Chapter 20: True to Form (9)

Chapter 20: True to Form (9)

It took a moment for what Grandmaster Mu had just declared to set in.

His first instinct had been to protest. If even Wu Guanzhong had been beyond his capability to handle, what hope did he have against one of the sects Elder, never mind all three of them?

But in the next, the more calculative side of him prevailed. The terms of the match had been clearly specified only Spiritual Arts were permitted. Beating them in a fair fight was impossible, but with this handicap, perhaps he might just have a chance. With the natural durability that qi provided them, he could even afford to let loose a little, and unleash some of his more destructive spells.

Drawing upon his past experience with Guanzhong, he knew that he was far more vulnerable than they were, and that any of their attacks could leave serious lasting harm upon him. However, each spell he unleashed individually packed more of a punch than any attack that Guanzhong could throw out. If this were now reduced to just a regular contest of spell-slinging, without having to beware of the possibility of being crushed to a pulp by a single errant blow, then

In that case, perhaps he might just have a chance? The Elders werent slouches, he knew each of them had the Soulburn capacity to support the casting of Sixth Level spells, though they probably could unleash only one or two of them before hitting their limit, and wouldnt be as proficient as he was as adapting the intricacies of their matrices on the fly as the situation demanded. In Resham, combat between mages occurred so frequently that magical duels had become both a form of entertainment and a field of academic study in itself.

The audiences reactions were mixed. Some were excited, others were outraged. Yet more were confused, and there were many now giving him looks of extreme skepticism.

He pushed any consideration of them out of his mind. Now that the challenge had been set, he was thinking through the possibilities that he had. This would boil down to a battle of attrition, he knew. Magical combat was a complex artform, but for the most part, there were fairly simple ways to emerge victorious in duels between amateurs.

One end it immediately through superior firepower. Most of the time, this was only ever achieved if the mages in question were of notably different ranks of advancement.

Two employ crafty schemes and devious tricks to catch an opponent off-guard and deliver a decisive spell. Sylar often utilised this, pairing the crafts of Illusion and Divination to create the perfect opportunities for himself, and Elemental Barrage as his signature offensive spell of his highest current spell level had seen him victorious in more than a few bouts of magical talent in the past.

Three use every spell as efficiently as possible, tire out the opponent, and maintain an advantage in both Essence and Soulburn. This was often frowned upon in official matches, as it was deemed unsightly and dishonourable to reduce a duel to a combat of patience, wits, and spell repertoires. It probably also didnt help that the most effective strategy tended to be sitting around and waiting for an opponent to cast a spell, efficiently counter it with one of a lower level or annihilate it to generate an Essence Field, and thereby gain an advantage.

This, however, was the Diviners favoured territory in combat. Here in the Immortal Lands, with their different set of local customs, no one could fault him for what might have once been deemed ungentlemanly play.

Those same customs were coming into play right now. Zhou Yishi was the first to step forward, as one was expected to first face a junior before they could issue any challenge to their seniors.

He eyed Zhou Yishi intently. His opponent had an air of mischief about him, and again Sylars attention was drawn toward the qi that was strikingly different from the other cultivators of the sect. What was the basis of his cultivation?

He supposed he would find out soon enough.

Heh. We finally get to meet at last, eh? Zhou Yishi grinned, and made a show of stretching his limbs and loosening his joints. Heard from old man Yang that youve become quite the celebrity while Ive been gone, Sylar Spellsight.

Was this really the time or place to be exchanging pleasantries?

Its nice to meet you too, he responded, mildly discomforted by the Elders demeanour. He was enthusiastic, but it wasnt quite the same excitement for battle that Quanhao displayed. Ill tell you the same thing I told Wu Guanzhong please remember I havent faced my first Tribulation yet, and that even a single solid hit without protection from my Spiritual Arts will kill me. Undeniably. Irrevocably.

Assuredly? Conclusively and inexorably? Zhou Yishi quipped, and then laughed to himself. Relax, Sylar Spellsight. I reckon my master would skin me alive if I treated a fellow member of the Penshan Alliance in such a way.

