Cultivation Nerd (xianxia)

Chapter 158 - A Purple Patch

 

Song Song and Ye An clashed again, and that ended with the latter suffering a large gash on the right side of her chest, just under her armpit. Blood seeped through her clothes, staining them crimson, but Ye An gritted her teeth and fought on. Then they clashed again, and this one ended with a deep cut on Ye An's thigh that almost dismembered the leg. Blood poured from the wound, pooling at her feet. But Ye An was just as ruthless to herself as she froze the wound with her Qi, creating a thin layer of ice that staunched the bleeding. She limped back with a wince, her face pale, but her eyes were filled with the fire of ambition.

It wasn't as one-sided as when they fought the first time, but Ye An still couldn't react to Song Song's attacks on time. Each exchange ended with her suffering lethal injuries. Her movements were growing sluggish, her strikes imprecise. She wasn't going to get any better as the fight continued. 

Just as another attack was about to be exchanged, Ye An raised her hand and said, "I surrender."

Immediately, the Core Elder who had failed to protect Song Song once from being sneak attacked appeared. He stood tall, his presence commanding, and his eyes scanned the crowd.

"The tournament's victor is Song from the Blazing Sun Sect! At her age, one can only wonder how long her reign of victories will last!" The announcer declared, looking almost gleeful as he glared at the downed Ye An.

Despite the victory, most people cheered heartily. This was more of a butchering than a final fight, but no one seemed to care. The audience was captivated by Song Song's prowess, and the brutality of the match only added to the spectacle.

Song Song still kept her deep blue eyes on Ye An. She had been tricked once with a backstabbing attack, and despite the tournament being over, she remained vigilant. I knew Song Song would be cautious for the rest of her life. She had learned from her mistakes. 

But her eyes flickered elsewhere for a split second. Her gaze landed on mine, and the smile on her face turned from cruel laughter to teasing. It was as if she was telling me—I told you so.

However, her gaze didn't linger long, and she kept her eyes on the downed Ye An. The latter was running her finger across her new missing eye, a look of pain and regret etched on her face. She had gone through a lot during this tournament. She had lied, cheated, and used humiliating strategies. However, in the end, she got a missing eye and an arm that they might be able to reattach.

The only winner among the participants was Song Song. She was also one of the only people I knew who wouldn't need whatever the reward of winning this tournament was. However, she still won it.

"The Blazing Sun Sect Leader, Shan Yi, will now grant the rewards to the winner," declared the announcer.

A quietness wrapped its arms around the Colosseum. The cheers ceased, and people no longer whispered amongst each other. The air was thick with anticipation. Everyone here was at least a Qi Gathering Cultivator and could hear whispers easily. One could only imagine how good the senses of a Nascent Soul Cultivator were. 

The Blazing Sun Sect Leader stood up from his chair on the higher marble-white platform. The robes wrapped around him as he moved, showing a rather thin and average physique under his clothes. His flowing red robes, adorned with golden intricate patterns, seemed to flutter with an almost ethereal grace. 

Despite his Sect winning a tournament, the Blazing Sun Sect Leader looked nonchalant. I might assume he was acting cold if I didn't know better, but he had probably seen at least a hundred of these tournaments. He was bored more than anything else. His eyes were distant as if his mind wandered to more pressing matters.

Even though I looked straight at him and never blinked, the Sect Leader suddenly disappeared. No one had even seen him move. Even the elders and Song Song were still looking at where he had been. 

However, when everyone caught on to what had happened, they found the Sect Leader next to Song Song. His sudden movement was a testament to his immense power and skill, a reminder of that insurmountable gap. 

A crimson box the size of his fist appeared in his hands. He opened it, revealing two golden pills resting atop a purple pillow.

"These are Tier 5 Phoenix Rising Pills. They will help you advance even during Foundation Establishment," said the Sect Leader, his voice soft like silk, almost welcoming. If I were to judge him by his voice alone, he seemed like a naive youth who had never known conflict. But I knew better. Everyone knew better. 

"Thank you, Sect Leader," Song Song bowed her head, this time not up to her usual shenanigans.

The Sect Leader closed the box and handed it to her. Then, he removed a milky white ring from under his sleeve and gently placed it on her palm. "This storage ring has a hundred thousand spirit stones. Use them as you like."

A hundred thousand spirit stones? That was more than my entire clan's net worth! It was an unexpected display of wealth, handed out so nonchalantly.

But the seemingly generous Sect Leader was not done with his rewards. He produced a pinky finger-sized wooden ring with a red ruby.

"This is a life-saving artifact. Make sure you always keep it on, and its passive effects will protect you against most common ailments, like poison," the Sect Leader explained. "Also, your status as a Core Disciple will be restored from now on. As for your teacher? You can choose whoever you want."

"Can I choose which Core Elder I can apprentice under?" Song Song asked to confirm.

"Sure," the Sect Leader nodded, almost ready to smile at something only he could understand. "Allowing a disciple to choose which Core Elder they get as a teacher is new and has never been done before. But why not? It would break the monotony around here."

Some of the Core Elders looked displeased with that announcement, furrowing their brows and tightening their lips in a silent display of their disapproval. But most hid their feelings and kept their faces expressionless, a skill they had mastered over years of political maneuvering and brown-nosing within the Blazing Sun Sect.

With such a strong piece like the Sect Leader on the board, there was no choice but to play along. The Core Elders were the second power right behind the Sect Leader, yet that distance in power from first to second place had never been so apparent.

