Chapter 30 It's A Promise

The first day of the new year in the Ancient Soul Sect, was always, without fail, the start of the new disciple tournament. The excitement from the festival on the previous day, carried over into the morning of this one, and over a hundred new disciples all gathered together in the Wood Soul Hall, murmuring and chatting about their progress and cultivation.

"Did you end up reaching Rank 2 before the beginning of the tournament?".

"I'm not even close man! I only became a Peak Rank 1 Gu Master about a month ago, how I am going to reach Rank 2 in the span of only thirty days!".

"If I had a Liquor Gu, or even just a single Green Copper Relic Gu I definitely would have reached Rank 2 before the tournament!".

"Did you hear about Fang Kai and Song Pei? Both of them are apparently Rank 2 Gu Masters already, and have been for quite a while".

"Of course they both are! They are the descendants of Elders within the Sect! Everything they could ever need for their cultivation was given to them the moment they were born. I'm sure, even if they awakened a D Grade or C Grade Talent, they would've found a way for them to enter the Ancient Soul Sect".

"I also heard that Tai Yang and Tai Yin are both Rank 2 as well! Their Father is Elder Tai, the Elder in charge of Water Soul Hall! Their father could literally give them all the primeval essence stones they could ever need and still have enough left over for the rest of us!".

"Don't even get me started on Xuanyuan. I heard that someone reported him to the Elders and they turned a blind eye to his actions. Didn't he assault several female disciples? Isn't the Ancient Soul Sect a Righteous Sect? Even if he is the disciple of Elder Luo, shouldn't there be a standard upheld within the Sect? I also heard he is a Rank 2 Gu Master".

Rumors and gossip were shared all throughout the morning. Xuanyuan didn't receive his breakfast in the Wood Soul Hall, instead having a small meal in Elder Luo's residence, before heading towards the Strength Soul Hall.

The Strength Soul Hall was where the Sect held their combat classes and martial arts classes, in addition to housing the arenas used for tournaments within the Sect.

While older disciples weren't that interested in the tournament, they were interested in those Gu Masters who managed to reach Rank 2 within the span of a year. These were not just talented juniors to watch out for, but also competition for the regular Sect tournament held once every three years. 

Not to mention, the winner of the tournament became an Inner Sect disciple, granting them more privilege's and a higher status in the Sect.

That was perhaps the most valuable thing the Tournament gave out.

Xuanyuan watched from the stands as dozens upon dozens of Rank 1 Gu Masters filtered into the Strength Soul Hall, barely filling up a portion of the stands. A few groups of senior brothers and senior sisters sat in the stands as well, watching the new group of disciples intently, muttering and chattering amongst themselves.

Xuanyuan saw Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er in the crowd, and waved at them, causing the former to wave back with a smile on her face.

Yu Zhong Er just gave him a small nod and an almost imperceptible smile. She, alongside Long Xi, had long since become Peak Rank 2 Gu Masters, waiting for the moment they both reached Rank 3 before giving Xuanyuan his Rank 2 Four Fragrances Liquor Worm.

Both were A Grade Talents, so it was only a matter of time before their cultivation reached that point.

Moving his attention away from Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er, Xuanyuan noticed Little Gong, and Lu Guo in the crowd. These were the only two disciples from his own batch that he knew personally, while the only others were those he knew by name were those descendants of Elders whose cultivation exceeded his own.

Fang Kai was the descendant of Elder Fang from the Wood Soul Hall, a Rank 5 Wood Path Gu Master.

Song Pei was the descendant of Elder Song from the Dragon Soul Hall, a Rank 5 Enslavement Path Gu Master.

And Tai Yin and Tai Yang were both twins, descendants of Elder Tai from the Water Soul Hall, a Rank 5 Water Path Gu Master.

Other than Song Pei, who was seen around the Sect with a large, crocodile-like beast, indicating his Enslavement Path background, Xuanyuan didn't know what any of the other Paths the Elder descendants chose.

It would make Xuanyuan's life significantly easier if they all followed the same Path as their parents or grandparents, but Xuanyuan knew better than to think such a thing.

Glancing at the Elders box towards the entrance to the arena, Xuanyuan could immediately see more than a dozen different Elders present.

Elder Fang, Elder Song and Elder Tai were all present. As were Elder Luo and Elder Hu.

Elder Guo was present. Elder Kong and Elder Li from Burning Soul Hall were all present as well.

And, for the first time since joining the Sect, Xuanyuan met the Leader of the Ancient Soul Sect. 

