Master Xiaodan approached the scorched earth, limping.
"Someone bring me a set of clothing!" He grumbled towards his subordinates. Ember Fist now had a cloth in his mouth, his arms and legs restricted by enchanted metal chains.
The winner quickly dressed himself, leaving his robe unbelted, and opened his aperture. The air distorted, and the area around started getting absorbed back into master Xiaodan's core. Xin watched attentively, it was his first time seeing such a process.
An average rank two master's realm is only ten steps wide and long. It seems that master Xiaodan absorbed three times that amount. Xin wondered how. Did he push the walls of his core to expand, or did he annex someone else's land? Highest quality breakthroughs were known to only double the core's space, at most. And how hard was it to upkeep such a spacious realm? What were the drawbacks of such a method?
Master Xiaodan approached the chained master, picked him up and flew towards master Fang Zhi's tent. The remaining duelists also gathered there, including Xin and Rui Ming.
"Khm." Fang Zhi coughed. "We won the contest, but there is nothing to celebrate just yet, gentlemen. I'd like to thank everyone who participated, your efforts will be rewarded. Disciple Nang, your loss has cost us dearly. You've got to improve." He singled her out, as she was the only one who lost her fight among those standing here.
"Yes, master!" She lowered her head, burying her face in the martial gesture. "I'll strive to get stronger, I won't let the sect down again."
"Disciple Zhuo, brilliant. Your opponent was one of their main prodigies, I'm glad to see your improvement."
"Thank you, master. The arrival of all these newbies was a wake-up call, to be frank. I'm glad to be of service." He gave Xin and Rui Ming a side eye, but it looked like a cocky open challenge, not malice.
Master Zhi nodded.
"Disciple Xin." He approached the young hunter and looked him in the eyes. "Has your human qi stabilised now? What do the medics say?"
"I'm fine. I'm used to feeling miserable." Xin laughed nervously. "Forgive me for my behaviour during the fight, please." He lowered his head.
"You aren't sorry, kid." Master Zhi kept looking him in the eyes without blinking. "Don't worry, you're too insignificant to impact our reputation, it's your name that you have to be mindful of. Brilliant combat awareness, but a messy execution. Congratulations on surviving."
Xin felt his heart sink. That's it? I almost died! She was the strongest mortal of their sect! Give me some face!
"Thank you, master." He responded in an empty voice. Master Zhi knows that I'm upset, I won't give him what he wants and start a scene.
"Among rank ones, master Ming was the only one to win his fight. I guess Lingbo was wrong about you. Now he's gone, and you're still standing. Keep growing, boy. I've noticed your inner change."
Inner change? Xin got interested. Rui Ming had a reputation of being aloof and argumentative about trivial matters, but since he met him, he was nothing but a level-headed swordsman, if a bit distant. Was he slandered when he joined, and redeemed his reputation now, or did he genuinely improve?
"Thank you." Rui Ming bowed just enough to stay polite, and stared into the distance. He liked the sight of the leaves swaying gently, rustling as the sun set, and didn't care much about this meeting.
"Lady Ning, my deepest condolences about your husband." He addressed a middle-aged female master, her face swollen from crying, exposing her fading youth. "You've repaid your debt tenfold, and may now leave, if you so wish."
"I've made my choice, master. I'm staying. Without Hao, there is no peace or light in our manor, anyway. I'll return to the sect and assume a teaching position, just like you offered. After we're done stomping this town into the ground, of course." Her voice sounded like a badly tuned string, going high and low. Xin felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"On one condition. You rest properly and return in full clarity. No lashing out, complete obedience. It's an army, Ning, not a holiday fair." He scolded her publicly in front of the lower ranks.
"Of course, master. Give me an hour to grieve, I'll be ready afterwards."
Master Zhi noded gracefully, then approached master Xiaodan, who was busy manipulating the Ember Fist's meridians to keep him alive.
"I can't believe you did this. Congratulations. Hand him over." He gestured towards the chained unconscious man.
"Sure." Master Xiaodan tapped his leg, and the body slid towards master Zhi. The rank three master raised his hand and slowly sucked the captive into his aperture. Xin felt uneasy. If master Xiaodan's realm was just a massive chunk of granite, what was master Zhi's? Is he truly a rare sun path master, or is he a fire path master using some sun techniques? Is his realm even habitable?
"Twenty years of rivalry, finally over. I'm glad you've put the new cauldron to good use."
"It's disappointing that in the end, it was the sect's foundation triumphing, and not my hard work. It makes sense, though. The sect's foundation is a product of thousands of lifetimes, whatever I am pales in comparison."
"Good." Master Zhi dismissed his comment. "I'm ready to announce our next orders. We'll commence the assault after you all recuperate, the walls will be broken by then. I'll match elder Bao if he challenges me."
It was the name of that ordinary looking rank three master, Xin assumed. Will we even see rank threes fighting? Xin caught himself daydreaming, as everyone else started to leave.
***
Two days later, FETS army camp.
"What's the plan, Ming?" Xin polished his glaive while wearing a full set of armour.
"Lady Ning and the others will activate the Eggshell formation, to make the mortals more durable. With master Xiaodan and lady Ning joining the bombardments, the walls won't endure for much longer. As soon as there is a crack, Xuanwu clan's heavy infantry will storm into the city. Our forces will follow right behind."
"I see. And what will our squad do?"
"With my new shards, I'm among the strongest rank ones on the battlefield. They're probably expecting me to match the enemy masters. We'll reinforce the allies and occupy the choke points. If I'm busy and no other superiors are around, you'll lead."
"I see." Xin stared at the ground, deep in thought. Things have changed in the past few days. Xin's prestige among his peers had finally risen enough to dispel any doubts about his ability. Rui Ming's rise in stature was even more impressive, the sect was now investing heavily into him, supplying him with rare wind path resources and dao shards to help finish his combat system. On the other hand, when Xin asked master Xiaodan to be allowed to break through, he was dismissed, much to his anger.
"They finally delivered the crossbows and scale armour for everyone. I'm glad our soldiers are properly supplied." Windsplitter spun a little whirligig on his palm, using his wind qi.
"How strong is that Eggshell formation? Never heard of it."
"It's quite niche, I'd be surprised if you did, it was explained to me just an hour ago. It's durable enough to deflect an arrow launched from afar, but don't expect it to be anything more than just another layer of armour padding."
"It elevates mortals into qi active mortals in terms of defences, so to speak. It's quite something."
"But it's also nothing compared to what the higher ranks are cooking up. Spoke to Zhan, the rank twos will assault in the formation, we might see some powerful techniques launched."
"All in one place, if I was their rank three master, I'd attack them with rank three area attacks once I see them gathered."
"That's to be expected, despite the rules. Despite master Xiaodan's victory, the loss of master Hao and Elemental Overseer Ting still left us weakened. I suspect master Xiaodan is weakened, too, after half of his inner realm was burnt by that flame. Means some of the rank two troubles will trickle down towards us rank ones. Well, you get what I mean." Ming forgot that Xin was still a mortal for a moment.
Xin caught himself daydreaming again, forgetting to respond to Rui Ming. He stared at the city walls as one more stone collapsed off them, memories of this place flashing in his mind.