The icy cold looking girl in front of Shin Sumi had the most unusual weapon she had ever seen.

The thin white fingers of her opponent wrapped gently around the leather covered pole, one hand at the base and one closer to the top.

The top end of the pole was covered in long straight hairs going in the same direction, their respective length forming a soft chiseled tip.

Facing Shin Sumi and her Gold Tyrant Flying Sword was a girl with a giant paintbrush.

Shin Sumi had already spent too much time in the Immortal world to be completely taken by surprise by such an unusual weapon but it still was a strange sight for her.

Because of her obsession with books and reading, Shin Sumi had always admired writing tools, always taking her time to look at the large collection owned by the big city library when she was visiting her Second Uncle there.

Nevertheless, now was not the time to fantasize about brushes. Despite the ridiculous looking weapon, Shin Sumi could feel a deep power swirling around the girl in front of her.

The Shinsoo fluctuations were strong. In fact they hadn’t even started fighting but the pressure was already on par with Fu Xue’s after taking out her massive Breaking Fu Sword.

As one could have expected, at this point in the Rising Star Tournament, only strong ones were worthy enough to be this close to the end.

A name suddenly popped in Shin Sumi’s mind. Sui Lin.

She remembered the information given to her by Xiao Yue and Lan Hui about the top disciples under the Liquid Realm.

Three of them were even called the Big Three, although she had never crossed swords with them. At least to her knowledge.

Jun Qian was the obvious number one. He was the good looking young man always being swarmed by red and orange dressed girls trying to get his attention. He had been holding his cultivation back from breaking through to the next realm just to wait for a big event such as the Rising Star Tournament.

The prospect of placing first and having a spot in the Inner Circle of the Liquid Realm, where disciples were nurtured a hundred times better than the rest, was too tempting for him.

Shin Sumi had never fought him but she had seen firsthand his place on the rankings of the Quests Pavilion. Without a doubt he had the ability to back up the title of number one, easily completing more high-rank quests than anybody else.

The third of the Big Three monsters was a mystery to Shin Sumi. She only knew the name ‘Tai Bu’, but had no idea about who he was. With such an inspiring name though, Shin Sumi always felt a bit apprehensive at the thought of encountering him.

How in the world could she have guessed that the same Tai Bu was the unlucky disciple she had crossed paths with twice already, making him bite dust each time?!!

This time Shin Sumi was interested in the second placing disciple. In a world that always regarded women as slightly inferior to men, Sui Lin had piqued her interest.

She was obviously a very talented girl, being recognized by everyone as the second disciple under the Liquid Realm, placing right above Tai Bu.

Xiao Yue had told her that Sui Lin was a cold hearted girl that almost never went out of seclusion because she despised most other disciples. Shin Sumi remembered having smiled at that mention by Xiao Yue. The orange robed girl was really similar to that Sui Lin in her actions, at least when she wasn’t with Shin Sumi.

Back to the yellow robed girl in front of Shin Sumi, in the eleventh monolith’s arena, the name Sui Lin immediately rang.

"This time maybe I can finally compare myself to one of the best ranked disciples. But I have to be careful. She is definitely stronger than Fu Xue."

"Senior Sister, I am glad to be able to exchange pointers with you » she said, this time out loud. "Thank you for your guidance !"

The cold looking Sui Lin didn’t even acknowledge Shin Sumi’s words, instead lowering the tip of her paintbrush in what looked like an offensive stance.

Shin Sumi didn’t waste any more time, taking to opportunity to launch an all-out quick attack. Her useful, fastest and deadly combo, the Two Strikes Flying Sword Attack.

"I need to find a better name" she couldn’t help but think while throwing her golden sword and jumping forward simultaneously.

***

"Is the green talented kid fighting right now?" asked an Elder in a low voice to the person next to him. Patriarch Sen, in the back, seemed to be deep in meditation, hence why he didn't want to bother him by speaking too loud. The Patriarch was sometimes a bit unpredictable, and the Elder who had spoken did not want to find out how he would react if taken out of focus like that.

"Yes, someone just arrived, although I'm not sure who it is..."

"I didn't even see the other disciple arrive, when did that happen?!"

Because of the way the magical map of the tournament grounds worked, the Elders couldn't see the dots that had already entered a monolith arena.

But they were dumbfounded by the fact that a single yellow dot had blinked really fast right next to the green one right before disappearing again. They had been spotting Shin Sumi's location for long enough to know that she had been alone on the eleventh plaza.

"Oh no, it must mean that it's 'his' doing..."

"Elder JeHan, who are you ta-... Wait. Do you mean... 'him' ?! We have to alert the Patriarch! He is interfering with the entire trial!"

Patriarch Sen appeared right behind the three Elders talking, so suddenly that they almost fell off their chair. Like often he had an enigmatic smile on his face.

"Yes this is his doing. He's having a bit of fun, but who could blame him, to be honest? He's playing the matchmaker and I couldn't have done a better job at it myself. The green one is currently fighting Sui Lin."

Contrary to what they thought, Patriarch Sen was not annoyed at all by the actions of the person they were discussing.

