Si-U looked around the arena and realized that due to the fight's explosive nature many of the elders from the great families who had hidden among the audience had now erected a ki barrier to protect the audience who now sat speechless.
The barrier slowly fading as the elders retracted their ki.
Si-u, Looking at his opponent realized that she had finally recovered from the mental attack but made no efforts to get up.
She seemed disappointed, her disheveled hair and appearance reflecting that.
"Thank you for letting me win this time." Si-U bowed sharply and sincerely as he waited for her reply.
"A..ah hm there's no need to be so modest after all, we're all geniuses of our respective sects." mei-yunxi stood brushing the dust from her clothes. "Also knocking me down a few pegs allowed me to realize just how conceited I was."
"You're the winner kid, stand proud, and don't lose to anyone else till I get stronger, because when I do, I'll be challenging you again so be prepared." She still wore a disappointed expression.
"I'll wait for that day and don't worry because I'll keep training and I'll become strong enough to fight you again." Si-U responds smiling a little.
"Hmph, you better." She states before turning and leaving the platform.
Si-u noticed that she in turn had started smiling, even if only a little.
-*********-
Afterward, the fights in the other small arenas had all slowly come to an end. In this time wan-er had taken the initiative to speak with Si-U. She still seemed a little distressed.
"It's good that you won, but, the others, especially him." She motioned at another open and elevated platform where one of the other contestants had already finished his match and stood in the center of the undamaged ring the platform without so much as a scratch and his residual ki lingering on the air around him.
His opponent out cold, laying on the ground.
"His name is mo-jisou and he is the closest out of all the participants from the many families and sects that are almost at the ki master realm of their cultivation."
Wan-er sighed "To say that he's very strong is an understatement there are elders in my clan well past ki mastery rank who can't match his prowess and I know you're strong but you can't use ki yet so how can you hope to defeat him?"
Si-u smiled "Don't worry." he replied confidently "a challenge like this is the reason i signed up."
"No you don't understand," she forrowed her brow "the one you defeated earlier was his fiancé so he's undoubtedly mad at you right now and he's not one to hold back, I've seen him beat an opponent into a coma because the opponent didn't respect him enough to admit defeat before the match had started."
Si-u breathed out, his breath quivered as he spoke his next words "I won't back down either so its fine." was he anxious?
After a few minutes, the announcer finally announced the restarting of the tournament and as the order of the fights was being decided by the audience's votes, imagine si-u's surprise when his fight was announced to be the next one. His next opponent being the one and only mo-jisou. This was undoubtedly a fix but Both excited and nervous si-u smiles a smile of confidence even though he has no idea how he'll defeat this new foe.
One thing was clear though and that was - to end this and come out the winner he'd have to give his all from the very beginning.
-------------------------------------------
Slowly si-u makes his way to the newly prepared arena this one bigger than the one before, maybe this was in consideration of his fighting style? However the moment si-u steps on the large platform, it was all he could do to push forward, his utmost concentration and will to keep himself standing as waves upon waves of a violent and malicious aura bore down on him threatening to crush him where he stood. Mo-jisou, glared at him from across the large platform.
"So this is a pseudo ki master's aura," si-u states with a smirk meant to provoke. "hmm, yeah it's nothing much."
Briefly a flash of anger made itself visible on mo-jisou's face before fading behind confidence then glee. Glee so malicious that it's thickness premieres the air.
Slowly the two contestants close the gap until the pressure from mo-jisou's aura, fell like a heavy rain that-very nearly blocks visible spectrum causing the air around the him to cast a faint red glow. It's friction creating a A low hum within the constraints of his residual ki as it dances over the metal buckles and arm braces like flowing electricity.
"Si-u was it?" He starts before reaching forward and placing a hand on si-u's shoulder, giving him a small pat. "You know, it's strange I checked the clan records but there are no records of your existence before half a year ago and even then you've never brought offerings to the funding family or attended any essential meetings. It's almost like your not apart of the heavenly winds clan."
