Chương 323: Truths and Lies (IX)

I desperately ignored the thing that would undo my entire fabric of reality if I peeked under its hood, focusing on the fights. There weren't any as exciting as the wind-fire duel, though quite a few were in the tier below, such as the guy who purposefully let himself be cut and wounded as he then used that spilled blood as a form of artillery. Strangely, it was only the second time I saw someone use their own blood as a weapon.... ERs at 3AM are wild.

The chatter slowly resumed the further away from the kids' fights we got, though I mostly tuned all of it out. I was worried. Worried that Long Tao looked just about ready to fight. And this wasn't his default--if anything, this was a great anomaly. The guy usually walked around as cool and as chill as teenage boys thought they were, and yet now he seemed... tense.

I'd long since primed the tortoise by stuffing it into my hand and hiding it in my robes: whether it could deflect, whether it would matter, whether it was smart to use it... I didn't really care. It was comforting. The second round began rather shortly after the first, and, once again, the kids were all trotted out first--though, this time, they were poised to face each other.

We already kind of assumed this would happen (honestly, I thought they'd do it in the first round), so they discussed the peaceful way to resolve--nope, they're really trying to kill each other. Dai Xiu, especially, started throwing some major haymakers at Wan Lan, with each punch rippling outward and causing the arena to rumble and for debris to fly upward like a pipe burst underneath it. The latter wasn't shy herself, either, paying back in kind.

Offensively, they matched well enough, actually, despite Dai Xiu having a lower realm; defensively, however, it was a completely different story. Dai Xiu fought more and more like an evasive boxer, I realized, in that she rarely took on a direct hit; Wan Lan, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She barely ever bothered dodging, letting the attack crash into her body.

It was already extremely sturdy and capable of innate great healing, and now she had Spirit Surging Art on top of it, meaning that in a battle of attrition, she probably had no equal. On the other end were Xi Zhao and Light, and while Light could easily toy with strangers, she struggled against other kids as they kind of knew her 'mojo'; she was still relatively weak compared to others, and if you knew her weakness, it wasn't difficult to defeat her. That is…

if she fought as though she were'just' at the Qi Condensation Realm. But, for a pointless duel, she didn't bother trying, and Xi Zhao quickly crossed the distance between the two and flicked her forehead as she pouted, ending the fight within five minutes. Dai Xiu and Wan Lan went on for almost fifteen, and it was hardly dull; by the end, most people around us were on their feet, cheering when each punch landed.

Ultimately, Wan Lan won as Dai Xiu just ran out of steam; she was bruised and bloodied, yet still looked at the other girl rather defiantly as the latter immediately teased her. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"No, no, no! You four, you have to fight me!"... eh? A voice erupted from the balcony above us as a shadow flickered downward like a bolt of lightning, landing on one of the arenas and kicking up the storm of dust for a brief moment. As it cleared, a clear figure came into view, and it was Sage's daughter. She was red in face, almost hyperventilating, with a somewhat hazy look in her eyes.

"Y-Young Lady, this is inappropriate--""I don't care!" she interrupted, seeming fully intent.

"You four, fight me!" Though she didn't specify which four, seemingly everyone knew, and they... were looking forward to it. I didn't actually inspect the girl on that day, but seeing the strange atmosphere that suddenly appeared, I had no choice but to.

[--Creator's Eyes used] [Target: Lu Yawen] [Age: 37] [Talent: peak-Jade] [Cultivation Realm: Peak Spirit Manifestation Realm (False) --> Second Cycle of Revolving Core Realm] [Cultivation Method: Annals of the First Sage (5th Volume)] [Cultivation Arts: Elemental Hymn Sutra (peak-Heaven), Earthen Cataclysm (peak-Heaven), Lightning Annihilation (low-Jade)...] [...] [Traits] [Genius (Legendary) -- once-in-a-generation genius, capable of understanding things at speeds well beyond normal; can more easily evolve and upgrade existing arts and has the chance to naturally discern the weaknesses of others' arts by merely observing them once] [Sagacious (???) -- an enlightened soul capable of perceiving the tangents of the world and understanding them greatly. Knowledge comes at a great cost, as she--and all others of her order--must surrender their identities to the One] [Obsessive (???) -- becomes violently obsessive over things she finds interesting] [Sadistic (Legendary) -- derives pleasure from inflicting pain upon others, especially those who are perceived to hold more value than she does] [Child of Elements (???) -- suffused with Ethereal Spirits, she has a natural affinity with all Five Prime Elements and Twelve Minor ones. She can easily pick up on arts requiring elemental knowledge or affinity and can more easily dispel the effects inflicted by the elemental arts. As a consequence, however, she physically cannot learn Weapon or Movement Arts] [Heavenly Chosen (Epic) -- as someone chosen by the Heavens, she will always get favorable outcomes no matter what. Due to the path she took, however, her affinity with the Heavens has faltered] [...] [Assessing suitability...] [Several Anomalies detected. A unique Physique detected. A unique Bloodline detected] [...] [Elemental Vessel Physique (Ancient) -- during the Ancient Era, in order to obtain the Physique, Clans would submerge newborn babes in a mixture of all known elements; if they emerged alive, they would be blessed by the Physique. Otherwise, they would not emerge. Grants grand affinity to Elements, though at a grave cost of a relatively frail body incapable of learning Weapon or Movement arts. Relatively weak in direct duels, they more than made up for it on the battlefield, where they could use elemental arts to bathe the world in anything they desired] [...] [Sea-Touched Bloodline (Ancient) -- a bloodline dating to the age of the first land-dwellers, though greatly diluted. Allows for a much quicker understanding of all water-based arts and almost a complete immunity to blood-based poisons] [...] [There exists a remnant of a failed fixture; upon her birth, a great power was instilled within her but rejected by the preexisting Elemental Vessel Physique. Its remnants still loiter in the shadows of her soul, lurking] [A Brain-Worm was detected; an infinitely rare and dangerous parasite, it is used only when a Blood Debt must be paid. The target is never aware of it as it slowly eats away at their psyche until they become a complete lunatic bereft of thought. It is almost impossible to detect, and even when the target dies, it melds into the target's brain and leaves no trace behind] [...] [Recommendation: The first thing that must be done is the purging of the Brain-Worm. It is impossible to tell just how much it has infected her without a deeper inspection; however, even the initial infection is extremely difficult to cure, as it requires the stem of the Howling Moon Flower, an ingredient used in all anti-parasitic concoctions. Beyond the initial infection, further ingredients might be required] [...] [Final Assessment: a generational talent besmirched at birth, culling what could have become an Empress. Her natural talents will slowly be overshadowed by her increasingly demented demeanor due to the Brain-Worm, until there is only a maniacal husk left. If somehow saved and given proper Divine Medicine, she might yet blossom to her ultimate potential]