The next few days went by somewhat routinely. I focused on cultivating my Frenzy in the field by day and then honing my martial techniques with Gui Zu by night. I had to admit, I surprised even myself in my fight with the Blue Mantis, able to go toe-to-toe with her using my martial skills alone. It was proof that all my sparring sessions with Gui Zu were starting to pay off, but I just prayed they would be enough to climb even further in the ranks.
After our training, I caught glimpses of the Iron Bracket tournament from the pits and the level of competition was as fierce as Bo Ren had let on. In the match for the 26th position, the entire arena floor was excavated by an earth-aspect cultivator who was up against a woman who used flower petals and martial fans known as shànzi. It was like watching an earthquake happen in high speed, the ground heaving up underneath the woman in huge columns as the earth cultivator applied his techniques.
In the end though, the woman proved the importance of one’s aspect versus another as she cut through even the strongest of the earth cultivator’s techniques with the edge of her fans. I didn’t understand why at first, until I saw she was from the Orange Blossom Sect whose base aspect of ‘flower’ fell within the Wood domain.
One thing was clear though. The higher I went up in ranking, the more Qi manifestation mattered. In that entire match, they crossed weapons perhaps only four or five times. Everything else was a battle of Qi. The sight caused a pit of uncertainty to rise up in my stomach.
I’d gotten lucky in my last match to make my [Faux Lightning] do something useful, but at the end of the day, it was worthless as a weapon. If I had faced either of these cultivators—flower girl or earth man—I simply would have lost.
Unless I was willing to go full ham with [Mark of the Beast] or some shit.
But that was out of the question. I had practiced the technique earlier out in the field and while I couldn’t generate enough Frenzy killing small monsters to manifest it completely, I definitely developed attributes that would be far less easy to hide in the ring. Longer limbs, nails that grew into claws, slightly pointed ears, and what felt like fangs growing into my bottom jaw.
The technique was true to its word though. With the small amount of Frenzy stored in my Dantian, I was able to hold the form for all of a minute, but in that time, I was able run nearly three miles. The quickness of my martial forms increased to the same extent. With that kind of speed, I could probably close the gap on any long-range technique user, but no way was I going to turn into a damn werewolf in the middle of the arena.
That meant the same old problem still existed.I needed to manifest my own lightning to stay competitive.
After the matches, I headed back to the square and show my face before going home to the Fire Bird sect for the night. The atmosphere had changed considerably after the big blow-up. The glares of disdain were replaced with bows of respect as the people entrusted me with their faith. Somehow it made reaching the top twenty bracket all the more nerve-racking.
There was no way I could let all these people down now.
Dropping Gui Zu off at home each night, I was surprised to see how readily Su Ling took to him when Yu Li would hand her over to hold. She had gotten used to his jacked-up smile it seemed, or maybe saw it as something funny now as she would break into happy giggles every time he grinned at her.
I bumped into Jian Yi again on my second visit to the square, where she was organizing some kind of community event.
“We’ve been through a lot,” she told me when I questioned her about it. “The community needs to reconnect and heal. This will help.”
She had arranged for several people to make decorations and for some artisans to provide music, games, and other forms of entertainment. Just like when she had gotten everyone to clean up, she managed to get the whole community working together to make it happen. It was another unexpected side of her that confirmed she would be able to keep the community together long after I was gone. Strangely though, I didn’t sense her ember burning as brightly anymore.
It was still there but seemed to be in a dormant state.
A waning ember.
Perhaps it was confirmation that she’d seen me as the threat all along and that our resolution had taken away the need for her defiance. Or maybe her path was simply completed for now. Or perhaps it was only ignited when there was conflict to resolve. I didn’t know how the Flame worked, but perhaps one day, when I had progressed further myself, I would be able to guide her along whatever path that ember was ultimately leading her towards.
