"That woman over there…I wonder if have seen her before," Ye Xiu muttered as he looked at Basil in curiosity.
Noticing his Master being caught up with something, the retainer politely asked, "Do you have something bothering your mind, Young Master?"
"Ah, nothing. I am just amused that the disgrace even dares to come here."
The retainer turned in the direction his Master was looking and found Xiu Li there. He was about to scoff when he also saw Tian Long on Xiu Li's side.
"What is he doing there with Venerable Daoist Yang Tian Long?"
"For whatever reason, Venerable Daoist Yang is interested in him. Sky Fairy Yan also took Chang Yu as her disciple—yes, you are not mistaken."
"But…why?"
Ye Xiu shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe, the two are using them as a source of amusement."
The retainer frowned and was about to ask Ye Xiu about Basil when Ye Xiu dragged him. The two were going to participate in the tournament. Wondering about other participants was useless. As long as the other side was competent, they were bound to meet in the Arena.
Scoffing the moment Ye Xiu took his gaze away from her, Basil walked toward the gate to the participant's lobby with Chang Yu following closely behind. Tian Long and the others walked toward another gate that would take them to the audience seat.
No one stood in Basil's path. She wasn't obnoxiously exuding her Qi but everyone was terrified by her presence. They could immediately tell she was one of the hidden experts. They had also seen her walk with Tian Long and Xueyi before, so it was best for them to not offend her.
Upon entering the lobby, Basil was hit with a sense of nostalgia. It looked nothing like the lobbies she had ever been in; however, it had the same atmosphere.
The last time she was in a participant's lobby was two years ago when she participated in the Regional Tournament as a male. She had always participated in tournaments—a lot in her past life—as a male, so she wondered if there would be any difference in participating as a female.
"Woah…everyone is on fire, eh?" Chang Yu muttered. "They are betting on their sect's honour and future—they are ready to do what it takes to win the tournament."
"Are you afraid?" Basil asked.
"Eh? No. I am just contemplating what my motive is. I just want to improve myself…not as noble as their reason to win, no?"
"Who cares about nobility? Who stands triumphant in the end is what matters."
Basil and Chang Yu sat on the closest chair to the door connecting the lobby to the arena. Everyone turned their eyes at the two, wondering if they knew the seats had been "booked" by the Young Master of the Wei family and his retainer.
The people they were thinking about approached the two women not long after, prompting them to gulp dryly. The two sides were only looking at each other silently, making the people worry that a brawl would break out soon.
"Greetings, ladies of the Withering Frost Sect."
It was much to their surprise when the aloof Ye Xiu and his retainer bowed politely toward the two female Daoists. They didn't feel relief, however; they knew how hard it was to make the Young Master and his retainer bow to someone else, so they worried if it was some kind of war declaration.
"Greetings, Young Master Wei."
Chang Yu was the only one who returned the greeting. Ye Xiu didn't pay any attention to her as his gaze was solely planted on Basil.
"Is it such a bother to a lady as beautiful as you to return my greeting?"
"I speak through my skills. We shall talk later in the arena," Basil replied coldly, earning a surprised look from Ye Xiu.
"Interesting…what an interesting answer." Ye Xiu laughed lowly. "You remind me of someone I met a few days ago. I wonder if you are related to him…or you are him." Smirking, he added, "Either way, if I win this tournament, I will take that veil off your face."
Ye Xiu's words shocked many people in the lobby. When a female decided to wear a veil, it means that she had decided to only show her beauty to the person of her choosing; in other words, Ye Xiu had just declared that he would marry Basil if he won.
Basil scrunched up her nose in disgust as Ye Xiu and his retainer walked away. The idea of her being subdued by a man was as ridiculous as Ye Xiu winning the tournament.
"Hmph! Let us see how many limbs he can keep at the end of the tournament," she scoffed.
"Take it easy, Sister Hou," Chang Yu placated.
"Who is Hou?"
"It is your fake name for the tournament…. Remember? It is Xiao Hou Xin."
"Oh…I forgot that I gave myself such a ridiculous name," Basil remarked.
"It is a cool name in my opinion. The Empress who governs the heart," Chang Yu replied with shining eyes.
Basil shook her head helplessly. She had registered as Xiao Hou Xin at that time because she didn't think much of it. Now that she was going to be called Hou Xin during her stay in Huaxia, she wished she could rename herself. It was a daring name for a female, which was rare and peculiar.
