The Youthful Battleground (II): Echoes of Battle

The crowd cheered as the long awaited battle finally began.

Zhang Yanhua's eyes glinted with determination as she channeled the element of Order within her. Her movements were elegant and precise, each step measured as she flowed seamlessly into a stance. A faint aura of control emanated from her, creating an invisible shield around her form.

Li Tianyu, on the other hand, focused on tapping into the power of Time. His breaths were steady, his stance straight and attentive. He closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing the currents of time flowing around him. As he opened his eyes, a subtle shimmer enveloped him, a glimpse of the manipulation he could exert over time's flow.

With a nod, the match began. Zhang Yanhua lunged forward with surprising speed, her strikes calculated and efficient. Li Tianyu sidestepped, feeling the rush of air as her fist sailed past. In response, he extended a hand, creating a brief temporal distortion that slowed down her next strike.

Zhang Yanhua adapted quickly, using her control over Order to anticipate the shifts in time that Li Tianyu attempted. She weaved her movements with an almost dance-like precision, making it difficult for him to predict her actions. Her strikes were measured, each one designed to disrupt his rhythm.

Li Tianyu relied on his physical strength, meeting her attacks with well-timed blocks and counterstrikes. The element of Time allowed him to perceive the subtle changes in her movements, enabling him to react with uncanny accuracy. Yet, his attacks lacked finesse, showcasing his novice status.

As the battle continued, the crowd's excitement grew. The clash of elemental forces and raw physical power was a captivating spectacle. Zhang Yanhua's control over Order gradually wore down Li Tianyu's attempts to manipulate time. Sweat beaded on their brows as they pushed their limits.

As the climactic confrontation between Li Tianyu and Zhang Yanhua continued to hold the audience in rapt attention, a figure among the spectators, elicited subtle curiosity. This was Zhang Feng, the heir of the Zhang family, and the elder brother of Zhang Yanhua.

Zhang Feng's long, inky-black hair cascades down his front, each strand seemingly choreographed to artfully conceal his eyes from view. The subtle play of shadows lends an air of mystique to his demeanor, leaving onlookers intrigued and curious about the secrets he might hold behind those veiling tresses. His effeminate features are framed by a delicate, almost ethereal bone structure, giving him an undeniable beauty that's both captivating and intriguing.

Seated among a cluster of devoted followers, Zhang Feng's presence exudes an air of confident nonchalance. His reputation as the city's renowned womanizer is manifested in the glint of admiration and longing reflected in the eyes of his entourage. An unspoken aura of charm surrounds him, made evident by the small group of enamored girls that have gathered around him. Their gazes occasionally wander from the spectacle on the stage to steal glances at Zhang Feng, their whispers and soft laughter underscoring their undeniable admiration for this enigmatic figure.

Although Zhang Feng was defeated by his own younger sister in the semi finals, there was no denying that amongst the younger generations, he was the most promising. After all, he did not have any specific element, but rather, he was blessed by the Transparent element. Which essentially meant that he could, in essence, manipulate and use any element in this world. From the common elements like the element of Fire, to the most sought after elements such as the element of Time.

Zhang Yanhua's fists glowed with a faint, silvery light as she advanced, her voice carrying over the din of the crowd. "Brother Li, remember what Master Liang taught us about balance and precision."

Li Tianyu, his breathing ragged, managed a smile. "And you, Yanhua, don't forget the importance of patience and control."

Their words held a touch of nostalgia, a reminder of the training they had undergone together. As Zhang Yanhua's strikes intensified, Li Tianyu found himself struggling to keep up. He parried her blows as best he could, sweat trickling down his brow.

With a swing, Zhang Yanhua kicked Li Tianyu, and the young men cheered at the sight of her long legs. Li Tianyu hurriedly blocked the kick, only to realise that Zhang Yanhua already launched a follow up.

"Impressive, Zhang Yanhua," he grunted between blocks. "Your control over Order has improved by leaps and bounds."

She returned back a smile, despite the exertion. "And your manipulation of Time is more than I expected, Brother Li."

...

[PoV_set=@]

'I was able to see it. I saw it in his eyes... He held back. He was holding back up till the last moment...'

