The First Peak of the Force

by Yuri Ajin

  “But… But… Where did you get a token?” Lei Lo exclaimed. He didn’t like the direction in which this was going.

  “I took it from one of the participants,” Kai replied with a shrug. He didn’t get what all the fuss was about.

  “Aha! See, he―”

  “I what? Are you a complete idiot?” Kai grinned. “Is there any rule prohibiting me from taking someone else’s token? Have you been dropped on the head or were you born dumb? The only rule was that we couldn’t kill anyone. Which I didn’t.”

  Lei Lo was red with anger.

  “Enough!” High Elder Shen said angrily, tired of all this. “Kai Arnhard, as the high elder, I order you to back out of the Tournament! The matter will be taken to the Council, who will then decide your fate.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, High Elder Shen looked down at the young man. How was it possible that one student could cause so much headache? Cursed was the day that this wretched boy was born.

  “I’m afraid that I’ll have to refuse your generous offer,” Kai answered immediately, also folding his arms over his chest.

  The crowd gasped. It was a rare and unthinkable sight to see a student openly object to their elder.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” High Elder Shen said, furrowing his bushy brows. “Especially since you have talent, as is evident by your results so far. The Council would’ve taken that into account, but...” Sighing, he pointed the index finger of his right hand at the young man. He couldn’t violate the rules, no matter how talented Kai was. “As the high elder of the Thunder Serpent Clan, I, Lei Shen, exile you, Kai Arnhard, from the clan.”

  A faint surge of energy burst from his finger and the tattoo on the young man’s palm disappeared.

  “I suppose that this means that he’s now officially disqualified, yes?” he asked, turning to the Elementalist who nodded.

  “That’s correct, yes. Since he isn’t a member of a clan anymore, he’s no longer allowed to participate. However, according to the rules, he has three hours to try to join another clan.”

  Lei Shen smiled slightly. Three hours wasn’t a lot of time. What could the young man possibly do? Becoming a member of any clan was possible only on the lands of that very clan. There was no way that he could leave Neiven in one hundred and eighty minutes, let alone go through the initiation process. They were currently on the territory of the Blades, but they, as the organizers of the Tournament, couldn’t accept him into their ranks even if they wanted to.

  Lei Lo, who was already celebrating his return, smiled broadly. Looking at Kai, he expected him to break down in tears or even bow and beg for forgiveness. What he didn’t expect, however, was to see the raven-haired young man continue to smile.

  Although one of Kai’s main characteristics was arrogance, he was definitely not a fool so he understood that any confrontation with someone like Lei Shen could hardly end in anything good for him. Luckily, he had a back-up plan.

  “What kind of proof do I need to convince you that I have joined a clan?” Kai asked the Elementalist.

  “The clan tattoo will suffice.”

  “Idiot! Do you really think that you can join a clan in three hours? You―” Lei Lo began, but his grin faded away and he lost the trail of his thoughts.

  Kai raised his right hand, turning the back of his palm toward everyone. The energy flowing through his veins stirred, and the hidden mark became visible

  The crowd gasped in surprise

  “What...?”

  “It can’t be!”

  “I can’t believe it...”

  “How’s that even possible?!”

  Lei Shen said nothing, although there was a spark of surprise in his eyes. Turning to the Elementalist, he stared at him with a puzzled gaze.

  “Yes...” The old man sighed. “Students of the Sea Dragon Clan can also participate in the Grand Tournament...”

  “What?! Is this by the rules?!” Shin Sei, who had been standing nearby and was silent all this time, cried out.

  “Young man.” The Elementalist released a drop of his strength. Shin Sei trembled. “You shouldn’t interrupt the elders... The rules don’t say that the participant’s clan must be active at the time of the Tournament. Besides, since he has the mark, it means that someone had to have given it to him... Well, I suppose that this matter has been resolved. It’s time to officially end the second stage and announce the results. If you will excuse me.”

  Nodding in parting, the Elementalist left.

  “All right…” Lei Shen chuckled, “You surprised me, kid. You got out scot-free. However, bear in mind that the Tournament will end...” Giving Kai a smile, he left as well.

  Looking after Lei Shen, Kai knew that the bastard wasn’t going to just let him walk away from all this. If he failed to impress the elders and the crowd by the end of the third stage, making the other clans want to invite him to join them, then he’d have to deal not only with the Serpents but also with the Salamanders.

  But it didn’t really matter; he had decided to break off all ties with his old clan from the moment Jade died.

  The second stage had come to an end. The Elementalist announced that the third stage would be held in the city’s central arena in four days. Group battles were scheduled for tomorrow. But Kai had training waiting for him.

  News and rumors about the student of the Sea Dragon Clan began to spread through the Plateau.

  ***

  It had been two days since the end of the second stage. And while nine hundred cultivators were fighting for their right to participate in the third stage, the top one hundred spent their free time training, analyzing their opponents, discussing and developing tactics, and even resting.

  Kai was among the last. However, only today.

  “The Sea Dragon Clan? But how did that happen?” Lily asked in a half-whisper, not wanting to attract the attention of others.

  “It’s a long story. Perhaps I’ll tell you later.” Kai waved her off.

