Chapter 39:
Four days flew by, and it was time for the trial. We left the Sun Compound late into the morning and headed for the Starguard Hall. We were supposed to meet in the open square in front of the building along with all the other participants.
When we got there, it seemed that a majority of the people had already arrived. The square was quite packed. Far more than I expected. That was probably because I hadn't considered all the extra people who might be here just to support their friends or family.
"I wonder how many of these are actually participants," I said, taking in the crowd as our group settled in at the edges of the square. As I did, I had to resist the impulse to rub at my stomach where a normal cultivator main dantian was.
I'd gotten an idea about how to make use of my ability to store Foxfire yesterday beyond just a way to save on Qi in combat. It had worked out and given me an extra trump card, but it still acted up from time to time. Nothing dangerous, despite what I'd fed to the flames, but it felt a bit odd occasionally.
"Maybe about half," Lin said from beside me. Between us, Little Tao was holding her hand and looking at everything around us curiously, ignoring what we were saying. "The big three clans usually make a big deal about the trials. They use it as a way of establishing dominance between their various generations. And nosy people like to come and see what happens as well given the confrontational relationship the clans have at times…"
As she said that last part, Lin turned to give Sun Yun a side eye, her meaning quite apparent. Even to Sun Yun, who'd been giving Feifei a bit of a stink eye since we'd left the Sun Compound. Feifei, unlike Sun Yun, didn't have to worry about decorum as much while out in public and was happily standing very close to Jianfeng, their shoulders touching and her almost leaning on him. This, of course, drew Sun Yun's jealousy, but not enough to miss Lin's playful dig.
"Keeping informed is hardly being nosy," Sun Yun said, holding her head up high in pretend haughtiness. "The three great clans and their politics are important. It's only fitting that a well-to-do young lady such as myself keeps abreast of everything going on. Even the smallest of news can be important."
"Right…" Lin said, her voice deadpan. "I suppose that includes all the gossip you like to bring up. Like who's courting who and who has become rivals in love. Very important."
"Yes, it is," Sun Yun said, nodding and completely undeterred by Lin's tone. She then snapped the small ornate fan she'd been using shut and pointed it in the direction of the crowds. "There is a prime example of why such news about relationships is important. Observe. What do you see?"
I followed where she was pointing and quickly saw what she was referring to.
There were two very distinct groups of people closest to the entrance of the Starguard Hall. From the quality of their robes, it was clear that they were hardly ordinary people. The ones on the right, I was pretty sure were from the Shen Clan—the greatest clan in the city. It was obvious by their dark ocean blue robes, with white and gold accents.
The other group close to them, but with a clear divide between the two, was probably related to the City Lord. They all wore robes of Yellow—almost gold—and red.
Between these groups, two young men stood with a closer smaller posse of people behind them. With the distance between us and them, along with the noise of the crowds around us, I couldn't make out what they were saying. But from the looks on their faces and the way the two men and those nearest to them held themselves, it was clear that there was some sort of tension.
It was civil, but the tension was there nonetheless.
"Alright, I'll bite," I said, turning to Sun Yun. "What's up with that?"
"That is Shen Dolou and Jin Shi butting heads," Sun Yun said, nodding towards the two.
I turned back to look at them as well, committing their appearance to memory. The two of them were on the list of people to look out for in the trial. Young but already at the mid-stage of Qi-Gathering with powerful backing. Best to be avoided.
"A minor prodigy of the Shen Clan and the youngest son of the City Lord," Sun Yun continued. "They'll likely be competing very aggressively with each other in the trial. More so than normal, as tensions are rising between the Shen Clan and the City Lord's people."
"So what, that's happening because they're after the same girl?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the grossed-out face Little Tao made at the idea.
"Not quite," Sun Yun said, shaking her head. "It's their older brothers, the two geniuses of the younger generation, they are called in the city. The two are both pining after Qian Chi, and that has been increasing the friction between the two factions. Not to the extent that it affects greater events, but it's definitely being felt in the younger generation."
"So another reason to avoid those two groups in the trial," I said, turning to Pan Song, who was on my other side.
He grimaced and nodded at that. "Yes. We have enough to worry about."
I nodded back at that as well and couldn't help but glance around for the source of our trouble. As I did, Sun Yun continued to talk about how important her gossip was while Lin playfully brought up examples of the more trivial gossip she liked to share. It was amusing, even if I wasn't paying too much attention to their back and forth.
It took me a moment to find what I was looking for despite their distinctive beige and gold robes. The group was a lot smaller than I expected compared to their contemporaries. They were also situated further away from the Stargard Hall.
Hopefully, that was a sign of Qian Zhi's waning influence. Sun Xia—or perhaps Sun Yun, given her love of gossip—had discreetly ensured that word spread about Pan Song's accomplishment with the ruins. And given the very public scene Qian Zhi and his goons had made in the Starguard Hall, this revelation has no doubt been a massive slap in the face for him.
Hopefully enough to ensure no one bothers trying to gain favor with Qian Zhi by targeting Pan Song or me.
