A Xianxia Tale (5)

A couple of weeks would come to pass since Bai Hu talked with his father while playing some Go, and in the meantime, a tournament had been announced to select who amongst the inner disciples would represent the Thousand Method School at the Grant Regional Tournament. Any of the core disciples could write down their names if they wanted to participate, and the ones achieving greater heights would obviously be selected to be part of the committee. Though the tournament didn't only limit itself to that as a motivator, even going so far as to award some pills and a high-level Yellow rank technique of any kind to the winner.

Techniques were known to be divided into five main ranks: Common, Yellow, Purple, Earth and Heaven, all of them subdivided into low, mid and high. Most cultivators, when they start learning how to cultivate in a sect or school usually begin with the lowliest of kind of techniques, those of the Common rank - although it should not be mistaken that, as a Common rank technique, it didn't mean it was bad, only that it was the common basics that were universally used as the foundations of any expert and little else. And within that rank, one could even reach the Qi Condensation stage, the second major realm of cultivation where an expert truly stops being just a mortal, albeit an extremely powerful one, to start their path in ascending the heavens.

Only true experts could pass the test to become an Inner Disciple of the Thousand Method School at that stage, as the challenges there were generally meant to be faced by someone of the Profound realm, and even then, a Profound stage cultivator would still fail or be reproved by the instructors… Managing to acquire a Yellow ranked technique, no matter how unlikely their chances were meant very little in the face of the possible bounty.

Bai Hu thought these people courageous. Unbelievably reckless and incredibly delusional, true, but courageous nonetheless.

He felt a little bit worried about his fairy sister.

"I'm not entirely sure you thought this through, fairy sister." The blonde boy muttered when walking next to Mu Yejin.

The young woman for her part only cast a side glance at the boy and in turn raised a curious eyebrow.

What do you mean? Her expression said and that frustrated the boy to no end.

He scowled, thinking in a way to deliver the words that were least likely to make her upset. "I… fairy sister, I'm not an expert but you have admitted yourself to not be a good combatant, right?"

"Indeed," Yejin nodded, smirking a second a later. "I already imagine what your next words are going to be, so let me tell you this, little white: I'm not participating in the tournament because I think I can win. No," she shook her head, smiling brightly despite her words. "I'm hopelessly outmatched by the likes of Guo Guan and Xen Han or anyone else that has dedicated themselves to diligently training and advancing their cultivation every day, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't compare myself to my other peers. And beyond that, I'm Mistress Dai personal attendant. I might not be powerful, true, and my talents might lay in Alchemy, also true, but I must also show the Elders in particular that Mistress's decision in teaching me was not a mistake."

The boy frowned. Why was that?

He had seen some of the Elders before. They would all come to the Alchemy Palace at least once ever since his Teacher had taken him in, or the library to pick some book or scroll or tome or whatever; and to Bai Hu, they all seemed like good people. Polite at the very least.

So why should his fairy sister prove herself to them?

"I don't understand…" the words ended up leaving his mouth in a quiet mutter.

Though not quite low enough they couldn't be heard if the chuckle coming from Yejin was any indication.

"I don't blame you, little white," she smiled. "You might be smart but are still just a child and innocent. People start putting expectations on you as you grow up. Your parents, your elders, your family and friends, and society as a whole. If you fail to meet those expectations then you are a disappointment, and that reflects poorly on yourself." She said. "Worse yet for the person that taught you."

"So you are doing this for Teacher?"

"Nnnot only that, but… yes," the raven haired beauty settled eventually with a nod.

Bai Hu worked his jaw for a moment. "I see…" was all he settled down with. Yejin chuckled another time but he didn't mind that.

They walked at a lazy pace to the training grounds. It was a massive arena, fit to house over ten thousand people on its stands, elevated above ground and getting progressively taller with each row until the last one stood over a dozen meters high. And on the center of the training ground there was an immense square platform made of some ancient stone that could resist all but the most powerful attacks effortlessly.

Bai Hu had been here before, if only to watch the disciples train. Coming here today as a spectator of a martial arts competition somehow felt… different.

He felt a tug on his sleeves.

"Ah, look, look, little white," Mu Yejin called him and having his attention, extended a delicate finger pointing out to somewhere on the stands. "It's Xia Feng!" She said and his stomach immediately dropped.

Oh no, Bai Hu thought, a cold sheen of sweat already forming on his forehead as he desperately thought of an excuse to flee. "O-oh, I-I see, fairy sister," his voice cracked with nervousness. "You can go join her now, I'm afraid I just remembered something I had to do, like, right now. So if you'll excuse me…" he started weaseling out.

