Lind had not asked for many details from Teylin once the shocking revelation of the invasive proposal to Teyla was given. Mostly, he had only wanted to know 2 things. Was Teyla accepting of the proposal and was there anything he could do to stop if it was not? In short order, Teylin and Lind had sought out Grand Master Fu to see what could be done.
It was there that Lind learned the Frey Clan had put forth a condition to prove the seriousness of the Overseer's son he could not ignore. The young mistress of one of the 3 clans was not someone that could just be snatched up even by the Overseer. Imperial law put the power of conditions on the clan in this instance.
Even so, the Clan could not outright reject the Overseer's son. The Frey Clan highly valued both Teylin and Teyla, unfortunately, being twins became a source of the insistence of Hu to keep coming back to them. As there were 2 people to inherit the legacy of the clan, one could be married off for a powerful alliance without question. This loophole left rejection off the table.
The Old Man and Granny then brought the Elders together and while most were against it given the truth known combined with dark rumors regarding Hu, the faction that was displeased with the favor shown members like Lind gleefully supported the engagement. Arguments ensued until someone threw out the Tri-Clan Tournament. Hu was just barely young enough and it was a good standard to show the clan valued Teyla greatly.
Frustrated at their inability to stop it, the Old Man and Granny endorsed the condition. They did not expect him to win but he had to win at least one round in the finals. Old Man Fu had underestimated the lengths Hu would go to secure his victory from what Lind had seen.
The layout of the tournament brackets to quickly eliminate all the Frey clan members made it clear how foul Hu was. Each clan member had not been altruistic either. The very same Elders wanted their descendents to win a chance at Teyla's hand in marriage the same way. A condition laid out for the Overseer's son could not be ignored if someone else claimed it. Lind was unaware of this machination, but many of the faces he had seen eliminated were not kind to him in the clan.
Lind had recovered plenty thanks to the mercy of the other competitors. Even so, his body was not the only thing aching after the back to back battles he had won. His meridians were clearly suffering from forcing power out of tier 1 Soul Arts with tier 4 quality elemental Qi.
Lind could move for now, but if he kept forcing power out of those arts, he would damage his meridians and his body until he was crippled. It was the limit of 6 elementals standing in his way that no amount of battle or research had yet found a solution for. From what Lind had learned, any recorded 6 elemental cultivator ran into similar problems.
What frustrated Lind was his current plan would likely break that limit forcibly today, and he was fine with it. It was not that he could not use higher tier arts but even what claimed to be a fire technique for tier 2 would incorporate a deeper understanding of fire in the world. With someone who only had a fire core this worked wonderfully with higher quality Qi, but anyone with other elements would find the other cores interfering.
It was why multi-element techniques depending on compatibility of the cores in the dantian to work well. Someone like Hu, who had 3 elements of earth, darkness, and water, had a plethora of techniques to pull on as they complimented each other well. If he had light instead of darkness, then Hu would need to focus on techniques that excluded at least 1 of his elements most of the time. Lind had seen the rejection of an incompatible element used to keep it out of a technique many times training with the twins.
Lind took hope from the dimness of the cores he saw in Hu's dantian as well as clear signs of impurities plaguing his meridians. Lind hoped the large man could not bring forth his full potential but he looked grim as his eyes saw sources of power all over Hu's body.
"Stop staring at me weakling!" Hu's voice snapped Lind out of his examination but the judge had yet to call the start of the fight. Lind had not realized he was showing his emotions more easily than usual due to repressing his rage. Hu was covered in artifacts to help enhance his elements or defense possibly. Lind would only know when he attacked but it made the job even more difficult.
Lind resumed his stance and waited for the battle to begin, but the judge seemed to be fidgeting. Hu also was just standing nonchalantly without any indication he was preparing to fight. Confusion spread and the murmur of the crowd faded as the judge began to feel the pressure of all the people looking at him.