"Sui Lin? Oh that is sure to be a good pairing" commented one of the Elders, imagining what the battle must be like in the arena.

"With what the green talented boy has done to Tai Bu, it will be nice to see if Sui Lin can fight toe to toe with that Bai Fulong."

Another Elder who thought Shin Sumi's victory against Tai Bu had been a partial fluke argued.

"Don't forget that in the last short year of trial, almost every disciple has more than doubled their strength. Sui Lin was already close to Jun Qian's level, according to Elder Sho, now the both of them ought to be close to Liquid Realm strength."

Patriarch Sen intervened once more, cutting short the pointless debate.

"Regardless of the outcome of this fight, there is a particular reason why that old one set it up like that. He must have a certain idea which I don’t doubt is for the sake of the Dark Sky Starry Sect."

And with that, Patriarch Sen left. His words carried a lot of hidden meaning which only an Elder of the sect could understand.

The three men who had been talking together pondered the situation for a while. At times one of them would take out a spirit jade to send information to other Elders whom were not present.

***

Shin Sumi and Sui Lin were fighting quite conservatively. If Sui Lin could have been considered cold before, then she was now exuding pure hatred for her opponent.

"I don’t know where this man if from but he his dangerous. He is easily on par with us that they call the Big Three. And his sword is very high grade at least."

On the other side, Shin Sumi was at a loss. No matter how she moved her body, exploiting her speed and power, her biggest attributes, it didn’t seem to phase Sui Lin at all.

"She is blocking me effortlessly and so far she is only using the paintbrush like a staff. I can still push a little bit more though !"

So far, Shin Sumi, much like Sui Lin, had been using only brute force in all her strikes. Sending a sliver of divine sense to the Copper Bell, Shin Sumi decided on a more magical approach.

All of a sudden, the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword which was being swung repeatedly started to shine with a slight glow.

With the powers of the Copper Bell, turning the sword into a Yang powered magical artefact was as easy as flipping her hand to Shin Sumi.

Carrying more and more power, Shin Sumi’s blows were slowly gaining on Sui Lin’s ability to parry and divert the blade.

This was due to the added Shinsoo pressure, but not only that, Shin Sumi was especially using Yang type Shinsoo. Against a female opponent like Sui Lin, who seemed to have about the same physical capabilities, having the dominance in Shinsoo type was a great advantage, made only possible by the Copper Bell.

"So he was still hiding some strength. I’m glad that I waited a bit for a counterattack. You were not the only one to hide your trump cards."

Sui Lin smiled to herself in a grim fashion. Biting her tongue, she spat out a single drop of red blood, falling onto the tip of the big paintbrush she was holding.

"Let’s start the show !"

Unaware of the hidden presence close to them, both fighters were starting to become serious.

The paintbrush was moving elegantly in the air, Sui Lin’s speed almost doubling.

At first, Shin Sumi felt no change in the Shinsoo pressure coming from the strange artefact, but as Sui Lin used the air itself as a canvas, distorsions started to appear in front of Shin Sumi.

"The air is the canvas. The blood is the link. The energy is the ink."

Sui Lin had chanted out loud, in an almost imperceptible voice. Contrary to the coldness and the heart of steel she seemed to possess, her voice was warm and sweet.

"Like that of an angel from the Heavens," Shin Sumi thought, "enough to make any boy become infatuated with her."

She seemed to have found the reason why the number two disciple didn’t like to mingle with others and chose to stay secluded most of the time. Unlike Jun Qian, Sui Lin rejected admirers strongly.

But Shin Sumi didn’t have the time to marvel any longer at the voice of her opponent.

The distorted air was forming a complicated pattern of light with each stroke of the paintbrush. Sui Lin was already deploying one of her strongest attacks.

The use of magic was very restricted for cultivator below the Liquid Realm because their Shinsoo was just a mess of energy swirling inside their dantians. Opening the Shinsoo Doors allowed for better passage of Shinsoo and more room for it to flow in but it still didn't compare to the abilities unlocked by the next realm.

There was a reason why the Shinsoo Gathering Realm was sometimes not considered true cultivation yet. Before the Shinsoo condensed into a droplet and formed the Sea of Shinsoo, it was a very hard to control shapeless substance.

And yet geniuses appeared sometimes. Sui Lin, like Jun Qian and Tai Bu, was one such genius. Even before the Liquid Realm she was capable of condensing her energy using a certain medium, unleashing magic that should have been impossible.

"Only Jun Qian's candlestick magic can rip apart my Character Formation" thought Sui Lin with confidence.

She only had the sufficient amount of Shinsoo to write the first four magical characters of the technique she knew, and the one she had chosen was 'Pillar'.

As soon as the word formed completely, Shin Sumi was assailed by a tenfold pressure compared to before.

Her heels broke through the ground as the light character pressed heavily onto her head.

Had she not raised her sword at the last moment, her entire body would have been pressed down to the ground.

"I feel like there is an actual pillar of stone on my shoulders" Shin Sumi painfully groaned, her grip on the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword tightening.