Blinking twice, I cleared my head from these distracting thoughts. My brother's stance during the battle between us in the semi finals is of little value, for now at least.

I focused my eyes on my opponent as I launched another attack. 'Li Tianyu, oh Brother Li, just how long will you hold on?' I thought to myself, knowing full well that my own qi was also being depleted at a rapid pace.

"Focus, Yanhua. Be not distracted, because once you do, it is all over." The voice of Grandpa River rang in my head.

I rolled my eyes at him mentally, "Grandpa, why don't you just help me then!" I ask in a really pitiful voice. After all, this old cultivator, who has been living inside a ring on my hand had always helped me before this. Whether it be in cultivation, to battle training, or even just finding wild herbs. He has always helped me, yet, he said he won't help me during the fights of the Starlight Ascension...

Of course, the reply, as I expected, was a slow but firm statement of denial. Sigh. Bringing out my mind to focus again, I believe that as I have the initiative, as long as I manage to wear out the stamina and qi of Li Tianyu, I have a chance.

Li Tianyu does look like he's about to deplete all of his qi. He has been using his temporal shifts rare and rare. This is my chance!

Expending nearly all of my own qi, since I too, was struggling, I launched a punch at Li Tianyu. Wait. He... He dodged?!

I saw Li Tianyu lean back, effectively dodging my strike. While I retreated back my hand, suddenly, I felt Li Tianyu grabbing my arm. He grabbed my arm and tugged below, while punching with his other hand.

"Got you!" He said with a triumphant emotion, as if he had already won. Too bad, I had a small amount of qi, just barely enough to conjure up a shield of Order that protected me and took the hit in my steed.

Li Tianyu was stunned for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, I tugged my arm free from his grasp while also sweeping at his legs with my own leg.

However, my attack did not hit.

"TIMES UP!" The referee's voice rang across the entire arena. What does he mean by Time's Up? Doesn't that mean... This battle ended in a Draw?

Both of our figures were teleported back to our respective corners. I looked up at Li Tianyu, and he seemed just as confused as me.

The referee went on to say, "Since Li Tianyu and Zhang Yanhua were unable to defeat each other even in the given amount of time, hence, we will be providing them with Qi Restoration pills and Spirit Calming pills during this short period of time. After which, they must resume the battle."

Oh... So they'll help us get back to our top form to continue the round...?

"However, before the battle resumes, each contestant must select one member, any member from the audience stands to help them fight as a tag team."

Huh? That's interesting...

My eyes scanned the crowd as I'm provided with the Qi Restoration pills and Spirit Calming pills. I recognised some of the faces that may help me, but not any worth bringing up here.

Over the other side, Li Tianyu already appears to have chosen his tag team partner. It's- huh? Big Brother?!

I saw Li Tianyu and my brother chatting. In a brief moment, the latter also takes the time to smile at me. I can see that this time... He will not be holding back.

"It seems that that lad, Tianyu, is bringing up your brother against you. Well, he made it to the semi finals, so I suppose it was a valid choice." Grandpa River provided his opinion.

"Well Grandpa, if Brother Li has chosen Elder Brother Feng to fight against me, then I shall also choose his opponent in the semi finals to fight against him, only that would be fair, no?" I chuckle mentally as I respond back while my eyes finally meet who I was looking for. Chen Ming. The son of Elder Chen. He seemed to be pretty excited as well. I believe he was already itching for a rematch with Li Tianyu.

I was nearly about to select him, when my eyes fell on a familiar face. 'What is HE doing here?' The person on whom my eyes fell, was none other than Chen Yifan, the younger twin of Chen Ming. It was as if Chen Yifan's eyes too, were searching for me. He wanted to... fight?

I sighed. I guess it wasn't a lucky day for Chen Ming. After all, we've only met a couple of times during banquets and have little to no familiarity. Chen Yifan on the other hand... was a friend, we have practised together for a long time after all.

"Sis, made your decision yet?" I heard my brother's voice from the other side of the arena. Although I believe that based on where I'm looking, he has probably already guessed whom I'll pick. "Indeed." I replied back.