[Participants, enter the arena!]
Everyone stood up from their seats the moment they heard the announcement. The door to the arena was opened at the same time and they immediately walked past it.
Loud cheers greeted them as they stepped into the arena. The strong wind didn't do anything to the people's deafening cheers. Tens of thousands of Daoists filled the audience seats. Among them, 9 of the Top 10 Daoists were present.
They were looking at the youths in anticipation and expectation. Some of them wanted to see how well their disciples fared against their rival's disciples, meanwhile, some of them wanted their disciples to utterly crush their rival's.
One thousand youths stood in the centre of the vast arena, facing the host of the tournament, Wei Zimo, the fourth strongest Daoist in Huaxia, the former Patriarch of the Wei Family, and Wei Ye Xiu's grandfather, who was standing before the exalted seat.
"87,918. This is the number of youths who have tried their luck," Zimo spoke calmly yet thunderously. "Among those, only 1,000 youths are accepted. We set the bar high—Middle Stage of Physique Forger Realm—yet many of you surpassed it."
"Whether you win or lose, you are among the top one thousand youths who are not even in their thirties. I am not saying that you shall not aim high but I want you to not feel disappointed in yourself should you fail to attain the right to enter the Tower of Legacy."
Gazing over the participants, Zimo smiled the moment he spotted his grandson. "Winning is not the only thing you should think about. You are not going to fight one person when the tournament begins. Everyone will be your enemy, so mind your lives."
"Very well…" Zimo spread his hands. "I shall not waste your time any further. Let us begin the tournament!"
An ethereal cage made out of Qi fell from the sky, separating the participants from the outside world. The scenery inside the cage changed: the participants found themselves in a boundless jungle covered by trees and mysteries.
Meanwhile, the audience saw one hundred screens on the cage that flickered from time to time, showing hundreds of different participants in hundreds of different spots.
[You have one objective: reach the tower before anyone else.]
The participants looked around before finding a sole tower in the distance that was so tall that it pierced the sky.
[Killing is allowed—any methods are allowed to seize your victory. This world is your battlefield, the beginning of your legend for some of you and the last resting place for the rest. Focus not only on your victory but also on your survival. I, Wei Zimo, hereby declare the start of the 50th Soaring Dragon Tournament!]
The participants frantically ran as soon as the tournament began. None of them was closer than the others to the tower. They were scattered in one thousand different spots in this alternate reality. It was not an illusion, so no tricks of the mind would be able to deliver them right before the tower.
Despite being apart from each other for hundreds of kilometres, Basil could still feel the huge amount of Qi being utilized by the participants. She could even feel someone was coming her way; however, she paid no mind to it.
She took out a marble from her Spatial Ring and then broke it with her fingers. As soon as she did that, she could see a blue line forming in the air. It was leading her to where the other marble was present; in other words, where Chang Yu was.
As she was about to run in that direction, the person she had sensed coming her way appeared behind her. Said person was exuding a heavy killing intent, so she turned around and then took out Durendal.
Swish!
A swift swing was all she needed to decapitate the person. She turned to the head and scoffed as it stared back at her with utter disbelief.
She flicked Durendal once and then ran in the direction that the blue line was leading her. She encountered no one in the way; however, there were a lot of lifeforms endemic to this world that were eager to eat her.
None of them, of course, could stop her. A swing of Durendal was enough to turn them to pieces. When a slightly tough creature appeared, one of her self-made Techniques would always do the job. Just like that, she found Chang Yu in less than half an hour.
BOOM!
Kyaak!
"Phew…they are tough to deal with. What are they?"
Chang Yu had just killed a gigantic lizard with a bird beak when Basil entered the scene. It had taken a lot of her attention, so she didn't register Basil's presence until Basil was right beside her.
Clank!
She swung her sword in panic but Basil managed to block it.
"W-Who are…oh, it's Sister Hou."
"You are careless," Basil said as she retracted Durendal, earning a sheepish smile from Chang Yu.
"Well…these strange creatures got me preoccupied. I have only run for 50 kilometres but I have encountered 30 of them!" Chang Yu sighed. "I wonder if we will ever be able to reach the tower with how many of them standing in our way."
In response to that, Basil pulled Chang Yu's hand and took her up to Durendal which was floating in the air due to her Aura Ability. Chang Yu was extremely bewildered—and so was the audience—however, before she could say anything, Durendal slid through the air faster than the wind.