42. Protect Who

The headmasters who are seated at the highest platform are now looking at the unusual crowd below. They are speculating of what's this year's event is differ last year to attract this number of spectators.

The confidants of the headmaster of the Mercenary Association passed a message to him. When the headmasters of the other powerhouses heard the matter about, they then all realize the suspect of this crowd.

The principal of the Central College when heard the mysterious little girl's name, he can only purse his lips while his grandson on his side, Cao Ding, suddenly straighten his back while his eyes are with a glint of expectation. His eyes can't help but look at the lower platform where the great families are seated, when he remember again Gan Junjie's words, he can't help but frown. His face darken when he saw the other young masters on the side of their old men are smirking looking forward to the appearance of Meixiang whom they learn is not just interesting but also a beauty.

Meixiang who is oblivious to the attention of the young masters and the audience outside is now sitting comfortably eating apples cut by her little brother. The others are also sitting comfortably eating spiritual fruits fresh from the small phantom world.

The people around Meixiang's team can't help but twitch their faces. They wouldn't mind this view but not in this place! We're a door step away to the ring okay! We'll about to be in a battle later right? How did this group can even swallow their foods! WHERE DID THIS GROUP EVEN GET THIS DINING TABLE SET?!

At the arena, the announcer is now explaining this year's rules.

This year's Mercenary Qualifying Round is with unexpectedly too many participants so the organizers did put an elimination round to cut the numbers of the participants.

One of the organizer inform the participants in the second door while she's looking at Meixiang's group from time to time unsure if she entered the right room.

Meixiang when learnt the mechanics of the game, she lazily wave her hand and ask her subordinates to get ready. Auntie Tian and the others moved the untouched fruits to Meixiang' side. After Meixiang put them into the sacred book, Old Leng ready his interspatial ring while the young men are carrying the foldable tables and chairs to him as Old Leng carefully put them inside his interspatial ring.

The people around are in complicated mood. SO THEY BRING THEIR OWN DINING AREA!!!

One after another, the aspiring mercenary groups are introduced at the arena. When Meixiang's group's turn, the host is a little dumb at first hesitant if the written name is correct.

"A--Amazing...Amazing Mercenary!"

Har?

The audience are dumbfounded. Isn't this name too shameless?

Everyone is looking at Meixiang and her subordinates on their way out from the door walking towards the center of the ring.

Ping Chunhua tried her best to ignore everyone's gaze. She can only sigh remembering how the name of their mercenary was created. When they are filling up the registration form yesterday, their Little Xiang stated she didn't know their group's name yet! Everyone are still dumb of how unbelievable their Little Xiang is. She have been planning this mercenary group more than a year right? And that whole time it's a nameless mercenary! She prepared their top notch weapons to techniques to their training grounds carefully but not their name. Everyone was awaken from their reverie when Tian Ling said casually 'What about Amazing Mercenary?'. Their Little Xiang nodded and said, 'It's shorter with Beautiful and Strong Mercenary that I thought'.

Ping Chunhua can only blame herself for not thinking of Tian Ling's naming sickness. But this is better than 'Beautiful and Strong Mercenary' right?

When arrived, the host started to disclose their available information, "A--amazing Mercenary is with only eleven members. This mercenary is this year's fewest members but the most intriguing group." the host close her gap to Meixiang and ask, "Everyone was curious of the group's identity. Can you give us a brief introduction to your group?"

Meixiang just casually said, "Our group's name said it all. Why need to explain?"

Everyone's face twitch.

The host can only cough and laugh awkwardly. Meixiang walks away and the others follows until they reach the side of the ring.

After the introduction of all the mercenary groups, they are now standing at the area near the edge of the stage while the announcer explains the rule of the elimination round to the audience.

Each group will choose five members no higher than seventh stage of cultivation. The five members will be given five necklaces with their respective mercenary group's emblem. To be able to enter the next stage, these five members should accumulate twenty points in total. Retaining their own necklace is two points. Earning a necklace of another mercenary is one point. The game will be in thirty minutes. Killing and using weapons is with no prohibition. They can only summon their beasts five minutes before the time ends which will be signalled by the host.

Meixiang gave one necklace each to Tian Feng, a fifth stage peak level of thunder attribute and fifth stage middle level of fire attribute; Ping Chunhua, a sixth stage early level of water attribute; Xian Ji, martial artist at fifth stage middle level; Bai Zihan, martial artist sixth stage of middle level, and Dan Fai, martial artist with fire of heaven and earth currently at the second stage early level.

