"The first round is about to begin; will the participants please enter the arena!" Mu Kai's voice boomed throughout the arena causing the crowd to cheer.
Two people stood up from the waiting area and made a slow walk under the looks and stared of the crowd as they were judged and discussed.
"Liao Ye, I hear he hasn't been doing well, if I remember he's been here over a decade and has barely pushed into Balance Attainment" One person said.
"Heh I bet he's scraping for points and recognition by now, it's no surprise he came here." Another snorted.
"That Tai Hui seems promising; I hear he's being doing well in the battle division." One of the older disciples mentioned as she sides eyed one the members of the crowd that was from said division.
"Promising is an understatement, that guy's natural instincts were made for battle" Said member shook his head as his eyes were locked on to Tai Hui's strolling figure.
The comparison between the two was as such, and it was reflected in their postures as they waltzed on to the stage.
Tai Hui was full of confidence, a saber rested on his shoulder as he eyed his opponent from top to bottom like a beast assessing its prey.
On the other hand, Liao Ye was more reserved, his face grim as he tightly gripped the handle of the spear he was carrying.
They took position on the marks that were on the stage, each at about 1/3 ways from the stage edge.
"All right! On the left here we have Tai Hui, he's one of the new disciples and is currently at Meridian Awakening! On the left we have long time disciple Liao Ye, currently at Balance Attainment" Mu Kai spoke, waiting for the crowd to cheer.
There was no one complaining about disparity in cultivation, in the eyes of those watching this was more or less a display of new talents; The older disciples participating were barely relevant.
"I will now explain the arena formation for those of you that don't know" he spoke in a clearer voice, different from that of an announcer "The formation we use is called a 'Force Threshold' formation, if it will automatically apply to anyone within its range, that range being this entire stadium, if it detects a high energy signature, a heavy amount of force being applied to someone or a potentially lethal strike, the formation will activate and stop it. Along with that it will record the strikes anyone has taken even if they aren't blocked, and once the threshold for damage is passed a red light will envelop the attacked, protecting them from further damage; Once this happens this person shall be determined the loser."
The crowd listened quietly, this explanation was more for the newer disciples, so they didn't make any noise or interrupt, those watching in the waiting tent all memorised the explanation clearly.
'That explains that red light I saw on the preliminary matches, I was basically right in my assumption' Shu He nodded his head.
"There is also another way to win, you just need to push your opponent out of the arena!" Mu Kai added on to the end earning a cheer from the crowd.
"In terms of rules, poison or such agents are banned, once the formation light forms the battle is to cease immediately, I have the authority to end a match prematurely if I notice something wrong as well, of course outside help is also not allowed; breaking any of these rules results in disqualification and potentially punishment by the sect!"
"In the event of an unfortunate fatality, a punishment will be decided case by case basis".
He then looked down to the two figures in the arena.
"Have you two understood the rules?".
Tai Hui and Liao Ye nodded.
"Then, without further due" He walked up to the edge of the stage.
"BEGIN!"
The two disciples took their postures for battle, or at least one of them did; Liao Ye's pointed his spear tip directly at Tai Hui's head as he lowered his posture while glaring at his opponent.
On the other hand, Tai Hui simple remained staring at him with his saber laying comfily on his shoulder, a mocking grin laid on his face.
"…" Liao Ye didn't move as he looked his opponent up and down, he wasn't sure at all whether he should strike or not, he had been struck by hesitancy after he had heard about his opponents reputation, he had no confidence in his skill with a spear, so he didn't want to charge in.
Tai Hui slightly tilted his head "What's wrong Senior Brother Liao? Are your feet stuck in the ground?"
Liao Ye frowned but didn't move.
Tai Hui sighed "Please, I'm offering you the first move; Don't waste it." His voice spoke calmly, yet it drove a sense of mocking deep into Liao Ye's ears.
Liao Ye gritted his teeth as he seethed "Are you underestimating me?" his voice growled as his posture lowered even more.
"No, not at all" Tai Hui gentle shook his head as his saber left his shoulder, he now held it out like a welcoming invitation.
"I just don't think much of you at all" He said with a smile.
And with that, the hesitation inside of Liao Ye snapped as he shot forward with his Qi enhanced body, he was still at Balance Attainment, so his speed wasn't anything to snuff at.
The crowd watched with interested eyes as they awaited the first clash of the tournament.
