Druidic Cultivation | Forty-Two

1. I am not good at choreographing fights, something I hope will improve as I write in this genre.

2. Long chapter, didn't feel right to split it in half, although I could have pulled some typical xianxia filler type 

moves to figure it out if I wanted.

* * *

The sun had scarcely risen above the top of the arena yet almost every seat was full. If one were to count, they’d be able to tell that it was easily more than there were the day before. 

This was a normal occurrence. Although most of the parents who were there the day before to watch their child awaken had left, as well as many of the parents of the boy’s martial tourney competitors, there was never a lack of spectators on the second day of the tourney. 

There were a couple reasons for this, of course. First of all, girl’s awoke to their martial spirits at a younger age. They practiced more, cultivated more, and were generally stronger than boys of the same age. Although there were fewer females who chose to cultivate, their battles tended to be much more vicious than the boys. On top of that, the girls were all almost of age as well as cultivators. Their skin was clearer, their form more athletic, and generally they looked like fairies that descended to the mortal world. Mostly, it was the vicious battles though.

Finally, rumor had spread about the once-in-a-generation talents that had arisen in the boy’s tourney that year. A vicious little boy who beat everyone senseless with just his fists and a terrifying child who could carry more stones on his body than a grown man, so strong that most of his opponents the day before outright conceded. After hearing about a ten year old boy who crushed a step nine awakened with his bare hands and immediately challenged the #1 boy that year, the rumors spread like wildfire.

As fight advocates, there was no way that the spectators were going to miss that first battle for the sake of sleeping in for a couple more hours. Even among the girls, the number of step nine awakened combatants could probably be counted on a single hand. The bookies didn’t bother to run up and down the isles today having instead set up several booths where lines swarmed to make their bets, a tricky game of logistics considering how close the stadium was to peak capacity to start with.

The shouting, laughing, and overall loud talking of the crowd rained down heavy upon the two children currently sitting in the arena. The barriers that had divided the stage the day previous were now absent and a weak formation was installed instead in an attempt to drown out some of the noise from the spectators. The formation was nowhere near strong enough to mute the crowd, much to the participant’s annoyance. As it turned out, powerful formations were stupidly expensive and the city had elected not tos hell out for one, not that there were any formation masters of a high level around in that remote corner of the country anyways. At most, the translucent sound barrier took the edge off the roar and allowed the participants to think.

“You’d think the city that does these tourneys twice a year would just invest in a sound isolation formation. I mean come on, how much do you think that they make just from gambling alone, let alone all the taxes on goods from the tourism.” Bai Fu grumbled loudly enough for Feng Jiao to hear. The soft spoken boy seemed to be easily annoyed and had been ranting on and off since the two of them arrived nearly half an hour previously.

Starting with being told that they needed to ait until the overseers were ready to start the match, Bai Fu had adopted a disgruntled look on his face that looked almost like he was a pouting child. If Jiao didn’t know how hard the boy could hit, he’d have teased him for his cute facial expressions. Still, Jiao couldn’t help but be annoyed by the constant complaining.

“If high tier formations were so easy to step up then every citizen in the country would have their own top tier cultivation grounds. It isn’t as simple as you’re making it out to be, Bai Fu. First, they’d need to locate a formation master which is already as hard as finding a needle in a stack of hay. Then they’d need to pay an outrageous sum for their time and travel, the vast cost of the actual materials for the formation, and then the never ending upkeep of said formation.”

“Hmph.” Like every other time Jiao had tried to explain how outrageous Fu’s demands were, he simply huffed and ignored Jiao’s reply. Realistically, Jiao knew that the boy was only complaining to talk and ease his nerves but it was getting on Jiao’s nerves.

Finally, the Overseer hopped out from the crowd and walked toward the stage. Like an unspoken rule, the thunderous roar of the spectators slowly trickled off before falling off entirely. The crowd glued their eyes to the Overseer who was slowly walking even as the last few gamblers desperately tried to place their bets through a series of hand motions, facial expressions, and pointing. 

“Willow Mountain City…” The Overseer’s voice echoed out throughout the now silent crowd, “Today marks the second day of the awakening martial tourney. As always, City Lord Huang is pleased to host such a remarkable event. Young children are able to get their first taste of competition even as all of our renowned merchants and citizens get a bit of entertainment. 

“To start off today’s event, we have a challenge match. As everybody knows, the tourney is a double elimination tournament. Beside me stands the only two boys who have not lost two matches. As is tradition, the single loss Feng Jiao has been allowed to challenge the flawless Bai Fu for first place. So long as Feng Jiao manages to defeat Bai Fu twice, or have the other boy admit inferiority, he will be the new first place winner of the tournament. If he loses his first match, however, he will be tied for second place with Ma Heise, the Whip Wielder.”

A series of applause and whistling rang out from the crowd. It was clear to see that, although he hadn’t won the tournament, Ma Heise had also left an impression on the crowd and had several fans. Combined with those who were just generally excited to watch two kids knock the sense out of each other, the crowd was very excited.

