9 Prince Zhang's Duel

"You absolute blithering, moronic, suicidal maniac!" the monarch's incensed voice penetrated Song Yi's mind, giving him a headache.

"Sorry, Old Man Wang."

"Brat, do you even know how many people you're putting in danger? These 'Elders' are in over their heads!"

"Why should I care about other people? The only person who's ever cared about me is going to fight that thing, and I won't let her do it alone!"

"You don't even know what you're talking abo-"

"And I don't care!"

The monarch stopped talking. As for possessing Song Yi and forcefully making him quit, it wasn't that he didn't want to, but he couldn't. His soul still hadn't recovered to that point.

During Song Yi and Emperor Wang's altercation, Prince Zhang had stepped forward. Fang Li stood at his side.

"We, too, will take this test."

The only one who remained on the fence was Zhi Yue.

She seemed to be struggling with the decision.

After a while, her face changed, as though she were remembering something. With a sigh, she stepped forward.

"I will take this test."

"You five have prepared yourselves, then?" Elder Mo asked.

All the examinees got ready. Su Bai had her gloves, Prince Zhang had his spear, Song Yi took out his axe.

"In that case... Congratulations on joining the Blue Moon Sect, Novitiates."

For the briefest of moments, his words didn't register with the five youths. Then...

"Wait, what?"

"You still haven't realized it by now?" Elder Mo smiled. "Discipline, Diligence, Decisiveness. Have any of you realized what those words truly mean?"

The group thought about it for a moment, but it was Fang Li, with a look of realization, who broke the silence.

"They correspond to the trials..." he murmured.

"Sharp boy," Elder Mo complimented. "You're correct. That was the purpose of this examination, to see if you had the qualities of a Blue Moon Sect Disciple."

Now that they all thought about it, it made sense.

The first trial, a trial of discipline. Could you do as told, to the highest standard, even when the instructions were ambiguous, and there were no affirmative signs of progress?

The second trial, diligence. There were countless tempting traps, as well as a constant onslaught of monsters. Not to mention, there was always the chance your partner might turn on you to save themselves. If you dropped your guard, you died.

Finally, decisiveness. Even in the face of crushing opposition, could you stand and fight for the sake of the things that are important to you?

It sounded simple, but the trials were gruelling, as could be witnessed by the sheer amount of people who'd failed.

"Congratulations brat, you passed, now GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Song Yi was bewildered, why was Emperor Wang acting up still? They didn't have to fight the beast...

Before he could figure it out, the wheel of runes began to spin once more, this time with far greater speed than before.

The voracious killing intent flared up once more, crushing down on the now-novitiates.

"I knew this would happen! Why couldn't you have just listened?!" the monarch cried hysterically.

Song Yi puked blood out onto the stones. His organs felt like they were about to burst. The others, including Zhang Bo, fared no better.

Suddenly, a figure materialized in midair, exuding a deep blue aura.

His hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and he had piercing white eyes. Behind him was the illusion of a gigantic, blue full moon.

"SEAL!" he shouted, raising his hands.

Suddenly, the illusory moon grew in size, flying towards the gate.

A hand shrouded in darkness shot out between the bars, attempting to hold the moon back.

BOOM!

The shockwave from the collision swept through the room. Had there been any wildlife present, it would've been turned to ash.

The five novitiates didn't even know what happened before, suddenly, the pressure was gone. The shockwave never reached them.

At the last second, the Fifth, Sixth and Ninth elders had used their own respective methods to hold back against the shockwave. But that took its toll. All three looked similar to how the novitiates had when faced with the fractioned killing intent of the final test.

Before another shockwave could arrive, the Sixth Elder took out five swords. Each sword was able to, amazingly, defy gravity and fly through the air unhindered. Using every sword to scoop up a different youth, he flew away.

The other two elders attempted to remain, but were forced to leave after the white-eyed man spoke to them.

"Leave. You will only hinder me," he said.

