CHAPTER SIX: THE CONTEST 4
1711 Words
The martial grounds were still buzzing.
Dust hung in the air from the crater where Long Tianjin had been sent flying. The news had spread like wildfire through the Long Clan: The trash won. In one punch.
Some clansmen were already whispering that Long Hai had won the contest before it even started. After all, if his son could do that, what monster had the father been hiding?
But not everyone thought that way.
Long Jishui stood with his arms crossed, face like stone. He would not step down without a fight. Not while his daughter was still in the running. Not while the Chief seat was so close.
The tension was cut by a sudden drop in temperature.
Fwoosh
Snowflakes fell from a clear sky.
A figure landed in the center of the arena. Cloaked, masked, and radiating the cold power of ice. The air around her feet frosted over instantly.
From the slender frame and the white and blue robes, everyone could guess: it was a female cultivator.
The crowd murmured.
The masked woman lifted her head and stared straight at the viewing platform. At Long Mei.
“Long Mei,” her voice was cold, clear, and carried across the entire ground. “You’ve sat on the title of ‘Long Clan Genius’ for too long. It’s high time things changed.”
A wave of excitement ran through the onlookers. Drama! Revenge! Blood!
Everyone was pleased except one person.
Long Jishui was seething. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
Long Mei, however, smirked. She stepped forward, her own qi flaring. Snow qi, but hers was tinged with arrogance.
“Only the strong can be called a genius,” Long Mei said. “And I know who you are. Long Suisui.”
The name hit the crowd like a hammer.
Gasps, whispers and then old memories.
Long Suisui's family had been banished from the Long Clan 15 years ago. Official story: Her father, Long Chen, betrayed the clan and sold information to enemies.
The truth: It was a deceptive plan. Long Chen had the potential to surpass Long Tian during his prime. He was a threat. So Long Tian and Long Jishui worked together to overthrow him, frame him, and take the resources for themselves.
Indeed, the world was only for the strong. And the cunning.
Long Suisui had been left behind. A child of 3, abandoned in the outer sect to fend for herself. Many forgot she even existed. Until today.
Long Tian watched from his seat, eyes narrowed. He knew exactly why she was here. Revenge. But she couldn’t touch him. Not yet. So she would vent on his niece instead.
Even Long Yang, standing beside his father, felt a twist in his chest. She suffered more than I did, he thought.
The King Chu Tian on the throne raised a hand. He knew nothing of the clan’s internal strife.
“Then let it be decided by strength,” the King said. “Begin.”
---
The duel started.
Snow against snow.
Both girls were 7th Qi Layer. Both used the same attribute. The arena turned into a blizzard within seconds.
Long Mei attacked like a noble. Elegant, precise, backed by resources and pills.
Long Suisui fought like a stray dog. Desperate, ruthless, using every rock and icicle as a weapon.
The crowd was shocked. Long Suisui was known to have slow cultivation. No resources. No backing. How was she keeping up?
Because she had to, Long Yang realized. No one gave her anything.
Ten minutes later, Long Suisui drove a spear of ice through Long Mei’s shoulder and kicked her across the arena. Bones cracked.
Long Tian half-stood, ready to call it off.
“Continue,” King Chu said calmly. “A contest without injury is a play.”
And so it did. Until Long Mei could not stand.
Long Suisui won.
She stood over her opponent, breathing hard, mask soaked with blood. She didn’t kill her. But she made sure everyone remembered.
Unknowingly she had just brewed herself a mountain of trouble.
The King clapped once. “Good. Now, to the main event.”
---
The three contestants stepped forward.
Long Tian stood aside. This was no longer his fight.
Long Jishui. Long Wentian. Long Hai. The three men who wanted the Chief seat.
They bowed to the King.
“The rules are simple,” King Chu said. “Three tests. First place: 3 points. Second: 2 points. Third: 1 point. Highest total becomes Chief.”
The king head guard waved his hand as a massive orb of crystal was brought out.
