Chapter 27. The Journey Begins.

While the insignificant battles for lower ranks were taking place, which no longer had any substantial importance, Rand was reflecting on everything that had happened today.

"Overall, the competition went as well as it possibly could, if I can forget about the existence of Weed. I managed to avoid any really tough fights, and the only one who could have posed any minor problems for me was Melisa, but due to her incompetence, she couldn't even manage that. If we consider not just my fights, then Eyron's performance far exceeded my wildest expectations. From the very beginning, it was clear to me that he was not as simple as he seemed at first glance, but I think I underestimated the depth of his secrets. It's not just about the technique that turned him into a giant, although it was quite impressive and perfectly complemented and enhanced his gift. What surprised me more was his ability to deceive and keep his cards hidden until the very last moment. The way he pretended to be a clumsy fool during training, how he 'sincerely' spoke during conversations about being weak in martial arts due to a lack of talent... All these actions were clearly planned and aimed at making an impressive performance in the competition and most likely winning it. I can't see any other reason for such behavior. Such thoughtful actions characterize him as a careful and thoughtful person, or, to put it simply, quite intelligent.

And to this, I can add his erudition. He even managed to quote my ancestor verbatim during his fight with Lucius, and that's a little-known phrase. Few people nowadays pay much attention to books not directly related to cultivation. These two traits of his would not be so important individually, but together... they paint a picture of quite an outstanding person. But one incident does not fit into this seemingly complete picture. His decision to fight Lin when he was in peak condition shows him in a far from favorable light. His chances of winning were slim from the start, and the fact that he managed to inflict such significant damage on Lin was mostly due to luck. If I assessed his mental abilities and character correctly, he could have easily followed my path and tried to avoid this fight. The fact that he tried to justify his duel with Lin with his story about fire also surprises me. Even if his words about the fear of fire and his mother who died from it are true, which I highly doubt, the moment he chose to face his fear was completely inappropriate. A smart person would not have given in to their momentary emotions, would not have abandoned all their efforts to win first place in the competition for an impulsive desire to confront their fear. At the very least, he would have found a more suitable moment for such a battle. So, if we accept as a fact that he is smart, then all his secrecy and deception had some other goal unrelated to winning the competition? Perhaps, his goal from the beginning was to fight Lin and... lose? Or did something in his plans go wrong...

These thoughts occupied his mind, and he did not notice how time flew by and all the matches came to an end.

As soon as deacon Fargus announced the winner of the last match, elder Edard stood up from his seat in the stands and gave a short speech summarizing today's events:

"Our small competition has come to an end. Both we and you have seen your strengths and weaknesses. Some of you are already strong but failed to make good use of your strength. Some are weak in body but strong in spirit and endured the toughest battles. And some are strong in both body and mind but simply were not lucky. But what unites you all is that you still have much to learn. Even those who performed excellently today should not rest on their laurels and think that they have already achieved everything, for the path of self-cultivation is endless, and you are only at its beginning. If you stop for a second, become proud of your achievements, you will be immediately surpassed, and then you will have to chase with all your might after those ahead of you." Having said all this, the elder paused briefly, giving the novices time to ponder his words, then continued:

"In a month, you will have another small competition, the details of which you will learn about later. For now, you can go rest; I believe you are all quite tired after today's battles. Don't worry about the rewards, we haven't forgotten about them. Tomorrow, you can receive them from the deacon. That's all, you may leave."

Upon hearing the elder's permission, many immediately headed for the exit, and those who could, flew away. Rand was about to follow their example and leave, but before he could go anywhere, Byron's voice sounded in his mind: "Come to me at the stands, disciple." Unable to respond due to the absence of spiritual sense, Rand could only silently follow the order. He climbed the steps to the stands and walked to the place where a few elders had been seated less than a minute ago. Now, only Byron remained there, the others having already left to attend to their matters. Byron's daughter, Moraine, who had been sitting in the disciples' area, had joined him.

Elder Byron greeted his approaching disciple with a warm smile, saying:

"Your performance in the competition impressed me greatly, disciple. I expected high results from you, but you exceeded my expectations. Well done."

"Thank you, Master."

At that moment, Moraine, who had been silent until then, chimed in:

"Junior brother, you were simply incredible. Initially, father thought you would achieve at most third place; he was even ready to console you. It's a shame I didn't see it… By the way, I also took first place back in my time, just like you, but I had to fight hard for it and got many injuries in the process. You managed to achieve the same without any visible effort and getting a single scratch."

"Thank you, senior sister, but my victory without injuries was more due to luck than my own merit. My main opponents fought each other first, leaving me to defeat them while they were weakened and wounded. There's no special feat in that."