Those words resonated with all the youths. They had seen for themselves just how terrifyingly powerful the elders could be. For figures like that to only be a hindrance... Just how strong was that man? And, even more so, just how strong was the monster he fought?

~~~~~~~~~~

Soaring high above the sect on the Sixth Elder's sword, Song Yi got a view of the sect grounds for the first time.

The view was, in a word, spectacular. Song Yi could see that the land mass they'd been on was actually only one of thirteen. There were eleven other land masses identical to it, arranged in a ring. In the middle of the ring was a much larger plateau.

All thirteen land masses were their own separate entities, separated by giant gorges that delved into the ground further than the eye could see, but were connected by multiple ornate wooden bridges. The cliff they'd ascended in the second trial was, in fact, just one side of one of the land masses.

To describe the sheer size of the sect's grounds was not a simple task. Each was large enough to hold mountain ranges, gigantic lakes, dense forests and multiple cities. Every single one of these cities could rival the size of Zhongtian's capital.

It was like a world in of itself.

"Respected Sixth Elder, if the sect is so large, and so few of us passed the examination..." Su Bai said.

The other youths nodded in agreement. They'd been wondering the same.

The Sixth Elder chuckled. "Well, in part, Old Ninth is to blame."

The Ninth Elder gave him a wry smile, continuing to explain in the Sixth Elder's stead.

"The sect examinations are held once every six months. Sometimes, these weak-hearted old men let in dozens of novitiates. Of course, it's no coincidence that the disciples I proctor for are admitted into the inner sect far more often."

The other two shot him nasty glances when he said those words, but he continued unabashedly.

"There's another reason, too, which will be explained in due time. For now, suffice it to say that many in the sect have been alive for hundreds of years. After many six month periods, our numbers have built up."

Su Bai and Zhi Yue looked at him in disbelief. Prince Zhang and Fang Li, on the other hand, seemed like they'd already had some idea about this. As for Song Yi, of course, he had the monarch. He was well aware that some existences were terrifyingly old.

In fact, at that very moment, Song Yi was less concerned with the view of the sect and the conversation. Instead, he was trying to talk to Emperor Wang.

"What was that thing?" he asked for the third time.

Emperor Wang was being obstinate, refusing to even respond, let alone answer.

It wasn't until an hour later, by which point the group was still flying, that he finally relented.

"It's a miracle that you saw him and lived to tell the tale."

"He?"

Emperor Wang sighed. "Have you ever wondered why my soul was in that needle?"

Song Yi was shocked. Of course he'd wondered, but he'd always expected he would only get a sarcastic response if he asked.

"Once or twice," he replied.

"It's because of that monster. Though, that fiend is only a clone."

"You were done in by a clone?"

"No, you buffoon! I was killed by the real thing."

Song Yi was bewildered. If Emperor Wang was killed, then how could his soul still be in the needle?

"I'm sure you're confused," the monarch hit the nail on the head. "Well, if you continue on this path, even a dolt like you will understand eventually."

Song Yi found himself thinking, not for the first time, that the monarch's vocabulary of words that meant "idiot" was a bit excessive.

Eventually, they landed on one of the plateaus and were brought to a tall building at the centre of one of the cities. When they landed, Elder Mo left some parting words.

"Welcome to the sect. This building is the Fourth District's Spire. Inside, you'll be given your assignments. Now then, continue to work hard."

With that, the three elders disappeared.

After clasping their hands and bowing towards where the elders had just been, the group of five walked into the building.

What they saw on the inside stunned them speechless.

They found themselves on a long catwalk. The ground inside the building was thousands of feet below them, and the ceiling equally high.

There were countless floors, all connected by a vast network of catwalks identical to the one they were currently on. Some floors housed shops and market stalls. Closer inspection revealed a myriad of weapons, armour, potions, pills, food, pets, even furniture and dishware. You name it, it could be found.

Others had vast collections of books in their own variety of bizarre forms. Song Yi noticed one in particular that was permanently on fire but didn't seem to burn.

There were storage spaces, housing districts, restaurants, even guarded treasuries for safekeeping relics and artifacts.

Rather than listing what the Spire had, it would be easier to list what it didn't.

Of course, such a location would scarcely be devoid of people. There were thousands of sect disciples within, all wearing the same blue-grey robes. Although, the moon printed on the back changed from person to person.

Those with no moon printed on the back, like Song Yi and company, walked on the catwalks from place to place, going about their business. These people were as common as stars in the night sky.

If they had a crescent moon, it was likely that they were flying on swords, like how Sixth Elder had helped the youths arrive. Except, these people were able to control their own.

As for those with half moons, they were rare, but could be seen flying through the air completely unassisted.

It seemed, as well, that not everyone in the building was a disciple of the sect. A few people could be seen wearing normal clothing.

Dazzled by the spectacular sights, the youths forgot to move until, suddenly, Prince Zhang let out a grunt.

They turned to see him off balance, his usual calm demeanour disturbed. Where he'd been standing previously was a giant man.

"Outta my way, greenhorns," he said, paying the group no heed as he barrelled his way through.

Of course, how could the proud and noble Third Prince take a slight like that lying down?

"You, the oaf with more muscle than brains!" he shouted.

