Seren

"Welcome to the platform contestant Jerytie and contestant Hu Kang." The voice of Madam Lu invaded the stadium.

A young woman dressed in a bright yellow robe with a golden hood covering her head slowly walked onto the platform as if floating, barely touching the ground. She also was covering her face with a mask that only showed her amber eyes. Her arms were adorned with two golden wristbands encrusted with white jewels that protected from her wrist to her elbow.

She was to fight with a big, muscular man with a big curled dragon tattoo on his forehead. He was wearing an exquisite green robe with the emblem of the Long House.

"That is Hu Kang from the fifteenth Dukedom."

"Yes, I hear he is merciless, and won't hesitate to punch a woman."

"What back luck for Jerytie, she seemed to be a weak lady."

The battle started when the two made a respectful reverence and backed away to the edge of the platform. Then, in a matter of seconds, the two collided in the middle of the stage. Him with his fist, she with her golden wristband. They continued fighting with their hands without using magic power attacks, they only enhanced their body speed and the strength of their blows. It was an astonishing show of force, the mighty moves raised the floor and make a tremor within the magic circle that was placed there to contain the energy and protect the audience.

All of a sudden, with a quick move on her feet, she delivered a strong kick to He Kang's stomach and nearly threw him off the platform. He spat blood and tried to stand up, but his knees were unsteady. He looked up and a small smile formed in his face.

"I thought I could continue fighting to the end using only my fists, but I was wrong. I respect you Grand Master of Qin."

The crowd was stupefied.

"What did he say?"

"Did I hear wrong?"

"Is she a grandmaster of Qin? How could that be?"

He Kang drew his long sword and embedded green energy into it. The formidable power came in waves and lifted the dust. The crowd was in awe. After all, he was the mighty first knight of the Long Clan and was respected throughout Sesea and other countries and clans. He was a hero who fought in many battles and the northern war to subdue the wild tribes.

"I wanted an opportunity of clashing punches with someone as powerful as you to understand the extent of my strength. I would be honored if you indulge me." He bowed his head.

Jerytie only nodded and drew her own long sword embedded with bright yellow energy. The sparks came flying every time they clashed their swords. It was an intense battle, but it was easy to know that the one having the upper hand was Jerytie. In the end, Hu Kang came flying out the platform from a strong attack.

"Winner of the second battle, Miss Jerytie."

The people were astonished. They never thought that the little girl would hold so much power.

The next battle was between Liu Min and Luo Xin. The stadium was crazed. Two beautiful women exchanging blows on the platform was a sight to see.

"Miss Luo, I've never expected to see you here." Liu Min showed a cordial and friendly tone, but her eyes concealed some hostility.

"Miss Liu Min, I am also impressed to see you here." Luo Xin was gentle and cute as if finding a long-lost friend.

"Heh... you know how to act. Well, it is understandable, in this territory there are many ears and eyes, you should not ruin your pretty reputation."

They started fighting after a little bow. The power of air colliding with the power of water. Liu Min created a big dragon of water out of nowhere that chased Luo Xin across the entire platform as if it wanted to eat her. Luo Xin attacked with a sword of air, slicing the dragon piece by piece. She then flew into the sky and sent two wind swords attacks towards Luo Xin. The platform shook with the force of the blow and Luo Xin had to use a powerful shield to restrain the attack. However, she used too much energy and was hit sending her to the edge of the platform.

The battle continued with them displaying their skills and control over the water and the wind. After more than an hour, they were exhausted and injured. Their beautiful faces were covered in sweat and scratches. They had made a magnificent fight, but in the end, Luo Xin created a huge tornado in the middle of the platform and obliterated Liu Min utterly.

"Winner of the third battle, Miss Luo Xin."

The cheers and loud voices didn't stop. However, everything fell silent when the next round contestants came forward.

Seren slowly stepped onto the platform. He was going to fight a man with a great purple turban and a big mustache. Eekon was his name, a man from a faraway land on the East. He looked at Seren with caution and a little concern in his eyes. From the preliminaries' matches, he knew that Seren was someone to fear. He made a slight reverence and proceeded to throw a careful punch embedded with fire magic but Seren only raised a hand. He dispelled the magic in a matter of seconds. His red eyes fixed on Eekon.

"You… you are…" Eekon was stunned and frightened. "I concede defeat."

The people in the crowd throw insults and boos towards the man but the ones in the front rows of the stadium didn't say anything. They had felt the terrifying aura of the man.

"Winner of the fourth battle, Mr. Seren."

The first round was over, and they would wait fifteen minutes to start the second round.

***

"Did you finish your matter?" Xueling said carefully to the Duke while they waited for the second round.

He had been silent for a long time. She felt ignored and couldn't bear the feeling. She touched his hand slightly, but a terrifying aura left him when he turned to look at her. He shot her a cold look. She was afraid and released his hand. He looked at her for a few seconds and retracted his aura.

"I will order something to eat." He said and went out.

She was left with confusing feelings, then she smiled sarcastically. 'Is this it? Now that he found his old lover, I am useless.' She felt a pang in her heart. She has been looking at his face when Luo Xin came out to the platform. He didn't stop looking at her, it was as if he was obsessed.

***

The next round started with Seren and Jerytie. Surprisingly, she just bowed and retired from the tournament.

"First finalist Mr. Seren."

The crowd was confused but cheered.

The next battle was between Khaled and Luo Xin. They started the fight fiercely. They were both powerful and their skill was extraordinary. However, one could notice the sweat dropping from Luo Xin's forehead. She unexpectedly took out a beautiful longsword with an impressive handle decorated with several blue stones, and white magic pouring out of it.

Luo Xin directed a great amount of energy to the sword and attacked Khaled. He looked at her with a smirk and with the power of his fire whip, he sent a crushing lash. The two of them clashed fiercely and broke the magical arrangement surrounding the platform. The entire stadium shook, and everyone was blinded by the powerful clash.

"Idiot!" The Duke's fierce voice fell to a whisper as he sped out of the room onto the platform at the same time.

When the light came on, only the silhouette of the Duke with a woman in his arms could be seen.

"Is that the Duke of Jin?"

"Yes, it seems so. He rescued his beloved."

"Oh! it is so romantic, he jumped to protect his love."

People's comments reached Xueling's ears. She looked at the couple in the middle as they seemed to be meant for each other. The Duke gazed at Luo Xin with gentleness and warmth, it was a look that she knew very well.

Then, a sudden explosion and loud screams were heard from the side of the stadium. The main gates flew off with a powerful blow and the figure of the Great Azure Bird could be seen entering the stadium. The whole audience was in an uproar. Several magic users tried to subdue the bird, but it was powerful enough to send them flying. Its power hit several VIP rooms near Xueling that were destroyed the next moment.

The people inside could protect themselves with their own magic, but Xueling was left alone with no way to carry out such higher-level enchantments. A group of magic-users combined their forces and sent a powerful mass of magic towards the bird that slammed into Xueling's room destroying everything. Then a large ball of light blinded everyone and after a moment all that was left was a large hole where the VIP room and Xueling were supposed to be.