  “What I want to know is how strong you have become.” Ivsim grinned slightly, putting his fork on the table.

  Kai went to meet his old friends right after the end of the second stage, but he didn’t find either of them in the training area. He found this weird as he was sure that at least one of them would’ve noticed his name on the board and the fiasco that followed.

  But, as it turned out, both Lily and Ivsim were among the first to finish, after which, confident in their results, they immediately left. Both were, to no one’s surprise, among the top hundred.

  As the city was buzzing with rumors about Kai and the ancient clan, Ivsim and Lily learned about their friend’s return and met up with him for dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in Neiven to celebrate their reunion. After all, it had been three years since the last time they saw one another.

  “Oh, you’ll find out soon.” Kai smiled mysteriously. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll even meet in the arena.”

  “I hope so,” Ivsim said with a smile.

  “Are you sure that you want to fight against someone two levels above you?” Lily asked, slightly worried.

  “I’m more than sure. Don’t underestimate me. Or do you think I survived two years in the Wasteland on my own by hiding?”

  Lily just smiled and shook her head.

  “I see that you didn’t waste your time either. Both of you are now at the Meridian Formation level. Look at you two! Real inner-circle students.”

  “Thank you. In fact, we’ve been informed that we’ll be promoted to apprentices when the Tournament ends,” Lily said.

  “That’s right!” Ivsim confirmed with a nod.

  “Congratulations you two!” Kai smiled.

  Although he had nothing good to say about the Serpents, his beef with them didn’t extend to his friends.

  They ate their meal in silence until a stranger butted in.

  “Oh! Good evening!” he said in a friendly manner, throwing his arm over Kai’s shoulder as if they had been friends fore
ver. How did they not sense him, neither of them knew. “Kai, we haven’t seen each other for a long time! I never thought I’d see you in a place like this!” he added cheerfully.

  None of them recognized the face, but his voice and eyes reminded Lily and Kai of someone. In the next moment, Lily was standing next to the stranger with her blade resting against his throat.

  “You bastard!” she hissed furiously, barely restraining herself. “You’re that fucking archer, aren’t you?! Shacks?”

  “That’s right!” he answered with a broad smile.

  “You fucking bastard!” she screamed.

  “Lily, stop!” Kai immediately intervened.

  A squad of guards was already heading for their table.

  “Gentlemen.” Shacks turned to them. “Forgive us for this incident. My girlfriend is a feisty one. She wants to cut off my head quite often, ha-ha-ha!” He laughed. “It’s all right. I’ll calm her down soon.”

  The guards stopped and gave him a puzzled look. Lily stared at Shacks with a look that could kill. Her hand trembled, but the blade didn’t move.

  “Babe, calm down, will you?” Shacks sighed wearily, acting as if Lily was really just his hot-tempered girlfriend.

  The blonde, perplexed, watched as the point of her sword rested against his unprotected finger. She had no clue when and how he had placed it there. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t cut his skin.

  “But seriously.” Shacks’s voice instantly became heavy, and his gaze murderous. The smile disappeared from his face. “If you want to take revenge and kill me, then do it right. You won’t do anything to me here, in front of witnesses. I know that you’ve passed to the third stage, so you’ll get your chance there.”

  Lily stood in silence for another minute. It was clear from her face that she was struggling with coming to a decision. In the end, and probably for the best, reason won over emotion. She put the blade back into her Ring.

  “Try not to lose to anyone before we meet in the arena,” she spat. “Kai, Ivsim, I’ll see you two soon,” she said and headed for the exit. She’d train day and night until the beginning of the next stage. She’d get her revenge even if it killed her.

  “So, Kai, I actually wanted to talk to you and―”

  “I don’t want to talk to you,” he replied coldly.

  Shacks made a sad face. “Why are you so angry? I thought we were friends!”

  Ivsim kept his eyes on his meal. He knew a lot about Kai and Lily and their adventures, but not all of the details. Judging by Kai’s tone, this Shacks fellow wasn’t someone either of them was happy to see.

  “You don’t want to ask me anything? You sure?” Shacks asked.

  “Actually, I do. Why the hell are you not dead yet?” Kai said after a couple of minutes of silence.

  “Oh! How painful! Oh, my poor little heart!” Shacks grabbed his chest. “I just used a protective artifact. That Exorcist really scared me then! I was sure that I was a goner! When it was all over, I was all like…” He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, and then smiled. “But the attack turned out to be rather weak. Though I had to return to the Plateau...”

  “Shame, really. Had you died, you wouldn’t be here now, interrupting our dinner. I’m sure you know where the door is,” Kai said.

  “Aw, I spoiled your dinner! Shame on me.” He shook his head. “By the way, I think you’ve already met my little brother, Knox?” He pointed to a young man standing nearby. Kai instantly recognized the archer that had been pursuing him. It was only then that he finally looked at Shacks’s clothes ― they bore the emblem of the Bright Moon Clan.

  “Who are you really? And what do you want?” Kai asked as seriously as possible.

