After Clyde, Lionel, and Shui had descended to the stage and the three referees were in position, the High elder nodded his head. Inside the core section, there were special artifacts used for sparring matches that could absorb damage that went over a set limit and prevent major injuries, but they weren't available for fresh core disciples, and it was impossible to get permission for their use on short notice even for the High elder. Therefore, the High elder had to use the core elders to ensure that no tragedies occurred on the stage.
There was also the option of refusing Shui's suggestion, but although he wouldn't admit it, the High elder was also curious about how this match would turn out.
"Let the final match of the Core Disciple Exhibition begin!"
As soon as the match began, the three's auras exploded. As Earth Realm cultivators, Clyde and Lionel's auras naturally felt oppressive to the inner section disciples, but Shui's aura stopped theirs from invading his space. Though he hadn't checked it thoroughly, Shui could tell that his aura control had once again improved due to his latest seclusion. By forming a thin wall of his aura, he was able to block the aura of Clyde and Lionel without letting the spectators feel his.
Clyde and Lionel had released their auras to catch their opponents off guard, but since that idea had failed, they quickly changed tactics. Clyde summoned a spirit-rank hammer while Lionel equipped spirit-rank gauntlets. He had no need for a weapon, but Shui decided to play along and took out a spirit-rank sword. His sword was of the worst quality among the three artifacts, but Clyde had fought him before, and Lionel had heard stories about Shui from his clan elders, so neither looked down on him for that.
Although Clyde and Lionel had their artifacts ready, neither was hasty in making the first move. The first attack was crucial even between two opponents, much less three. The one who moved first would almost certainly be attacked by the other two, so they felt that they had to be cautious. However, Shui thought differently.
While the other two remained in position, he stepped forward. Usually he would maintain pace with his opponent before striking back, but this time there was a need to ensure that his victory was unquestionable. With Core Elder Ren's help, he could probably survive any skepticism from the elders, but it would be better if his victory was clear and certain.
When Shui stepped forward, many among the spectators thought that Clyde and Lionel would follow up, but they remained stationary. Neither thought that Shui would approach without any plans, so they hesitated to take action. Shui understood their concerns, but that didn't change what he had to do.
"What's wrong with both of you? Are you waiting for an invitation? Or have you forgotten the purpose of this exhibition?"
Seeing as they didn't want to attack, Shui taunted them. While they were still uneasy, they hadn't forgotten the purpose of this tournament, so they exchanged a glance to confirm each other's intentions and then prepared to attack. At the cost of rapidly losing his nature energy, Clyde clad himself with lightning and positioned the head of his hammer behind his body as he faced Shui. On the other side of the ring, Lionel burnt a portion of his blood essence to activate his bloodline, cloaking him in a violent red aura. It was obvious that neither was holding back with this initial attack.
Without any further signals, the two charged at Shui, who remained aloof. Once they were in range, he deflected both their attacks with a wide swing of his sword and then continued the circular motion to cast a wind spell that shot them into the air. The spell did little damage, but they weren't allowed to use flying artifacts, so they were somewhat vulnerable in mid-air.
While they were in the sky, Shui raised his sword and rapidly gathered wind at its tip. Sensing danger, Clyde and Lionel strengthened their barriers and prepared defensive artifacts. Their predictions were spot on as Shui soon fired a powerful gust from his sword tip. The gust shattered their barriers, but both managed to stay safe thanks to their defensive artifacts. In a casual spar, this would be enough to win since they were only safe thanks to their artifacts, but no such decision was made even when the two had landed.
"It seems no one wants us to stop here. What about you two?"
Lionel and Clyde also recognized that it wouldn't be strange for Shui to be called the victor after that last attack, but neither was willing to accept that result either.
"Clyde. How about we settle things between us later?"
"I don't really like the idea, but very well."
Realizing that they wouldn't be a match on their own, Clyde and Lionel decided to team up. As the two stood next to each other with their attention focused on Shui, the crowd was in an uproar. Shui's last attack was clearly above the power of the Soul Realm, but it was still shocking to see top geniuses in the Earth Realm willing to team up against him.
Shui's fans were overjoyed at Shui's unexpected strength, but they were also worried that fighting Clyde and Lionel at the same time would be too much for him.
Needless to say, Shui welcomed this decision. It would be slightly troublesome completely defeating the two without seriously wounding them, but if they worked together, he wouldn't have to do it twice. Shui's raw power was enough to charge at them and simply throw them out of the ring, but he didn't want to show off too much of his power, so he personally set a limit for how much he was willing to reveal.
'I can't use a strong enough spell, and those narrow-minded elders might make a fuss if I use arrays. Using my body is out as well, so I guess that leaves...'
Once he had decided how to win, Shui confidently took a step forward.
"Since you two are working together, you wouldn't mind if I got a few extra hands myself, right?"
Before they had time to ask what he meant, Shui's image wavered before splitting into two.
"Huh?"
And he didn't stop there. Both of those two Shui's split into two more, bringing the total to four. And that process continued until sixty-four Shuis surrounded Clyde and Lionel.
"Now then, can you find the real me?"
With their voices in unison, the Shuis charged at Clyde and Lionel, who watched them approach with tense expressions. They were identical, and all of them wielded the same blue sword. Their expressions and movements differed, but that only made each of them seem more natural. It would be extremely eerie if they moved at the same pace with the exact same expression, but it was still impossible to tell which was the real Shui with a simple check.
Even the elders found it difficult to see the difference. Each Shui seemed too real to be an illusion, but considering their number, they moved too naturally to be puppets. Forget them; even the manor lord would struggle to control this many puppets so well.
With no way of telling real from fake, Clyde and Lionel stuck close together and used their defensive artifacts. They were attacked from every direction, but none of the Shuis cast any spells, so they were able to manage. After a while, they began to spot a few opportunities to counter, and by taking them, they were able to get rid of a few Shuis. When they attacked a Shui, his image would pop like a balloon, but besides that, they still couldn't find any differences between these Shuis and the real one. Nonetheless, they believed that victory would be in their hands if they kept going.