raging storm that was so bright it was almost blinding.

And when it ended, the stone flared and proclaimed:

Second Stage of the Spiritual Realm.

“Be not afraid; I, your father, shall educate you all upon the meaning of our words: Strength Above All.”

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