The mountainous man stopped in his tracks, turning his head only enough to glance at the prince.

"Huh?"

Prince Zhang's face darkened further. "We're new here. So, tell me, is duelling against sect rules?"

"If yer itchin' for a fight, I'll give ya one. Outside!"

The man made an about face and walked back out of the building. Prince Zhang followed. Before exiting, he said,

"No need to follow me. I'll be back in a moment."

They well knew how strong Zhang Bo was. They also knew he wasn't an idiot. But still, for the sake of his pride, they weren't sure how much he would allow his judgement to be clouded. As such, the group of four unanimously decided to follow him out to witness the fight, and break it up if necessary.

By the time they decided and exited, the two could be seen facing each other in the middle of the street. A crowd was already beginning to form.

"I am the Third Prince of Shanjing Empire, Zhang Bo. What is your name?"

"Li Bolin," the muscled man replied simply."

Wasting no more time on words, Prince Zhang unfastened the dragon-spear from his back, holding it with one hand.

Similarly impatient, Li Bolin charged headfirst towards the prince.

Zhang Bo snorted derisively. This kind of tactic was really too immature.

Using his spear, he stabbed at the giant man, who ducked underneath with surprising dexterity. This wasn't enough to phase the young prince, who quickly followed up with a spinning kick. This time, the giant didn't dodge, but blocked the kick with a single arm, following up with a punch of his own. Zhang Bo used footwork to put some distance between the two once more.

He was surprised by the man's strength. It seemed his attacks would have little effect, even if he managed to break through the man's guard.

"What, are ya just gonna run now?"

Not responding to the taunt, the prince began to use the spear to attack from length. Within only a few exchanges, though, he accidentally overstepped.

Using the opportunity to get in close, Li Bolin grabbed the spear and wrenched it out of the prince's hands, throwing it away behind him.

Once again, the prince was forced to dodge away.

"You're not weak," he said. "That's good. I wouldn't have it any other way."

With those words, he began to chant inaudibly under his breath.

Suddenly, the tips of his fingers became frosty. The frost didn't stop there, instead climbing up until it reached his biceps.

"He actually perfected it..." Little Li, watching from the side, murmured.

"Perfected what? What is that?" Zhi Yue asked.

Little Li told the group about the time he and the prince had been attacked in the second trial.

"When we took their things, we also took their technique books. One of them had one similar to Prince Zhang's, but it had to do with wind, while Prince Zhang's used water. Since then, he's been trying to reconcile the two."

They all looked at the prince in a new light. The rest of them, excepting Little Li, had barely managed to learn one technique, while this prince had already managed to combine two to make his own. He really was a cut above the rest.

Even Li Bolin paused for a moment, reassessing. When Zhang Bo saw this, he smirked.

"Don't hesitate now," he said, rushing forward once more.

They exchanged rapid blows, the giant Li Bolin somehow managing to match the lithe prince's pace.

Slowly, though, it became clear who was in the favourable position. Li Bolin's attacks were beginning to slow down. It seemed that every time he blocked a strike from Zhang Bo, frost began to grow on his body, and his movements became more sluggish.

By now, the crowd had grown larger. Some were encouraging Zhang Bo, who wore a vicious smile as he pounded down his enemy's defences more and more. Others were jeering at the giant Li Bolin, who was now falling back step by step.

Still, Zhang Bo was careful, using a combination of deft footwork and relentless strikes to avoid taking any hits from his opponent. He was well aware that even a single hit from the giant could spell his failure.

With a huff, Li Bolin spoke.

"I never thought I'd haveta use Qi against some mortal whelp."

Without hesitation, he slammed a palm into the ground. In a fifteen meter radius around him, the ground began to shake and destabilize, turning muddy.

"Not good!" Prince Zhang thought, immediately trying to dodge out of the circle.

But he was a step too slow. His right leg became caught in the mire, and he was unable to extricate himself. All he could do was watch as the hulking boor leisurely walked over and delivered a brutal punch to his stomach.

"Yer done."

A follow-up kick to his face put the prince on the ground.

"Not so pretty now, are ya?" Spitting on the ground, the bull of a man continued. "Let me tell ya somethin' runt. In here, yer no prince. Yer just another novitiate."

With those words, he walked away, leaving the disgraced prince in the dust.

The crowd dispersed, pleased that they'd been able to witness an interesting fight.

Fang Li rushed over to check on Zhang Bo, who he'd grown quite attached to over the course of the last month.

There was swelling on his face from where he'd been hit, and his stomach would likely be badly bruised for a few days, but there were no broken bones.

"Prince Zhang-"

"No. Not prince... That blustering brute is right. I'm now a Novitiate of the Blue Moon Sect."

Suddenly, a woman's voice spoke.

"Not bad, not bad... A brand new novitiate who can use a secondary element. Your martial arts are pretty decent too. Well, that's a former prince for you."

There was a woman, probably in her mid-twenties, standing in the middle of their small group. None of them had noticed her prior to that. On the back of her robe was a half moon. Her position in the sect wasn't low, but there were still two realms between her and an elder.

Zhang Bo, assisted by Little Li, made it to his feet. Ignoring his pain, he clasped his hands, he bowed to the woman.

"Junior can't possibly accept Senior's praise."

The woman nodded approvingly.

"I was told to process you five, but imagine the shock on my face when you all walked out here to get in a scrap with that novitiate, geez..." She put her hands on her hips. "Alright kids, come with me. Let's get you sorted."

She looked every part the doting elder sister as she led them back into the Spire.