“Calm down, calm down,” The crowd got quiet again, “without too much delay, the fight shall start after I once more enter the seating area. Wait until I’ve exited the arena before you two start.” the Overseer pivoted and walked back toward his seat in the front row. Every step he took sounded out throughout the stadium and Jiao found hsi heartbeat synching with the footfall. It seemed to him that the man was talking his sweet time but Jiao knew it was just the adrenaline. So long as Jiao won his fight, or fights if Bai Fu didn’t concede the second, he would be able to take his two friends with him to the sect early. 

Finally, the Overseer lept into his seating area. In the same split second, two clouds of dust shot up into the air as Jaio and Fu threw themselves at the other, each eager to win. Jiao found that his speed was a match for the older boy even after having left his rock collection at the caravan grounds that morning, a large surprise considering he’d had the advantage over Ma Heise. 

Jiao’s palm shot out only to be blocked swiftly, forcign Jiao to then bring up his own arms to block a retaliatory strike from Bai Fu. Fists were exchanged but rarely made contact as both of the boys seemed to have adopted similar fighting styles, avoiding blows with minute shifting of the body and returning their own swifty. After nearly twenty exchanges, the two both shot backwards at the same time and separated to gauge their opponent. The crowd roared, impressed by the swift exchange that only took a few seconds to complete. Even some of the guards who were no longer in the awakening stage of their cultivation wondered if they’d be able to match the speed and finesse that the two children had displayed. 

“So you weren’t insulting me when you didn’t withdraw your staff, Junior Feng. It turns out that you are just as competent with your hands as I had hoped.” Bai Fu spat to the side and began talking before turning a little red in the face. 

“And you fight just as softly as I’d hoped as well, it seems we make a good match for each other.” Jiao returned the compliment, happy to find someone else who fought with a soft style. Bai Fu’s face shifted a couple more shades and he shook his head before charging forward again, apparently done exchanging words. 

After a few more exchanges, Fu finally managed to land a palm on Jiao’s chest and sent him tumbling backwards. The boy did not push the opportunity and instead disengaged, allowing Jiao to get back to his feet. Looking behind him, Jiao realized he was only a few feet away from being ringed and having lost the fight. He slowly walked toward the center of the stage again as his heartbeat began to pick up. 

He’d already been circulating his Qi through his seven opened meridians since the battle started, as well as pushing the wood Qi from his Qi pool through his channels. Even with all of that, Jiao found himself at a disadvantage. If the battle kept progressing in that fashion, Jiao knew he would lose. With no other options, Jiao attempted to overdraft his Qi channels and push as much Qi from his dantian through his meridians as he could, just trying to find a slight edge.

The two of them rushed at each other again and palms flew faster than most spectators could follow with their eyes. Although he was taxing his body, Jiao managed to increase his strikes and reflexes for a short amount of time. For the first time since the fight started, Bai Fu found himself slowly giving away ground as Jiao pushed him backwards with his swift assault. Eventually, Fu slipped up and gave Jiao an opening to strike back.

Jiao’s open palm struck out toward the boy’s heart, intending to knock the air out of his lungs and force him to stagger. To his surprise, the older boy elected to grab at his arm and slow his strike down in an attempt to reduce the impact if not stop the blow. Jiao was impressed with his reflexes but wasn’t willing to let it go so he pushed even more Qi through the arm in question and closed the gap. 

With his momentum halted by Bai Fu, Jiao’s hand didn’t strike with any force at all and ended up coming to a rest on the other boy’s chest. Much to his confusion, Bai Fu felt much softer than a muscled cultivator should. Both boys seemed to come to a temporary halt in the center of the ring with both of Fu’s hands on Jiao’s arm even as Jiao’s hand was on the other boy’s chest. To the spectators, it looked as if the two had become statutes.

Jiao, confused about what he was feeling, gave a slight squeeze to the older boy. Jiao’s eyes widened and his mouth formed a slight ‘o’ even as his opponent went into a  frenzy. The world shifted and Jiao found himself soaring through the air after having been tossed by his arm. His shoulder slammed hard into the ground and he rolled farther and farther toward the edge of the ring, only scarcely able to stop himself from falling off. 

‘A girl!’ Jiao shouted in his mind. His opponent, Bai Fu, turned out to have been a woman who snuck into the boy’s bracket for easier battles. Jiao snorted and pushed himself off the ground, staring back at the now-outraged and flustered Bai Fu who was standing in the center and hugging his, no, her own arms. Jiao saw a crazed look in the girls eyes and replied by sticking his tongue out. What right did she have to be angry by the imagined slight? Jiao had no way of knowing that she was a girl!
Regardless of her gender, Jiao brushed himself off and got ready to battle. He knew that he could probably get her disqualified by calling her out but that would just be a loss of face. He refused to win by crying to the adults about her cheating. He’d beat her either way. 

