Oliver led Long Wei into the blue-lit entrance. More than fifty people hung around in the cavern. Some of them inspected the different walls, stalagmites and stalactites. While the others patrolled the few entrances littered across the cavern. The rest hung around a young man with extremely pale skin on the darker spectrum. A rose-shaped guan kept his long black hair in a neat topknot. His robes were light green like the rest of the men and women in the cavern, only he wore a different style, the dachang. It had a long overcoat on top of his cross-collar top and a skirt that wrapped around his waist to his ankles.
The room whipped its gaze at them the moment they entered it. All weapons were drawn out, and for those that didn't have weapons, their fists hovered in front of their hand. Oliver waved them down with a smile. The thick sound of robes straightening filled the air for a few seconds. Oliver jogged to the young man within the dachang, and whispered a few words into his ears, using a spirit transmission.
Long Wei felt the soft vibrations of the spirit qi pulse from Oliver into Elrand's ears. He couldn't hear a thing but knew that Oliver led him to a trap. He expected it. But still chose to follow Oliver. Now that it turned out the way he expected, he wouldn't have to bother convincing Elrand with hypocritical words and smiles.
"I heard there is an alchemist around here, " Long Wei strutted deeper into the cavern with a faint smile on his face.
When Oliver heard Long Wei's words he felt relieved. Another idiot. The girl was an even bigger idiot, thinking a random man would help her in the trials out of goodwill. He had his plan set out in a simple manner. Get Elrand's trusted bodyguard and the new man to fight, the others wouldn't dare enter the fray when two Heavenly Door Realm cultivators fought. Such an action would be suicide. That would only leave him to deal with Elrand to deal with. An alchemist he wouldn't need much to deal with. The power dynamics would change and he wouldn't need to fear that he might turn into a Qi Purification Cauldron.
"So you are Wei, I suppose. We can do this in a much more easier way. Or a hard way. Choose wisely, " Elrand spoke with a smug tone, "Don't think that just because you are from one of the Dragon Clan members that you are untouchable. You aren't part of the Long Clan. Now is it. "
Elrand spoke so noticing the intricate dragon-shaped shoulder pads and ornaments on Long Wei's robes. For a few seconds when he heard the name, Wei, he thought of the world-famous Almighty Long Wei but cut that out instantly. His features matched the general description of the Prince. But he knew quite a few people in the Dragon Clans that had similar facial feature designs. There was no logical reason for the prince to hide his Saint-Level cultivation during the trials. An arrogant prince like him probably didn't know the meaning of restraint.
Long Wei didn't answer. Instead, he stopped where he was, tucked his hands behind him and gave a gentle gaze to Elrand. He pitied the man for failing to recognize Mount Tai. Wait. It was his fault. No. It wasn't. He needn't punish himself by wearing thick and heavy robes overflowing with runic art just to announce his princely status.
Shouldn't his first name be enough? Who else dared to use his first name? But oddly, he loved the feeling of not being known. It added a different flavour to his interactions. If he came blaring in with his Saint Level Cultivation and his name written in the skies every one would be kneeling and hiding their true thoughts deep within their minds. That would be boring. Awfully so.
"What if I was? "
"Then I'd kowtow and apologize for my mistake. But. Don't take me for a fool. Your cultivation base is in the Heavenly Door Realm. The Prince is in the Saint Realm. Two major Realms above you. So. The easy way. Or the hard way, " Elrand leaned against a stalagmite, "You see the pond behind next to me? It's a wonderful thing we discovered. "
He gestured with his hand and the rest of the Fullreach Academy members surrounded Long Wei from a wide angle. They kept him in the centre and squeezed the circle against him slowly.
"If you weren't too dumb when you probably tried absorbing qi. A smart cultivator would have done that. Since our strength is determined by qi. If we can't absorb it. We will be forced to use our internal qi. Since we won't be able to replace it by absorbing atmospheric qi. We will become weaker and weaker until Bam! We can't even lift a finger. A guaranteed fail in this trial. But this pond. It changes everything, " Elrand said.
"Now does it?"
Oliver watched the play pan out in front of him. He felt elated that everything was going according to his plan. The girl wouldn't become a Qi Purification Cauldron just yet. It would have been a shame to watch her go through the cruel process that still traumatized his eyes. Alchemy was a thing of the devils. No one could convince him otherwise after witnessing its other abilities.
"I call it a Qi Purification Cauldron," Elrand pointed to a man strapped with various paper seas that bound his inner qi and redirected his qi flow to another paper seal right at the centre of his chest.
The man moaned and squirmed. Elrand walked up to the man, caressing his chin and giving him a faint kiss on his forehead. He pressed his palm across the man's chest, where the seal was and drew out the qi from his meridians and gathered it into a small cluster at the centre of his palm. The cluster of qi was pure white in colour.
"See. That's your fate. "
"I see now. You want to restrain me. And forcibly absorb my qi to replenish yours? Very clever I must say. Lovely stuff. "
Elrand laughed, shaking his head.
"You were almost right. But I won't bother explaining the rest. Rather you should experience it yourself. Restrain him. Now. "
The Fullreach Academy students obeyed Elrand's words. From all redirection they swarmed him, hoping to force him into using his internal qi to end the battle as fast as possible, which would put him at a disadvantage against Elrand's bodyguard. Only, the man they swarmed was not a talentless wreck from one of the weaker Dragon Clans. He was the Prince. The Almighty Wei. The creator of miracles where there were none.
The first man reached Long Wei, snapping a powerful kick that riled the winds within the cavern. Long Wei didn't move an inch. The kick snapped against his neck. A shockwave burst from the impact, slicing the stalagmites within the cavern. Yet Long Wei didn't move a millimetre backwards. Nor did his neck move in the slightest to accommodate the force.
A fist followed after, coming from a young lady with arms as thick as a gorilla. The first came with the weight of the moon, foreshadowing large amounts of destruction should it land. And land it did. Another burst of wind spread out from the point of impact, Long Wei's gut. Similarly, he didn't move.
Both the kick and the punch felt like tickles from an ant. He couldn't make out whether he was supposed to feel proud of his defence or offended that no one could dent it.
Less than a second later, kicks and punches rained on him, striking him from all angles with all their might. Deep gashes and cavities formed within the cavern. Slimy liquid oozed out from the walls and floor, a testament to the power within everyone's attacks. New cavern entrances and exits were created by the more powerful combatants in the Fullreach academy assailants. Some of their attacks tore holes right through the flesh walls of the cavern, spurting viscous slime all over the place.
"Is this all? "
Elrand froze where he stood. He panicked inside, as it dawned on him. The person he chose to attack was a beast within the Dragon Clans. He casually took all the attacks of Heavenly Step cultivators with no extra defences as if he were out on a stroll eating lollipops. He regained his senses and pushed Joshua, his bodyguard into the fray.
"You fucking idiot. Why are you still watching. Beat him while his guard is still down," he shoved Joshua into the battle.
Joshua flared his internal qi, gathering it all into a sword hanging at his waist. He clasped the hilt, slowly dragged the blade out, stopped midway, and slashed the blade out in one quick motion. White light shot out of the sword, aiming for Long Wei's torso.