"What are you waiting for? Disqualify this cheater!" Lind felt his mind blank. If he had died again and meant the Biblical God for a game of cards, he doubted he could be as surprised as he was now. He had cheated? Was Hu, perhaps, drunk? If anyone could be accused, even the most dull person at this event would know it was likely Hu manipulating events behind the scenes.
"In what way–" Lind tried to ask a question, but Hu gave him no chance.
"Be SILENT rogue! You have no place in this tournament of honor. Your actions have spoken louder than any words!" Now the crowd was as confused as Lind. What was this large wind bag shouting about? At what point did the young Lind cheat? All had watched and saw him pushing his cultivation as best he could as a 6 elemental.
Hu seemed to be looking with a frown at the crowd, but whatever he was looking for did not appear. He shifted his gaze to the judge that was still silently standing there. Impatience was clear on Hu's face, but he could not browbeat the official in front of the crowd.
"It is glaring obvious a tier 3 Soul Realm, a 6 elemental at that, could advance to the finals without serious cheating. So disqualify him already!" Hu's words made rage flare in Lind but helplessness also filled his heart. The Overseer's son had power, power that Lind could not fight easily. This tournament was his best chance to help his sis–! Revelation flared in Lind's dark green eyes.
This bastard had arranged everything! It was all to cheat his way to stealing Teyla away. The truth did not matter, only strength did. In this case, political strength. Lind was just a 15 year old youth and stuck at tier 1 Soul Arts despite his tricks. A feeling of hollowness hit him unlike anything else had.
Was this how it would end? All the pain and suffering to be stopped not because he was without power in cultivation, but without power to protect his family from corruption. He could not accept this! There had to be something he could do!
"--gin." A soft word escaped the judge at last. No one could make it out but the last part was clearly not from 'disqualified.' Lind stared in hope as the judge coughed and looked up only to flinch at the red eyed gaze of Hu. "Begin!"
The crowd roared immediately as Lind felt a weight fall away from his shoulders. He resumed his stance as Hu stood shocked. The large man looked like he could not accept his plan falling apart in front of him even with his direct intervention.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS TREACHERY?!" The Qi filled shout shook the stones all around Hu and even Lind felt the pressure of the minor realm above him. Flawed though it was, Hu was still tier 5 Soul Realm in his cultivation. Lind also noticed as Hu retrieved a small metal item from his robes pocket. The dark blue robes were lined with black when Hu retrieved the item.
Lind understood he had missed something. Focusing Qi into his eyes, he saw a hidden formation woven into the very robes Hu wore. If Lind had attacked between the concentrations of Qi he saw earlier, it would have gone badly. The only reason Lind had not tried anything was due to these artifacts on Hu. Wasting his own Qi and body was unwise this close to the finish line.
Water suddenly flowed through Hu as if it was almost dammed up. It barely entered the metal item that Lind now saw was in the shape of a dog, maybe a wolf. As soon as the Qi entered the artifact, water collected from the air until the shape of a wolf did indeed come to be. The crowd instantly booed this move as it was not a technique but an offensive tool given to young masters as a way to escape. The animal would attack with its respective element until the invested Qi was exhausted. It was a very cheap move in the tournament.
Why only 1 element? Lind was confused until he saw darkness flow into the inner lining of the robe, again just barely. Lind finally understood. Despite being tier 5, Hu had clearly never tempered his elements nor truly cultivated except by force with pills. Was Hu that lazy? Lind had trouble cultivating but not that much. Hu could only use 1 element at a time because he forced it to obey his will.
The wolf manifestation was also very unstable. Did Hu take his defenses seriously? Lind saw hope as a dagger snapped into Hu's hand and the earth element strengthened it. At a glance, Hu clearly did not do serious combat training. How was this person even a cultivator?
"I don't know how you bribed them, but you will wish for death once I cripple you! You are interfering in my conquest of my property! Stay out of my way, peasant!" Lind felt something snap inside him. His normal circulation of Qi drastically changed as all rational thought left his mind.
"NO ONE MAKES MY BIG SISTER CRY!" The world changed. All 6 elements violently flew into Lind as if he was without any Qi in his body. Unlike most expected, instead of 6 colors coming together, an emerald light gathered in his right arm before he vanished from everyone's sight.