A middle aged man with black glossy hair, pale skin and a demeanor that seemed almost otherworldly. His presence stood out in comparison to the other Elders, and the faint scar through his eyebrow made him seem slightly wild, but significantly more masculine.

He was tall, and his robes were baggy, but Xuanyuan could tell that his figure was lithe and refined. Years of cultivation, martial arts and research had given most Gu Masters a thin physique, obviously with some exceptions, but most were above average in terms of appearance.

The Sect Leader raised his hand, and immediately, all sound within the arena ceased, prevented from escaping through some unknown method.

Xuanyuan felt a wave of power wash over him, lifting his head unconsciously, blinking as he tried to feel what type of Gu had affected him.

'Was that a Sound Path Gu? Is the Sect Leader of the Ancient Soul Sect a Sound Path Gu Immortal? I don't recall Elder Kong or Master mentioning if the Sect possessed a Sound Path Gu Immortal...'.

Elder Kong had mentioned numerous Gu Immortals that belonged to the Ancient Soul Sect, more than a dozen, each belonging to different Paths. The Ancient Soul Sect valued diversity within its Ranks, so that its Gu Immortals could leave behind different legacies and inheritances for their disciples.

Additionally, it made it easier to leave behind Blessed Lands and Grotto Heavens, considering that it was just passed down to the next Gu Immortal of that Path. While the foundations for some Paths, like Sword Path and Lightning Path were not that common in the Ancient Soul Sect, their Earth Path Gu Immortal and their Soul Path Gu Immortal were, from Xuanyuan's understanding, developed beyond their Rank.

They annexed the Blessed Land of the previous Earth Path and Soul Path Gu Immortals, elevating their foundations to the level of an already established Gu Immortal. There was a problem with this, that Rank 8 Gu Immortals required a Great Grandmaster level attainment in a Path in order to be annexed, but was solved with the existence of Ancient Soul Public Grotto Heaven.

Ancient Soul Public Grotto Heaven was the public blessed land belonging to the Ancient Soul Sect. Those Rank 8 Gu Immortals belonging to the Ancient Soul Sect allowed their immortal apertures to fuse with the public blessed land, and was primarily used to house the Dragon Soul Hall, the Soul Hall which focused on taming and enslaving beasts for battle.

The size of Ancient Soul Public Grotto-Heaven was enormous, even by Xuanyuan's standards. It had several tens of thousands of years worth of foundations, and even if the Dao Marks within weren't compatible, the size was baffling to Xuanyuan.

To put it in perspective, Fang Yuan's Immortal Sovereign Aperture was more than 33 million square kilometers after he became Rank 9. In comparison, the size of Africa is roughly 30 million square kilometers.

The size of Ancient Soul Public Grotto-Heaven was more than 30 million square kilometers. It possessed seas, mountains, rivers, forests, jungles, deserts, tundra's and a single ocean more than a 1000 kilometers deep. All manner of Gu, beasts and Gu materials grew within the public blessed land.

This was a foundation which stretched back more than 300,000 years. One of the oldest Sects in the Central Continent.

Xuanyuan didn't have any evidence, but he was sure that the public blessed land contained several Desolate Beasts. 

Xuanyuan stopped his train of thought, focusing on the Sect Leader. The handsome man didn't smile, but his tone and demeanor wasn't distant or overtly commanding. 

"I'll keep this brief. You have all been in our Ancient Soul Sect for almost an entire year now. Despite your youth and inexperience, you have all started to walk your Paths, developing into a new generation of Gu Masters".

"This tournament, is designed to highlight all of your understandings and comprehensions. To show off your cultivation. To emphasize the strength of your mind, and the power of your Gu. You are all members of the Ancient Soul Sect, that fact will never change. You might have different mothers and fathers, but you are all children of the Sect. Brothers and sisters whom walk hand in hand towards immortality".

"Do your very best today. Your efforts and hard work will be noted, and those whom perform well will be exceptionally praised. I expect great things from all of you".

The Sect Leader showed a small smile, his eyes glancing over the batch of new disciples, lingering on a couple before landing on Xuanyuan. It lingered on him for no longer than a second, before the Sect Leader waved his hand, gesturing for Elder Chang from the Strength Soul Hall to continue.

The Strength Path Rank 5 Gu Master nodded, standing even taller than Xuanyuan. His broad shoulders and massive frame made him appear more like a giant than a human. He must've been at least 8 feet tall and arms thicker than Xuanyuan's waist.

He was bald, and his expression fierce, yet an unmistakable smile marred his lips.