There was something that Sylar needed to ask. He turned to Grandmaster Mu, who had taken to observing the proceedings from the sidelines. Grandmaster, Sylar said. What exactly did you mean by emerge the victor?

We will judge who we deem superior in utilising the Spiritual Arts in combat. When we have made our decision, we will bring an end to the bout, came the Grandmasters reply. Rest assured, Sylar Spellsight, that we will remain impartial in our judgement. I swear this upon my honour, and upon the name of the Righteous Heart Sect.

well, that settled it, he supposed. Declaring this before the members of his sect and the observers of the Lu family made it official, and he knew enough of the Immortal Lands to understand that breaking his word would be highly undignified. Sylar didnt often believe in those who swore upon their honour, but with how well-respected he was and his own limited interactions with the Grandmaster, Sylar felt that he would abide by his oath.

The Elder continued maintaining a carefree demeanour as he moved toward the other end of the combat square, leaving a gap of several dozens of metres between them. Was this out of custom, or did his spell repertoire involve ones that worked best at range?

Sylar had to admit there was an excitement stirring in him at all this. Thus far, he had always been kept on the backfoot in his dealings with cultivators, feeling out of place as they danced about the battlefield with deadly grace, crushed boulders with their fists, or scaled cliff-faces as easily as one climbed a ladder. This, however, was the battleground of the arcane, and he was determined to show that despite all their ignorance regarding the practice of cultivation, the mage community of Resham had strengths of their own.

He felt within his soul for the Essences currently contained within. Preparation wasnt quite as important here as it was in Resham since there was significantly more ambient Essence to be drawn in for restocking ones supplies, but Sylar clung to the basics he had been taught. He kept a handful of most types of Essences, but strongly favoured Fate, Shadow, Form, and a variety of the Primals alongside his Core Essence of Chaos. Even a Diviner couldnt see what Essences one held when not actively placed into a matrix, and he doubted the supernatural senses of a cultivator could achieve this where mages failed.

He tensed. Against an unfamiliar opponent, reaction was key. It determined the pace of the battle, and

Begin.

Immediately, Essence rushed into the matrix that Zhou Yishi was preparing. Sylar gave it a cursory glance, paying more attention to its constituents than the exact placements of each Essence that flavoured its specific manifestation. Water-Chaos at its centre and Form-Water peripherally makes

He pushed from within his soul, drawing Earth into place. At the same time, even as the spell activated, he began to cycle in new Earth Essence from his surroundings to replenish what was being used. This was somewhat new, even for him, but he had to adapt to new forms of combat in the Immortal Lands. Much of his recent spell practice had involved him casting spells and replenishing Essence stocks as quickly as possible.

Earthen Shell blocked the Steamburst that his opponent had launched his way. It was a probing attack no more than a First Level spell and Sylar had responded in kind. The armour cracked away with a hiss of steam, and Sylar was already moving to retaliate.

Pacing himself was important. He had three bouts to fight. He couldnt use his more potent spells immediately or risk burning out before his next battle, and he also had to keep some surprises in store for his next opponent.

A sigil manifested from his outstretched palm. Shockblast was an uncanny mirror of the spell that Zhou Yishi had used, only this projectile was flavoured with the screech of arcing electricity.

His opponent didnt move from his spot. With an easy smile, he created his own barrier and it was fundamentally the same spell that Sylar had used, even though some aspects of it could still be slightly tweaked.

Earthen Shell. Sylar grinned. So the cultivators knew this most basic of protections as well. They really wanted him to pull out more of his tricks, didnt they?

Very well. He would oblige.

Let me show you the Clouding Fog Technique! Sylar cried out.

A smokescreen of dense vapour spread from the middle of the square, and within moments, the entire battlefield was covered with thick fog. He saw how Zhou Yishi began to weave together a Gust. It was a mere cantrip, one that cultivators did not recognise as a legitimate Spiritual Art, and even Qiyu was starting to get the hang of it.

If this were a mere Fogscreen, it would have nicely done the job.

In truth, however, this was no spell of Transmutation that tapped upon Water and Wind Essence to enshroud the battleground, in order for a Diviner to best exploit their gifts in perception of the arcane.

