Severing Time & Space

The Three Clans Competition, Part II

“Welcome, one and all to the Three Clans Competition!” he boomed. His voice was powerful despite his slender frame. That was a cultivator for you. “For those who do not know me, my name is Zhou Zu. I hope everyone here is as excited as I am to see the youths of today showcase their strength for your entertainment and the glory of their families.”

His words were met with roaring approval and stamping feet. A smile lit his face, making him look amiable and attractive. Many women in the stands swooned. Even some of the Wu Clan ladies fanned themselves as if their hearts were all a flutter.

“Before we begin the true competition, there will be a preliminary round. This is being done because we have so many applicants. Since we have too many people who signed up and this event is only supposed to last one day, we must w**d out some of the fighters who wished to take part, until only the best remain. Now! Will all those who are taking part in the preliminaries please step onto the arena!”

A large group of young men and women between the ages of thirteen and fifteen walked out through one of several entrances onto the arena floor. There must have been at least five or six dozen.

The tournament was an event that lasted a full day. Battles between hopeful cultivators generally lasted between ten and fifteen minutes, though some could last as many as thirty minutes to an hour. If all those people plus those from the three clans took part in the tournament, it would easily last at least two days if not three.

“Hey! Isn’t that the girl you were making googly eyes at?” asked Wu Meiying, pointing at someone in the crowd of competition hopefuls.

“I was not making googly eyes at anyone,” Wu Jian muttered.

Wu Meiying just giggled at him, which caused Wu Jian to sigh as he looked down at the arena floor. It was easy to spot the girl in question. While she wore nothing more than a simple red hanfu decorated with fox symbols, she also had the veil covering her face. She looked tall, so he had expected her to be sixteen or seventeen, but it seemed she was younger than he had assumed.

“I wonder what she’s doing down there with the contestants,” Wu Jian muttered.

“Because she’s taking part in the preliminaries?” Hou Jingshu asked with a shrug.

“I think what Jian is confused about is why she’s taking part in the preliminaries at all,” Wu Meiying said. She cupped her chin and stared at the girl. “There has never been a member of the Zhou Clan who took part in this tournament since its inception. However, if the Zhou Clan did want someone among them to participate, they wouldn’t need to have them sign up for the preliminaries.”

Wu Jian nodded. “Exactly. It’s odd that someone from the Zhou Clan would take part in the preliminaries like this.”

Hou Jingshu fell silent. She scrunched her brow, but in the end, she shrugged and let it be. It seemed she couldn’t think of a reason either.

As he stared at the girl in curiosity, Wu Meiying tugged on his sleeve.

“That girl is going to be important to you,” she said suddenly, eyes partially glazed over.

“I… I see. Do you know how… or maybe why?” asked Wu Jian.

Wu Meiying tilted her head, then shook it. Her eyes had gone back to normal.

“No. Unfortunately, I didn’t see that much, but she will be very important to you in the future. After this tournament, I suggest we begin paying the Auction House a visit. We should also consider trying to find some rare natural treasures we can have the Auction House sell off. That should help us get closer to her.”

“You say that as if finding natural treasures is easy. Do you think natural resources like that flower we found when we were younger will sprout from the ground like a pine tree?” Wu Jian joked, but Wu Meiying just smiled at him.

The preliminary competition soon began. Unlike the main tournament, this was a free-for-all battle royale in which all the hopefuls were pitted against each other. The last fifteen left standing were then selected to participate in the main tournament.

All the people standing on the arena floor began fighting the moment the Zhou Clan referee announced the battle had begun. Fists and feet flew. Several bodies were sent sailing through the air as they were tossed aside. There was no stage during this phase of the tournament, so people could not win by ring out. The only way to beat someone was if you knocked them unconscious or they surrendered. Several Zhou clansmen stood off to the side, ready to help the contestants in the event of a serious injury.

While it was difficult to watch the fight because of how chaotic it was, Wu Jian was at least able to spot the girl who caught his eyes easily enough. She stood in the very center of the arena. This would normally be a bad idea since it meant she was surrounded on all sides, but the girl was adroitly countering every attack that came her way. She was grace personified, dodging attacks as if she had eyes in the back of her head, then reacting with brutal counters that left her attackers on the ground.

Someone came in behind her and tried to beam her over the head with a club. Weapons were allowed, so no one said anything. The girl ducked underneath the attack like she had known it was coming, grabbed the outstretched hand, and pulled the boy into a reverse heel kick that drove the air from his lungs. As he fell onto his knees, she spun around and snapped off another kick. Her foot slammed into his chin. He crashed onto his back and didn’t get back up.

The Zhou Clan referee gestured for two of the clansmen to move, and they quickly waded through the melee free for all, grabbed the young man before he could be trampled, and removed him from the arena floor. Their quick efficiency was impressive.

After dropping two more contestants, the others caught onto the fact that this girl was not someone they could contend with. She was given a wide berth after that. However, the girl didn’t seem to mind. She just stood in place, arms held loosely at her sides. It looked like she was at rest, but Wu Jian knew better. The muscles in her backs, shoulders, and legs were drawn taut. Her body was primed and ready to strike at anyone who got too close.

She’s using the Wing Chun style of martial arts like Jingshu does, but it’s clear she’s been training in it for far longer. I heard it takes at least two years to master, so she’s at least been practicing for that long, but judging by her experience at fighting, I’d say she’s been training for even longer.

“She’s very talented,” Wu Meiying said.

“Wow,” was all Hou Jingshu could say. Her eyes were quite wide.

Wu Jian didn’t say anything, but he would admit he was intrigued by this girl and wondered just how she would become important to him in the future.