"First test, checking of bloodline.It is known that the higher colour you get, the higher and nobler your bloodline will be. Ranging from White, Purple, Blue, Green, Red, Orange and Yellow.
White is known to be supreme" the head guard briefed the onlookers before gesturing for the three men to begin the test.
Long Wentian went first. His hand touched the orb.
It glowed Green.
Murmurs of approval.
Long Jishui next. Red.
Louder murmurs. That was rare.
Long Hai last. He looked nervous. His hand touched the orb.
Orange.
The crowd erupted in debate. “Wentian has the best bloodline!” “No, Jishui!” “Hai’s is decent!”
"Score.....Wentian 3, Jishui 2, Hai 1" the head guard reads out the score
"Second test, strength. In this test, only physical strength is needed, no use of qi. Note that using of qi means disqualification. The first to weaken the dark rhino wins"
Three cages were brought out as the king waved his hand and the arena were split into three stages. Inside the cage were 5th Golden Core dark rhino. Berserk, sealed, and furious.
"Stage 1, Long Hai. Stage 2, Long Wentian. Stage 3: Long Jishui."
The three contestants went to their respective stage, eager and anxious to win.
Long Hai roared and met the beast head on. No techniques. Just fist and bone. Years of body tempering with his son paid off. He broke the beast’s jaw and pinned it.
Wentian used leverage and dirty tricks. He won, but took longer.
Jishui barely won, relying on pain tolerance.
"Score, Hai 4, Wentian 5, Jishui 3" the head guard continues by adding the previous score with the recent.
"Test 3, cultivation realm" he let his words sink in as an uproar began with people speculating, "No tricks. Just release your aura" he calmly states.
"Long Jishui, 5th Golden Core....First" he writes down, "Long Wentian, 4th Golden Core...Second. Long Hai,2nd Golden Core...Third"
Long Wentian snickered. “Looks like it’s between me and Jishui, old friend.”
The King smiled as the head guard continues “Not yet. Final test. The strength of your children.”
---
The crowd leaned forward. This was it.
Long Tianjin came out first. Still bruised from earlier. He touched the orb.
Green. Same as his father.
“Like father, like son,” someone muttered.
Long Mei came next, limping but proud.
Red as well. She inherited it from Jishui.
Then it was Long Yang’s turn.
The King’s eyes were sharp on him. He had expectations.
Long Yang placed his hand on the orb.
It glowed Yellow.
The crowd scoffed. “Trash.”
Then it jumped to Orange.
More murmurs.
Then Red.
“Better than I thought.”
Then Green... Blue.
The entire ground went quiet.
It didn’t stop.
Purple.
White.
People stood up. White was legend. No one in the Long Clan had white in 200 years.
And then it broke past white.
A new color. Silver.
Brilliant, like the sun at noon. It lit up the entire arena.
Silence. Then shock.
Even the King stood up.
No one knew what silver meant. No one except King Chu, whose face was full of disbelief.
Long Yang himself was confused. What was silver? Was it good? Bad?
Long Hai looked like he’d been struck by lightning. His son. His trash son.
The King didn’t hesitate. “I announce the winner of the contest... Long Hai!”
“WHAT?!” Long Jishui roared. “Silver means nothing! Maybe the orb is broken! White is supreme! Everyone knows that!”
The King’s expression darkened. He looked at Long Tian.
Long Tian moved faster than thought. PAK!
He slapped his nephew across the face. “Shut your mouth before you get us all killed!”
Long Jishui held his cheek, stunned into silence.
Long Hai was officially Chief. The King awarded him resources, land, and the clan seal on the spot.
At the end of the event, Princess Miaomiao stepped forward, eyes bright. She wanted to talk to Long Yang.
But before she could, the King laughed and pointed at him.
“You. Boy. Come to the palace with me. Now.”
And the King’s grin... it wasn’t kind. It was different.
Long Yang felt a chill.
The contest was over.
But his real trial was just beginning.
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