Back at the sect, I enjoyed the comforts that came with being an Iron Bracket representative. The initiates served me now, bringing me high-quality food that was laced with Qi. I wasn’t sure if the Qi gave my body any extra benefits, but it sure as hell tasted good. At night I continued my prose writing for Hong Feng who every morning came for his copy hot off the presses.
“I hear you did very well in your first match,” he said while looking over my latest submission. “When will you fight again?”
“Tonight,” I said.
Hong Feng nodded. “I will aim to be there. I am keen to see your lightning technique in action.”
Chagrin filled me as he left.
Great, I thought. Just what I needed. More pressure to perform.
As I readied myself for the day, I tried not to let it bother me. Whoever my opponent would be tonight, I would beat them. No matter who or what they were. The thought stirred my Flame, but in truth my insides were turning to jelly.
I left early and headed for the markets instead of the gate. There was someone else who was having a big day today. Heading back to the Native Housing District, I rapped on Mu Lin’s door and not surprisingly she answered fully dressed in her school uniform, with huge bags under her bloodshot eyes.
“Wow, did you sleep?”
“Chun?” she asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “What are you doing here?”
I laughed and presented her the biggest persimmon I could find in the artisan’s market. “I came to wish you good luck on your exam today.”
“Damn, I’m surprised you remember,” she said.
“Hey what’s that supposed to mean?”
She laughed and took the persimmon. “Thanks, but I’m way too nervous to eat this.”
“You should,” I said. “The vendor told me it’s a special spirit fruit that will help you remember things.”
She squinted her eyes at me groggily. “Seriously?”
“No, but it sounds good, right?”
She elbowed me as I laughed again.
“What time do you need to get to the university?” I asked.
“In about an hour.”
“I’ll walk you,” I said.
“No, that’s okay. Xi Xha is going to pick me up again.”
“Oh, you mean with that stuck-up bitch and her flying car?”
“Her what?” And then she came awake as if just remembering our first encounter. “Hey, what the hell was up with you last time? That was embarrassing as hell! You know how much of a big shot she is?”
I shrugged with [Indifference]. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
“Man, you’re such a Chun,” she said, shaking her head. “Can’t take you anywhere. Luckily Xi Xha covered for you and told her you were just afraid of heights.”
“She what?”
“Anyway, that’s not important. The point is you won’t be escorting me to the pickup this time. No way. No how.”
I chuckled. “How about I make it up to you, then? I’ll take you and the guys to a post-exam dinner. My treat.”
Even after paying in advance for the sect application, I still had a whole spirit stone and a couple extra Taels to burn. It might as well be on the people who I spent most of my time with, day in day out.
She grinned. “Well, you know I won’t say no to that. Should I invite Xi Xha too?”
“So long as she doesn’t bring along Lady Silver Stick in her Ass, I’m good.”
Mu Lin laughed again and then gave me a hug. “Thanks for coming to look for me. And thanks for the luck.”
“You won’t need it,” I said and ruffled her hair. “You got this, Mu Lin.”
* * *
After I left Mu Lin’s I began wondering if I was the one who would be needing the luck tonight. I practiced my cultivation in the field all day and even practiced my aim with the [Faux Lightning] technique in case I would have to resort to it again.
By the time I was ready to face my fate in the ring, I was able to pick off a bird from about forty feet away. Not bad for range, but I wasn’t up against birds tonight either, unless I was really, really lucky.
But I was never that lucky.
I knew something was up the moment I approached Bo Ren at the counter. He was all smiles until he saw me and then a look of concern washed over his face.
“Lay it on me,” I said, slamming my hands atop the counter. “Who am I fighting tonight?”
“To be honest, I don’t know yet,” he said with a long sigh.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re still in the ring now. But whoever loses is going to be fighting you. Unless they’re killed of course. In which case you’ll have to fight the winner.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a loser’s bracket,” Bo Ren said and then thumbed towards the screen behind him. “The battle is for the 21st spot. There’s no one left between you and them. U’Ren Nghi in the 25th spot pretty much cleared them all out. So whoever loses has to face you or be eliminated.”