Having seen the trick before, Hu immediately shaded his eyes as looking up, only to see the open sky. Right before he tried to look around, his world exploded. Emerald light surged through Hu's body and every weapon, defense, and trap were instantly destroyed as the sound of thunder shattered his ear drums.
The world tilted as his vision briefly returned before his body slammed onto the tiles and skid right off the edge. Hu's red rimmed eyes saw one last vision before the top of the ring blocked it off. The ruined right arm of Lind as Qi discharged randomly off his body. Blood flowed like a river out of his damaged limb but those dark green eyes were a pitiless pool of rage.
There was no arrogance nor pride, just rage. Rage of family was clear and a thought floated through Hu's mind before darkness claimed him. 'I missed the Frey Clan's secret weapon.'
Stunned silence seemed to be the norm watching Lind's fights, but this time there was sadness as well. The young man that had pulled so many miracles to overcome his limitations had destroyed his body. Even mortals knew meridians could not be easily repaired once damaged to this extent. Lind's words told the story. This boy had not come to win, he had only come to protect.
Tears fell from some faces as they began to call his name once more. It was glorious. Lind was going to be a local legend. Even if he could cultivate after this, it was clear his journey would end in the Soul Realm.
Lind, himself, barely remained standing. He should be feeling pain in his right arm, but there was nothing. It was as if there was no arm attached to his torso. He was not entirely sure what he had done, but for a moment it was as if he understood something about the 6 elements. If not for the need to strike out, maybe he could have broken through his shackles instead of destroying his future.
"I would call you foolish but after seeing all that fat prick did to steal your sister, I cannot just stand by." A beautiful woman ascended the stage. There was one more competitor but she did not sound like she was coming to fight. The pressure of tier 7 came off of her but that was not what shocked Lind frozen.
Six elements! Her dantian also had 6 elements! He had not seen her fight at all but her tempering was on par with her cultivation and she was not that much older than him. He also noticed another oddity. She had the flame the same as him, but her flame matched the color of her robes, a dark blue.
Lind felt pain as Qi tried to move through his body to keep Soul Eyes working and he lost sight of what he had been looking at. Her cores were all there but the shades were different colors, even the darkness was lighter than his. What did that mean?
"Take my hand." Her voice was commanding and Lind used his left to take her right while she gently took his ruined right arm. She did not flinch from his blood at all. There was worry in her gentle aqua eyes. Lind realized his eyes shared a color with his flame as well. Was that also a coincidence? "Do not resist and endure."
Lind felt all his cores resonate with hers. At first it was a novel feeling but then his right arm came back to life! It was as if a thousand ants were ripping his flesh apart, but Lind clamped his lips shut tight as sweat poured off of him. The crowd looked on as emerald engulfed Lind while the last competitor was covered in dark blue.
The cultivators in the crowd felt inspired and some had enlightenment occur. They began to cultivate right there in the arena. Lind noticed none of this as he felt a cooling power flow in his meridians. What would have taken a grade 4 or 5 pill to heal, this woman was somehow healing him.
The ruined flesh became rosy as the meridians were restored. It was very painful but it faded as the process ended. Both were exhausted as they stood in the ring and Lind smiled up at her. It was the first time anyone had seen him smile but instantly several young women were vying to catch this boy on his way home. Lind cupped his hands before him and bowed.
"I concede. Thank you, senior, for your guidance." Lind had achieved his goal and had been healed beyond expectation. He had no complaints but he noticed a twinkle in hey eyes.
"I, Sheyra Gu, do not accept. Stabilize yourself and let me show you the limit of 6 elementals properly." The crowd could not keep up with the twists of this tournament. Those that were not cultivating began to cheer and hug each other. The Grand Master and Garnt were among those. Lind's injuries had been beyond any hope of repair in the Southern District. Now, a young Mistress of the Gu clan was willing to enlighten Lind who had been stuck for 2 years at tier 4 tempering. The spirits had not abandoned the boy yet!