In fact, this was no spell of Transmutation at all.

Illusory Fog and Fogscreen made for a nice pair of spells. Some Diviners even chose to use them both at the same time, and utterly confuse their opponents. They were spells of the Second Level, and an Arcanist such as himself could easily chain them together indefinitely.

The Gust had utterly no effect. Sylar grinned, making his way past the fog that only a Diviners gaze could clearly pierce, and repositioned himself for an opportune attack. He manifested a Minor Illusion as he moved to mimic the sound of footsteps in the opposite direction, and made sure to keep his distance lest his opponent locate him by sensing his qi.

The plan had worked. Zhou Yishi was on guard, falling into a practiced stance as he waited for Sylars next spell. He looked around, but past the Illusory Fog, there was no way that he could locate Sylar Spellsight.

At least, that was the way it should have been.

Past his own illusion, he could see the smile creeping up on Zhou Yishis face.

Sorry, Sylar Spellsight, he said, and turned perfectly to stare at Sylar. This feels a bit like cheating, but

Life Essence flooded the matrix he was preparing. Life-Spirit, Life-Chaos, and Life-Form in great abundance was drawn in. One, two, three six shells were filled.

A Fifth Level spell and it was one whose matrix Sylar did not recognise.

-x-x-x-

The next battle was proceeding rather differently.

Yang Renzhi looked to the opposite end of the square, where his master was silently assessing the two combatants. There werent many who could claim to understand what Mu of the Four Shadows was thinking beneath his pensive expression, but over the five decades that Renzhi had been part of the Righteous Heart Sect, he had grown to become one of the closest to his master. The Grandmaster had to be feeling impressed by Sylars variety of Spiritual Arts, and like Renzhi himself, he was likely curious about just how he managed to achieve a high degree of proficiency in the arts of the different elements he had utilised.

Sure, Zhou Yishi was not a true combatant if he could be rid of his responsibilities, his former student would much prefer spending his days in blissful comfort without having to worry about the people of Jinxiang. With his position in the sect, he had devoted himself to the art of healing, and it was through his extraordinary affinity with the vital energies that infused all life that the herb garden of the sect had flourished. Still, he was an accomplished fighter, and even though he hadnt been able to deploy his talent in martial combat, there was no denying that the Spiritual Arts he had refined as part of his extended training with the Grandmaster were more polished than before.

Sylar had countered them easily. He had used fire, water, wind, and earth, alongside some other unfamiliar energies that resembled those of the Unorthodox Sects. Were it not for the fact that Renzhi previously had taken a deep inspection of the young mans qi, he might have wrongly guessed that he too practised the Four-Yin Mystical Tempering like the budding Wu Guanzhong or Grandmaster Mu himself did, or some other form of similar cultivation technique.

In this battle, however, neither of them had yet to make a move. Hua Feiyan had already taken a glimpse of the arts that Sylar had at his disposal, and there was no need to poke and prod with weaker arts. Her eyes were narrowed, far from the usual indifference that was the very embodiment of the freedom of the Wind she cultivated, and he knew that she was looking for any opening she could exploit.

Sylar was likewise an analytical fighter. He still had little mastery of his qi, but already he was putting it to the test, drawing upon the latent energies lurking within his dantian to provide a deeper insight into his opponent as those who followed the Path of the Scholar tended to do.

Even the chatty Zhou Yishi was not making his usual banter and commentary. The youngest Elder tried to hide it, but Renzhi knew that he was feeling frustrated at his loss, unfavoured though the battle may be.

Sylar and Feiyan were each ready to spring into battle at but the slightest opening and the tension in the air was palpable. Most of the more senior disciples realised that, and were keeping their eyes fixed upon them both. Even his daughter was carefully watching every movement of her personal teacher and the guest of their sect that she now at least held in slightly less disdain. The juniors were muttering among themselves, and their inexperience with practical combat was making itself pointedly clear.

This time, Sylar struck first.

