Volume One: A Youth Enters the World Chapter Eighty-Eight: Taking the Field

When the drawing of lots ended, the fifteen participants stepped forward in turn and showed their bamboo slips to the man standing at the center of the high platform. He nodded and said to the crowd, "Numbers one and two, step forward. The rest, withdraw."

The two holding the first and second slips came out, while the others retreated to the seats prepared for them by the disciples of Clear Stream Sect.

The arena was cleared. The man at the center of the platform looked at the two on the field and said, "This is a friendly contest, so stop at the proper point. I now declare the match to begin."

The two bowed to one another, then circulated their spiritual power and took their stances. Their attacks gathered momentum, and in the next instant they charged at each other, locked in combat, fist against foot, neither willing to yield. For a moment neither could gain the upper hand, and the sound of blows striking flesh echoed across the arena.

Fang Tian sat in his seat, watching the contest on the platform. There was still a long time before his own turn, so he could only observe in silence and study their methods of attack; perhaps he would end up facing one of them himself.

On the high platform, the man at the center watched the two fighters below, seemingly quite satisfied. He said to Fu Cang beside him, "Junior Brother Fu Cang, the cultivators selected this year seem quite a bit better than in previous years."

Fu Cang's weathered face showed little expression. He merely said flatly, "Yes, Senior Brother Sect Master. But the real surprise is yet to come."

"Oh? You know I have only a few disciples in Clear Stream Sect to choose from. If there truly is a surprise, then wouldn't that mean my sect will finally have an answer to those above us? Could it be that great fortune has simply fallen upon Clear Stream Sect?" The sect master sounded pleasantly surprised.

Fu Cang nodded. "Rest assured, Senior Brother Sect Master. I guarantee you will not be disappointed."

"Haha, then I shall look forward to it." The sect master stroked his beard and smiled, then turned his gaze back to the two fighters below.

After a while, the match reached its result. One of them had been a step too slow and was seized upon by his opponent, who struck him down with a palm. The loser was straightforward enough: when he saw the next attack closing in, he immediately raised a hand and shouted surrender. Seeing that defeat was certain, he had no desire to waste his strength needlessly; it would be better to save it for the later challenges.

Seeing his opponent admit defeat, the other withdrew his attack and cupped his hands. "Thank you for yielding."

With the outcome decided, the man responsible for announcing the results on the high platform said, "In the first match, Number Two, Xie Qing, is victorious. Let the cultivators for the next match enter."

Xie Qing and the defeated man stepped down from the platform. Xie Qing happened to sit beside Fang Tian, and he greeted him with a slight nod and a smile. Fang Tian returned the gesture.

Seeing that Fang Tian did not seem difficult to approach, Xie Qing immediately struck up a conversation. "Brother, yesterday I saw you exchange one move with Uncle-Master Fu Cang. It truly opened my eyes. May I ask where your master is from?"

"Just a wandering cultivator from the wilds, nothing worth mentioning," Fang Tian replied.

"So am I. Looks like we're the same kind of people. I wanted this slot so I could leave these North Sand Isles and go roam the mainland. Brother, what are you here for?"

"Same here." Fang Tian did not say more. He did not want to speak lightly of what he had to do now.

"Just as I thought. Young cultivators like us mostly want to leave this place. After all, in these North Sand Isles, where spiritual energy is so sparse, anyone who wants to keep cultivating to higher realms has to leave. If only I had been born on the mainland across the sea, I wouldn't have to rack my brains trying to get out of here."

"Yes, that's right. The North Sand Isles are not a suitable place for cultivation," Fang Tian said, making no objection. That was his own thought as well. If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to leave this place and head for a wider world.

"Brother, if we end up facing each other later, go easy on me, all right? Save me a little face," Xie Qing said with a smile.

"Your strength is not bad either. I could see from the earlier matches that you did not bring out your full abilities." Fang Tian thought to himself that this man was clearly hiding his strength, yet still spoke so modestly about others. He could not tell whether it was humility or some other intention.

"Brother, you're joking. My little bit of cultivation is truly nothing in your eyes. Compared with you, I am still far behind."

Fang Tian glanced at him and said no more, instead continuing to watch the matches on the platform.

Seeing that Fang Tian had fallen silent, Xie Qing did not continue talking either, and also turned his attention to the matches.

After several bouts, it was the genius girl Mu Qiaoqiao's turn. With a single palm strike, she sent her opponent flying to the ground. Unable to resist, the opponent could only admit defeat. No one was surprised by the result; after all, the difference in cultivation realm was plain to see. Her opponent was only at the sixth level. Without some special means, losing was inevitable.

"Junior Brother Fu Cang, this girl has excellent talent," the Clear Stream Sect sect master said, clearly noticing Mu Qiaoqiao's extraordinary quality.

"Don't rush. This is only one of them."

"Besides this genius girl, there are others like her?" He was somewhat astonished. Because the entrance test had been arranged in such haste, he had not learned much about the situation, leaving everything to Fu Cang. He had not even thought to ask Fu Cang in advance. Such trivial matters had not concerned him at the start, mainly because in previous years they had never encountered truly outstanding talent, so he had gradually stopped paying attention.

