Chapter 22: Junior Spirit Master Competition 6, Champion, Explanation, and Rewards

Chapter 22: Junior Spirit Master Competition 6, Champion, Explanation, and Rewards

(I've finally decided to give all the other team members names. You already know Xia Wei the siphon. Shu Xin is the poison/fire user. Du Lie is the water Buffalo user and Qi Ming is the Batman)

The fourth day of the group competition has arrived. Trumpets ring out as the final 4 teams arrive in the stadium. All of Xue Tie's extra teams have been disqualified by now. Though a few members of the enemy teams have longer-lasting injuries on them that require a week or more to recover.

Xue Tie takes the stand to receive his number and he is part of the first match. Luckily he isn't fighting Bibi Dong. His team takes the stage. Along with Xue Tie, they take an L formation. This confuses their enemy which is mostly composed of the higher ranked members from the individual competition. Yet they stand ready, Martial spirits out, rings flashing. On go, 3 bubbles of poison are formed by Shu Xin. They float towards the enemy who use spirit skills to blast the bubbles away or just blow them up. They quickly dissipate but are only a distraction for Xia Wei to extract the speed from Xue Tie and give it to Qi Ming. With wings spread, he dashes around the arena. Smacking them around, Xue Tie instead gets a strength buff from Du Lie courtesy of Xia Weis extraction. Xue Tie begins stomping his way forward, he is slow so this takes a while but once he is in range. He uses Immutable and grabs one of the enemy members who was just disoriented by a hit to the head from Qi Ming, Xue Tie tosses the person he just grabbed over to. Xia Wei then extracts strength from her and gives it to Du Lie who begins their charge while the extracted enemy is tossed off the stage by even a weakling like Xia Wei.

They begin picking apart the enemy team while Shu Xin provides support with poison orbs or just fire. The match soon ends. His team steps off and returns to rest. Bibi Dong's team takes the stage next while the audience is still reeling from their high of Xue Tie's showcase.

"Wow, losing something like agility feels weird. It's like once I move a certain distance, a weight is plopped on me" Xue Tie comments on being siphoned and the others who have experienced this also nod. Xia Wei looks concerned and asks.

"Wasn't it rash to show me off before the finals? We Might still be facing off against the holy lady?"

"In any other circumstance, it might have been but I'm confident of the result of the next fight. Just extract from everyone as we planned." Xue Tie reassures her with a Strange smile on his face.

As expected Bibi Dong's team wins easily but she was forced to reveal her 3rd spirit skill. Giant purple spider webs covered the arena whole. The trap allowed her team to kick off everyone or they were already deemed incapable of escaping and disqualified.

"Here it is Ladies and Gentlemen. The final Match of the Junior Spirit Master competition. Holy Lady versus The Guardian. Only one team can claim the position of champion." The announcer proclaims and both teams head on stage after a short rest between rounds. Xue Tie waves over at Bibi Dong with a smile. While she instead has a serious expression over how to beat Xue Tie. Her team is spread out but not too far unlike Xue Tie's team which is bunched out. Everyone summons their martial spirits and once the match starts. Xia Wei takes everyone's speed and strength with a spirit ball in hand. She collides with Xue Ties' back. A blinding light shines out as most of their team leaps off the stage except Du Lie who will try to defend Xia Wei so as not to argue about whether her buff is viable once she is off stage. After all, the buff is timed based instead of like The 7 glazed tile pagoda which is activatable. Once the blinding light subsides, Xue Tie is gone.

"Hey there" a voice is heard from next to the back line of Bibi Dong's team. Everyone looks over and sees Xue Tie leaning on the shoulder of the team's jaguar member. She slashes out her claws at him in panic but he turns into a blur as his armored hand smacks into her, sending her off the stage. With both power and speed, he feels a lot less restrained under his armored state.

Boom, one of the stages.

Bang, another one-off. Xue Tie is speeding amongst the enemy members, Bibi Dong can't unleash her webs to not get her team stuck and so she can only charge over. Yet Xue Tie won't allow that and simply targets the farthest members from her. And once that is not an option, then he gets close and drags them away anyways. Shrill screams ring out as they are overwhelmed by Xue Tie.

Once it is just the two of them. Xue Tie positions himself like cavalry and charges at Bibi Dong's sizable martial spirit. Yet before impact, orbs of light seep out of his back. His power waning and he stops just in front of her. Bibi Dong takes the opportunity to smack Xue Tie with her legs which send him flying back. He is almost off the stage. A claw mark is branded on the stage as his trident is what slowed his motion.

As Xue Tie orients himself, he gets smacked with a condensed ball of the web straight into his face from Bibi Dong's first skill. He keeps being smacked with these orbs and his balance begins tipping off when he receives another ball. One much larger than his head courtesy of her 3rd skill.

He falls out of the arena.

Bibi Dong is announced the winner and it's a moment more before the crowd cheers her name.

Bibi Dong on the other hand looks shell-shocked, like she can't believe what just happened. She has never beaten her 'Big Brother'. Never. Never. Never. Why? Why? Why?

Bibi Dong thinks to herself as she sees medics take Xue Tie away. On the stretcher, Bibi Dong can see a light imprint of a smile on his face. Her mood completely drops.

'He let me win. But why? Why now?' She looks around to the crowd cheering her name and finally settles her gaze on Qian Xunji, whose gaze has a happy expression. But his eyes are focused on Xue Tie.

Bibi Dong immediately concludes. 'This is Spirit City, home to Spirit Hall. I'm the holy lady, the next pope. I can't be seen losing, it will demoralize everyone. But they knew that only Xue Tie could beat me as I'm too skilled otherwise. Which means….THEY BOUGHT HIM OFF!!!!'

