The weekly lecture on cultivating hou and ki had just finished and I had stayed behind once again to practice in the general training room.
The sects place both prestige and authority coupled with high expectations on the shoulders of its young cultivators.
This line of thought was only logical as the more powerhouses a sect has directly affects its strength and power.
In the iron region strength is law.
The strong are the story tellers, while the weak are always left trampled and labeled as evil.
Either way, my high dedication was one of the things I usually showed in order to save face for the sect master.
As his disciple, even if my cultivated realm appeared to be low I couldn't be seen as lazy by my peers.
That wouldn't go over well with him.
And as the elders of the sect often pressure him to choose a disciple with more talent instead of wasting valuable resources on trash like me this always peeved him.
Oh this was always one of the reasons he used to pressure me into giving up the path of the cultivator.
He has very little knowledge of the unlimited blood refining art or that the manuscript left behind by my parents is actually in my hands.
I remember asking him about it once when I was in my teens. After the aptitude test every disciple had to take at that age to evaluate their rank.
His response was, "I don't concern myself with lesser arts of cultivation."
His temperament towards them were harsh and as he had always confiscated others chosen by me. I could only hide the one left behind by my parents for fear that he'd also take it away.
Still even with all the extra effort I put in. My cultivation had always lagged behind the others of my age group.
Knowing this, the elders of the sect and their pompous disciples often called me trash.
This only caused me to push myself harder.
This time though, I was troubled by what the sect master had told me.
He had come to my house.
He decided that after the stunt I had pulled, I didn't need half the daily star coins I received.
But this wasn't what troubled me.
"Since you're so stubborn," he started "I'll give you an opportunity, challenge the core disciples of the sect!"
The core disciples where the top of the top.
Out of the two sects the ones who climbed their way through challenge after challenge were often given special privileges and opportunities.
These were the core disciples.
Whether by talent, strength, family wealth and backing or even sheer effort. They are the holders of the title strongest in the new generation and their strengths are irrefutable.
"In two days before the secret ruins at the pit emerges. You'll be challenging the core disciples in order to gain an entry token to the pit. Defeat at least three, If you fail you are to give up cultivating or be banished! And I will no longer owe your parents anything."
I knew this was an impossible task.
With my current strength how was I to challenge the core disciples?
Even with my strength, these were all early realm third order strength dragons with early - mid rank, true ancestral body cultivation.
So he knows just how difficult this task would be.
We both know what this was.
It was an ultimatum.
Leave the sect, my title, safety and face the outside threats, namely lady shia'k.
Or.
Give up my cultivation.
Ugh!
The bastard was basically telling me to waste myself!
So forgive me but, fuck that!
I'll overcome the odds!
I paced a well timed punch to the neck of the practice dummy finishing up my last combo.
I was sweating profusely.
My long white hair now rested on my shoulder in an extremely long braided ponytail.
Rage had escaped my control and in my last punch, the practice dummy was decapitated.
I panted trying to catch my breath.
This wasn't my style.
I always fought with control.
So letting rage into my fighting style meant opening holes in my otherwise flawless defense.
But the sect-master's words grated on my nerves.
-No longer owe my parents?-
Ugh!
The practice wasn't enough to quell my rage and holding back my strength had brought me no significant gains.
Fuck it. "Screw applying for an official challenge!", I growled. -Screw waiting!- Let's see if I can't beat their asses right now!
<************************>
In just an hour my summon had brought most of the disciples and elders to the platform of life and death.
The life and death platform was where disciples came to settle blood feuds or matters that simply couldn't be settled amicably.
Likewise in this situation, I was simply using it for the fact that the rules of the platform prevents anyone, elder or even family to interfere with or stop the matches.
The clan members however, normally wouldn't simply move on my whim.
No, they came because of what I had announced.
And it took less than an hour for most of them to arrive.
I announced that any disciple able to defeat me would earn themselves my title as the sect master's disciple and the backing of the sect master himself.
Though many talented individuals had come to the platform it was mostly to watch the upcoming fights as the news had spread like wildfire.
The myriad flower peak disciples who were mainly female also attended but in sparse quantities.
Īone and her two sisters being some of the few.
Īone stood with the growing crowd to her back. She was closer to the platform than anyone else. Wearing an extremely worried expression on her face as she cast me a glance that said not to do this.
She knew it was basically an uphill battle. Anyone could see that my targets were the core disciples since the ones who stood the most to gain from my position were only them.
Similarly the core disciples, save for the strongest three attended and had long since held designs on my position. Everyone knew this and none of the lower disciples dared to interfere.
Soon after, the crowd had reached its peak the sect master made his entrance sitting on a chair provided for him.
His expression said it all, he was upset beyond measure and since this was not what he'd wanted. He was probably planning on punishing me after, weather i succeeded or failed.
What I didn't realize before now is the fact that also in attendance and by his side was Jiya, former queen/proxy to the fire monarch. She was now hailed as grand-master and was by his side as he'd entered and sat beside him in a chair of her own clearly bemused by my challenge.
I could only tear my gaze from them.
***********
At the top of the list was Mo-Gu, tall with long black hair. Slender and always dressed like the young master he was. Being heir to the only weapon and resources trading group native to the iron region.
The iron chain commissary.
