Chapter 30: Long Walk To The Arena
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Yin Zhe's mind spun quietly as he ignored the whispers and stares from the crowd. he could feel His body still trembling slightly, the residual effects of last night's cultivation tingling in every nerve. Each of his steps forward was deliberate, but the strange pleasure from the Nine Breaths Circle Reactive technique kept him moving awkwardly, making the crowd think he had been… otherwise occupied.
"Hiss… hpmh… hiss…" He thought bitterly, "No wonder everyone misunderstood what I meant by. busy." A few sneered, and some murmurs of suspicion, a few wide-eyed stares followed him along the path to the arena. Every glance seemed to measure his odd movements, the slight shiver in his hands, the way his robe brushed along his thighs and his clamped legs.
He remembered how he had woken up hours ago, rising a few minutes just after dawn. he had been walking for Two hours, yet his body dragged him down with a slow, stubborn weight. Step… step… chatter… Old women had scurried past him like he was a snail racing against the wind. Children giggled at his unsteady steps. Even passersby unintentionally gave him reaction points. little sparks of recognition, curiosity, or mockery.
"Hpmh… hiss…" Yin Zhe's reactive points ticked quietly in his mind, now hovering around 4,000 Reactice Points. Not that it mattered to him at that moment. For now, he only wanted his body to feel… normal again. No more pleasurable, or tingly, just wanted it to be calm and steady while he approached the gates of the Iron Vein Spirit Palace.
Through the tall, ornate gate, he had caught sight of Elder Chen Niao. Step… step… step… The man stood tall, the sword Laughing Steel resting casually against his shoulder. The elder's sharp eyes caught Yin Zhe immediately, and a slow grin spread across his elderly face.
"Grrh… hiss…" Yin Zhe groaned inwardly. Another lecture. The long, tedious monologue about the sword technique called Falling Leaves. He had learned the basics but had never mastered all nine forms. Hmm. Actually he hadn't even mastered one. Now he had to sit through another round of lecture while balancing his sensitivity and the lingering effects of his cultivation.
Blah, blah, blah… chatter.. The lecture stretched on, full of pauses and exaggerated explanations, Elder Chen Niao's voice carrying across the courtyard like a storm echoing over mountains. Yin Zhe's mind drifted inwardly, "Thirty minutes of this… and it took me two hours to get here. Two hours, and my body's still buzzing from walking slowly... dragging itself along. And he smiles like he's the teacher of the century. This damn elder"
The elder handed him a scroll, its paper crisp and slightly scented with ink and old parchment. Yin Zhe took it without a word, carefully weighing it in his hands. The Falling Leaves technique. nine forms for him to master, each form more intricate than the last. They were all in the scroll.
He mused, "This old sage is slowly becoming acquainted with me… or maybe he just enjoys making people suffer. Doesn't he have better things to do than lecture a cultivator already late for the arena?"
He tucked the scroll under his arm, feeling its weight and the faint pulse of energy embedded in its ink. His sword, the Roaring Cat, hung at his side. Its polished edge gleamed in the morning light, a stark contrast to the dull stone floor.
At last now, he arrived before the judge who had called his name and participant number several times already. The judge did not smile. His eyes were sharp, almost cutting through Yin Zhe's body, appraising him. "Hmph" The judge's irritation was palpable. His jaw clenched, fingers tapping lightly against the podium.
Yin Zhe bowed slightly. "I apologize for being late." His voice was calm and collected, but his inner monologue betrayed the effort it took to hold his composure. "Hiss… hiss…"
System notification buzzed softly in his mind:
Ding.
[Cursed Reactive Points RP +1]
"Uumm… " Yin Zhe noted the cursed Reactive Point with a quiet smirk. He didn't need the approval or friendliness of the judge. This was just another point in the system, another spark to fuel his growth. Every reaction mattered. No matter how small. every point added to his potential.
Step… step… He stepped back slightly, and adjusted the sword in his hand. The weight of the day, and the weight of his journey to the arena, the pleasure of the Nine Breaths Circle still tingling, kept his body slightly stiff.
Yin Zhe drew in a low breath, feeling the pulse in his core essence, The last two remaining pills from the night's cultivation rested in his pocket, and he allowed himself a small mental smile. He would need them soon, but for now, he had survived the walk, and survived Elder Chen Niao's relentless teaching.
Yin Zhe's gaze met the judge's once more. The judge's expression hadn't softened at all. Not a hint of a smile. Only judgment, and impatience.