"None of that now," Mu Yejin's fingers clamped down on the back of his neck like inescapable iron shackles that sealed his fate.

Bai Hu deflated in defeat.

"And what's your problem with her, little white?" His demon sister frowned at him. "Xia is such a sweet girl, I can't understand how you can not like her."

"It's…-"

"Senior sister Mu! Little Bai Hu!" The brunette opened a bright smile that could shine the night, meeting the two of them halfway. "I didn't expect to see you so early in the morning." She said.

"We're here just to watch right now," Mu Yejin said. "Everyone knows the good fights will only happen after lunch and maybe tomorrow if they take too long. We only came here to pass the time. Besides, it's not like the other big dogs aren't doing the same." She nodded, eyes pointedly looking at Feng Yuan, one of the three geniuses of the current generation in the Thousand Method School.

He was a late Profound expert, if the rumors were true, one who specialized on fire techniques that came from a treasure. He called it Sacred Flame Arts and they seemed very powerful. Feng Yuan was only nineteen and already some whispered he would become an Elder in a few years - likely a decade - if his progress did not slow down.

He was a smart man, handsome too, and with a very tactical mind. Something which accrued him many enemies, rivals and admirers.

Xia Feng nodded absentmindedly, sitting down and smoothly picking Bai Hu so he could sit on her lap, where her hand immediately started combing through his hair. The blonde scowled, shooting an irritated glance at his demon sister who merely chuckled at the other fiend's cooing noises.

Women did not understand the trouble of being a cute boy amidst super powerful women!

Hours later Xia Feng would release Bai Hu, though only after she had braided his hair a dozen times and the blonde boy silently swore to himself to always cut his hair short moving forward from that day. By then, however, the stands had filled up considerably with plenty of disciples and regular students as they all watched one bout after another.

Mu Yejin fought once in that time, as did Xia Feng, and they both won their respective battles.

And Dai Yanmei watched it all unfold with a placid mask covering her utter boredom. At least Elder Tong wasn't like the uptight sort of old timer, so she could at least chat with him a bit more freely than she would with Elder Yue. The older woman was strict beyond reason and so frigid one might think she actually hailed from the Ice Flower Palace, a traditional woman and a real stickler to the rules.

She should have stayed at her residence, she thought, pursing her lips into a thin line.

"You don't seem so impressed with the disciples, Lady Dai," Elder Tong spoke, leaning on the armrest a bit with a curious brow raised. "Disappointed with their performance?"

"Not as such," she answered after a moment. "I just believe I could have gotten a better use of my time other than sitting here all day while doing nothing, Elder Tong."

"Snrk!" He snorted, but seamlessly disguised the sound with a harrumph and a vaguely disapproving expression they both knew was false as his fingers stroked his lengthy beard. "Ma ma, you shouldn't say that, Lady Dai. Our disciples would feel discouraged if they heard your words and we don't want that." He said and she hummed in return.

"Well," the grey haired man continued not much later. "I suppose your presence alone here is enough of a motivator. You don't often come to watch the younger generations, Lady Dai."

"Indeed," she nodded. "But my apprentice has decided to compete in this tournament. I don't expect her to get anywhere near the top, but I'm curious as to how far she can reach."

"Oh? Now you made me curious, Lady Dai." The man hummed. "Didn't she reach the third stage of the Profound realm some months ago?"

"Yes, she did," Dai Yanmei nodded, "Although I don't think her cultivation advanced much beyond that. I reckon that she spent most of her time since her breakthrough stabilizing her cultivation base and honing some of her skills."

"Then I bet she will be well successful in this tournament," Elder Tong mused aloud. "Though I wouldn't completely rule the girl out of getting to the finals, Lady Dai, you know the alchemist kinds better than me after all, and you know they always have something up their sleeves."

A smirk crossed the red haired woman's face and she smiled ever so slightly. "Maybe," Dai Yanmei allowed with an amused huff. "We'll see how this goes, she will be called in any time now."

A little over ten minutes later, Mu Yejin stood facing Xen Han. It was a bad match caused only by terrible luck and no one expected her to win. Her opponent was, after all, very nearly reaching the Sky realm and becoming a core disciple at the age of twenty, a prodigy in the Thousand Method School and a genius in one other standard.

And yet, even against those odds the girl didn't shy away from the challenge. She lost, as expected, but she didn't go down without putting up a fight first, and from what Dai Yanmei saw… her apprentice was doing.

Very well, in fact.

I should look for something to give her…