The next day.
Today was the day of the finals and everyone had already arrived in their seats. The scale of attendance could not be compared to the previous days as this time even Elders had come to observe the performance of this new crop of Fire Guardians. Of course even an idiot would be able to figure out that if this were any other normal group of rookies then the Elders would definitely not have shown up let alone paid attention to it.
A talented Half Breed, a soul-compression stage rookie as well as the appearance of the First Elders son were just a few of the reasons that made the Elders and various important people decide to crawl out of their chambers to come and watch.
Standing below the platform, Zilan too could not help but be shocked by the amount of people who came out. All of these people were cultivators thus the sounds and shouts they were producing combined together made the arena so loud that he could barely hear his own heartbeat.
By his side, Fujo had on a very wide smile. It was evident that he was very much enjoying this type of atmosphere.
“Too bad Kifo can’t be here.’ Thought Zilan. He had gone to see him yesterday when they had a day off but still there were no signs of him waking up.
*Swoosh*
Judge appeared on the platform, seriously gazing at the final ten rookies.
“You should already be aware of the rules for the Final so arrange yourselves accordingly.”
Immediately after saying that, ten chairs appeared right below the platform and on one of the giant screens, the rules were displayed for all to see.
Zilan nodded towards Judge before taking the first seat on the far left, Yasen followed next as did everyone else. They were arranged according to rank with the first ranked sitting to the far left and the rest following in a sequence.
‘Quite an interesting method for handling the Finals.’ He thought, openly looking at Yasen.
The finals were structured in a way that had never been tested before however, this did not mean that it was badly put together. No, in truth from the competitor’s perspective it was damn near perfect for them.
‘Ten people. Each given two chances to change their ranking by challenging whoever they wanted regardless of their rank. If one was to win their challenge then they would take the ranking of the defeated party. Simple yet profound.’ Smiled Zilan as he recalled the new rules.
By using this method, it was almost like the Association was telling its rookies to know themselves and set realistic goals. If you didn’t think you could win don’t be an idiot and go looking for a thrashing. Or, in other words, “Don’t bother challenging Yasen unless you have the confidence not to be destroyed.”
Looking at it from a wise person’s perspective it wasn’t that hard to realise that selecting who to challenge was actually a test within a test. A judgement of character that the Association would later use to prepare the most suitable training for this talented new crop.
“You may begin.” Declared Judge. He gave Nyoka a signal with his eyes notifying her that she will be the first to go up.
It made sense. After all, why would the first ranked person want to challenge anybody, he was already first. Thus the layout of lowest to highest was more than reasonable.
“Junior challenges Coul Reless.” Said Nyoka as she jumped up onto the platform.
“Hmph.” Snorted Coul as he too moved up.
He felt underestimated. How could someone who did not even manage to defeat that shameless Half Breed think they could take him on?
“Be careful.” Said Nyoka before closing her eyes.
Coul resembled a giant buffalo. His body was huge, dark brown in complexion, and on top of his head two large curved horns could be seen.
He breathed out hot air from his nostrils as he coldly stared at the motionless Nyoka.
“There’s no need to be careful. I’ll take whatever you have head on.” Shouted Coul.
His strongest point was his defence anyway, thus his confidence. For someone like Nyoka to unleash an attack capable of fazing him was something he did not believe possible. At least of everyone present, he felt that only Yasen and Fujo would have a chance of breaking through his body’s defence.
Nyoka’s eyes snapped open immediately after his proclamation. The scales on her body suddenly began pulsing and shifting around, slowly coming together forming a peculiar pattern along her chest and neck that Coul could not recognise.
Cracks began to appear around her skin and green eerie energy started being released from those scales.
Seeing this, Zilan surprisingly smiled. “Such toxic poison can actually be contained by such a young girl. She must be special even amongst those of her Sumu Allicance.” He surmised. “Couple that with her impressive ability to evade danger and the fact that she possess a wind attribute that further focuses on speed and you have yourself quite a capable practitioner.”
‘As for that Coul, he’s already lost but nevertheless, he should make an effort to stay away from that tail.’
*Swish*
At a speed that the naked eye would find difficult to follow, Nyoka moved directly behind Coul before he could react. The movement technique she used was particularly eye catching because just like a snake, she travelled with her belly to the ground, slithering in a strange rhythm that served the purpose of stunning her opponent.
While behind him, Nyoka did not waste any time. She swiftly stretched out her hand, making contact with his back. Almost instantaneously, Coul’s back was covered in a dark green cover of liquid that seemed to be boiling.
Feeling the pain, Coul finally reacted swinging his dumbbell like arms right at her head. Unfortunately for him though, Nyoka effortlessly dodged his unfocused attack before disappearing to a corner of the platform. There, just like any other spectator, she coldly watched Coul frantically try and wipe off the boiling liquid from his back.
