*Pe pa pe pe pa pe pe pa paeeeeeee*
Went to the trumpets. It was a joyous occasion. All the seats in the arena were filled to the brim. The entire place had been rebuilt larger and more luxurious than before. It was an oval arena painted white with interchangeable platforms. The three stages in the arena could later combine for the finale. The stages were created from white silver, reinforced with barriers and chants so that they wouldn't break. But if they did, it would only demonstrate the immense power of the people in the ring.
A normal person would not understand how this bright and cheerful occasion could possibly turn sour, but it happened every time regardless.
"Oh, there goes the Emperor of Huaxin Province. And there, the Empress of Junxian Province. So many big leagues have come."
The seer had gotten himself a rather optimum front-row seat for himself and his friends. But the seats currently only held Lin Hua and the seer himself. The other three had matches coming up, so they were in the underground chambers where the competitors got ready and prepared themselves.
The announcers were at their stations, and referees had moved to the sides of the respective rings they were in charge of. The royalty had their own luxurious spaces, two large boxes with curtains on them on each end of the arena.
"Excuse me, can I please take this seat over here?" A very cute girl walked up to the seer.
"Ahahaha, no," the seer replied, soaking in the air of joy before he finally smelled blood, iron, suffering, and face-slapping—the generic stuff that happens in big tournaments like these.
"Pretty please," the girl grabbed onto the seer's arm, pushing it against her breasts.
"I'll tell you one more time, fuck off before I flip," the seer warned while trying not to let this ruin his mood.
"You must not know who I am for you to reject me twice, you pathetic mortal," she said with a face only a serial killer makes.
But she was not the only one who could make that face.
"Like I give a shit, you whore. Now fuck off before I get physical with you, yes," the seer responded in kind.
"Whoa, look over there, Master," a pale-faced man with a pointy nose spoke from just a few steps above.
"Kyaaaaa!" The girl jumped back and threw herself onto the ground. "You will take responsibility, right?" She attempted to seduce him once again.
The seer was successfully pissed. And the seer is also not the one to discriminate between who he beats the shit out of. He could feel his muscles twitch, breaking free from his control. And the last statement she made did the trick.
The girl had stood back up only to be slapped by the seer and fall back onto the ground, face in the dirt.
"Ah, how low has the Gin family fallen to be beaten up by a mere mortal," murmured the master of the pale-faced, taking a seat just two steps behind the seer.
"Well, I don't know if you know, but that attire and that blade..." whispered the pale face.
This action of the seer drew a lot of attention, which very soon dissipated, for there were better things to look at. The drama-starved people were not so drama-starved anymore, for the real drama had yet to even commence.
Luckily for the seer, there was no big honcho who stepped in to explain to him who he had offended and why he should apologize and cripple himself for doing so.
The lady silently scurried away.
*Pffuwk*
The seer choked on his drink and coughed, spoiling the floor. Lin Hua stared with wide eyes.
In a second, a janitor wiped the mess off.
Although it was a shocker, it was no reason to worry unless the Jaegals had some murderous plan to enact vengeance upon Zhihao.
The two walked up from the opposite sides into the ring, into an intense stare-down.
It was as if they were just waiting for the referee to say that, for they ran into each other the moment the referee opened his mouth. A clash of fists. And then shockwaves echoed.
Neither of them spoke a word; they just fought. It was as if they just wanted to end it all. The seer couldn't care more about their history together; they were evenly matched in both martial arts and cultivation levels. They were also equally talented.
The defining difference was the attribute they had. While Jin used fire, Zhihao used water and the difference could clearly be seen.
But Jin was persistent with his attacks, and Zhihao was resolute.
Each time they clashed, both chipped away at each other's health. Both eyes gleamed and brimming with unresolved stories and grudges.
And midway through the battle, they started to use words to communicate.
"I'm sorry," Jin had spoken. The seer could understand thanks to his lip-reading ability. No one else in the stadium knew what they talked about.
"Jaegal Jin, the genius of the Jaegal household. That's what they used to call him," two people sitting behind the seer conversed.
"The very first defeat he faced was at Zhihao's hands as well. They were inseparable after that, they had the same goals and the same talent for cultivation. Upright and proud chaps, both of them. But the House Jaegal has fallen. I don't know how Jin made it here," narrated the random audience member.
"Imagine coming back from Wanghu to see your family ruined like this, on top of the fact that it was his buddy that was part of the downfall."
"Are you saying he should not have? Jaegals colluded with the supremacist cult!"
But the fight did end. It came down to both giving a final attack. The fight lasted a fair few minutes, and by the end of the timer, both were bleeding from all over. They had painted themselves and each other with their blood.
"Water Dragon Wave!"
"Phoenix Flame Flash!"
Neither got out unscathed.
The entire arena waited for the fog to dissipate, having clenched their fists and with wide eyes, zoning in to discern the silhouette that still stood.
It was Zhihao's victory, and what a victory it was. Zhihao fell as soon as the roaring of the crowd rose.
And there he collapsed, with medics rushing in for both of them.