This was another way to show the difference in power without comparing martial arts or clashing swords. With just one word, the Sect Leader had decided the fate of the most powerful cultivators in the Sect. There was nothing anyone could do about it.

"I hope our friends from the other Sects also enjoyed the event," said the Sect Leader, whose figure disappeared once more instantly. There was no sound, no air shift. If it wasn't for the enormous amount of Qi it would take to use a technique like teleportation, I thought he might have used something like that instead of just moving. 

Song Song finally turned toward me and smiled. Dark amusement was in her eyes, and I knew she was going to tease me for my paranoia.

As she walked out of the arena, the announcer declared the end of the tournament. The people got off their seats and began walking away. I also moved with the others for the first time and went with my fiancée.

With the Sect Leader gone, the disciples began discussing the tournament again as they stood up from their stone seats. We did the same. But there was an intelligible shout in the distance before we could walk out. 

A Blazing Sun Sect disciple and a Piercing Void Sect disciple were having a heated shouting match, their voices echoing through the arena as they argued over some stupid stuff. 

"This young master has given you the mercy of walking away, and you spit on my good heart?" said a tall young man with a large mouth and thick lips like bloody red worms. He wore the dark outfit of the Void Piercing Sect and had a spear artifact on his back that his hand was inching toward.

As for the disciple from our side who had the gall to begin a conflict with someone from another sect just as the tournament ended... Well, it was my red-haired "friend" Hu Jin. His new blue uniform clashed with his red hair, making him stand out like a sore thumb. 

I contemplated just leaving. Nothing good would come from getting involved with the likes of Hu Jin. But it had been a while since I had seen a Young Master out in the wild, and it was a prime source of entertainment. Also, my cousins and fiancée didn't look like they were leaving either. So I stuck around.

"I can come and go as I please," Hu Jin declared. "This is the Blazing Sun Sect!"

His words were dull and predictable. But he spoke passionately, and many Blazing Sun Sect disciples hollered and seemed to have his back. 

It would be better if I returned to reading. This whole thing was a colossal waste of time.

"Interesting, isn't it?" asked a familiar voice next to me that sent a chill down my spine.

I turned toward the source, and there stood a man of average height with olive skin and a face that would get lost in the crowd. The only thing that stood out about him was his red robe with golden writing. But despite the eye-catching wardrobe, no one seemed to notice him.

The Sect Leader? What was he doing here? Why was no one noticing him?

My heart dropped. It was never good to catch the attention of someone overwhelmingly stronger than myself.

"Of course, honorable Sect Leader," I said. I would have gotten on one knee and shown proper manners, but the crowd was so packed that I had no room to do so. "Sorry that I can't pay the-"

"There is no need to act so lack-minded with me," he interrupted. "Also, stop acting so respectful."

I nodded. The Sect Leader's words were like laws, and I didn't intend to break them.

"Don't test my patience again," he said, without glancing at me as his eyes were glued to Hu Jin and his adversary. "Once again, I will ask. What do you think of this conflict between those two?"

"I lack context on-"

"That's not what I'm asking, and you know it."

My uniform stuck to my body, and I was drenched in cold sweat. But I tried to hide my nervousness as I considered what to say next. He probably saw through me. 

However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read any profound meanings or what he wanted to know. So, I just went with my true thoughts, hoping they were enough.

"It seems like a situation that could develop into something more troublesome," I said, my words heavy in my throat. For some reason, I felt thirsty—perhaps it was all this sweating.

Standing next to a Nascent Soul Cultivator was like being next to a living, breathing nuclear bomb. Nobody could be calm in this situation, no matter how many times they might try to play it cool.

The Sect Leader's response felt like it would never come, with each letter he spoke seeming to stretch by an eternity.

"Exactly," he said, smiling as if pleased with himself. Then his chocolate-brown eyes turned toward me. "I knew there was something more to you than meets the eye."

Thankfully, his gaze didn't linger, and he returned to Hu Jin. I had missed the rest of their conversation, but now they were fighting. Unfortunately, the guy Hu Jin had picked a fight with was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and it would not be an easy match.

Despite having a spear on his back, the opponent didn't use it. Instead, he opted for fist and palm techniques, almost as if the spear was just an ornament to make him look like someone who had learned the Sect's spear techniques when he hadn't. But even then, his hands were pale white and unscarred, not the hands of a warrior.

On the other side, Hu Jin's arms were littered with small and big scars all the way to his elbows from cuts, rips, and burns.

But despite that, the vast difference in power wasn't easily overcome, and Hu Jin was pushed back. He used strange Earth Grade Techniques to avoid being pushed back too much.

However, his advantage lasted only a short time. With a sudden move, Hu Jin opened his mouth wide and expelled a cloud of green mist. The mist billowed out, thick and noxious, enveloping the charging opponent before he had a chance to react. The pungent smell of the mist filled the air, making those nearby recoil in disgust.

The Void Piercing Sect disciple staggered back, eyes wide with shock. He managed to leap away, but it was too late. Dark purple spots bloomed on his skin, spreading like an invasive mold. He clutched at his arms, his expression twisting as the poison coursed through his body. His breathing grew labored, and each inhalation took a lot of effort. 

He opened his mouth as if to say something—a plea, a curse, a final word—but no sound emerged. Perhaps he just wanted to take a deep breath, but even that seemed impossible. His body convulsed, and he fell, his head striking the edge of the stone seats with a sickening thud before it hit the ground. 

The purple spots continued to spread, overtaking his body with alarming speed. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, and a soft, pitiful groan escaped his lips before he went completely still. 

Did… Did Hu Jin kill someone over a disagreement?

 

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