A stunned silence filled the stadium.
Isaac was lying on his side on the floor of the stage. Erik was over him, one hand pressed to the stage to hold him up, while the other hand was clenched into a fist which was pushing at Isaac's forehead. There was a thin reflective layer of mirror which protected Isaac.
Erik's gaze was fierce but joyous as he locked eyes with Isaac. Isaac's eyes were somewhat hazy but they quickly regained their focus, then snapped wide open in shock. Erik saw this shock and began to laugh lightly, delighting in his victory.
But then Isaac's expression changed, becoming happier. Then he looked down slightly, donned a broad smile which was so wide it nearly tore his lips, and began to laugh manically.
Erik was confused. He followed Isaac's eyes downwards and saw a sharp sword pressed against his torso. It wouldn't cut him in 2 if it weren't for the thin layer of mirror-like protection which blocked it. Now it was Erik's turn to be stunned.
Meanwhile, the referee had seen everything and was even more shocked than the participants. He stammered a lot before finally announcing,
"E-Erik Baldur's attack hit first! He wins!"
There was a huge uproar in the stadium! Many spectators swore Isaac's attack hit first, others agreed with the referee, but the majority said they struck at the same time. If this was a real fight they would've killed each other, so this should be a draw.
Isaac heard the controversial announcement but kept laughing like a madman, as if he didn't care about the fight's result. Indeed, he truly didn't!
He might have lost the rewards for 1st place, but he had gained something far more valuable in the last few seconds of the match: enlightenment!
Compared to tens of reward points, new Anima, or time in a specialised cultivation ground, enlightenment was far more valuable – after all, those other things could be bought but enlightenment could not! In fact, cultivators could go their entire lives without achieving it. If it was something that could be bought with money, the queue to purchase it would stretch halfway around the world!
Using Anima was an extremely complex skill: naturally, some people would be good at it and others would not. Meanwhile, a small percentage of people had transcendental abilities when it came to controlling anima. This was no longer simply being good – it was having a certain extent of special understanding and ability in manipulating a style of Anima.
Of course, there was always a sky above the sky; there were multiple levels to this transcendental ability and Isaac had merely reached the first. These levels could be categorised as expert, master, savant and sage. Each stage of mastery could be broken down further into sub-levels: novice, established and experienced.
Isaac had only just reached the level of novice expert, but the average cultivator would never reach this level in their lifetimes. Slightly skilled cultivators who lived long lives could reach this stage after tens of years when they were reaching the ends of their lives, while cultivators with considerable talent in their chosen style could become novice experts with around 20 years of great effort. Geniuses could do it in 10 years or less while era-defining figures would have the talent to do it in 5.
In fact, becoming a sword expert at 17 was not too shocking. A sparse few geniuses who practiced swordsmanship from the moment they could walk had also achieved this feat. However, Isaac had only picked up his first sword 2 years ago! When it came to swordsmanship, his talent was truly heaven-defying!
Achieving enlightenment was truly finding victory in defeat, and Isaac couldn't care less about missing first place. His crazy laughter gradually subsided and he smirked at Erik, who was looking at him as if he was insane.
The sword in his hand disappeared and he used his arm to push Erik away. The man was caught by surprise, rolled over and fell on his back with a thud. Meanwhile, Isaac stood up, gave the referee a thorny glare, and was about to walk away when,
"A splendid performance from two great fighters."
A figure in a red and white coat descended from the sky, landing on the stage beside Isaac and Erik. Erik, who was about to attack Isaac again, immediately stilled his anger and turned into a docile puppy before the elder. Isaac was also extremely respectful.
"Erik Baldur, that was an outstanding showing. And Isaac Dahl, I do not believe you were any worse." The referee shivered slightly when he heard this, "Tomorrow, you and all the other worthy participants will be rewarded. The reward ceremony is part of our great foundation day celebrations, so make sure you arrive on time. I congratulate you once more on a magnificent fight and declare this newcomers' tournament... over! Erik Baldur is this year's champion!"
She gave Erik a formal handshake, then did the same for Isaac. Normally, there would've been a third-place fight-off and she would've shaken the winner's hand, but Nora Hoen had been killed by Erik and Lukas Brink decided not to show up since he felt third place was just an insult, so there wasn't really an official '3rd place' contestant.
After shaking Erik and Isaac's hands, the elder floated away again and disappeared into her private box. Meanwhile, the crowds began to disperse. Some muttered and grumbled about the dodgy officiating, while others were content with the great fight they'd seen and left in high spirits.
Isaac was also in a joyous mood as he returned home.
There were 3 components to a cultivator's combat strength: cultivation, Anima, and combat talent. After becoming a novice sword expert, Isaac's combat talent far exceeded his cultivation or Anima, so he was eager to enter seclusion and push for Rank 2, then exchange for some new Anima.
However, tomorrow was foundation day so he would have to wait before entering seclusion.
*************************
Foundation day. It was the anniversary of the day the Full Moon Sect was founded by unifying all the villages around the Frozen Forest.
Some people held parties at new year's, but these were small events. Foundation day was the only event which was formally celebrated by the entire sect and the day was a huge festival where people danced, partied, got drunk, made merry, and remembered their ancestors.
Isaac woke up quite late: the whole tournament process had been energy-draining for him and he took this opportunity to get adequate rest. He was awoken before 10 by loud noises and shouts from the celebrations which had already started in the streets.
After getting ready, he walked out into the street as well.
Many people were wearing masks, or had even used Anima to transform their faces to look like some of the sect's important historical figures. Confetti was everywhere, people were already chugging alcohol, music played in the distance and the crowd moved to its beat.
For the only day of the year, the sect's frozen streets felt warm and vibrant.
Isaac also smiled widely at this sight. They had even celebrated foundation day when he was in the farm and the academy, so this was a tradition which had been engraved in his bones since birth.
It was also important to him for his own reasons: it was the only day of the year where he didn't think about getting stronger or improving himself and just took some time off.
As he strolled down the street, he snatched a bottle from one of the partyers, took a long swig, then handed it back. The alcohol burnt a warm trail down his throat and he walked in time with the music as he headed towards its source.
He arrived in a large square with a stage at the front. There were performers on the stage re-enacting the events of a group of Rank 4 village leaders going around to unify all the other villages. There were several great battles against villages which resisted, where the music rose to a crescendo, and there were also the tragic deaths of heroes where the melody grew soft and melancholic.
The square was packed with observers and Isaac pulled in at the back of the square. He couldn't see over the crowd despite being 6'0 – Northern Tundra had a rather high average height after all – so he found a bench to stand on and watched the performance.
It eventually ended with the Full Moon Sect being created from the union of all these villages. The performers all took bows before curtains were drawn.
Someone hurried across the front of the stage and put a wooden signboard in front of the curtains. It read, 'Please be patient while we prepare for our next performance. Our next showing will be The Tale of Ivar Olsen.'
Ivar Olsen was the first Rank 5 to emerge in the Full Moon sect and was a large part of why the sect was so successful today. However, Isaac was already extremely familiar with his stories and didn't wish to see them performed.
He, along with a large portion of the crowd, left to go and party elsewhere.