Meixiang look at Dan Fai and to the four.

"Take care of Little Fai. Although Little Fai is stronger compared to a second stage practitioner, there is no weaker than a fifth stage in the arena."

Dan Fai pursed his lips.

Although Meixiang cultivated Little Fai with the best resources adding his masters are extraordinary, she can't help but get worried. His little brother just had his tenth birthday a week ago. Although her little brother had not been idle in the past three months, he just started to cultivate a week ago. He's still weak in her eyes.

"And Little Fai, this would be your first official battle. Don't get hurt."

Dan Fai nodded like an obedient kid.

"Hmm. Good. Now. The five of you, use this opportunity to practice."

They all nodded. This isn't their first battle but this is their first battle against real human cultivators. Even before the ancient beast incident, their group have been in a battle against the shadow guards to practice their cooperation and see their individual ability in a mass battle. After that, they had a real battle against multiple warlocks. Adding the top notch resources Meixiang provided, this elimination round is nothing compared to their training.

The five participants of each group stood on the wide platform while the other members not participating the battle are standing outside the ring. The stage is large enough to accomodate a war of these more than two hundreds of cultivators. With the hint of a bell, the thirty minutes of earning twenty points started.

Because the cultivators are everywhere occupying the stage, audience's eyes can't focus on a certain battle ending up to Dan Fai as his hair is the most eye catching on the stage.

A man on his fifth stage middle level martial artist started to attack Dan Fai who simply dodge and counter-attack. Because Wiltts are stronger than a normal cultivators, adding Dan Fai is now a second stage cultivator with a wiltt's strength, the lethality of his attacks are in par with a fifth stage martial artist. He easily defeated the opponent with only three simple moves and didn't forget to collect his necklace.

Dan Fai's appearance didn't only catches the attention of the audience but also the cultivators inside the ring. The cultivators nearby eyed his necklace and the other necklace on his hand. Adding the fact that he just turn ten and still weak, they can easily steal those necklaces from him...right?

Two cultivators from the same group nodded to each other and attack Dan Fai at the same time from different directions. Noticing the in coming attacks, Dan Fai touch one of his index ring with his thumb and adopt to the property of the ore of the ring. His entire right leg change into black hard metal as Dan Fai kick the one of the cultivator on his right while grabbing the leg of the other cultivator on his left with his bear hand. His left knuckles adapt to the ore he just touch earlier and harden his grip to the cultivator's leg until his bone made a cracking noise. The man on the floor Dan Fai just kick with his metal leg was now with broken backbone and can't even get up from the floor.

Other martial artists used this opportunity to attack Dan Fai while he's still busy taking care of the one of the martial artist. Five martial artists nearby from every direction attack Dan Fai. Dan Fai quickly responded and throw the cultivator on his hand to the three cultivators and take care the two other by his new learnt martial arts technique last night. Before the three can attack Dan Fai, he already took care the two martial artists and now free to take care the other three upcoming attacks.

Meixiang's subordinates outside the ring watching this scene can only look at the floor where their Little Fai's victims are lying. Their Little Fai seems no need of protection okay!

Dan Fai was about to harvest the necklaces of the martial artists when a fire suddenly flew towards him. Dan Fai simply dodge it. A feint image runs to the bodies of the martial artists Dan Fai just defeated and went back to the direction where the fire came from.

It's two magicians with fire and wind attribute. The two are with challenging gaze towards Dan Fai as they are playing the necklaces they just harvested from Dan Fai's defeated opponents.

Dan Fai put out small fires in a needle form and quickly attack the vital points of the wind attribute cultivator. When the fire magician saw his companion collapse after Dan Fai's small movement, he can no longer smile. He's now vigilant towards Dan Fai. He put out a ball of fire that flew to Dan Fai's direction. Dan Fai didn't move but instead put out a small fire and attack the fire ball of the fire magician. Out of everyone's expectation, the small ball of fire of Dan Fai swallows the fire ball three times bigger than it's size. Dan Fai's fire didn't stop there and continued to attack the fire magician.

The audience gulp with this scene. Is this the power of a dual constitution?

Meixiang's subordinates are also in complicated situation. He really didn't seem needs a protection okay!