I turned my attention away from that after a moment of satisfaction and started scouting out the rest of the possible competition. However, my attention was soon taken away by a powerful spirit sense sweeping through the whole square. It wasn't harsh or domineering, but it was very apparent.
Everyone quieted down in moments, turning towards the direction the sense had come from.
"Greetings," Elder Shen Di said, having appeared with several other older-looking people behind him. He stood in front of the Starguard Hall, his hands behind his back and a stern look on his face. He wore the robes of the Soaring Cloud Sect and pinned to the left side of his chest was a very prominent Starguard Badge. His badge had three shining silver stars, showing that he was a very adept Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Able to take on Mid Rank 2 spirit beasts proficiently. "I am Elder Shen Di, and I will be the leader of the overseers for this month's trial. It is time for our departure."
The three men and two women standing a step behind him held themselves similarly, all stern and no-nonsense. Their robes were different, showing their affiliation with various other clans, sects, or imperial organizations. But they all had silver badges as well, though none with as many stars as Elder Shen Di.
"Those participating in the trial shall follow me," Elder Shen Di said, floating into the air before heading to the west over the heads of the crowd. "Those who are not, you can find out the result of the trial here a day from now. Now disperse. We do not have all day."
"Guess that's our cue," I said, giving a quick wave to everyone who had accompanied us.
Pretty much everyone I knew reasonably well was here. After seeing us off, they were planning on spending a day in the city. The only ones not here were Sun Xia, Zhao Wei, and Sun Yan. The former two were too busy to come out into the city, and Sun Yan's health wasn't doing too well at the moment.
After getting a bunch of well wishes from our friends, Pan Song and I made our way through the dispersing crowd over to the smaller group waiting by Elder Shen Di. A quick count showed that there were around 250 people.
That was quite a lot of competition. More than normal from what I heard except for when the three great clans, the branch Soaring Cloud Sect, or the imperial governor were trying to make a statement by showing their generations of elites. Though, another quick look around showed that the reason for this month's large turnout was not around.
Xing Yaling was nowhere to be seen. Since Shen Di was the head overseer for this, maybe he'd already sent her on ahead to wherever the trial grounds were.
Once we'd all gathered, Elder Shen Di just nodded down at us and took off at speed. He moved just fast enough that a majority of us—those at Early Qi-Gathering—had to struggle a bit to keep up as we made our way through the city.
Pan Song certainly seemed like he had to put some effort into keeping up. I, on the other hand, was able to keep up just fine. I was at 56% of the way to Mid Rank 1 now, which was bolstered even more by all my passive buffs. From the testing that I'd done with Jianfeng, Lin, and even Sun Yun, that put me comfortably in the same league—and perhaps above in some ways—as the average Mid Stage Qi-Gatherer.
Which was pretty damn absurd, given that it had been less than 2 weeks since I started cultivating. Though whether or not that would last, I wasn't sure. After all, my spirit beast cultivation was still a D-Rank Skill. The upper levels of Rank 1 might not be reached as easily and cheaply.
Also, while I could keep up with the average Mid Stage Qi-Gatherer, I was still behind the elites. Sun Yun, for instance, was still well above me in even just pure physicality when using her techniques. So it wasn't like I could dominate all the people around my level of cultivation either.
The road we were traveling on was large and wide, making it easy for our large group to travel as one and at speed. Which was why it didn't take us long to go from the Starguard Hall, near the center of the city, to the harbor in the West.
We came to a stop at a rather massive harbor that faced the lake that gave the city its name. The air was clean and fresh here, and the docks themselves looked very well-kept. Likely because it was a private dock, or at least one reserved for the more well-off people in the city.
Resting at one of the larger berths was our destination. Elder Shen Di didn't even bother stopping in front of the ship. Instead, he flew right on, his fellow Silver-Stared Starguard having already arrived at the ship long before us. Once he was on, a wide wooden and decorative gangplank extended from a small compartment just under the deck of the ship.
The gangplank seemed to move on its own, and the bottom of it landed right in front of our group softly. Without needing to be prompted, the people ahead started boarding. As they did, I took a moment to take in the big ship we were going to be using to get to the trial grounds.
The first thing I noticed was that it was really big. It was more than enough to comfortably hold our entire group. Closer to the size of a super yacht that I'd only ever seen on the internet. Of course, it looked nothing like any modern boat.
Instead, it was made with very shiny deep red wood. Like most things in the rich parts of the city, it was decorated with carvings and murals of animals and other things. The upper cabins looked like they could have been small buildings from the cultivator district, and the sails all looked like massive fish fins. Along the side of the ship were several near seamless compartments that I wasn't sure if they were windows or perhaps places where weapons could stick out.
I continued taking in the details of the ship as it finally became our turn to go aboard. We'd stayed back to both admire the ship, as well as to not have to compete with anyone feeling like the order of who bordered mattered.
Once onboard, we found a quiet corner on the lake-facing side of the ship to wait for the departure.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Pan Song asked from beside me as he stared at the Everlake. "There's so much water."
