“Dangerous!”
“Brother Bai, get out of there!”
Around the ring, Stone Bai’s acquaintances all shouted in panic. However, Shi Mu did not move his observant eyes from Blue Phoenix. The instant she passed Stone Bai, no one except Shi Mu detected something unusual: why did Stone Bai stand still, without the least intention to move? Did this have something to do with the bells hung all over Blue Phoenix’s body?
The next second, Stone Bai finally came to himself and moved his body to dodge the incoming dagger, but the short period, during which he lost his consciousness, had made it difficult for him to stay clear of the danger. The dagger had already neared him, less than 30 centimeters from his chest.
Stone Bai lost his cool, thinking that the girl’s attack had lethal intent behind it. Tilting his body, he decided to attempt a counter blow instead of retreating, his left shoulder turned to face the dagger. At the same time, his right hand began to emit shockwaves, cold light emerging between his fingers. Without hesitation, he thrust forward his right hand, cutting at the Blue Phoenix’s waist, intending mutual destruction.
This was out of Blue Phoenix’s expectations, sending jolts of terror through her spine. But there was no way she could reverse her momentum now.
Just as their attacks were about to collide, an orange light whizzed through the air, which turned out to be a fireball the size of a human head. The fireball reached the floor of the ring at a blazing fast speed, then exploded abruptly, creating an ear-deafening boom.
A huge shock wave surged out, separating Stone Bai and Blue Phoenix. Both were pushed back several meters. This sudden turn of events shocked the audience. After being stupefied for a few seconds, they all turned their heads in the direction from whence[A] the fireball had come.
It turned out that Shi Mu and Xiao Ming were standing there.
At this moment, Xiao Ming’s face was slightly pale, his right arm was held out in the posture of pointing forward, a residual of orange light fading from his palm.
“Brother Xiao, what have you done...?” Shi Mu was as stunned as the rest of the crowd.
Xiao Ming took a close look at those astonished faces around him, exhaled a long breath, and put down his arm.
“A magician!” Someone at the edge of the ring shouted, making the crowd explode with excitement. The audience began to discuss, among their respective groups, Xiao Ming’s identity, all wearing surprised looks. However, Stone Bai was not surprised at all. Checking Blue Phoenix’s condition with a cursory glance, he turned his eyes to Xiao Ming.
“Brother Bai, how could I let you put your life in danger for a Black Fire Token?” Xiao Ming gave a forced smile to Stone Bai, who frowned with resignation. Nodding briefly, he turned to Blue Phoenix, hands clasped, “Miss Blue’s bloodline is quite exceptional but, since our challenge was interrupted, let’s call it a day.”
“You were not doing bad either, recovering your consciousness so fast! “ Blue Phoenix gave a perfunctory reply and turned to walk down from the ring.
Qu Kun and the golden-haired youth, who had been standing in the distance watching the match, were rather excited. “I never thought there were such talented guys among these new disciples! That one, he not only has learned some magician arts, but he also has a good control in using fire!” Qu Kun exclaimed.
Just as he finished his words, the golden-haired youth had overtaken him, striding over to the ring, followed by his two men. Seeing that he had been surpassed, Qu Kun hurriedly brought his men to follow them to the ring. The disciples around the ring made way for the groups as they moved toward the ring.
At this moment, Stone Bai had gotten down from the ring and was in an intimate conversation with Xiao Ming. The approaching footsteps conveyed an unyielding determination, an irresistible momentum, and it compelled the three of them, Shi Mu, Stone Bai, and Xiao Ming, to turn and looks at the coming gangs. Shi Mu felt his heart palpitate when he saw Qu Kun and Huo Mao among them but managed to conceal his emotions.
”Brother Bai, I just saw you challenging that girl. You surprise me with your great progress.” The golden-haired youth seemed to be an acquaintance of Stone Bai’s, greeting him with smiles.
“That’s praise I don’t deserve.” Stone Bai clasped his hands and then nodded quickly at Huo Mao behind the speaking youth.
“This brother seemed not very familiar to me, is this your friend?” The golden-haired youth looked at Xiao Ming tenderly, throwing out the question in a seemingly casual way.
Hearing this Stone Bai cast Xiao Ming a cursory glance. The latter was still pale but gave a slight nod after some thoughts.
“This is my friend, Xiao Ming.” Stone Bai made the introduction with a smile.
“So you are brother Xiao! I met you the day you entered our sect, do you remember? You left a great impression on me, with your graceful manners. Really a talented disciple. And you surprised me more with your previous performance. You must be a born magician! Plus you have a good sense of using fire. I bet you will enjoy a great position in our sect once your performance has been reported to our elders.” Qu Kun finally managed to insert himself into the conversation, with ingratiating smiles.
The golden-haired youth frowned, and his face fell. Again, before he could open his mouth, Qu Kun offered a delicate white bottle to Xiao Ming, persuading with a crooked smile, “After using your ability so freely, brother Xiao must have been exhausted, and your energy quite weakened. Take this Spirit-Strengthening Pill, I happen to be carrying with me, it can supply you with spirit power. It’s not that great of a gift, but just take it.” Before Xiao Ming could reply, Qu Kun’s hands had already reached him, offering the jade bottle.
The golden-haired youth’s expression changed. The Spirit-Strengthening Pill cost, at least, a million silver, so Qu Kun was really determined to get Xiao Ming into his gang. On the other hand, Xiao Ming was quite taken aback. He did not take the pill but was wavering. He gave Stone Bai a puzzled look, seeking help from him.
“Hehe, you Blood Dragons are really loaded with money! But I heard that when brother Xiao entered our sect, brother Qu somehow managed to get a Black Fire token from him. Is this true, brother Xiao?” The golden-haired youth sneered, hitting on an obvious sore spot.
Hearing this, the disciples near him all recalled their bitter experiences on the first day. Though not courageous enough to challenge Qu Kun, they now wore indignant looks on their face, cursing Qu Kun secretly in their hearts.
Xiao Ming’s look became hesitant, too. Seeing this, Qu Kun felt the situation growing rather difficult. His brows tightly knit, he slowly took back his arm.
“Brother Xiao, let’s be frank, my name is Jin Huan[1], and I am a member of the Holy[B] Spirit Association. We have several talented magicians like yourself, so do you want to join us and share experiences with them? Though I’m not a magician myself, we have many people who could help you in our association.” The golden-haired youth said earnestly, showing his mastery of persuasion. He paused and turned to Stone Bai, “Of course, a brilliant warrior like brother Bai is also most welcome in our group,” he added.
Shi Mu stood silently beside them, listening to the conversation from the beginning. For these past two months, the name of the Holy Spirit Association had reached his ears several times. He now knew that it was a rather powerful group in the Black Demon Sect, with many strong Houtian Warriors, and that they were also looking for magicians to join them. Last but not least, the Holy Spirit Association and the Blood Dragons were antagonistic to each other, usually having quarrels for prospective members.
Notes:
[1] Jin Huan: Jin is the family name, meaning gold. Huan means “bright” in Chinese.
[A] - If you have a problem with my word uses feel free to say it to MY FACE. Well… I mean my internet face… If you come up to me in person and talk to me about my word choices, I will look at you quite strangely. (Note: Whence == from what place or source.)[C]
[B] - Note, I am leaving this as is, even though it probably should be heavenly.
[C] - All comments with a letter are made by EliteCreature. :P
{D} - Unlisted note: I am thinking about changing the name ‘magician’ to ‘adept’. What do you guys think?