Chapter 35: Competition Begins

Registering for the competition didn't take much time and effort as they only needed to provide either a Spirit Hall Certificate or show their spirit ring/s to show their legitimacy as a Spirit Master.

And of course Long Yuyin went for the second option while Feng Qin went for the first, he did not want any attention before the event starts.

The tournament was held in a spacious arena with a large stage in the middle. The audience seats were arranged around the arena and the atmosphere was filled with excitement and anticipation.

As the competitors arrived, approximately 250 youths, they were greeted with cheers and applause from the crowd. Long Yuyin and Feng Qin both received attention as well, more so for the former.

Long Yuyin stood out incredibly as a very beautiful girl, even amongst so many other competitors, despite being 14, her figure was already filling up and her face was stunningly pretty. Even among the female competitors, her beauty was undeniable.

She received many admiring glances from the male competitors while the females looked at her with envy.

Feng Qin, on the other hand, had a more low-key presence. He was a tall, muscular yet lean young man with a serious expression on his face, and his Heavenly Yang Sword hanging prominently from his back.

It was understandable since it was rare to bring a normal weapon in a battle between spirit masters.

He didn't seem bothered by the attention he garnered or the snickers from other competitors.

"Stupid kid. Bringing a normal sword to a fight between spirit masters, does he have a death wish?"

"He's obviously compensating for something, probably because he's a Auxiliary System Tool Spirit Master..."

"Tsk, tsk. Younger generations these days are either too reckless or desperate to understand there's more to life than glory and fame."

'Bruh. You're just a few years older than me, what do you mean 'younger generation'?'

Feng Qin inwardly rolled his eyes and just ignored the fools.

Long Yuyin on the other hand, didn't take too kindly to the others remarks and expressively glared at them. All of them shivered under her look and took a few steps back.

'Hm?'

Feng Qin just took a look around the competitors to see if there was anyone interesting...but he never expect to find a familiar face.

'Mei Lin? Why is she here? I thought she took a break a few days ago due to getting the flu.'

Feng Qin didn't know much of her but Long Yuyin does, as she's been going to the library almost every day since they got here and has pretty much known almost everyone that went there.

Feng Qin had spotted her rather easily because she left a good impression on him, and that she's the only librarian he'd ever gotten to know in Sky Fortune Kingdom.

But Long Yuyin had said that Mei Lin is sick and hasn't been to the library for four days...

'Long Yuyin never mentioned to me that Mei Lin was a spirit master.' He smiled as he went towards her, intending to surprise her, 'Though we didn't also tell her as well–'

Feng Qin halted, his eyes going wide as he felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

Mei Lin was staring at him with cold, dead-like eyes. She was emotionless.

She stared at him as if didn't know him, no, it was as if she regards everyone and everything around her to be nothing.

Her gaze focused on him.

And in that moment, Feng Qin felt as if his entire body was being pressed down by some invisible pressure.

'What the–' Feng Qin's eyes sharpened, and a short burst of red spirit power covered his body, instantly dispelling the pressure.

Mei Lin raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested, but instead of continuing to attack him, she just stared at him for a long time before looking away and disappeared into the crowd of competitors.

Cold sweat poured out of the side of Feng Qin's temple, glaring at where Mei Lin was, he muttered,

"That's not Mei Lin."

Although they had a brief encounter, Feng Qin could sense that the person he faced was not Mei Lin. Her demeanor, her gaze, everything about her was different. It was as if another person had taken over Mei Lin's body.

Feng Qin's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what just happened. Who was that imposter? And what did they want?

"What the heck is going on..."

But he couldn't dwell on it for long as the tournament was about to begin. He quickly shook off his unease and shifted his focus back to the competition.

Suddenly, there was a loud ringing sound and a loud voice was heard throughout the entire arena,

"Hello everyone! Thank you for waiting for us. We will now begin the competition for young spirit masters to compete for the final National Youth Competition, which will be situated in the capital, alongside all the other young genius spirit masters of our great nation!"

As the opening ceremony started, the participants were guided to the stage one by one. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation and excitement, and the competition organizers took the stage to address the participants and audience. They explained the rules and regulations of the tournament, emphasizing the importance of fair play and sportsmanship.

The competitors listened attentively, their focus solely on the upcoming battles. They had trained hard for this moment and were determined to give their best.

Feng Qin didn't as he went towards Long Yuyin and before she could say anything, he leaned to her ear and whispered,

"Something's wrong. Mei Lin is here, and she isn't acting normal."

Long Yuyin's face changed instantly upon hearing the news. She had befriended Mei Lin during her visits to the library, and knowing that something was wrong with her friend made her uneasy.

"What do you mean, not acting normal?" she asked, a tinge of concern in her voice.

Feng Qin explained what had happened and how he felt like he was facing an imposter.

Long Yuyin's eyes widened in shock. She never knew that Mei Lin was a spirit master, let alone that someone was impersonating her.

"We have to find her and make sure she's okay," Long Yuyin said firmly.

Feng Qin nodded in agreement. They exchanged a determined look before focusing their attention back to the tournament.

But their minds were elsewhere, thinking of ways to track down Mei Lin and figure out what was going on.

Feng Qin himself wouldn't normally be this concerned about someone but that kind of pressure 'Mei Li' had struck him with wasn't normal.

Once the opening ceremony concluded, the competitors were divided into brackets, and the first rounds of battles began. Long Yuyin and Feng Qin were in different brackets, so they wouldn't have to face each other until later in the competition if they both made it that far.

Feng Qin's opponent was a scrawny young man, wearing almost entirely brown clothes who had a serious expression on his face.

The young man cupped his hands and said, "My name is Fei Kui. I am 18 years old, a rank 24, Battle Spirit Master. Spirit, Long Iron Whip."

Feng Qin nodded and introduced himself, "My name is Feng Qin. I am 12 years old, rank 17 Battle Spirit Master. Spirit, Heavenly Yang Sword."

'Don't want anyone finding out about my true spirit.'

Even though the possibility of someone recognizing his spirit was small, it wasn't negligible.

Until he gains the strength to become peerless, he wouldn't show it off.

Fei Kui tilted his head, "Ah, so that sword strapped on your back is really your spirit?"

Feng Qin nodded and didn't say anything else to him.

Fei Kui sniffed, looking at him in contempt.

"Arrogant brat. Know your place. I was thinking on going easy on you but–"

Feng Qin tuned him out and just waited for the referee to start the match.

Talking right now didn't really matter.

Because the guy...

"Begin!"

...would lose instantly.

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