Chuckling, "don't worry though, I've already found the culprit and In No less than five minutes your little traitorous girlfriend will have squealed her last and I'll have all the evidence I need." Si-u glances at the area where wan-er's clan leader had been seated along with the representatives of the heavenly winds, she however wasn't there.
Mo-jisou continues ,"I'm really not as overbearing as she probably made me out to be and to prove it I'll offer you one chance to save her and make your punishment lighter, it's no small sin to forge official clan documents after all. Now, waste your cultivation and I'll release the girl and give you a painless death."
Si-u locks eyes with mo-jisou his gaze now one of anger, he knew of the dangers that losing his temper harbors however, Wan-er was his friend and the thought of her being hurt at the hands of this fiend made him angry beyond measure.
Mo-jisou continues "you didn't think I'd let you live after what you did, did you?"
"And what did I do?" Si-u asks bluntly.
" I could say that it's because if your plot with your girlfriend to overthrow the ruling family," he crossed his arms "but we both know that, that excuse is just a means to an end." He smirked.
And just like that, just a little, the origin of si-u and so-hee's enormous shared mental energy made itself visible only this time it wasn't the side he'd intended to use. Streaks of black malicious unconverted mental energy poured from his dantians which glowed a bright yellow, cutting through the red hue from mo-jisou's aura.
Mo-jisou's confident demeanor crumbled.
"Y..you're supposed to be below the ki gathering realm!!" He stepped backward stumbling but catching himself. "W...what's with this insane mental pressure?"
On si-u's end, it was apparent that he'd lost himself to his rage. So-hee warned him about this, and the dangers of taking energy from the dream space without being higher than ki-gathering realm and her monitoring the transfer.
Black billowing energy manifested around his feet like dancing weighted smoke.
This was the undiluted and raw emotion gathered by so-hee, negative emotions from the world over. The regret of people dying, hating, seething... the most powerful form of thought.
Malice.
It took ahold of si-u and for a moment through the telepathic link he shared with so-hee, he could feel it.
The rage of millions of people poured into him and their hate became his own amplified by the link. Deep down he could feel that something was wrong but all he wanted to do was to accept it. This feeling, was dangerous and he knew it. But it felt so good to him that he let the feeling in, and through that feeling a voice welled up in him. Ancient and powerful Then from his mouth, a voice that was his but wasn't. "Mo...jisou, you have been found... lacking." A voice five octaves lower than si-u could manage growled " all the people you've hurt, mangled and murdered, those people you've wronged... will now repay you tenfold."
From the shadowy mist that danced at si-u's feet like black flames came hundreds of shadows writhing and crawling their way out. Their raspy voices torn and miserable as they reached out calling for mo-jisou.
From si-u's mouth came a trail of blood as he extended his right hand with a gesture commanding all the shadows to converge and morph reducing themselves to energy pooling into one unstable orb which radiated dark energy pulsating and tearing into the arena's platform, gouging large chunks from the solid pavement.
"...Go..." si-u states which causes the energy within him to flow to the orb till only the yellow glow of his residual ki remained, him meridians glowing brightly as the last of the dark energy leaked into the orb forcing it to compress and stabilize.
"You think I'll give you the chance?!" Mo-jisou states pouring his ki until it covered him, bright flashes of red electricity pouring into the ground leaving giant scorch marks as he walks steadily towards si-u. "I'll take your ki blast head on and show you just how weak you are!" He places a hand behind him and takes his stance.
Si-U now drained of energy, takes a deep breath and bolsters his mental energy. Forcing himself to use ki even though he wasn't yet at the ki-gathering stage had not only drained him of his energy, his meridians had been ruptured and so had his surrounding blood vessels. The only thing that kept him standing was adrenaline and sheer will power.
He knew that if he stopped, when he stopped he wouldn't be able to move again, knowing this he still gathers his courage.
"Huuuu" si-u releases before inhaling again.
"Hmph!!" Releasing The ki blast!