Yang Renzhi felt a wave of energy coalesce within Sylar, a sure sign that he was preparing the formation of a Spiritual Art. He was pulling and organising the disparate threads of nature far more quickly than one of his years should be capable of, and all that Renzhi could sense of his technique was that it carried with it a tremendous weight and presence. There was the grandeur of the Earth, he noted, along with some sense of change?

The ground began to rumble. Cracks formed in the ground beneath Hua Feiyans feet. She must have felt the same sense of forewarning that Renzhi did, because she was already in motion, leaping upward gracefully, circulating her qi in the manner that corresponded to her qinggong the set of techniques that allowed for the harnessing of qi for supernatural agility.

To his surprise, however, the earth itself rose to meet Feiyan. A giant hand of earth and mud emerged, reaching upward as though a bizarre mirror of the Sprouting SeedlingsTechnique that Yishi had tried to use. It coiled upon itself, attempting to trap Feiyan within its grasp.

What was this technique? It wasnt the grandest display of Spiritual Arts that drew its roots from the energies of the Earth, but this was not one of those among the sects collection.

When the mountains could grow to meet the heavens, even the wind would have little freedom left to drift in their own domain.

What Sylar utilised was not a single Spiritual Art. Again and again, he was creating the same formation, the energies coming out as repeated bursts, as more and more clumps of stone and earth intertwined and formed an inescapable net. Even a qinggong expert such as Feiyan could not avoid being ensnared forever.

Feiyan realised the same. The time for waiting was over it was far from the ideal opportunity for counterattack, but she needed to unleash one now before her movements became crippled.

She breathed in, and Renzhi vaguely felt the rush of energy being funnelled toward her spiritual core. The tempest of power grew within her, but she swiftly brought the unruly energies under her control, and organised them into the formation of her signature art. Many in Jinxiang knew of the Searing Tempest Technique that Hua Feiyan had dedicated to mastering, and though she was still several steps short of what the manuals said the art was capable of, it had cemented her reputation as among one of the more formidable cultivators in the region when coupled with her skill in the martial arts.

An eruption of torrential wind burst forth from her, even as she continued to twist this way and that out of Sylars labyrinth of earth and stone. Embers of flame sparked within the storm, and the force of the gale that surrounded her was enough to knock down the hands of stone to the ground with a series of resounding crashes.

She rushed toward Sylar. A bodily attack was forbidden but the Grandmaster had not denied the use of such a technique that was reliant on remaining close to their opponent for maximal effect. In his own spars with Feiyan, he knew how difficult it was to escape the storm of searing heat and barreling force when coupled with her natural agility.

What would Sylar do?

He glanced at Sylar, slightly worried for the younger cultivator. The odds were stacked against him, since his natural athleticism and passive mastery of qi was far inferior to the sects Elders.

Far from his expectations, however, the shadow of a smile grew on Sylars face. It was as though

had Sylar expected this turn of events?

-x-x-x-

Finally. Hed been getting bored of using Earthen Grasp after Earthen Grasp. Though he had been able to replenish the Earth Essence necessary to shape the spell from his surroundings and vent out the Soulburn accumulating from repeated casting of the spell, he could not have kept his assault up indefinitely.

The technique that Elder Hua used in response to counter his own chain of spells was one that he recognised. Howling Radiance was a Fifth Level spell favoured among mages who enjoyed the thrill of flitting about in the thick of combat alongside traditional front-line fighters. Depending on how the exact Essence pairs were arranged, the manifestation of the spell could be adapted at the time of casting a wider area of effect at the expense of a less turbulent winds and flames of lower intensity, or a thin shell around themselves reminiscent of a more versatile variant of the Immolation favoured by those who specialised in the spells of Fire Essence.

But a spell born mostly of Wind and Fire was far easier to dispel and counter than the esoteric arts that tapped on the Transcendental Essences. Every mage worth the pages of their spellbook had at least some rudimentary training of how to guard, negate, and ward against spells derived from the ever-prevalent Primal Essences back in Resham.

For almost every spell of the higher tiers, there existed a specific counter-spell. Theorising just how to cast them was often a rigorous task, because the matrix of the original spell had to be inverted by virtue of the mutual opposition of Essence, and the resultant product then re-calibrated to ensure a stable spellform.