I checked the screen.
Rank
Name
Sect
Affiliation
Aspect
Element
Cultivation Realm and Tier
Current
Standing
20
Lin Su
Water Lily Sect
Water
Core 3rd
20
21
Iron Pot Wong
Iron Crane Sect
Metal
Core 3rd
21
22
Xen Xu Ping
Blue Dragon Sect
Water
Core 3rd
Eliminated
23
Ulhgrat Cho
Silver Leaf Sect
Metal
Core 2nd
Eliminated
24
Yin Chu
Fire Bird Sect
Fire
Core 2nd
Withdrawn
25
U’Ren Nghi
Orange Blossom Sect
Wood
Core 3rd
22
26
Wen Shu
Heavenly Mountain Sect
Earth
Core 2nd
Eliminated
27
T’lu Kai
Frozen Claw Sect
Ice
Core 1st
Eliminated
28
The Iron Bull
Furious Lightning Sect
Lightning
Core 2nd
28
“Shit,” I said as I studied the roster, looking for who was next in line to fight. “One of them is the flower girl?”
“You mean, U’Ren Nghi?” Bo Ren nodded. “Yeah, that’s her.”
But then I noticed another name. Yin Chu? Damn, he had made it all the way up to the 24th spot? No wonder Hong Feng was so pissed about his loss. But that made me feel good in a way. Perhaps I wasn’t as much out of my league as I thought. But then again, Yin Chu literally brought me to [Death’s Door] and it was by virtue of my Flame alone that I had survived.
“So unless I beat whoever I face tonight, I’ll be out of the runnings?”
“Afraid so,” Bo Ren said.
“Which one of them is slated to win?”
Bo Ren brought up the score card, the points moving in real time.
Iron Pot Wong vs U’Ren Nghi
Odds: 2:3
Time - 03:36
Iron Pot Wong
U’Ren Nghi
45
184
I was actually liking the odds. I didn’t know who Iron Pot Wong was, but I knew flower girl and no way could I stand a chance against her right now.
“So unless Wong gets a kill, he’s likely going to lose right?” I said.
“Likely yes,” Bo Ren said. “That’s actually his style. He’s a veteran in the Iron bracket. Always gets to the low twenties before getting busted back down. Poor bastard hasn’t qualified for over ten years.”
“Ten years?” My hopes were rising. “Sounds like he’s going to lose for sure.”
“Probably,” Bo Ren said. “Or U’Ren Nghi might just kill him. And then you’ll be fighting her.”
Shit, I thought.
“You still have time to catch a bit of the match,” Bo Ren said. “Might be good to see what you’ll be up against in either case.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
I made for the pits and caught the match just as it was entering the last two minutes.
The flower girl, U’Ren Nghi, was center stage, dressed in white and orange robes that reminded me of Li Gong Qui’s. Her face was painted white as well, with fierce orange eyeshadow to match. She danced more than fought, moving with the grace of an ice skater across the ring. Her twin fans cut the air as she floated back and forth, all the while humming or singing while she manifested white flower petals in the air.
Opposite her, the man Iron Pot Wong looked every bit of his name. First, the guy was old, or he actually looked old anyway. Beyond middle aged, with a full white beard and thick brows. But that wasn’t the truly odd thing about him. Instead of robes, he wore the thick black armor of an infantryman.
His helmet reminded me of an upside-down wok and his chest armor was so rounded it looked like a cauldron. He wielded a black iron glaive that had to be over twenty feet long with a thick flat blade on the end.
Looking at the score, I expected him to be on his last legs, battered and bleeding and begging to yield. But instead, he was laughing like a madman. His deep voice echoed like thunder across the arena as he shouted into the air.
“Keep flying, butterfly!” he bellowed. “You have to land sometime! [Iron Cuts the Wind]!”
With a speed that seemed impossible for his armor and age, he performed a front flip and with the momentum, whipped his glaive behind him. The air split with a sonic boom, a clap like thunder, and a thick shockwave of energy sped towards U’Ren Nghi.
