The first stage of the Crimson Cloud Tournament does not take place in the Imperial Palace or even in one of the surrounding districts. Instead, four large warehouses near the city limits are repurposed for the occasion. All the merchandise is cleared out, and over a hundred fighting rings are moved in. This allows for multiple matches to take place simultaneously, but even at that pace, it will take many days for the first stage to reach completion.
Pushed against the walls of the warehouses are multiple rows of seats for the audience. The view they offer is by no means great, but people still pay money to sit on them and watch. Industrious citizens are already selling vision-enhancing items outside each warehouse. In the coming days, memory jades will be worth their weight in gold.
While the audience members vibrate with anticipation and try their best to spot the most famous fighters, the competitors all move in nearly perfect silence. Their minds are busy going over their preparations. For most, this will be a grueling test of endurance. The fate of certain Sects might be altered forever depending on the outcome of the matches.
Liu Jin cannot help but feel out of place.
His qualification to the next round is a forgone conclusion that requires only his attendance. If he had his way, he’d be watching the Blue and Green Groups. However, considering the caliber of competitors involved and their masters, sending a soul fragment to spy on them is unlikely to be successful.
“You could try to look a little less threatening. Your opponents might cry if you greet them with such a fearsome scowl.”
“It is a tournament, is it not?” Liu Jin replies, glancing back at Song Daiyu while he takes his place in the ring. “One would assume being threatening is the point.”
Song Daiyu merely smiles in reply, as though she knows something he doesn’t.
“Should you even be here?” Liu Jin asks. “This is hardly something you needed to make time for.”
“Small venue matches have their own charm,” Song Daiyu replies. “Besides, some people, such as Lu Mei, have offered to pay for a memory jade of this.”
“Does something really merit recording?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Song Daiyu says as Liu Jin’s first opponent of the day enters the ring.
“I greet Emperor Qing Jin of the Storm Dragon Empire,” the man says, bowing before Liu Jin with his hands clasped together. He wears colorful robes and carries a long spear on his back. His age seems to be near the limit for competition in the tournament. “Your reputation and deeds are known far and wide. This one cannot compare, so there is no need for you to bother even hearing this one’s name.”
Liu Jin raises an eyebrow.
“Shall I take that to mean you surrender?” Liu Jin asks his opponent. He notes, not without some annoyance, that several people in the surrounding rings are not even pretending to fight. They have their attention focused exclusively on him instead of their opponents.
“In a moment, Your Majesty,” his foe replies. “While my name is not worth learning, I cannot say the same about the Hundred Flower Sect from which I come. We might be a mere hundred-year-old organization, but our affinity for textiles is unmatched! This robe I am wearing is one of our latest designs. I guarantee that I would die from your attacks long before these clothes began showing signs of damage. They are exceedingly comfortable and good for warm and cold weather alike.”
“...What are you doing?” Liu Jin asks.
“I am merely proclaiming the many good aspects of my Sect, Your Majesty,” his opponent replies, “Do not believe for a second that I am suggesting His Majesty’s clothes are in any way inferior to my own! I merely wish for His Majesty to know we are willing to offer our services to the Storm Dragon Empire. Please keep us in your consideration.”
The disciple of the Hundred Flower Sect keeps speaking like that for five more minutes before finally surrendering and removing himself from the ring. Liu Jin spares a look at Song Daiyu, who seems to be trying her hardest not to laugh while hiding her face behind her fan.
“You knew this would happen.”
“Did I know that people would think this is their best chance for an audience with the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire?” Song Daiyu asks, putting a hand over her heart. “It is a possibility.”
Liu Jin blinks. When she puts it like that…
“Don’t feel bad for not having realized it sooner. You have been occupied with other matters,” she says while taking out a thick binder from a spatial storage hidden within her fan. “By the way, your next match is against the heir of Swift Steel Valley. They have a decent enough reputation, but there’s no point humoring them. Your mines offer more than theirs ever could.”
“You have prepared for this,” Liu Jin notes. Song Daiyu smiles at him.
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“The Storm Dragon Empire is a client of our Five Blessings Group. I could not possibly let you make an inferior deal.”
“Or allow too much competition for you,” Liu Jin points out. Song Daiyu’s eyes twinkle. “Fine. Let’s try to finish this quickly.”
“How optimistic of you.”
Unfortunately for Liu Jin, what follows is a thoroughly annoying experience.
“...We of the White Door are prepared to offer..”
“...so as you see, Our Thousand Vines produce much in the way of fruits and other delicacies.”
“...The Thundering Gallop merely seeks the opportunity to train under the storms of your country. To that end, we offer…”
The sheer number of people, as well as the diversity in their requests, soon makes Liu Jin very glad that he has Song Daiyu at his side. Her input allows him to quickly and efficiently sort through everyone.
