Awakening the Divine Spark

Xiao Lian was completely stressed out. His sweetheart was going against a guy who didn’t appreciate her delicate looks and dared to not concede right away. Many of her fans were furious, but Lee was interested in her choice of weapon.

The girl wasn’t small, no. She seemed to be thin and fragile compared to her opponent who held a rather thick and long sword with one hand as if it was a fork or a spoon. The curious thing was that she also wielded a sword, but it was less than half the size in comparison.

From the cyclops’s teachings in the fortress, Lee clearly remembered what advantages spears had against swords and for the smaller opponent it would be only logical to choose a spear. At least he would’ve done so.

Obviously, he agreed that the swords were much cooler looking weapons, but not from the practical stance point.

On the other hand, these principles were taught by someone who could go against the outer disciples, but loose their life from elemental master’s one move. More importantly, the scourge were trained to raid in large formations, thus the concept probably didn’t apply to someone actually wielding elemental power.

In this case, though, it did. Qin Yujian was at clear disadvantage despite her remarkable agility and speed. She danced around her opponent like a butterfly, with her four braids whipping through air like wings. And she was becoming increasingly faster. One might assume the larger opponent would tire out soon enough, but it was clear she’d be cleaved in two long before that.

She did put up a fight, though. On a couple occasions, after a successful evasion, she even managed to attempt to stab the opponent in the shoulder. Unfortunately he was even faster, and every time his deadly weapon whistled past her ear dangerously close.

The poor guy didn’t even realize that in one morning he acquired more mortal enemies than he would in his whole life. But everyone knew it was his own fault after cutting off one of Qin Yujian’s braids.

As expected, she lost, but earned the favor of all spectators. The opponent, on the other hand, became the villain of the competition, and even when he reached the semifinals, the crowd kept booing him.

In the finals Jian Wuji lost and got the second place, barely loosing to a guy who, according to what Lee understood, was already twenty and took part in the competition for the last time. One could discuss about the difference in their talents, but the current competition wasn’t to determine the strongest man in the world.

These youths had a long way ahead of them, and their strengths might radically shift after they became elemental masters. After a decade or two, or maybe even three or four, some of them will become elemental lords and begin to comprehend the elemental laws. At that point, their power will skyrocket for the second time, and for Lee, at least as he currently was, it was impossible to grasp.

***

When it was turn for the inner disciples to compete, it felt like even the air suddenly changed. It felt heavier, more oppressive, but at the same time people grew exceedingly excited.

If previous matches were overseen by only a single junior elder, than this time over twenty of them arrived and took spots around the arena. Of course, the arena itself also became larger – the whole area where previously eight pairs of disciples sparred, was now the place for two inner disciples to compete in strength.

The sixteen most promising inner disciples, including Chi Yanzhen and Li Hanchen were about to compete. In fact, Li Hanchen was the first to come up, and the female part of the audience began to behave like a teenage girls in a rock concert.

They screamed with tears in their eyes, shouting how cool Senior Brother Li was, pointing at his ice mutation and his handsomeness at the same time, but the guy didn’t even flinch. Clearly this was not the first time, and the sword in his hand, covered in icy mist, was long ready for his opponent.

Neither for Li Hanchen nor for his opponent, a young man, probably in late twenties, the spectators didn’t exist. They watched each other of a brief moment, and then clashed, leaving a three feet deep crater in the middle of arena.

The forces of ice and fire smashed against each other like they had done for as long as the world had existed, and at first it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

Lee realized it was good that they watched the outer sect disciples fight first, because now he didn’t have to ponder how puny he actually was. The strength of the elements colliding could probably shatter islands, if the fight lasted long enough, but fortunately, at least for Li Hanchen, the fight ended after five or six exchanges.

Lee wasn’t clear how the winner was decided, because he actually didn’t see anyone attacking. Only mixed cold and hot winds brushed against him while in the arena balls of fire tried to subdue something bright blue.

Li Hanchen’s opponent cupped his hand and slightly bowed, expressing his surprise by how much Li Hanchen has grown in strength, and both stepped off.

No matter how beautiful it looked, Lee was annoyed by his inability to comprehend what exactly went on, because the next match was similar, except this time there was a wind cultivator against one who wielded fire. Fire won this time, and in the next duel as well, although, Chi Yanzhen, who fought another fire cultivator, had a really hard time. At least Lee judged so by his ragged looks afterwards.

What no one noticed was the sect master leaving during the second duel. Almost no one.

The moment Throne Evergale coughed up blood, Elder Wang immediately vanished alongside the sect master, bringing him away. They left without a sound, and moments later the elder was back in his seat. The worried look on his face didn’t disappear till the end of the competition, though.

The audience was engrossed in the spectacular duels, despite the fact that most couldn’t discern what went on, just like Lee. They only saw thrilling flashes of fire, that on a couple occasions were subdued by water and ice.

Both Chi Yanzhen and Li Hanchen lost in semifinals, in the end not being able to go against each other and find out who was stronger. From what Lee caught spectators gossip about was that not only their appearance was unexpected, they performed way better than anyone could hope for.

Lee noted for the future, that to blindly gamble on an outcome wasn’t an option here. That is, besides the fact that one should never gamble if the results weren’t rigged in their favor.

His lesson was that after passing some thresholds or experiencing revelations, cultivators often gained great boosts in strength. Basically there was no place for underestimating any cultivator, no matter how talented they were.

But after witnessing the many duels, Lee got an inspiration. Not in the sense of him suddenly acquiring some powers. No. It was the continuation of what he thought of yesterday. A way to deal with Victoria.

***

Xiao Lian and Lee patiently waited while Elder Wang was giving a closing speech and congratulating the winners. Afterwards the crowd dispersed, with most people flooding the canteens.

"What would you say if we went for another dispatch mission?" Lee asked, "A longer one. Are there such?"

"Why? Shouldn’t we train now that we got the new techniques?" Xiao Lian asked.

"I feel like many outer disciples would be too fired up after the competition and try to come after you." Lee said, "No one knows that you, well, now we, are out of contribution points."

"You already spent all?" Xiao Lian’s eyes widened in shock.

"No, you know very well what I bought." Lee said, "I mean, if I don’t have few million contribution points I feel like a pauper. Not that I need them ... I only kind of want to have some ..."

"Millions?" Xiao Lian stared at him as if he had become a retard, "There are no such missions ..."

"Hahaha! You misunderstood me!" Seeing his friend’s awkward reaction, Lee laughed, "I don’t expect us to earn a lot right away. Now we need to travel a bit, but meanwhile we can train."

After a short discussion, they agreed and the next morning Xiao Lian met Lee at his residence fully dressed and with the short staff on his back.

"I’ve got one!" He proudly announced.