"Keep watching," Fu Cang said, then glanced toward the place where Fang Tian sat.

Several hours passed, and the seven matches had already concluded. Next came the second round. The seven victors and Fang Tian stepped forward, and another drawing of lots was held.

Fang Tian looked at the number in his hand and found it was one. That meant he would have to go first, though he did not think it inappropriate.

His eyes swept over the crowd as he searched for his opponent. After looking around, he discovered that the number in Mu Qiaoqiao's hand was actually two.

Fang Tian had not expected that he would be matched against that genius girl. It was his first time ever fighting a woman. To make matters worse, she was unquestionably one of the talents destined to attend the Hundred Isles Assembly. Whether he should try to win or lose left him somewhat torn, and his head began to ache at once.

Xie Qing, standing nearby, saw that Fang Tian's opponent was Mu Qiaoqiao and immediately broke into a sly grin. "Brother, looks like your luck is pretty good. Fighting the genius girl really does make things exciting."

Fang Tian let out a faint sigh. He could only see how things went when the time came.

When the second round of lots ended, only Fang Tian and Mu Qiaoqiao remained on the field.

Mu Qiaoqiao gave Fang Tian a slight smile. "You seem quite formidable. I suppose I should get serious."

"Likewise." Fang Tian's lips parted slightly as he drew out the Snowfeather Sword. He could tell that Mu Qiaoqiao was no ordinary opponent. To have cultivated to such a level at such a young age, he could not afford to be careless.

Then both sides erupted with spiritual power, raising their auras to the peak. The next moment would be the instant they clashed.

The sect master on the high platform looked at Fang Tian, who was only at the fifth level of Spirit Gathering, and could not help frowning. He said to Fu Cang, "Junior Brother, why is there still a cultivator at the fifth level of Spirit Gathering? I remember that everyone meeting the standard should be at the sixth level or above. How did such a person slip in?"

He had not noticed Fang Tian earlier and had assumed that those who passed the test were all at the sixth level, so he had not used his spiritual sense to probe their realms.

Seeing the sect master's confusion, Fu Cang naturally understood the reason and said, "Senior Brother Sect Master, the second surprise I mentioned is him."

"Hm? What surprise can he possibly bring me? He is only a cultivator at the fifth level." The sect master still did not understand and thought Fu Cang was merely joking.

"Senior Brother, sometimes what the eye sees is not necessarily the truth." Fu Cang looked at Fang Tian, and a different light appeared in his eyes, a very unusual look.

Below the platform, the two stood poised to strike, but after a long while Fang Tian noticed that Mu Qiaoqiao still refused to attack. Since it would not be proper for him to strike first, could she be waiting for him to reveal an opening?

As the stalemate dragged on, the people around them grew anxious, wondering what on earth the two were doing.

Seeing that this could not continue, Fang Tian said to Mu Qiaoqiao, "Miss, why do you not make a move?"

To his surprise, Mu Qiaoqiao said calmly, "I know that because I am a woman, you do not wish to strike. But this is a match, nothing more. Such courtesies have no place here. If you are ready, then attack. Do not worry about me."

So that was the reason. She was quite a spirited girl.

Since she had already said as much, if he still did not strike, it would be difficult to justify. In that case, he could only treat her as an opponent.

Fang Tian's gaze darkened, his eyes sharp and cold. Thick spiritual power burst forth from his body. Frost surged outward in all directions, as though he were the master of ice and snow, and a chilling aura coiled around him. Even the Snowfeather Sword in his hand released an astonishing sword hum.

Seeing Fang Tian finally become serious, Mu Qiaoqiao's thin lips parted and she smiled. "That's more like it."

"Be careful." Fang Tian's voice was deep.

The instant the words fell, Fang Tian drove his sword straight toward her in a sweeping thrust. Because of the frost power influencing him, his mind held only calmness, with no other emotion. Since he had chosen to strike, it was for victory.

Seeing Fang Tian's sword come at her, Mu Qiaoqiao conjured a soft sword out of thin air and flicked it several times, producing a ringing hiss. Just as Fang Tian's blade reached her, her wrist trembled, and the soft sword coiled into a spiral, entwining itself around the Snowfeather Sword in Fang Tian's hand.

Fang Tian tried to pull his sword back, only to find it difficult. The binding force of the soft sword was remarkably firm; brute force alone seemed ineffective.

Mu Qiaoqiao pressed the advantage. Circulating her spiritual power, she raised her other slender, fair hand and sent a thick suppressive force surging toward Fang Tian.

Just as the palm was about to strike him, Fang Tian leaped upward with force. His body spun rapidly in the air, and the sword in his hand turned with him. The blade struck against the soft sword, and through a clever use of technique Fang Tian dissolved the binding force. Then,借着 that spiraling momentum, he sprang backward and opened the distance between them.

Mu Qiaoqiao's palm struck empty air. The force exploded from her palm with a thunderous boom, spreading outward and leaving several cracks in the ground. Its strength was astonishing.

Seeing the power of that strike, cold sweat broke out over Fang Tian's body. It was fortunate he had avoided it in time. If that blow had landed, he would have suffered a severe loss.