Byron, listening to their conversation, said:

"Don't downplay your accomplishments, Oberin. Your tactical decision to avoid fighting Lin already says a lot. But I think you know this yourself and just don't want to boast in front of us. It's a good quality, but don't overuse it. Now, let's discuss your rewards. Among the artifacts, I recommend choosing one with protective properties. I know you already have a robe, but it might not be enough; don't ask about the reasons yet. As for the technique, you can choose any, but I advise selecting one that allows you to attack from a distance, preferably related to fire or earth elements. If you're unsure about your choice, you can seek advice from elder Saran, who is very knowledgeable in this area. Once you've finished with these matters tomorrow, come straight to my home. We will discuss some important news. I see you want to hear them now, but there's no need to rush; we have plenty of time, and you're very tired. Go rest first. Moraine, don't pester him with conversations now; you'll have another chance to chat with him tomorrow."

"Alright, Father. Junior brother, see you tomorrow," Moraine said in a resigned voice.

"Goodbye, senior sister. Until tomorrow, master," Rand said farewell to both of them. The elder then grabbed his daughter, jumped, and flew off into the distance on the wings that unfolded from his back.

On his way home, Rand immersed himself in thoughts to avoid wasting time idly.

"As for what the old man wants to tell me tomorrow… It's probably related to the unusually large number of spectators at the competition. But I can only say for sure tomorrow. I don't think further speculation on this matter will be of any use to me; there's too little information."

Better to think about something else right now. For instance, how to eliminate Weed. Maybe plant an explosive talisman in his house? No, getting such a talisman discreetly would be difficult, and the chance that later the sect will be able to find out who planted it is quite high. But the talisman idea isn't bad; I'll think more on it later. What else could I do? Perhaps hire a professional assassin? There are many complications at every stage of such a plan, starting with the fact that even finding someone who will agree to kill a member of the great sect is not easy at all, as the sect typically doesn't forgive such actions and would find and eliminate the killer at all costs. And paying for a high-quality assassin would be difficult, requiring me to dip into my hidden savings, which could cause unnecessary problems. Furthermore, remaining anonymous when meeting with an assassin's guild would be nearly impossible given my level of cultivation. But again, the idea isn't bad, just something to consider for later. So, what can I do right now? As I've realized, trying to kill him myself, even with an imperial treasure, is a dead-end path. Hmm, it seems the sect issues missions that reward spirit stones and other resources. Many of these missions involve the forest and hunting spirit beasts... What if I take such a mission with Weed and let him be torn apart by some dangerous creature? In that case, even if it fails, I won't be to blame. Additionally, I'll get to see Weed in action and understand the reason for any failure. Excellent, but on such a mission, we shouldn't be alone, and the initiative to invite Weed shouldn't come directly from me. A promising idea, and the more I think about it, the more I like it..."

As Rand walked home, deep in thought, he didn't notice Fara following him the entire way, even though she lived in the opposite direction. When the former prince was at his doorstep, she finally caught up to him and stopped him, starting a conversation:

"Oberyn, wait, don't close the door. I've wanted to say this since our first meeting, but I never dared, fearing you'd misunderstand me. But now I've found the courage to confess. I like you very, very much. Tell me, you like me too, don't you? Don't be silent. If you say yes, I can be yours right now..." As she said this, she began to open her robe, revealing the undergarments beneath.

Looking at her and hearing her words, Rand suddenly found it extremely funny, as he remembered her tearful story from lunch a few days ago.

"Hahaha. Truly, they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Rand laughed, but then abruptly stopped, his face turning serious as he ordered:

"Get lost."

At first, when Rand laughed, the girl didn't understand what was going on at all or what he was laughing at. This was the first time she had seen such an unusual reaction to her proposal. But then, when she heard his words following the laughter, she realized he was laughing at her. She immediately became angry but didn't show it on her face, as he was too valuable catch to risk losing over a minor issue. Instead, she continued her attempt to seduce him.

"Dear Oberyn, why are you treating me this way? I would do anything for you..." she started, but Rand interrupted her prepared speech with his next words:

"I won't say it a third time. Get lost."

The girl didn't want to give up and miss out on a guy with such potential. She knew from experience that sometimes you needed to be a bit assertive, and few men could resist. She was about to completely drop her robe and throw herself into his arms, but before doing so, she accidentally looked into his eyes, and his cold-blooded gaze terrified her. It seemed as if she was looking at a monster who had never felt human emotions. She immediately realized that if she didn't leave now, something terrible would happen to her. Without fully understanding why, she started to back away, and after retreating a few meters, she turned abruptly and ran away.

Rand closed the door and immediately dismissed the incident from his mind. He was much more preoccupied with his own words.

"Truly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Am I really that much like my father? Am I destined for the same fate?"

These words made him think about things he had been trying to avoid lately. After a few minutes, Rand managed to break free from this painful train of thought and decided, "My mind is exhausted, which is why I'm drawn to these irrelevant, pointless topics. I need to sleep and rest."

Although Rand's body was full of energy and didn't require any rest, his mind was truly drained. From morning till night, he had been continuously thinking about numerous unforeseen obstacles and problems, and he desperately needed a break. He didn't delay and immediately lay down on the bed, falling into a dreamless sleep almost instantly.