“Those from the White Door are known debtors and only know how to peddle inferior products. There is no need to entertain them.”
“...You should consider their offer. The Thousand Vines produce great fruits. Your nobles will thank you. They also make fantastic wines.”
“... That one should be left to your judgment, Your Majesty.”
Despite that, some things remain far beyond Liu Jin’s expectations.
“...my womb is guaranteed to produce only male offspring. Should the Emperor wish it, I will gladly dedicate this body to-”
“No,” Liu Jin says, cutting the girl before she can finish.
“You shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss her,” Song Daiyu says. “You never know when a trait like that will be useful.”
Liu Jin glares at her, and Song Daiyu wisely drops the matter. Unfortunately, it is far from the only womb offered to Liu Jin that day. Several of his female opponents boast of the strength of their bloodlines before offering themselves to him as concubines. Even his male opponents talk to him about their sisters or cousins.
“You should give some of these a little more thought,” Song Daiyu advises, “A good womb is not the sort of thing that can be tossed aside carelessly. You might feel safe because you already have two wives, but you’d be surprised by how often one needs a good-”
“Do not say womb again,” Liu Jin says, his Qi rising slightly. “I know this must be greatly amusing for you, but I do not see the humor in it. I did not come here for people to peddle their daughters, sisters, and cousins to me.”
“Very well,” Song Daiyu says, raising her hands in surrender. “But do keep in mind that these people are not merely peddling their females to you. They are offering their females the best option available. Your approval can guarantee their future, and they know it. Do not think badly of them for pursuing a profitable partnership.” The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel⁂fire.net
Liu Jin says nothing. Unfortunately, he can see the logic. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to pick their own partner.
“By the way, that is the heir of the Mysterious Peak you just made faint. They are a secretive bunch, so I was interested in learning what he offered.” Song Daiyu shrugs. “Oh well.”
Liu Jin blinks. Sure enough, his next opponent fainted before he got a chance to step into the ring. Sighing, Liu Jin pinches the bridge of his nose and waits for his next match to be called.
It is like a sudden breeze. The weak do not think much of it, while the strong are left light-headed. A few tournament competitors fall unconscious, and whispers ensue across the room like a swarm of locusts. They have all heard the rumors. They understand what just happened.
The Wandering Wind has arrived.
“Even when she’s not trying to make an entrance, I suppose a Divinity cannot help herself,” Song Daiyu muses. “What do you… think?”
Liu Jin’s aura simmers around him with dangerous intensity. His red eyes glow as he looks in the direction of the Wandering Wind. However, unlike others in the city, it is not the Wandering Wind that Liu Jin is paying attention to.
It is the far smaller Qi at her side.
“I understand this has a great personal significance to you,” Song Daiyu hurries to say, desperately trying to catch Lu Mei’s gaze from among the hundreds of people in the warehouse. “However, you cannot possibly be thinking of-”
Liu Jin is not there anymore.
The warehouse where the Green Group matches are taking place is on the opposite end of the city. Considering many of Imperial Cloud City’s districts dwarf regular cities, it is a significant distance. Despite that, Liu Jin needs but a single breath to get within a hundred yards of the warehouse, and he would have gotten much closer were it not for the appearance of an obstacle in his path.
“I must admit,” the Wandering Wind says, “I did not expect you would be quite this bold.”
“Bold? Is that what you see concern as?” Liu Jin asks, his voice coming out harsher than he’d intended. “It has been years, and I still do not know whether Su An is alive or dead. I can finally find out. Please…Move.”
“I do not think I will.”
Liu Jin’s Qi spikes dangerously. Countless in the city shiver as the light dims and the city becomes colder. The air cracks and falls like glass, leaving behind holes from which inky blackness pours out.
However, the Wandering Wind is unphased.
“Your improvement is impressive,” the Wandering Wind says, easily driving back the blackness with the force of her Qi. “However, patience is a virtue that will serve you well right now. You have matches to attend, and so does she.”
Liu Jin growls. Countless all over the city shiver in fear, yet the Wandering Wind is not one of them. There is no point in continuing this. Liu Jin already knows that. His actions are only hurting those too weak to bear the weight of his presence. An uncontrolled display is not like him.
Liu Jin takes a deep breath. His aura disappears.
“Is she well?” He asks.
“She has undergone the necessary trials and forged herself anew. Whether she has become the person you wish her to be is not something I know,” the Wandering Wind replies. “If you wish for better answers, simply make your way to the second stage and seek her out.”
Liu Jin turns and walks away, his robes billowing as he does.
“I fully intend to have you answer all my questions once this tournament is over,” he promises.
“Satisfy my expectations, and you shall have any answer you wish.”
“I will surpass them.”
“Oh my, you truly have grown bold.”