Meixiang just calmly watch from the sideline. This view didn't surprise her, it's a fire of heaven and earth, a mere fifth tier fire magician's fire can't compre to it. Meixiang is thinking different thing. Her little brother learns to be playful and tried the different lessons his masters taught him in this arena. The three months seems not put the phantom's teachings in vain. It's just they teach him a lot and different techniques so her little brother seems don't know which is to use. She needs to fix this afterwards.

While Meixiang isn't surprise to this view, that's not the case of the people at the highest seats where the eight great families and five powerhouses are located.

First, the wiltt is already at the second stage of martial artist but he just had his birthday a week ago right. After his aptitude test two days ago, they accumulate as much as information they can about the purple eyed wiltt, naturally they know his date of birth. He just cultivated for a week but already a stage two martial artist!

Wiltts are with marks of their date of birth on their chests naturally knowing his birthday isn't hard, they just ask the records of the slave trade transported Dan Fai to the Central.

Second, the fire of the wiltt is peculiar not only it's too strong but they can't detect the fluctuation of his magic qi this is with a result they can't detect the level of his fire magic. But if it can swallow and subdue a fifth magician's fire, this would explain he's stronger than a fifth stage cultivator right? But he just started to cultivate a week ago! Not to mention he's now a second stage martial artist!

Third, these fighting techniques are too peculiar and they are all foreign to this moves.

No one can explain this phenomenon even the old masters around.

When the participants notice the attention of everyone outside the stage is at Dan Fai, they also turn their focus to him. When they saw the martial artists and magicians he defeated, everyone eyed for the necklaces of those unconscious cultivators. They look at Dan Fai their eyes full of greed.

Ping Chunhua, Bai Zihan, Tian Feng, and Xian Ji then run towards Dan Fai. Their eyes are full of hostility towards the cultivators around. Everyone stopped from their battle and eyed for the group of Dan Fai.

"Heh. It's like we have to take things seriously from now on."

The three nodded with Bai Zihan's arrogant remark.

Ping Chunhua and Tian Feng nodded to each other. Because this is a mass opponent they have to eliminate a great number first. The two summon their scepters ready to play for real. Ping Chunhua after her incantation,  she wave her scepter and a heavy rain pour on the cultivators inside the ring aside from their team. The cultivators expect it's a killing attack and was a little dumb of the rain. They didn't notice Tian Feng started his incantation summoning his thunder magic at the sideline. As the cultivators are completely soak with water, thunders one after another attack the cultivators in the middle of the rain.

This is the same combo attack Ping Chunhua and Tian Feng used to subdue a wind attribute way back at the White Forest. They occupy the space with the help of Ping Chunhua's water no longer needing to directly attack the warlock with unbelievable speed. This time, they use it to occupy a large space to attack numbers of the cultivators around and also to highlight the lethality of Tian Feng's thunder attack. Now that their cultivation rise by bound compare to that day inside the White Forest, naturally the lethality of this attack is greater.

After this combo attack, the number of the cultivators greatly declined. The two put out their weapons. Bai Zihan and his eight holed bow. Xian Ji and his eight holed boomerang, his hidden weapons are just around the corner ready to be use if needed. They started to attack the nearby cultivators. Dan Fai used his martial arts rather than using his fire to be able to practice his martial art moves and his Zenioh Constitution. Tian Feng and Ping Chunhua when recovered after using massive amount of magic qi, they join the battle.

The audience around are in daze of the five versus all the participants below. From the magic incantations and martial arts techniques to their scepters and weapons of the five members of the Amazing Mercenary are all top notch! The center beast cores used on the two scepters are high grade dark beast cores! And the weapons of the two martial artist are both eight holed weapons! These are too luxurious right.

They then look at the little girl outside the ring who is observing the battle of her subordinates while leisurely eating fruits. They can't help but twitch their faces. When did a dining table was set up on the arena?! They can only look at the little tycoon eating fruits while talking to her subordinates from time to time like commenting on the battle inside the ring. The subordinates are nodding their heads like learning new things from the little tycoon and didn't forget to eat fruits from time to time.

At the special seats for the leaders of the eight great families of the Central, their focus is also on the high grade weapons and scepters of Meixiang's subordinates.

"Those spiritual weapons are high grade weapons especially made for their owners. This grade of weapon, I myself need no lesser than a year to be in seclusion to refine the bow alone."

The patriarch of one of the great families honestly stated.

"Do you think it was bought from the Refiner Guild?"

"The armament master refined and holed the weapons, this top notch armament master maybe in par with the headmaster or better than him."

