3: Tournament

My third teacher’s eyes look much more wary than the previous one’s. Perhaps they are getting suspicious. I make sure to leave no signs I was in there, and the idea that I even could kill a teacher is something most would not expect. If it were a fair fight, I’d surely lose. Why fight fairly though? 

“There’s an inter-sect tournament coming up, I want to see how well you do. Make sure to win and prove the might of the Rising Mount Sect.”

This teacher seems much more cautious than the others. None of the others encouraged me to participate in tournaments. In fact, I was repeatedly held back from them, with talk of how it’s not suitable for one with a single water spirit root.

…

Tournament day arrives and… seriously? Everyone is just blatantly killing their opponents? Not even pretending it’s an accident? My turn comes and…

“Really? A mere water root who hasn’t even formed her foundation? It seems someone sent you as a sacrifice. I’ll gladly be the one to play with you until your death.”

I’m the only woman even in this competition for some reason. Perhaps the others were aware of how stupid participation in this is? It’s pretty clearly an attempt to kill off the students of other sects. Everyone is either a powerful genius people expect to win, or a weakling expected to die. No inbetween. 

“Rain? You think you can save yourself with rain?”

This was just a start. Making rain is one of the simplest tricks with water arts. It’s not even considered a combat skill. Foolish. I just need more rain. Stacking rain, atop rain, atop rain, until it’s a blinding downpour within which nothing can be seen or heard except the continual assault of raindrops upon all. Pounding, pounding, pounding rain. 

When an opponent has uncertain footing, and cannot see or hear me, it is hardly a challenge. As one with water root, cultivating water ki, and practicing water arts, knowing where someone is and what they are doing in the rain is easy. This rain, is my domain. Getting him to slip and fall to the floor, then pinning him with ice, he became helpless rather quickly. Then I just needed to hold his mouth open, and drained his body of ki. Unlike before, he didn’t dry out. The downpour ensured he remained moist. However, the water in his body now was mine, and would return to me in time. 

When the rain stopped, and the audience could see, all that was present was a drenched me, standing over a drenched corpse. I then walked off, without bothering to dry myself. Water is my element. Why would I need to stay dry?

…

3rd teacher’s view

I was right, she really does have a backer. She did not learn that from any teacher in this sect. Her power does not match her cultivation level. Every opponent of hers died in that torrential rain. None of them had any visible injuries. Had I tried to take her, would I have ended up like her former teachers? Who is it? Who can turn water into such a deadly art?