The flower girl met the attack with slamming of her fans together. “[Summer’s Breeze spreads the Blossom]…”
She sang it more than shouted it, and in an instant the shock wave of energy transformed into a cascade of white petals. Whipping her fans in a complex dance, she redirected the petals right back at Iron Pot Wong and the old man braced himself for the counter-attack by holding his glaive horizontally across his body.
He laughed into the attack like he was mocking a hurricane, the petals whipping past him and causing sparks to fly from his armor. A few hit the exposed skin on his face and did the same.
“We can keep doing this all night,” he shouted up at her as she danced into the air, floating on white petals.
U’Ren Nghi ignored him as she performed another series of complex forms again. “[Tranquility’s Embrace]…”
White and orange blossoms snowed down upon him, but he didn’t bother to even block this time. Instead, he reached for a gourd at his side, popped the top open and casually began to drink.
“Your fairy magic won’t work on these old bones, you temptress,” he said, and I realized that maybe he’d been half drunk the entire time. “Do your worst!”
I feared for a moment that she might swoop in for a killing blow, but thankfully the ending gong sounded instead.
“And the winner, moving into the 21st spot,” the announcer called out. “U’Ren Nghi!”
The board lit up with the final score.
Iron Pot Wong vs U’Ren Nghi
Odds: 2:3
Time - 03:36
Iron Pot Wong
U’Ren Nghi
48
215
Winner
U’Ren Nghi
“A decisive victory for U’Ren Nghi who maintains her win streak for yet another night! Congratulations to our beautiful fairy blossom queen!”
At that the crowd burst into applause as U’Ren Nghi performed a gracious bow befitting of the princess herself. As she exited the stage, she made a bee line for the old man. The fake smile instantly dropped from her face as she addressed him.
“Consider yourself lucky that I consider it bad luck to kill someone like you,” she said in a tone that contrasted sharply with her elegant flower girl persona. “But do everyone a favor and retire already. You embarrass both yourself and your sect by competing every damn year. Why they don’t just poison you themselves I do not know.”
Holy shit, that was harsh, I thought. But the old man took it with another drunken laugh.
“I don’t know either,” he said. “Or maybe they have and I’m such a damn drunk that I’m immune!”
His words seemed to cause her even more offense and her scowl deepened as she stormed away haughtily.
“Old Iron Pot Wong lives up to his reputation,” the announcer continued. “Beaten but not defeated. And tonight, he has one more chance to retain his position as 22nd in the Iron bracket tournament. It will be the highest he’s ever placed, but can he defend it?”
A mixture of boos and cheers filled the arena, but Iron Pot Wong lapped it up all the same, swinging his glaive about in celebratory fashion.
“We will find out shortly!” the announcer said, hyping up the crowd. “For the last match of the night will be Iron versus Iron!”
Iron Pot Wong vs The Iron Bull
Odds: 3:5
Time - 30:00
Iron Pot Wong
The Iron Bull
0
0
As the new score board flashed into existence a mixture of excitement and anxiety ran fresh Frenzy through my core. The crowd riled up and began the ‘Iron Bull’ chant. I looked at the odds and wondered if I could live up to them. Iron Pot Wong might be an old drunk, but with that glaive he had the advantage of both distance and range with that ‘air-splitter’ attack of his. Could I outpace him? I wished I had gotten to the arena earlier to see more of the match, see where his weakness might be.
I was so caught up in my own thoughts and panning out strategy, that I barely noticed the chant for the Iron Bull getting louder and louder.
“Perhaps he can’t hear us!” the announcer said. “Or perhaps he’s gotten cold feet! Either way it will be a win for Iron Pot Wong. Let’s see if he shows up within the final 3 minutes. Where are you, Iron Bull? Where are you?”
Holy shit! I thought. I’m about to lose this match already.
The entire crowd was waiting on me!
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