"Let's not forget the master Refiner created the scepters and holed those beast cores." the lady in red said. "It's a dark magician."

The patriarchs of the great families are taken back. A dark magician master Refiner? It means a stage seven dark magician that learns to Refine and holed scepters!

"The style of their scepters also have not seen by this old man. None of these weapons and scepters are created inside the Central."

"It seems the mercenary organization earn a good deal this year."

"The little girl seems a little troublesome."

The patriarchs look at the little girl outside the ring eating her fruit leisurely.

"It's the little tycoon in the stories. It's a beauty with resources, it's a good catch."

A lazy laugh suddenly rang at the end of the row where the leaders of the eight great families are seated.

"Heh let's see if her taels can protect her people."

Everyone turn their heads at the young man in robe full of gold embroidery. He is smirking like a mad man looking at Meixiang's petite figure below.

The man in robe full of gold embroidery is the same man Meixiang and the others saw on their second day at the Central whom killed his slave with neck ring bought from Vian Din Pavilion.

The man who is always in gold robe is named Jin Lang, the youngest patriarch of one of the eight great families of the Central. Only at the age of fourteen, he started to lead the Jin family, now twenty four, he is still the leading figure of the family. This is with a main reason of him being one of the only ten known summoner in this realm, now twelve with Shin Ai and Qin added in the list of the rare summoners.

Jin Lang stared at Dan Fai as his mental power started to form into a hand and move towards Dan Fai's direction in an inexplicable speed and strength. Suddenly when it was about to touch Dan Fai who is currently taking care of two cultivators at a time, a strong mental power barrier stops Jin Lang's attack.

Jin Lang who was smiling a while ago is now taken aback. He frown while trying to detect the barrier his mental power just encounter. It's too strong that he can't detect who is the owner of it. When he was about to explore the barrier, his mental power started to weaken like a whirlpool is sucking dry his mental power. He had no choice but to withdraw first.

The leaders of the other great families are now at loss looking at Jin Lang's current state. They always see him in his usual arrogant state like a mad man who can stop by no one but with this current view, they can't help but wonder what made him frown like this. Suddenly, Jin Lang laughs like a crazy man his eyes are glimmering looking at Meixiang's team. When he's back to his usual crazy state, the other members of the great families threw the face of Jin Lang's confuse face they just saw earlier at the back of their heads like they have seen wrong.

Because their mental power is not as strong as Jin Lang, they didn't see the situation of the battle Jin Lang just had been through. This is not the case to the headmaster of the Central College seated where the leaders of the powerhouses are stationed.

Among the five headmasters of the five powerhouses, he is the only summoner among them and the only with stronger mental power compared to the young patriarch Jin Lang. Naturally he can see the mental power of Jin Lang who tried to attack the red haired boy but only defeated by an unknown strong entity.

The old man then look at the little girl sitting idle outside the ring curving her lips but her eyes are not smiling.

The headmasters on the side are oblivious of the old man's thoughts still talking about the obvious win of Meixiang's team below.

"It seems this year would only accept a single mercenary group."

"This year's event would be idle for the two upcoming days."

They are talking about the rest of two days where the aspiring mercenary groups should be tested but unfortunately the elimination round that should supposedly only cuts the number of the participants, completely annihilated all the forty six aspiring mercenary groups leaving only Meixiang's team. If there is only single mercenary group then the battle against other group is void.

The representative of the Mercenary Association signalled his comrade and gave his order. His confidant was about to leave to follow their leader's order when suddenly a voice rang.

"I wouldn't offend her if I were you. This group is not easy to offend."

The four headmasters are taken aback at the sudden warning of the headmaster of the Central College.

"Headmaster Cao means?"

The old man didn't talk.

"Headmaster Cao is overestimating the group. Although those scepters and weapons are indeed extraordinary, the group's abilities seems ordinaries. They must only have a luck to encounter a high grade master refiner and armament master. That's all."

"Summoner Cao must saw something to that group to deserve this kind of protection."

"Summoner Cao needs not to be overprotective. Headmaster Lishi just said this to keep the event alive. If they can't even survive with this, they don't deserve the Great Summoner Cao's protection."

The old man Cao shook his head helplessly. This is not to protect them but to protect you. He no longer said what's in his mind.

The headmaster of Mercenary Organization signalled his confidant to continue to deliver the message but was stopped once again.

"Father, may this daughter welcome and deliver herself the message to our new member?"