'He's not moving?!' Liao Ye closed in watching Tai Hui's movements closely, he hadn't moved an inch as if waiting for the tip of his spear to pierce his chest.
15 meters. 10 meters. 5 meters. 2 meters. He was right in front of him in a mere instant, yet he hadn't moved.
'?!' Just before his spear impacted, he saw Tai Hui's foot move.
"It's too late!" He screamed as he thrust his spear his as much force as he could to put an end to the battle.
Yet it didn't go as he wanted.
*Punt*
"Wha-?!" He felt his spear miss, which he thought inconceivable, there's no way he dodged at that range!
His eyes moved from the tip of his spear that had flew over Tai Hui's shoulder, to his left leg that was in the air.
'Did- Did he KICK my spear away?!' His eyes dilated filled with disbelief, his body was still rushing forward with momentum, right into Tai Hui's trap!
Without another moments of hesitation, Tai Hui's saber swung from the bottom left threatening to bisect him from side to shoulder!
'No!' Liao Ye gritted his teeth as he released his grip on his spear which continued flying without him, he then channelled his Qi into his legs in an attempt to stop himself and jump back.
*Swish* the saber swung.
"…Shallow" Tai Hui murmured with surprise.
'I managed!' His robes were cut, and he had a small line of blood on his chest, but it was a mere scratch! He was still in the match!
But Tai Hui's assault wasn't over, he quickly stepped in and slashed again, missing as Liao Ye jumped back again.
'I need to get my spear back!' Liao Ye thought as he kept running away from Tai Hui, he noted that his spear had landed near the outer edge of the arena, meaning he would need to shake off Tai Hui to get it!
He put his hand in his robes and retrieved something in the palm of his hands.
And then as Tai Hui approached him again, he threw it!
'That should distract him for a few moments!' He thought as he turned to run.
"!" Tai Hui, mid run saw the objects that he threw, a bunch of small, black, brown objects.
Seeds! If Shu He was here, he would know exactly what was about to happen, however Tai Hui wasn't Shu He.
But that didn't matter to him, a normal person would evade a strange object thrown at him, or at least bat them away with a weapon, however Tai Hui-
*Snap*
He used his free hand to precisely grab them while running past, not halting his momentum in the slightest.
Liao Ye wasn't worried in the slightest, but he was a bit surprised 'Idiot, grabbing them like that is even better for me!' were his thoughts.
Until he smelled the scent of smoke followed by a crackle.
"What?!" He couldn't help but scream as his hopes were dashed.
A bright light came from the inside of Tai Hui's palm, a blaze and spark of fire creeping out from the gaps of his fist!
And that moments distraction spelled the end for Liao Ye, before he knew it a red light had enveloped his body, his neck twisted as he saw Tai Hui's saber piercing the left of his back, only to be stopped by the formation.
Tai Hui withdrew his saber as the light receded, his left hand opened and all that rolled out was ash and a whiff of Qi.
"That wasn't too bad" Tai Hui mentioned as he casually walked away, Liao Ye slumped to the ground realising his run was already over, a feeling of regret filling his mind.
"There you have it! The winner of this match is Tai Hui and he will advance to the second round!" Mu Kai yelled out, the crowd cheering loudly, they seemed very impressed.
…
Shu He watched the match closely and he couldn't help but be slightly fearful of his match with Tai Hui in the near future.
'His movements are so sharp, that kick was unexpected and perfectly broke his opponents rhythm…'
He knew he wouldn't have done that; he would have made sure to stay from a range or try to sneak through the opponents charge, but that wasn't what he was worried about.
'Those seeds, I'm not certain but based on the way the Qi inside them was moving, it was most likely Thorn Bind'.
It was the skill he hadn't picked up at the techniques depository, it was likely that Liao Ye expected that technique to bind Tai Hui so he could have time to retrieve his spear, it was a sound tactic, but it had been shattered completely.
'Catching them all with one hand without stopping requires ridiculously good hand eye co-ordination and instincts… not only that but he completely neutralised them with fire, I don't know what technique he used but it was enough to incinerate them and disrupt the Qi in them in a matter of seconds'.
It was something Shu He needed to watch out for in the future.
He sighed and looked over to Bai Lian that was sat near him, she was also frowning.
It wasn't a surprise, she would need to face Tai Hui before Shu He, in all honesty Shu He wasn't sure which one he wanted to win.
He would have to fight either one of them in the end.