[ A fight can be known as a hello, as well as a farewell in some cases. Especially when that fight is taking place as a result of a contest or competition. May a great friendship and brotherhoods are born from such fights, and many are also ended by it. When you're fighting, you must learn to keep an open mind, because your opponent could be as much your friend and teacher as they could be your enemy.
Which is why it's wise to always study and learn who your opponents are. Because after the fight, if you don't kill that person, one of two things will happen, you either respect each other, or you gain an enemy who would place you as a target to be defeated. So be ready, because in any fight, if you're not making friends after it ends, then you can be sure that you're most definitely making enemies.]
Bartholomew Álē
The state stadium was filled to the brim and bursting with caps it at the amount of people who had showed up for this competition. Wudang held the recruitment contest every three to five years, but this was the first time that they had come all the way to the dark continent. This at least meant that to the empire of heaven, the dark continent was more than just a trophy for them.
After the colonization, the empire of heaven had left the continent alone, only showing up once in a while, though they made sure the took the choicest portion of the continents resources. And resources was something the dark continent had in spades.
Their lands were as fertile as it was barren in other places. Their wildlife thrived, and you would see monsters here that does not exists any where else in the world. But every body who could had turned up for the competition, which showed how much importance they have placed on this competition.
Alex and Anya had already arrived here a lot earlier than was required, so they were now waiting in the locker room and preparing for the fight this time. Of course there were rumors floating around that the theme of the competition this time, was going to be very different than what was expected, so they were a lot more nervous than usual.
This stage of the competition would be divided into three different rounds, what those rounds were about, no body knew yet, so all they could do was wait with baited breaths.
Alex looked down on his lap and rubbed his hand over the peculiar wooden sheath that now held West wind and East cloud. It was actually the walking stick of the spirit King.
Alex was still unable to elicit any sort of reaction from it, other than pulling out his blank masks, or making it change it's shape. So because West wind and east cloud did not have sheaths of their own, Alex had turned he walking stick into a peculiar sheath that held west wind over his right shoulder, and east cloud over his right hip.
The walking stick had actually turned into a sort of belt with straps, but ultimately with two distinct sheaths over his back and at the side of his hip, secured snugly at his side. The straps stretched over to his chest, where a small round wooden medallion three inches in diameter hung over his chest. The medallion had the depiction of blank masks, making it the former head of the walking stick.
U
"Are you nervous?" Anya suddenly asked from her position beside him. She was leaning on her scythe with her eyes closed.
She was eerily quiet, which was not something you could associate with Anya. But Alex couldn't blame her, there was a pressure that had been suffocating them ever since they stepped into the stadium this morning. Of course it could also be that there were in a locker room filled to the brim with other participants, and no one was in the mood to make friends. Instead they were all just freakily staring and sizing up their future opponents.
"Yes am nervous.....but in a good way." Alex answered her.
"There's a bad way to being nervous? Heh, I never knew" She answered back
"Don't worry Anya, we will be fine." Alex said to her.
All of a sudden the stadium speakers came to life releasing a sharp feedback that made almost everybody there wince with pain. Then it settle before, a soft voice spoke up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second stage of the Wudang international disciple selection in the Nigeria colony. We have 2400 young boys and girls from the 24 local governments of Kogi state, and they will be participating in the first round of the second stage in ten minutes.
In ten minutes all of the participants would make their way onto the pitch where they will be teleported to a cultivated particle world. Each of the contestant would be given a combat medallion, and the goal of each contestant is to fight with each other until they have four medallions, which is the required amount to pass to the next round. You're then required to survive however long is left in the competition, before you can all be teleported back. This particle world will not only contain the contestants, but demonic beasts from the cultivation level of 1st level of the body refining realm, to the 5th level of the open meridian realm. They along with every other participant and trap that's set there would aim to stop you from getting the required amount of medallions, or even letting you live until the time is up.
Also contestants with 5 or more medallions are eligible to use those medallions to exchange for weapons, armor, martial arts, and alchemical pills to prepare themselves for the next round. The rate of death for this round is 80% most of you will not be returning back from this particle world, so if you are afraid of dying, now is the time to back out, and as for those of you that chooses to stay. You have seven days, Godspeed and good luck."
At that moment it was as if that heavy atmosphere increased in intensity, the pressured that settled on the shoulders of every contestant in that locker room. Alex was not sure who moved first, but in less than five minutes a quarter of the contestants there had made their way out of the locker room.
This was not the only locker room in the stadium, there should be about eleven of them, and each could hold at least 100 to 150 people, making his stadium a whole lot bigger than what one would expect. Alex was sure that this locker room was not the only one that had people dropping out, so the amount of people who had left could nit be estimated until a proper census was taken.