“Why isn’t it coming off? AHH! IT HURTS!”
“Hurry, get it off me!”
It appeared that the more panicked he became the faster the poisonous liquid spread from his back, now all the way down to his waist, legs and crotch.
“PLEASE! PLEASE! I admit defeat. TAKE IT OFF!!” cried Coul as his huge frame curled up into a ball, trying to endure the unbelievable pain.
“End it.” Ordered Judge as he shot Nyoka a look.
With an understanding expression, she did as asked, waving her hand and dispersing the poison from his body. Too bad the damage was already done. Giant boils and no skin on his left back left Coul looking at Nyoka with fear. If that poison was any stronger or if his natural defence was any weaker, it would have most likely dissolved everything down to his back bone.
Pitifully crawling his way off of the stage, Coul didn’t even dare look her in the eye. Judge on the other hand was inwardly impressed by Nyoka. He could tell that she had held back somewhat otherwise, if that tail of hers took action then only a corpse would have remained on the stage. Whether it would be intact or not depended on the poison she had stored in it.
‘Would she have used that on me?’ wondered Zilan.
“Do you want to use your second challenge now or will you wait?” asked Judge.
“Junior will wait.” Replied Nyoka. She relaxed her body allowing her scales to go back to normal before deeply sighing.
If one were to look closely enough they’d notice her muscles faintly trembling and her complexion pale slightly. Taking on that poisonous form put immense pressure on her body, maybe in the near future she would be able to fully control all of the poisons within herself without suffering side-effects every time she attempted to release them. For now though, she couldn’t push it otherwise the consequences would not be light.
“Gril Mios, state your challenge.” Stated Judge.
“Junior will hold here.” Replied Gril in a neither calm nor overbearing manner. He was one of the few who did not think too highly of himself, thoroughly understanding his own limitations. Everyone else had trump cards they could use to narrow the gap between their ranks however, he had reached this stage through hard work by himself and without much guidance. There was no need to embarrass himself, it was already great that he had reached this level.
“Very well then, Reile Leron state your challenge.” Said Judge, seemingly not caring in the slightest.
“Junior challenges Zilan Malaika.”
‘Oh…isn’t that the one Fujo mentioned to be under Zest?’ A sharp light flashed past his eyes as he jumped onto the stage to confront this Reile.
“Begin!”
“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Said Reile.
“Is it?”
“Yes, because now I can finally finish the job I started that day.” Replied Reile.
“Hmm, I see, so will you be attacking me or should I attack you. I really don’t want to waste any more time speaking to someone who does not deserve to challenge me.”
“Is that so? I believe I possess the qualifications.”
*Pah*
Zilan launched himself of his right foot however, the sound his foot made when it came into contact with the platform was extremely strange. It was soft and gentle like a drop of water splashing onto the ground yet that sound could be heard by everyone in the stadium.
“Laughable.” Almost like he had always been there, Zilan was suddenly in front of the wide eyed Reile.
Reile belonged to a species that Zilan recognised. The silver silk spider. A creature whose bloodline for this world was easily above average. Four eyes, six arms and two legs, each limb possessing a tiny hole from which the spider’s dangerous silver silk is shot out. If entangled by the silk then breaking out would be extremely hard unless one was just far stronger than the spider.
‘If I had the qualifications I would not hesitate to challenge my enemies but, the reality is that I currently lack those very qualifications. That is why I’m here, trying to force open a window that will allow me to be rid of my fate. For you to say you possess the qualifications to challenge me? I’m sorry but at the same cultivation level no one has that right otherwise my hard work would be meaningless.’
Activating Prana, Zilan curled his right hand into a fist. Cracking and popping sounds could be heard as he hurled this fist straight at Reile’s gut. There was no blood force included in this punch, he planned on attacking using only his body’s strength which was multiplied ten times over by the consciousness theory that was Prana.
One needed to know that even without transforming, for a Tempering stage practitioner Zilan’s body could be considered to be at the peak, not just for this world but also in others.
*BOM, Ktak*
The punch connected and as expected, Reile could do nothing. He instantly lost consciousness which could be considered a good thing because if he was awake not only would the pain consume him but he would have to witness his stomach and part of his chest caved in. His ribs were obviously broken and his internal organs were most likely not looking good however, Zilan couldn’t care less. Thanks to the gift of love, if he really wished it, he could even go emotionless for his entire life. In fact, currently it was none other than the gift of love regulating his emotions.
“So what if you’re ruthless, I’ll still trample over you.” Was the mentality that all Beasts innately had. They were ruthless by nature but only the strong could fully exhibit this ruthlessness.
Zilan though was simply teaching a lesson to someone who wished him ill. If he truly felt angered then the Dragon’s blood in his veins would have not rested until blood had been spilt.
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