Chapter 021

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‘ ‘ for thoughts.

“ “ for speech.

<> for non-verbal communication like telepathy

Please point out any mistakes/inconsistencies you find and feel free to comment on anything regarding this FF.

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Warning: May contain mature content (18+) of an adult nature. Read at your own risk.

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Note:

Although the full name mentioned here are Chinese style, (example: Fang Hao, surname Fang first then given name Hao), the names clubbed with descriptions are description and then given name instead of description and surname (example Fatty Hao and not Fatty Fang).

Btw, I read all your comments, but may not reply to each and every one separately.

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Senior Lombre stopped after almost 10 minutes. Fang Hao and his fellow outer disciples exited the pagoda. He was at the foot of a large mountain, with the top half chopped off. There was a humongous coliseum sitting on top of it. There were multiple granite roads of different colors leading to it. The wrinkled cultivator who looked like a granny addressed them. She pointed at four gray roads which looked somewhat shabby.

“The color of the roads you should ascend is the color of robes you wear juniors. Since all of you are at the Qi Gathering realm, ascend those four roads. The narrowest road is for those up to the 3rd layer, and the highest road si for those at the peak of Qi Gathering. The middle roads are for those upto the 6th and 9th layers.”

Most of the outer disciples ascended the second largest grey road. There were very few cultivators who chose to ascend the road for peak Qi Gathering realm cultivators. Fang Hao ascended the 3rd largest road and after an hour of trekking he reached what looked like half a dozen bamboo cottages. Outside each cottage was a orb hanging by the side. He noticed that the nearest orb was emitting a deep red glow. The glow turned a gentle green and one of his seniors hurried into the cottage.

‘Traffic Signal, eh? At least the colors are easy to remember.’ Fang Hao thought as he waited his turn. He entered the cottage and a bored looking outer disciple asked “New?” Fang Hao clasped his hands and replied politely. “Yes. This junior asks senior for guidance.” There was absolutely no change in the senior outer disciple’s face as he said.

“The most important division is to fight lethal matches or non-lethal matches. The Lethal matches award with higher quality Qi gathering pills, perhaps even a spirit stone! The non-lethal matches just give you some fasting pills. You can use your own weapon only in the lethal matches. Furthermore, there are three main events. Free for all group matches, team matches and individual matches. The exact rules may differ per match. So what will it be, junior brother?”

Although the explanation was brief… it covered the essentials. Fang Hao humbly conveyed his intentions to the stoic senior. “Senior, this junior would like to participate in the non-lethal individual matches.” The senior tossed him a hexagonal token, which he nimbly caught. On the token there was an alphanumeric string. It read “N 1b I 120”. The stoic senior then just pointed at the corner of the cottage, and said: “Just step into the formation and follow the passageway within. It will lead you to your destination.”

There was a complex circular formation that came to life with light of various colors. Fang Hao hesitated briefly before he walked in the now glowing formation, clutching his token. He entered what seemed like a maze of intersecting corridors. His token throbbed in his hand as a pale yellow glow came from a path in front of him. ‘I guess it is “Follow the yellow bricked road!”’ thought Fang Hao as he followed the pale yellow guiding lights.

He soon reached a set of gray double-doors. There was a hexagonal shaped depression in the center of the double doors. Fang Hao placed his token there. The door opened and he felt an itching on the back of his hand. The token had disappeared and the number “120” was now etched on the back of his hand. He stepped through and entered what seemed like a large common hall. There were mats on the floor, some occupied and some free. He occupied a mat, sat crossed-leg and had to wait for around 10 minutes, until he heard an announcement.

“Outer disciples, this is the waiting room for the non-lethal individual brawling arena for 4th to 6th layer of Qi Gathering Cultivators. If this isn’t where you intend to be, get up and leave via the door you came through.” He waited for almost a minute. Nobody left. The old man’s voice continued. “Now today, the individual competition is elimination style. There are a total 128 of you. No 1 will fight No. 128, 2 will fight 127 and so on. The winner proceeds to the next round and the loser quits.”

“The first match will win you 1 fasting pill, and every subsequent win doubles the reward. The period of time you get to rest between matches depends on how long your competitors take to finish their mach. So one opponent will be tired, having just fought a match! Sixteen matches will be held simultaneously, So No 1 to 16 and No 113 to 128, get ready and enter the passageway in the front. “

Fang Hao got up and followed his fellow outer disciples as they disappeared into a gloomy passageway. Although all of them went inside the passageway more or less together, he couldn’t make out anyone else in it. When he exited the passage, he entered in what looked like a circular wrestling ring. There was the floating recording contraption above their ring, but no seats. Outside the ring there were two cupboards on the opposite side, large enough to walk through. A wizened old man with a hooked nose was floating lazily on a cloud and he said.

“No 9 and 120, you have 5 minutes to select your weapon. Just walk into the cupboard and select what you want. If the time expires, you will be ejected and randomly choose one of the weapons you were holding at the time. Remember this is a non-lethal fight… so no killing or permanent crippling. Although the rewards are set, if you impress the seniors watching you, they may give you additional rewards. Now go and select your weapons.”

Fang Hao glanced at his opponent and noticed that it was a tall lanky pale skinned cultivator, whom he didn’t recognize. He walked into the cupboard and was greeted with racks of wooden weapons. He selected a sturdy 3 feet club, which was as thick as his bicep. ‘The floating senior said only one weapon per fighter. And since I don’t know which weapon the opponent will chose, I should select this sturdy club! I bet with my full force I can bash some bones with this…provided the opponent doesn’t wield a spear like the swarthy turtle.’ Having made his choice Fang Hao exited the cupboard and waited near the ring. Soon his opponent exited his cupboard holding a pair of tonfas.

“Juniors, since both of you have made your choice; get on the stage and fight!”

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Made temporary arrangement for a PC, so chapters as and when I get access.”

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