Alex didn't blame them, the chance of dying was high, way to high, and in the end regardless, of who survives only a hundred will get to go to the capital once this stage is all over, and out of that hundred, they will have to face a fighters from 36 other states each, including the capital. A total of 3700 fighters who would fight for just ten spots to get into the Wudang sect. The risks were to high, and the reward was to far that they might not ne able to reach it.
Many of them had talent that was average or above, they would be able to make something out of themselves even without the support of the Wudang sect. Sure it would take longer and they wouldn't have a reputation to lean on, but at least they would get to live. It was an easy choice for them. If they chose to stay, then death and failure was guaranteed, even if they had a less than 1% chance to win.
A few minutes later a man wearing a simple black shit and trousers walked into the locker room. Then he motioned with his hand and asked them to follow him. Alex placed his swords back in position as Anya collapse her scythe until the six foot staff was only two foot long, then she placed it on her back with such ease it was as if the weight from the hammer part of it, was nonexistent.
Ben had not started training them in the weapon's and movement art he had bought for them. Instead he had them memorize the first stance or moves from the weapons art, and learn the alternating forms of the movement arts by having them choose one species of animal to focus on. Alex had chosen an Equine, or any animal that looked like a horse. Anya had chosen a feline. There was not time to properly choose an animal to focus on, so the movement art was put aside for now.
As for the weapon art, Zhang Wuyang had come up with a really bold and crazy suggestion by having both Anya and Alex initiate practice of those arts, when they were actually in a fight. It was stupid and illogical, so it came as quite a shock to both of them when Ben readily agreed.
So the only practice they had gotten with their weapons was to carry them everywhere. They had to carry it when they were in the shower, carry it when they were having a meal, or asleep, training etc. There was no break, and it had gotten to the point where both Alex and Anya had probably memorized everything there was to know about their weapons.
For example Alex knew that on West wind's blade, there was a hairline crack about two inches below the sword point and three centimeters from it edge. That was a weak point that subsequent pressure in the future, without evolving it properly and solving it, would see his sword snapping at the tip.
Anya discovered that the hammer part of her scythe had to much weight, and it was slowly damaging the structure of scythe's staff. She had to make it stronger, or augment it with a weightless ward from an array. They have been living, eating and breathing their weapons, so much so that even they could not tell where they ended or their weapons began.
They followed the black clothed man towards the stadium pitch, as they all psyched their minds and prepared for what was ahead. A few seconds later they came up to the pitch, amidst the deafening roar of the people spectating.
From every cardinal direction, other contestant were being led towards a massive spatial gate effected in the middle of the pitch. A tiny bag was given to each of them, and when Alex looked inside he could see that it was the combatant medallion that they were all supposed to fight for. Then that soft voice began to speak again.
"The particle world you're all about to be thrown in is a recreation of the Zambesi forest that's to the north of Nigeria colony. The spatial gates will throw each and every one of you into random locations, so if you have a friend, well I'm sorry but you're all on your own. The forest is large and it would take anyone of you three days without any obstructions or stops to travel from one end of the forest to the other. Good luck." And them the first contestant was led through the gate.
Alex quickly turned to Anya, who looked at him with an equally serious expression on their face as they whispered to each other, nit wanting their plans to be heard by anyone.
J
"Which direction do we have to head towards?" Anya asked Alex.
"We have to go west, in times like this everyone will either want to head south or north. The sun rises from the east, so you can bet that some of them would also have their attention drawn towards it. So you head west, or to be more precise west with the best high ground location."
"Wouldn't they also want to take the high ground?" Anya asked, as they drew closer to the spatial gate.
"Yes they would, but that's where you should fight. We can't avoid a fight since that's what is required to survive. Leave marks behind, you know the one right?" Anya nodded her head
"I'll do the same. That way we can find each other. Avoid any unnecessary clash with the locals, and keep out of any beast territories unless you have no choice. If you find a water source, don't stay there any longer than five to ten minutes, unless it's properly secluded. Don't eat any plants, even if you recognize it, the only thing you can eat here should be the beasts. They're flesh, as such unless it's a poison attributed demonic beast, they should be edible. Don't form alliances unless you have too, and don't sleep at night. Sleep from only daybreak to noon, and keep your pace steady so that you can conserve energy. And don't recklessly flare your Qi, it would draw attention to you."
"Hey! Move it!" Alex stopped talking
It was his turn to go through the spatial gate. He turned to give Anya was last questioning look, and she replied with a smile.
B
"I got it don't worry, I'll see you soon."
Then Alex bowed his head, and went through the spatial gate, heading for the world beyond.