The Lion Hunts the Rabbit
The spiritual energy that had been scattered across the peaks of Unsan slowly settled. The light drifting above Ja-undae dimmed, leaving only the lingering resonance of the opening ceremony personally presided over by the sect leader to linger across the plaza.
So this is what a Nascent Soul grand formation feels like…Baek Cheong stared quietly at the central peak, trying to calm the tremor nestled in her small chest. The Magic Tournament was what mattered right now; there was no time to lose herself in sentiment.
Stepping into the Cloud Sea Secret Realm was practically guaranteed to yield some kind of fortuitous encounter. It was an opportunity no one could afford to miss.
“Huh…?”
Suddenly, a faint vibration came from the participation token she had tucked inside her robe.
“Big Brother, my token is shaking…”
“It seems your turn has come. They’re calling the participants.”
Her eldest brother’s gentle smile turned solemn.
“Cheong-ah, remember this well. You must not get hurt under any circumstances. Even though the true disciples of our sect will use formations to suppress lethal force, there is always the possibility of the unexpected.”
“I’ll give it my all so I don’t get hurt.”
Baek Gyu stroked his little sister’s head with his usual soft touch.
“This brother will be watching over you.”
“Yes!”
Encouraged by her big brother’s words, Baek Cheong stood up from her seat. She slipped between the spectator seats, descended the stairs, and found a massive entrance on one side. Beyond it lay a separate open training ground dotted with smaller stone platforms than the main stage of Ja-undae.
There really are over a thousand people?
She unconsciously parted her lips slightly as she slowly scanned the area. Qi Condensation cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered in their own separate spaces, and every section was packed with people. Including the Foundation Establishment experts, the total number easily approached thirteen hundred.
All of these people are supposed to be geniuses?
As Baek Cheong stood awkwardly at the edge of the training ground, an outer sect disciple approached her.
“Could you show me your participation token for a moment?”
She handed over the jade token. The outer sect disciple confirmed the characters Qi Condensation Group A and guided her inside.
Next to the platform she reached, roughly a hundred Qi Condensation cultivators had gathered together. Some wore the robes of the Biun Sect, others bore the emblems of outside factions, and a few looked like wandering cultivators yet stood with proud, unshaken confidence.
Soon, an outer sect elder of the Biun Sect stepped forward onto the platform.
“It appears all the young talents of Qi Condensation Group A have assembled. I will now explain the format for the preliminary round of this Biun Sect New Spring Exchange Magic Tournament.”
The outer sect elder continued in a calm voice.
“In this preliminary round, ten participants will ascend each platform. The one who remains standing until the end advances to the next round. There are roughly a hundred people in Qi Condensation Group A, and only ten will advance. Even with the protection of formations, injuries are inevitable, so please do not take this lightly.”
While the cultivators nodded, the outer sect elder tapped the jade token in his hand with a finger.
“This official will designate the first group. The participation tokens will select the order themselves.”
The moment he finished speaking, the hundred jade tokens began to emit a faint glow. Some of the previously dark tokens gradually brightened, and those whose tokens shone stepped calmly toward the platforms.
It can’t possibly be my turn already…
Baek Cheong stared blankly at the brilliantly glowing token in her own hand.
“What?”
She had ended up fighting in the very first match. Her plan had been to observe the other cultivators’ skills first and then decide how to approach her own bouts, but that plan had fallen apart.
A hint of displeasure rose in her heart, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Well, I have to do it eventually anyway.
Dismissing it as no big deal, Baek Cheong walked onto the platform. The other nine Qi Condensation cultivators took their positions one after another. They were clearly either well-trained disciples of the Biun Sect or exceptionally talented outsiders.
The outer sect elder tapped his jade token once more.
“Take a moment to prepare. Once everyone is ready, this official will give the signal.”
The moment she heard those words, Baek Cheong pulled out her storage pouch. Inside were all sorts of items she had prepared in advance. She rummaged through it with practiced ease and began laying things out on the platform.
The first things to appear were five Five Elements puppets. Next came a thick bundle of first-rank talismans engraved with various spells. Then she drew out a sheathed One Star Sword and held it in her hand, infusing it with spiritual energy so it could be drawn at any moment. Finally, she took out a jade bottle and confirmed that it contained Danmun Chwiryungdan. She even opened the lid in advance in case she ran low on energy.
This should be enough.
Meanwhile, the expressions of the cultivators watching leisurely from outside the platform began to change subtly.
“What the hell is that…?”
“Those are puppets, right…?”