His arrogance was something he showed without even opening his mouth.
With his third order early rank, true ancestral body cultivation and ranking 11 being the weakest of the core disciples he was still very strong and would prove a challenge.
However backing down was something I would never do.
"Hmph!" Mo-Gu exclaimed as he entered onto the platform releasing his aura. The aura was simply killing intent meant to intimidate weaker foes and provide an edge in battle.
In other words, fighting by suppression.
"Why don't you just forfeit this match and give your position to me? That way you can save yourself a little face and avoid a beating?" he arrogantly urged.
Mentally I had already note most of his weaknesses and all he's done so far was underestimating me.
Unfortunately for him I have been cultivating under the pressure of the heavy hou waves for months now, and while his aura affected the spectators to some extent, it had no affect on me.
This is basically a free meal!
"To think you would be afraid to face me in battle, aren't you afraid it'll ruin your reputation?" I taunted with a sly smile.
Enraged he catches the halberd his entourage had been carrying for him. It had been tossed in his direction after his signal. "I see! Hopefully junior don't complain that I bully the weak when you lose."
"Oh I don't think you understand." I breathed out steeling my resolve.
"You may begin!" Commanded the sect master loudly.
"You stand to lose more than I ever can!" I channeled the inner true-blood essence through my now open heart aperture.
The flow was very slow however it was only to be expected. The strength trade-off for burning condensed true-blood essence was currently fivefold. But as the heart aperture opening was directly linked with my cultivation level as well as the activation of the blood mark. I could only activate the blood mark in order to release more true-blood essence and boost my physical strength.
I dropped my weight, gracefully crouching extremely low, while simultaneously amping my inner blood mark activation from 30% to 50%.
Thirty only granted a minor strength boost and the physique I was used to. Where my feminine physique was barely noticeable.
However, 50% is a whole different nutshell.
I could feel my muscles tighten and coil as my body gets lighter.
It was hard getting used to muscles that granted the ability to easily clear incredibly high walls. Or to dash long distances in the blink of an eye!
I still hadn't mastered it but with this much I could easily manage.
I locked onto my opponent, launching myself at him, turning mid-air and unleashing a violent flying spinning back-kick!
With my boost in strength that attack would be enough to demolish the trunk of any tree with substantial girth. But this was no tree.
In reflex he reached out with his weapon to block my attack with its iron shaft!
I had however expected this.
His first mistake!
I pulled back mid-attack!
The first attack was a feint with the purpose of finding an opening. In quick succession my right kick slipped past his defense and caught his face.
He grunts as he was knocked back a few paces.
Shocked and embarrassed he spun
pivoting on his heel and sliding into an attack whipping his halberd in a downward arch.
He had switched the hold to one of range grabbing the very end of the shaft as he lashed out! The long weapon bent with the force, slashing in an arch as narrowly missed me through my timely sidestep.
It slammed the ground cracking the hard surface.
Second mistake!
Through fluid graceful movement I dashed in again, a quick left handed jab to his hand caused him to release his spear.
The impact wasn't enough to break his hand since strength dragons have extremely resilient bodies, however with this he'd made his last mistake.
And I will be sure to punish it!
Hesitation in a battle is the worst mistake one can make. Even if the mistake was pulling back because of the pain.
Sidestepping now put him directly in full-frontal close-combat attack range. Putting his long - mid range style at a disadvantage and taking all the advantage for myself.
Heavy uppercut!
He stumbled backwards struggling to catch his balance flailing as he did.
"No! You're not getting away that easily!!" I closed the gap this time placing a sharp jab to his throat!
He gasped for air while holding his neck!
I closed the gap again this time unleashing a flurry of well timed punches to all his exposed vitals.
He fell back and sat hard! His spear finally clattering noisily to the ground.
My strength may be subpar in comparison to most of the strength dragons here. My speed however is on a level that none of them can compare with. Not even without the old elemental laws.
The crowd was silent the whole four seconds it took to bring Mo-Gu down.
Now the murmurs started slowly.
"The hell?" Stated one disciple.
"If that is the strength of a disciple in the first realm then doesn't that mean that we're all weak?" Said Another.
"Tsk speak for yourself! Era was just lucky this time!" Someone in the back stated.
"Then do you want to face him?"
"Um… I just remembered my master called for me…"
Mo-gu bled profusely. A broken nose and collarbone made it so he could only hold up one hand in protest.
"You can't kill me!" He sputtered as he tried shimmying away.
"You don't think I dare to?" I looked down at his sorry state before.
"Well you're right, with your backing I'm sure that even though clan laws forbid it they'll find some way to make trouble for me."
"Then you'll let m-" he commented only to be cut off by me.
"-I'm not done yet. I'm a generous person don't you think?"
He nodded profusely.
"Then give me 50,000 star coins and your entry token to the pit. If you do then I'll forgo breaking your legs and removing one of your arms! Generous right?"
"Wh..don't go too far!" He cried out.
"Too far?" I picked up his weapon.
******
I was now 50,000 star coins richer and possessed one token. But this was not enough I tossed the storage bag with the coins and the token to Īone.
She was surprised as she caught them but I was simply not in the mood to offer an explanation past. "Those belong to you."
I was ready for the next challenge and had indirectly given the sect master the middle finger.
But I was far from done!