  “What do you mean, who am I? I’m Shacks!” he asked in confusion. He turned around and shook his head. “Ah, thank you,” he said, pulling a chair out from underneath one of the guests. The latter, having fallen, wanted to object but stopped when the silent Knox appeared in front of him. Shacks sat down opposite Kai and smiled. “I’m just Shacks. A humble archer and the pride and joy of the Bright Moons. What do I want? Well... Just to greet an old friend and future adversary. Maybe have a drink or two, talk about battles, girls, tower keys… Stuff like that, nothing serious...”

  Chapter 28

  ONE LUCKY WIMP

  Not even an hour had passed since Shacks suddenly appeared in the restaurant. He was enjoying the house’s special, while Kai reflected on his recent words (Ivsim left them almost immediately after Shacks appeared). He had given him a lot to think about.

  If Shacks knew about the fragments and about the Tower, he was also probably aware of the fact that the Blades were already in the process of putting the key back together and opening the wretched thing.

  As it turned out, Shack had been to Alkea to find the Key Part: Body. However, he wasn’t the only Bright Moon apprentice with that task. Many other members of his clan, including some of its most talented students, had traveled to the furthest corners of Saha in order to find the other two fragments of the key. Everyone knew that the third one, Key Part: Soul, was in the possession of the Blades. It was they who had given this task to the Bright Moons, as they were considered to be the best of the best when it came to espionage, intelligence, covert operations, stealth assassinations, and much more.

  Shacks’s strength was also a peculiar thing. He had proved himself to be incredibly strong the first time he and Kai met. By Alkea’s standards, the archer was extremely unusual, however, in comparison to the cultivators from the other seven clans at the Brain Endurance level (which he had been at that time), he was lagging behind. He was far from being on top of the list of anything, let alone among the best members of his clan.

  It didn’t take too long for Kai to figure out why that was so. A jug of finest wine later, Shack explained to him that his father, brother of the current patriarch of their clan, put a special seal on him before sending him off, sealing almost all of his strength. This practice wasn’t uncommon in their clan as it allowed its members to reach the Soul Stage easier than others and come out with greater results. Having leveled, they’d release all of the sealed power, increasing the effectiveness of their development. This, of course, couldn’t be compared to what Kai had been able to achieve, but it was considered an ingenious process on the Plateau.

  Shacks appeared weaker while he was in Alkea as he wasn’t able to reach the Opening of the Acupuncture Points level while he was there, because even in Rivertoon, there wasn’t enough prana for him to achieve the desired result.

  Not allowing Kai to utter a word before he was done talking, Shacks also told him that after being transferred to Alkea via a long-distance teleport, he immediately went to the capital to look for information. He was given a year to complete the assignment, because of which he didn’t have the opportunity to join the Fallen Star Sect and gather information there. However, he was fortunate enough to stumble upon the local Assassin’s Guild, which possessed more than enough information about what lay beyond the Azure Ridge.

  After joining it, he soon learned of the incident that had occurred between the Kelais and the Imperial family. Having delved deeper into this matter, which required both bribery and murder, he found out what they had wished to achieve and how much they had lost.

  Things were easy from there. It wasn’t difficult to find the remaining members of the Kelai family, and sell them the plan to kidnap Lily and exchange her for the Key Part they needed. It didn’t take them too long to get Shacks on board.

  This way, he intended to get both fragments at once. But there was no way that he could’ve predicted Kai. Because of him, Lily managed to escape. Kelais were then lured into a trap together with him as his marks had somehow been discovered.

  However, that didn’t mean that he had failed. His main goal was to get the fragments, but in case he didn’t succeed, he was ordered to activate at least one of the parts. Which was exactly what happened when North appeared.

  After th
at, he was free to return home, but that’d mean spending a lot of Energy Crystals on teleporting just to deliver a report. Also, if he did so, some of the Seven Blades Clan’s Elementalist would come after the fragments, which neither his clan nor he needed. So he decided to try to get them on his own.

  But Kai and his unusual strength messed up all his plans. It all ended with one of the fragments being activated at full force.

  “And why are you telling me all this?” Kai frowned. “What makes you think I know anything about those fragments?”

  When he finally finished eating, Shacks wiped his lips with a napkin.

  “Because I want to and because I can.” He smiled and shrugged. “I saw you with North, so I didn’t believe that you didn’t know about the fragments. And your eyes gave you away when I first mentioned the key. So you don’t have to pretend, I’m one hundred percent sure that you know what I’m talking about.”

  Kai stared at Shacks for a while. To avoid outing himself in the future, he’d need to pay more attention to his body language. Those who knew how to read it could pick up on the smallest of details.

  “All right.” Kai sighed. “What do you want?”

  Shacks leaned forward slightly. He created a Concealing Curtain around them, but he spoke in a whisper anyway.

  “The Tower will reopen very soon, it’s only a matter of time. The Blades, as well as the Moons and the Sun Blessed, will be there. Even peak Elementalists are interested in this event. But, most importantly, apprentices will follow them. So I want to invite you to come with me.”

  Kai was surprised, but he hid it by sending a particle of the Cold Void into his spirit world. His emotions instantly disappeared, and his thoughts flowed much faster and easier.

  “Why would students go there in the first place? And why do you want me there?”

  Shacks smiled, leaning back in his chair.