Most mages preferred to ward against spells by more direct means, and for most spells with a direct manifestation such as a projectile, wards were often the best way to ward against offensive spells. Back in the Lu Manor, he had used Lightward to block Decaying Dart and generate an Essence Field. The Primals were different from the Transcendentals most wards would simply act as a form of mundane protection for the former without dispersing Essence into an Essence Field, due to the corporeality of the four elements.

Unfortunately, a ward could not easily break the mixed offence and defence that was the caster-centred mobile storm of Howling Radiance. Some spells could penetrate it by other means, and he knew of some Divination spells that could augment his offensive repertoire to score a clean hit, but right now he had a different aim in mind.

He snapped Essence in place. Earth, Fire, Water, Wind each of the Primals had a place within this matrix. They linked together with his Chaos Essence, and he set them in their appropriate places in the array. At the very heart the first shell that most affected the fundamental manifestation of the spell sat a Chaos-Chaos pair.

This was a wild and uncontrolled spell, but it was one he was proud of himself for being able to successfully cast. He did not know the exact equal and opposite of Howling Radiance that was its natural counterspell, but this was always an all-purpose alternative for spells of the four elements.

Negate Elements could be seen as the equivalent of Denouement for spells born of the four Primals. It had to be cast at a higher level than what it was trying to counter, but it would always work so long as the offending spell possessed any of the four Primals within the innermost shell. It manifested differently depending on whether the mages Core Essence corresponded to Order or Chaos.

But admiring the underlying theory could come another time. Now, Elder Hua was closing the distance quickly, and Sylar knew that if she actively tapped upon her Revelations to bolster her body with the flow of ambient Essence, she would be even swifter still.

Sylar waited. He could feel the outermost gusts of Elder Huas spell attempting to bowl him over. An instant later, the heat of the spell made itself apparent, and were it not for the Sweat Shield he had prepared to ward against the heat, he would likely be scalded by the licks of embers dancing amid the howling gale.

But it was not yet the right time. She needed to come closer closer, and

NOW!

Both mind and body knew what the other intended. Even as he unleashed the spell, his body tumbled toward Elder Hua. He saw how her eyes widened in surprise, likely having expected him to flee or otherwise interpose a barrier between them rather than jumping right toward the epicenter of her spell.

Just before the force grew unbearable, Negate Elements manifested with a burst of chaotic power. It unravelled the threads of Elder Huas spell, and the both his and her spells reverted into their constituent Essences, spurting as a rush of mixed Essences into a nascent Essence Field. The Sixth Level spell had generated plenty of Soulburn, but Sylar intended to bring the battle to a close here and now.

The cultivators here were unversed in the finer details of Essence Manipulation. They likely knew the existence of mutual spell annihilation, but at least those of the Righteous Heart had not yet derived the means of purposefully generating them in the thick of battle.

The result was this: even as Sylar reached out, greedily engorging himself upon the Essences that spilled forth, Elder Hua hadnt prepared herself for the wild and uncontrolled rush of power that marked the mutual annihilation of spells. Sylar could sympathise with her the first time he experienced spell annihilation up close, the jarring rush of power that marked the Essences messily re-establishing themselves into the Aether had left him reeling worse than Elder Hua was right now. It had taken long years of training on both the casting and negating ends before he got used to the sensation.

She staggered and winced, but Sylar paid her no mind. He replenished his Essence stocks far more quickly than would be possible if he had been tapping on ambient Essence, and drew upon the mass of Wind Essence that had constituted the Howling Radiance.

Wind-Chaos and Wind-Wind snapped in place, filling a full six shells.

Compared to what he had unleashed upon Zhou Yishi, this Cone of Pressure was shaped to have its effect concentrated into a narrower funnel. At near point-blank range, and with Elder Hua flinching from the unexpected rush of energies following the mutual annihilation of their spells, he could guarantee himself a direct hit at near the spells full power.

Heya, he said, finally having the chance to throw a cheeky remark. See ya.

And with that, holding one palm toward Elder Huas torso, he released his spell.