Jiao’s heartbeat increased and, with it, the speed in which the Qi was flowing through his overdrafted pathways also intensified. A slight heat could be felt along his Qi Channels and Meridians as he kicked off and sprinted toward the girl again. Bai Fu’s eyes widened as she realized that Jiao had no intention to tattle on her and a smirk covered her lips. As far as she was concerned, Jiao aws presenting her an opportunity to beat on the man who had groped her. 

Like two wild beasts, the two savagely exchanged blow to blow, sacrificing flesh to harm the other rather than avoiding and blocking like previously. Each time he was hit, Jiao felt a dull pain followed by heat and each time he landed a hit, the Qi in his veins amplified. Then he took a blow to the head. 

While he tumbled backwards through the air, Jiao’s Qi Channels and Meridians both stilled and the flow of his Qi came to a sudden halt. When he hit the ground again, both sources of Qi began spewing forth faster than they had before and, when he started skating across the ground, he felt something crack.

If he looked internally, Jiao would see the two parallel pathways for his Qi, his channels and his meridians, swollen and pressed up against each other with hairline fractures in each of them. Swollen from the overextension of his Qi and fractured from the constant blows and stressed, his two pathways seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Finally, one of the fractures along his Qi pathway in his left leg touched a fracture for the parallel meridian and his world went up in fire.

Following a chain reaction, each of his meridians seemed to expand and explode forth to consume the Qi pathway as the Yang Qi in his dantian reacted with the Wood Qi in his Qi pool. With the Qi channels as their battle ground, the two diametrically opposed elements combined and consumed each other, going so far as to forcefully burst open the last two meridians that Feng Jiao had not connected back to his dantian. 

In a single, swift blow, Jiao had gone from the seventh step to peak mortal awakening. More importantly, his body was undergoing drastic changes as his channels and meridians merged. Jiao, however, was not looking internally while all this happened. 

Instead, the young boy was leaping to his feat with a burst of energy that he’d never felt before. The world slowed down and colors became more vivid, especially the reds and oranges of the world. Jiao could feel his strength jump exponentially and his reflexes improve by the microsecond. He lifted his eyes and looked at the girl, Bai Fu. Scarcely even registering the terrified look on her face, Jiao shot forward. 

Blow after blow reigned down on Bai Fu but she did not return a single strike. It wasn’t that she was unable to, but Feng Jiao was able to see much faster and react quicker than before. Like a fallen leaf in a hurricane wind, he shot back and forth, up and down, left and right, as he danced around the girl striking out. Slowly, he became aware of a ringing in his ears and stopped his assault. 

Bai Fu lay face down on the arena floor unmoving as Jiao lorded over her. Staring at her now, the red film he hadn’t noticed cover his vision slowly receded and he saw that there were faintly burning fires on her back. Her bare back. 

The fire didn’t burn at her but seemed to dissolve the fabric that made up her clothes for some reason. Her hair had been knocked out of her bun at some point and cascaded over her pale back, covering a few of the contours of her shoulder blades. The cotton wrapping she’d twisted around her chest was slowly dissolving alongside her shirt, but her hair was safe from the fire. Jiao moved to remove his own shirt and cover her bareness only to discover his had dissolved as well.

Curiously, Jiao realized that the nearly translucent flames were covering every inch of his body as they slowly flickered out. He looked at his hands and saw drips of blood on his arm and palms. Looking up, Jiao realized that the Overseer had rushed to the stage and was shouting something to him but the ringing in his ears had reached a point where nothing else in the world could reach him.

Jiao went to rub his ears and his right hand came away warm and wet, significantly more red than before. He brought his hands in front of his face once more and realized there was blood dripping from his nose. After wiping his bloody nose with his left hand, Jiao looked up at the crowd and tried to find his father as his vision slowly went red. 

Jiao collapsed directly on top of the girl and the flames covering his body snuffed out all at once, revealing a ten year old boy who was bleeding from every facial orifice. 

The Overseer, who until that point had been proclaiming his victory in the first match for all to hear, stopped speaking and rushed over to the boy. The crowd was silent, staring down at the two children concerned. First one was knocked out while shouting that she conceded, the next second, her clothes began to visibly degenerate and the boy stopped moving, then Feng Jiao began bleeding and collapsed even as the Overseer was congratulating him.

Silence, followed slowly by cacophony. Screaming and shouting far louder than the stage had ever had before as the crowd nearly lost their minds. The other Overseers rushed out of the stadium seating toward the stage alongside medics. The casters were relaying, step by step, the events for those seated in the back who could not see alongside those outside the stadium who couldn’t afford tickets. 

A peddler screamed his beer prices over the rising noise of the crowd, the bookies were sweating bullets as they realized that the underdog had won the tourney, glad that so few had bet on the boy. A sect scout had an upset look on her face, one that didn’t reach her eyes that seemed to be gleaming with pride. And in the front of the crowd, two girls were covering their ears as a middle-aged man screamed like a fan-girl, two betting tickets clutched in his sweaty hands. The man’s son could only shake his head as he looked down on his embarrassingly nude cousin, the victor, in admiration, confusion, and just a tad of envy.