Pushing with her powerful leg muscles, Shin Sumi sent even more Shinsoo into the golden blade.

Sui Lin was controlling the 'pillar' with the tip of her brush, a drop of sweat forming on her brows. Magical techniques demanded a lot of energy. Contrarily to Fu Xue's Breaking Fu Sword or Chu Erlong's Blazing Sun, Sui Lin didn't rely on a magical technique enabled by having a certain clan's blood running through her veins.

Both fighters seemed to have reached a stalemate when Shin Sumi's sword slowly started to move upwards.

"He is cutting through the pillar?!! Nevermind his strength, his sword is amazing..."

Sui Lin couldn't believe her eyes, although she was still prepared for the eventuality.

"Fellow Honorary Disciple, you have earned my respect. Unfortunately for you this is the end. This next technique was supposed to be used against Jun Qian..."

While Shin Sumi was still forced to deal with the pillar, Sui Lin breathed in calmly. She had tested Shin Sumi's speed before so she knew she would have to be really fast.

But for the sake of victory, she was willing to bet on her paintbrush.

As soon as Sui Lin moved her artefact, Shin Sumi was finally released from the pressure. She hadn't completely cut the character with her sword. Doing so would incur an energy backlash to Sui Lin, which she avoided at the last moment.

Sensing that it was her only opportunity, Shin Sumi leapt forward to attack.

Sui Lin was drawing in the air, her opponent approaching rapidly.

The tip of the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword was only at an arm's length away from her hand when she clenched her teeth.

'Cage.'

As soon as the word was completed, Shin Sumi knew the fight was over.

If 'Pillar' was overwhelming strength pressing down from above, 'Cage' was the ultimate restraint from all sides.

The word made of light instantly wrapped around Shin Sumi, sticking formlessly around her arms and legs and even her neck.

Even the tip of the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword was stuck suspended in mid-air, unable to get any closer to its target, Sui Lin's hand.

"I can't move! She trapped me! What a terrifying technique..."

Sui Lin was visibly exhausted but Shin Sumi could see the relief in her eyes. She herself hadn't been sure if she could pull of the second word from her Character Formation before Shin Sumi's strike landed.

"This is my win, Fellow Disciple" she said coldly. At the same time, the brush in her hand was moving slightly, making the cage a bit smaller with every movement.

Shin Sumi was already unable to move and now the light patterns pressing down on her were preventing her from breathing properly!

"At this rate I'm going to pass out soon..."

No amount of debating proved useful, Sui Lin was right. It was indeed her win.

Shin Sumi's eyes closed by themselves after a minute or two, oxygen deprivation kicking in.

Her last coherent thoughts were about all her possessions in her bag of holding. If Sui Lin wanted to, she could take her weapons, her Copper Bell, even the Liquid Pellet.

She would also discover Shin Sumi's true identity...

The instant Shin Sumi truly lost consciousness, Sui Lin was already prepared to fight the rejection coming from the monolith.

Just like Shin Sumi had guessed, she planned on going through her inventory. Who wouldn't ?

But instead of the weak divine sense intent she expected, a strong force expulsed her with irresistible might.

Sui Lin's face dropped, "oh no, not that again" she thought as she found herself outside of the monolith, unable to get in again.

The next instant, a blur too fast to see was carrying Shin Sumi out of the sub-dimension and across the energy barriers all over the mountain, as if they were made of paper.

When Sui Lin finally succeeded in entering the arena again, Shin Sumi was nowhere to be seen, the hidden presence having also vanished.

With the blur carrying her, Shin Sumi regained consciousness as soon as she felt the high quality Shinsoo of the outside.

Images flashed before her eyes, the speed at which they were going way higher than what her sight could discern.

When finally the speed dropped, and Shin Sumi adjusted to the environment, an intense white light was shining directly below her.

Shin Sumi's stomach convulsed as she was unexpectedly dropped, only a few meters from the terrifyingly strong pulse of light.

The Gold Tyrant Flying Sword immediately left her hand and plunged right into the last Vein of Hell Fire.

Shin Sumi lifted her body from the ground, assailed by the burning sensation from the proximity of the Vein.

A shrill cry almost ruptured her eardrums, directly above her face. When Shin Sumi looked up, a painful expression on her face, a very large white eyeball looked back at her.

She had recognized the cry from when she had seen the giant crocodile beaten back, a year ago.

It had been a long time since then but the blur, the cry and the overwhelming pressure, capable of pushing back the huge lizard in an instant had been etched deeply into her memory.

The white eyeball in her field of vision was was soon followed by an equally large head terminated by a white beak. A long neck like that of a crane held the bird head above the slender white body adorned with golden lines.

The sharp talons that had been holding her until recently were now resting on the ground, under the massive folded wings.

At the same time as Shin Sumi saw the giant bird, back in the Dark Sky Starry Sect Patriarch Sen, the leader of the sect, turned his head and looked at the highest mountain peak around, his eyes piercing through the clouds.

"He has finally played his card. So that’s what he’s after."