v4c59: Escalate

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.

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.

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

They did not have to wait long. It boomed like rolling thunder, so loud that it vibrated Bi De’s bones. The sound faded slowly, and for a moment there was silence—before it was broken by a voice nearly as loud.

“Sons, Daughters, and Disciples of the Shrouded Mountain Sect! Today is an auspicious day!” a booming, enthusiastic voice thundered, as a projection of a man appeared in the sky. “Today begins the Rising Fist Tournament!”

A roar that shook the arena met the words, and Bi De felt his heart begin to pound. He was actually rather excited and quite interested to find out how his experiences would differ from Tigu and Xiulan’s.

“They may be the least of our Sect, but even the least is head and shoulders above all others! Those of our Mountain Pavilion may just surprise you!” the announcer cried.

Yushang huffed and rolled her eyes, then gave Bi De a salute.

This was probably going to be the most obvious difference. The cultivators of the Sect would not enter the arena by methods so mundane as walking.

A formation activated under her and the rest of the Mountain Pavilion’s feet as they were wrapped in lightning. They launched up high into the air, and then came crashing back down inside the arena in landings too perfect to have relied upon their own skill.

In like manner every competitor was called in, section by section, Pavilion by Pavilion, all accompanied to great fanfare.

And then it was the Inner Disciple’s turn.

It was an interesting feeling, to be wrapped in foreign Qi like this and then hurled into the sky. The world slashed by in both an instant and an eternity before Bi De was suddenly in the arena amidst an explosion of Qi.

It was a heady feeling to have so many eyes upon him. Thousands of eyes peering down upon them all, watching and judging. Bi De coud feel the nervous energy of some around him, intimidated by the attention, but in the end most of these people did not matter. Bi De sought out his comrades in the seats and found them together, save for Ri Zu, who was nowhere to be seen. Bi De looked around at the upper levels of the arena. The Pavilion Masters were all in attendance in an opulent box seat. Their eyes were piercing as they looked down upon the gathered competitors, but those gazes paled in comparison to those at the very top of the arena.

There, Elder Chongyun sat with another Elder Bi De did not recognise… and an older man.

An older man who radiated power. His golden hair was untouched by age, and his blue eyes dissected all before him.

The Patriarch of the Shrouded Mountain Sect was in attendance. Bi De could feel the man’s distracting power from here. He did not bother to hide it, or control it like his Great Master or Master Shen Yu did. He radiated power and authority.