"There will be eight concurrent battles at any given point in time. You will fight your opponent for the round until a clear winner and loser has been determined. You are not permitted to leave the limits of the arena until you have withdrawn form the tournament. You will fight, again and again until you are no longer able to".

"Your names will be drawn randomly from a pool which is how we will decide your opponents. Cheating, must be proven directly after the accusation. If you are caught cheating, you will be disqualified and reprimanded to the Burning Soul Hall. Is that understood?".

Every Gu Master in the crowd nodded, albeit a few unwillingly.

Xuanyuan felt a few glances sent his way, but ignored them and just watched Elder Chang. More than a few in the crowd wanted the Strength Path Gu Master to point out the few in the crowd whom possessed Rank 2 cultivations.

Elder Chang glanced at those individuals, before addressing the disciples.

"With regards to those Gu Masters whom have attained Rank 2 before the tournament, the Sect congratulates you and informs that they will be competing as well".

"Are you serious!?".

A few Gu Masters in the crowd stood up, frowning deeply. One in particular, practically snarled before waving his hands towards Xuanyuan, Song Pei and the others. The focus of the entire arena was on this single young man.

"This cannot be fair! Wanting to fight a Rank 2 Gu Master as a Rank 1? It's impossible! They should be excluded from the tournament, and you should let just the Rank 1 Gu Masters participate!".

The young man received a couple cheers and a few nods, while Elder Chang just stood there, arms crossed and expression blasé. He watched as the young man specifically pointed out Xuanyuan, causing him to frown as he continued.

"There are descendants of Elders and the disciples of Elders whom have received more Gu and primeval essence stones than the rest of us! How can this be considered fair? You expect us to fight against them, all the while they are benefiting from resources that we cannot possible obtain! This one here, has assaulted multiple women within the Sect, and yet he still walks around like nothing has happened! He is rewarded for breaking the rules! Is this how the Righteous Path nurtures their geniuses?".

Xuanyuan's expression remained mellow, but Elder Luo unconsciously tightened the grip on his chair. Elder Hu, Elder Guo and Elder Kong glanced at the Space Path Gu Master, rolling their eyes at Luo Yu's reaction.

'This will end well', they all thought.

Elder Chang didn't even so much as flinch, his eyes moving to Xuanyuan for a moment, before moving back to this young man. 

"That is a serious accusation young man. Do you have evidence to support these claims?", Elder Chang asked calmly.

The boy was a little bit taken back at the cool demeanor Elder Chang used, but just glanced at his fellow disciples gesturing for them to speak up. A number of disciples looked at each other, particularly toward their fellow female disciples, but all of them just shook their heads, glancing at the others around them instead.

Even after a couple minutes, no-one stood up, leaving the boy nervous and biting his lip.

"They must just be too scared to voice themselves", he claimed, "He is the personal disciple of an Elder, it is possible that Elder Luo asked them to remain quiet!".

The boy flinched as a loud bang echoed right beside him. Several other disciples screamed as a palm sized blade of shadow flew through the air, creating a deep, clean cut in the space between his legs. The shadow blade was perfectly angled so that it missed several other disciples, rotating at it flew through the air.

The sudden attack caused several Elders to stand up in their seats, but a single hand raised by the Sect Leader caused them to stop, waiting for Xuanyuan's response.

An intrigued smile marred the lips of the Sect Leader.

He watched as Xuanyuan walked up the steps, towards the young man, his taller frame hunching forward slightly, almost a complete head taller than the other boy.

Standing face to face with him, his expression was cold and emotionless. The other boy could see his own reflection in Xuanyuan's eyes, and he unconsciously gulped, a flicker of courage appearing in his heart.

"Y-you just attacked a fellow disciple! You should be p-punished for-".

Xuanyuan put his hand on the boy's shoulder, silencing him as he stared directly into his eyes.

"I don't care what you say about me. I don't care if you resent me, or envy me for my talent and luck. You can curse me, disparage me, slander me, even plot against me, I don't care".

Xuanyuan moved his hand from the boy's shoulder, to his neck, making him stiffen unconsciously. His touch was light, gentle, akin to a lovers touch, but the thumb over his jugular was anything but pleasant.

The otherworldly demon just showed a happy smile, one that would've made someone's heart flutter in any other circumstance.

"But if you so much as even slander my Master, accuse him of blackmail or some other heinous act, I will break every bone in your body. This isn't a threat. It's a promise".

Beautiful black eyes glanced all around the arena, reflecting the figures of countless new disciples.

"And that promise extends to all of you as well".