"First time seeing something like this?" I asked, taking in the massive body of water myself. I suppose if someone had never seen such a thing before, not even in pictures, it might be a bit overwhelming. Although, even I was a bit awed by the sight. Mainly because of how crystal clear the water seemed even so close to the city. It seemed that whatever sewer system they had here was really good.
"Yes," Pan Song said, still mesmerized by the sight. "My home is in the north and away from the coast. And I haven't had a reason to visit the docks until now. I regret not coming sooner."
I hummed in acknowledgment as I just took in the sight of the lake, watching as the morning sun sparkled across the waves. It was an odd moment of peace before the no doubt exciting trial to come.
That peace was soon disrupted, however, as the ship began to move. The sails didn't seem to be catching any wind, and there weren't any oars anywhere, but the ship moved regardless. The movement was so smooth that I couldn't even feel it, making me feel a bit strange as the ship turned and started to head out of the harbor.
As we left the docks behind, the ship started to pick up speed. But even as we seemed to be reaching speeds faster than I could run, I felt barely any wind at all. Just a gentle breeze.
It took me a moment to figure out why that was, but I eventually did. There was a small shimmering barrier around the entire deck of the ship. It didn't extend up to the sails, obviously, but covered the entire deck. Very convenient given the speeds we were moving at.
The ship finally seemed to level out in speed once we left the natural harbor of Everlake City. The waves below whipped by furiously despite the surprisingly small wake left behind by the ship. Probably another property of the boat that was likely one big spirit treasure.
I still couldn't quite figure out how the ship was propelled. The winds outside didn't look like they could be the sole cause for our speed. Perhaps despite the design of the ship, there were propellers at the back? Or maybe the boat used some kind of water manipulation?
Pan Song and I exchanged theories about that, as well as the various magical effects the ship seemed to have. He knew a bit more about the subject than me, as apparently what went into making artifacts like this—as well as smaller ones—used similar principles to arrays. There were differences, however, but now he seemed to be getting a much greater appreciation for what spirit artifacts could do.
Perhaps in the future, he would delve into the art of artifact creation as well. Or maybe I could do that when I found the time to get a chance to study the stuff. Given the need to prepare for the trial, I still hadn't gotten a chance to take up Pan Song's offer to teach me more about formations.
We continued idly chatting about the ship and the things it could do as the coast became smaller and smaller in the distance. The view became a lot less interesting then, as there was nothing much to see besides the wide open expanse of blue and waves.
However, something soon interrupted us. I spotted it first out of the corner of my eye. It was out in the water and looked to be a shadow at first. The shine of the sun and the waves made it hard to see the details despite how clear the water was. But there was clearly something under the water following us.
I pointed it out to Pan Song, and the two of us watched it for a moment. It didn't seem too bad at first, but as it got closer and closer, I realized that it was far larger than I first thought. By the time its dorsal fin was sticking out of the water, creating a large wake of water behind it, it seemed like it was at least a quarter of the size of the boat.
I exchanged worried looks with Pan Song before the two of us looked around to see if anyone else had spotted it. We saw another group of people farther down the deck pointing at the beast. One of them was even shouting about it. But no one else seemed to care. Not even Elder Shen Di or any of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators on the upper decks who didn't even glance in that direction. Even when another form seemed to join the first, they didn't react.
I forced myself to remain calm because of that. After all, with the Silver Star Starguards here, there was no need to worry. They should be able to take care of anything that attacked us. And if they couldn't… Well, it's not like there would be anything I could do either. So, no point getting worked up over it.
Another moment passed as the beasts continued to near. Then, finally, there was a response to their presence. It didn't come from anyone on the deck of the ship, however. Not from what I could see. Instead, sounding out from below the deck were several wooden mechanical sounds. I peeked over the edge of the boat and saw that several of those compartments I'd noticed earlier had opened up.
A low hum rang out from below, and light started to emanate from several of the now-opened ports. Then several beams of light shot out at once. I had to squint from how bright they were, and by the time I looked up, they'd already hit their marks. I had just enough time to see the final beam of light skewer one of the two pursuing beasts.
There seemed to be no reactions from the creatures for a moment. But then the ship started to pull away, and blood started to expand out from the two forms. A moment later, the two beasts floated up higher out of the waves, floating listlessly and dead.
"Wow," I said, exchanging looks with Pan Song. "That was pretty impressive."
Pan Song nodded at that, leaning over the edge of the boat and peering down below.
"How much do you think this ship costs?" I asked, thinking about all the features we'd noticed until now, along with the now-displayed weaponry. Weaponry that I couldn't help but wonder if it was manned by a crew or was automatic. It would have been much more impressive if it was automatic.
"More than two gawking bumpkins can afford."
I twitched slightly at the unexpected voice from behind us. Thankfully, it hadn't surprised me so much that I fell over or anything. But that didn't make this any less annoying given what was said, and who was probably behind us.
I let out a sigh and exchanged a look with Pan Song. Then we both pushed off the side of the ship to turn around. To my displeasure, it was exactly who I thought it was. Qian Zhi and his goons.
So much for a quiet ride to the trial grounds. Hopefully, this would be quick. We were already going to have to worry about him during the trial. It would be nice to not have to during the ride over there as well.