"Xue Tie, get back here. I won't accept this. I've hit you harder than this and you have shaken it off" she yells out but her voice is drowned out by the cheering and the announcer's voice.

In a rage full state, she has received the championship reward alongside her team from Qian Xunji's own hands, and Xue Tie, the picture of fucking health also gets his. They are told they will get their rewards later. They then both walk off.

Xue Tie tries to hurry away but is grabbed by Bibi Dong who, now that they are out of plain sight, has activated her death Domain. The Innate domain of her Death Spider emperor (the beast martial soul that she is allowed to use and has her 3 rings on). The domain immediately weakens Xue Tie by 20% and Bibi Dong instead gets stronger by 10%. Xue Tie loses his strength and is powerless to resist without hurting Bibi Dong. Also, the mental degradation caused by her domain is making him feel loopy. She stops once they are halfway to her room because she worries he may become an idiot. (Too late). Once they arrive, she throws him at the foot of her bed. His head bobbing around before he can focus on her.

'Eh tu Brute?' He thinks for no reason.

"Why did you do it?" She asks

"The fitness gram pacer test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets harder as you continue" he spouts in English, immediately confusing Bibi Dong since she didn't understand.

"I was offered a deal and I accepted. " he finally says plainly and retells what happened.

FLASHBANG.

AHEM

FLASHBACK

Xue Tie can be seen the evening of the day before the championship day. He is walking to his room when a shadow envelops him and with a hand on his collar, he is dragged away. Once he comes to, he realizes that he is in the Pontiff's office. Ghost Douluo was the one who brought him. Qian Xunji looks at Xue Tie and says.

"Welcome Xue Tie. I apologize for the impromptu meeting, but I had a matter I wished to discuss with you. "

Xue Tie fixes his appearance and greets Qian Xunji

"Greeting Pontiff, what do you require of me? He says.

"I want you to lose," he simply says.

"I'm assuming this is not a generalized topic, as that would make me decline. So I assume this is about the group competition. You want me to lose to Bibi Dong, yes?" He analyzes and Qian Xunji nods while saying.

"In your time here, I have laid witness to both your progress, it is impossible for any other team to beat her except you. After all, she has never won against you. Which is why I want you to throw. In exchange I shall provide you an equivalent level spirit bone as what was already part of the rewards. You are already getting one spirit bone from the individual competition. So why not a free second one?" Qian Xunji offers the deal.

Xue Tie thinks hard on it but eventually shakes his head and says.

"I have to decline, an equal level bone would only imply maybe a 7 thousand year old bone since we are still young. That is too weak. I'll also have to deal with The Holy Ladies rage for a good while. Bring it up to a ten thousand year old bone and I might consider. Or increase it to 20 thousand and take away the original reward from the individual competition." He explains his reasoning while offering a counter deal

Qian Xunji contemplates and finally nods. "Very well, we have an old 23 thousand year arm bone that has been left unrewarded for some time. You can have it." He decides and gives over the arm bone and Xue Tie stores it away and takes his leave to strategize with his team for tomorrow's match.

End Flashban..back

Xue Tie finishes his explanation and shows the Bone he has stored away.

"2 levels of possible spirit power and a new ability In exchange for withstanding your Wrath. I consider that a fair deal. It means I can protect you better, I am your guardian after all." Bibi Dong is blushing a bit at his last words before waving her hand

"Leave, it's fine. Enjoy your loss. You have to meet with your team too, don't you?" Xue Tie gets up woozy. And salutes the holy lady before taking his leave, but not before sneaking over another kiss on her cheek before he goes.

"BASTARD" she curses him but has an even deeper blush on her face. She plops down on her bed.

"Am I such a demoness that you can use me as a point to negotiate for better rewards?" She twirls her finger on her pillow.

Xue Tie on the other hand is unaware of her self reflection. He meets with his team who look anxious.

"Hello boss" x5, they greet him. Xue Tie shakes his head

"Relax all of you, it's fine. Everything went according to plan. I was never meant to win. Just softened up the competition for my junior sister.but I couldn't make it too obvious, though she is smart and figured it out once she won. Honestly thought I was going to die just now" he jokes a bit and they relax. He then continues

"You all will still receive your payments and promised. In fact, I have half of it on me right now" he says and distributes money to 3 of his teammates. They are shocked at the weight of the bags, especially Shi Xin who had gotten his bonus too from taking that one opponent in the 2nd match of the group competition. They bow and thank Xue Tie. But he isn't done talking.

"As I'm sure you have all realized that you're a pretty good team. I'd like to personally recruit you all to join Spirit Hall as my students. I would personally oversee your growth here in Spirit City. I have just enough status to do so." He offers and they all consider it. Eventually Shi Xin and Du Lie (poison fire and water Buffalo) accept, a moment later Xia Wei also accepts but she has a blush on her face as she does. With everyone else joining, Qi Ming can't decline either. They are all considered the weakest because they got to this point through sheer talent, they had no resources unlike the clans or various other organizations. Du Lie says.

"If you didn't offer, I likely would have tried joining the Power or Defense Clan under the Clear Sky clan." The others share similar sentiments of joining other clans with the 7 tile glazed pagoda being the best choice since most other clans don't accept outsiders.

Xue Tie smiles as he knows that none of them have ever showed up in Canon, meaning they never had the potential or were suppressed in one way or another.

While on his way to his room to fill up the applications for them. He is stopped by an elder who gives him the other half of the rewards for the individual competition. Mostly minor herbs that help increase spirit power or temper the body. He accepts, even though he thought he wouldn't get any of this as payment for the older bone. He returns to his room where he drops to his bed. Passing out from the mental degradation his mind is under