“A whole bundle of talismans and an unusual sword on top of that…”
These were items far beyond what a typical Qi Condensation cultivator should possess, and seeing first-rank talismans laid out in such quantity was anything but ordinary. Even while sheathed, the sword’s extraordinary aura stood out clearly.
“Isn’t that the child from the Yeonha Baek Clan? The one they call Dou?”
“The one who’s the beloved disciple of Yakseon and the successor of Pacheon Geomjon…?”
A small stir rippled through the crowd of cultivators.
The nine others who had stepped onto the platform with Baek Cheong were in a similar state. They had come to the tournament with firm resolve to test their skills, yet the items the young girl had brought out instinctively filled them with a sense of danger. If they faced her alone like this, the chances of being eliminated before they could even show their true ability were extremely high.
The nine cultivators quietly exchanged glances. No words were spoken, yet they reached the same conclusion.
We must eliminate that young Dou first.
Their gazes naturally converged on Baek Cheong, who stood on one side of the platform.
Huh?
Baek Cheong noticed the numerous eyes turning toward her. A quick glance told her these were far from ordinary curious looks.
Oh, I see how it is.
While she had been making thorough preparations to secure her spot in the main tournament, the others in her group seemed to have formed a silent pact.
These guys…
Unconsciously, a small smile crept across her lips. If they wanted to team up and attack her together, she would simply knock them all off at once.
“Qi Condensation Group A, begin the preliminary round!”
The outer sect elder’s voice rang out from outside the platform. At the same time, the participation token at her waist glowed, signaling the start.
The instant the signal fell, the nine cultivators simultaneously formed hand seals aimed at Baek Cheong.
But Baek Cheong completed her own seals faster than anyone else. Spiritual energy surged out of her dantian all at once.
“Ice Dragon Shatter.”
A short incantation flowed from her lips. The surrounding air grew bitterly cold, and mist rose around her. Soon, living dragons made entirely of ice emerged from the mist. One by one the ice dragons took form—roughly seven of them—circling her protectively.
“Ice Dragon Shatter…?”
“That looks like at least a first-rank high-grade spell. How can she summon seven at once…?”
“How is a mere Qi Condensation cultivator capable of such technique…”
Leaving the shocked murmurs of the spectators behind, the seven ice dragons moved in unison. Each dragon targeted one cultivator and shot forward. The two remaining opponents, who had no dragons assigned to them, were suddenly bombarded by all five Five Elements puppets and a barrage of first-rank talismans.
Crack!
One ice dragon charged at the nearest cultivator. He hastily cast a defensive spell, but the dragon shattered his barrier and sent him flying off the platform. The remaining six dragons simultaneously rushed the other six opponents. All six tried to raise their defensive treasures or cast pre-prepared spells to block, but they couldn’t withstand the dragons’ power and were blasted off the stage.
Meanwhile, the five puppets assaulted the last two from every direction. The scattered talismans activated all at once, unleashing a storm of attacks. The two cultivators desperately raised their defenses, but they couldn’t hold out for even a moment against the combined assault of puppets and talismans and tumbled across the platform.
The nine cultivators had been suppressed without even managing to launch a proper attack.
If I hadn’t used the Five Elements Cycle, I could have finished it with just the ice dragons.
Baek Cheong had prepared the Five Elements Cycle just in case. Because of that, she had only summoned seven dragons and had to rely on the puppets and talismans as well.
Still, safety first.
It was a rather anticlimactic result, but confirming that no Qi Condensation cultivator could possibly stand against her brought her peace of mind. At the same time, she felt a tiny pang of regret—she hadn’t gotten the chance to use her perfected multi-layered basic spells or her flying sword technique.
Still, now that she understood the level of the other Qi Condensation participants, she decided she would adjust her strength accordingly from the next round onward.
“This is impossible…”
“Two of the fallen were at the peak of Qi Condensation, yet they were defeated so helplessly?”
“As expected of Pacheon Geomjon’s successor. Her talent is truly extraordinary.”
“More than that—she never even drew her sword…!”
“She knocked everyone off without even using her sword…?”
The watching cultivators couldn’t hide their shock and astonishment at the unbelievable sight.
The outer sect elder, too, stared at the platform for a long time, unable to speak. In all his years since joining the sect, he had never witnessed anything like this.
Finally, the elder let out a groan and barely regained his composure. He lightly tapped the jade token in his hand and raised it toward the platform.
“…Winner, Baek Cheong of the Yeonha Baek Clan.”