"That Chen Yifan lad looks promising, eh, his Darkness element may help you get the edge that you require." Grandpa River provided his thoughts on the matter, and as expected, they aligned with my own.

I lifted my finger, and pointed towards where the Chen brothers were, one excited and the other, slightly anxious. "I choose... Brother Chen Yifan." I made my choice.

...

[A week prior to the battle]

[PoV_set=%]

<Sudden Quest!>

<Visit the venue for finals of Starlight Ascension and get selected by one competitors to participate in final round>

The sudden metallic voice playing inside my head nearly made me drop my food. 'Awh, can't a guy catch a break? Only yesterday, I told Yanhua and the others that I won't be coming!' I sighed in my head.

Ever since I have started cultivating, there has always been a strange voice in my head. It kind of contains a metallic sheen to it, and it does not usually respond to whatever I say. One thing that it does is to suddenly come and provide me with information or quests; things that I have to do. These quests usually have a time limit, though. But if I manage to complete them before the time limit, then I get rewarded with some random things and sometimes an increase in my cultivation level as well.

My life has been rather easy so far, since I did not really have to cultivate like the others and just complete the quests on time to increase my cultivation level. But this... How is this unreasonable quest even possible? And heck, there are not even any rewards listed there!

<You will be rewarded based on your performance>

The voice answered me, but... how the heck am I supposed to enter the finals when I didn't even participate in the first place?! Sigh... I'd better just go and have a walk to cool my mind first.

As I opened the door to the street, I was greeted by none other than Zhang Feng. "Oh, Brother Feng, what brings you here?" I asked out of curiosity.

"You see, brother Yifan... My sister, and well, Tianyu and I too, would love it if you were to attend the Finals to watch the battle." Zhang Feng smiled as he explained.

Hmm, I figured that if I had to at least have a chance to get selected, then I would have to come anyway...

"Did they send you here?" I sighed as I asked.

"Not really, I just happened to be passing by, haha. They were telling me how good it would be if you were to come and watch, and that's about it, haha." Zhang Feng chuckled, and even though I cannot see his eyes because of his hair, I was sure that his eyes were glowing with a devious glint.

"I..." I pretended to think about this deeply for a moment before signing, "Brother Feng, I'll see if I can come. However, don't take my word for granted."

Zhang Feng smiled, his charming smile. A small group of pedestrians had already formed around us before, and this smile was not helping us dispel it. "Well then, thank you for considering it Brother Yifan. Remember, if you do come, then it was not me that asked you to come today, you did it out of your own volition." He chuckled before taking his leave. He did not even bother to cover up the blatant lie that he happened to be passing by. "Well then, I'll be off on my way then. See you around!"

"See you later, Brother Feng." I waved back.

...

[Present]

I remembered what happened a few days ago, and now, here I am. I would have been surprised at how the voice knew that something like this would happen, but then again, this was not the first time something like this had happened.

I saw Zhang Feng getting selected by Li Tianyu, that bastard Tianyu, he did not even notice me, even though I was staring at him so much and directly picked Zhang Feng. My only hope is Yanhua now.

'Yanhua, Zhang Yanhua, Bis Sister Yanhua please pick me...' I was nearly begging in my mind, after all, that was my only hope to get selected. And fortunately, our eyes met, and I was able to convey my intention to her.

Haha, Chen Ming could not have guessed this in his wildest dreams that I'll be selected instead of him. Well, it's not really important, I just need to get done with the quest, it didn't say that I HAVE to win.

"I choose... Brother Chen Yifan." Zhang Yanhua's voice felt like music to my ears.

<Congratulations 3 4 on completing the quest, your cultivation shall be increased from Realm Late stage to Early stage. Good luck and keep cultivating>

I heard the metallic voice again, whoa, I advanced just like that? My aura immediately changed, causing the nearby audience to go in a murmur. 'Sigh. They must believe that I have been concealing my cultivation level...' I groaned inwardly as I made my way to the stage.

I suppose, this brings me back into the league of my peers? No matter the case, since I have already made it this far, I might as well give it my best!

The second battle, is about to begin.