HanTian competition is an annual event exclusive to QingHai Sect, named so because it is conducted in the HanTIan mountain range.
It’s a troublesome social occasion for an antisocial introvert who have better things to do ah….
Basically, every 10 years, QingHai Sect will open up this mountain range and invite the other neighbouring sects to attend.
HanTian mountain range used to be a normal region until five centuries ago when cracks akin to gigantic veins appeared on the surface of its earth. Esteemed cultivators had gathered upon this abnormal phenomenon and figured out that the land beneath the range used to be an ancient warzone between long forgotten demon race. Countless demon skeletons can be found underneath the ground and with the cracks appearing, demonic qi seeped out and started polluting the range. As such, the mountain range, which fell under the jurisdiction of QingHai sect, had been sealed by QingHai Sect leaders henceforth.
However, a land rich with demonic Qi also nurtures excellent spiritual herbs and demonic beasts. It is a priceless ground for harvesting spiritual herbs and for students to practice defeating demon beasts. Therefore, every ten years, QingHai sect will open the range and invite neighbouring sects to bring ten disciples per peak for a competition of sorts.
Each peak lord will select ten senior disciples to participate in this event. They can use the allotted time of 10 days to do whatever they want in the mountain range, although the winner is decided by the number of demon cores gathered. Some disciples will request to be selected for participation merely for the sake of gathering rare spiritual herbs.
The competition itself was pretty easy and straightforward for someone of QiuRan’s level as the area opened to the disciples are enclosed by a protective array in the mountains. Most of the summoned demon beasts here are low level with medium level being the highest. It’s merely both a test of speed and power. QiuRan being a pill alchemy disciple, is more interested in hunting for spiritual herbs rather than defeating demon beasts for demon cores. However, in order for Fairy FangXin not to lose face, QiuRan has to make sure he bring home a significant amount of demon cores as well.
The day of the competition, participating disciples stood on a wide stone platform where a teleportation array had been drawn. They each have an escape jade token 1basically a small palm sized board made from jade, usually with engravings on it.In this situation it is used as a magical device. imbued with their blood.
These jade tokens contain a large amount of spiritual qi and was created over the year with the effort of the elders. As their name suggests, the tokens can allow their owner to teleport over the distance of thousands of li in a blink of an eye. It is however a one-way ticket and is requires a lot of spiritual qi. As such, the elder who organizes the event urged the participating disciples to make sure their escape tokens are securely fastened to their belts and to doubly check that they had imbued the tokens with their blood so that the tokens can recognize them as their owner and not falsely transport a demon beast back to the teleportation stone stage.
Once everyone has made sure that the cyan tokens are well secured and prepared, the elder chanted a series of complex spells and the teleportation array on the stone stage shone brightly.
In a blink, everyone has been transported to the HanTian mountain range.
Falling from the sky, QiuRan vaulted mid air and sped off to more secluded areas.
He has a plan prepared and is not keen to waste time.
Having focused his studies on defence, array, barrier and pill alchemy and as such he is well aware that arrays such as these has a margin of error. These margin of error means that sometimes, a medium level demon beast will be summoned instead of a low level one.
If a participating disciple meet with a medium level beast they cannot beat, they are encouraged to withdraw and head to the opposite direction or in case where escape is impossible – to crush their escape token.
One must know that one medium demon core is worth ten low level demon cores.
This is the crux of QiuRan’s plan.
Instead of fighting ten dogs, he might as well defeat one wolf in one go and when he has gathered enough demon cores, he can then utilise the extra time he has to gather spiritual herbs instead of dilly dallying and fighting for demon cores which can only be used for tool alchemy.
QiuRan thus sped off towards the furthermost cliff area of the mountain where the ground is much more steep, where the array has higher margin of error due to the array pattern not being on a flat even ground.
Catching sight of the distinctive white and gray crane robe, Elder Long’s little disciple immediately caught on and followed suit with lightness skill comparable to QiuRan’s – her deep blue robes fluttering against the rushing wind.
QiuRan noticed her following but knowing that this little girl is also a genius in her sect, he is certain that she can at least handle a medium level demon beast. He dismissed the idea of confronting her and allowed her to follow suit.
Before long, they are running neck to neck.
QiuRan remained unbothered.
As long as she didn’t get in his way and he can complete this waste of a time sooner, he did not mind. Before long, dark clouds rolling onto the horizon and the crashing of thunders roared through gloomy sky. A storm brewed and rained down furiously across the mountain range not long after, making the place drearier than ever. QiuRan merely erected a barrier to ward off water and sped on.
Landing on a jutted piece of rock on the precipice of a cliff, QiuRan casted a net array to detect any demon beasts in the immediate surroundings.
EnYi had landed on a large birch tree nearby and was watching QiuRan carefully. Coming from a beast race, she has an innate ability to detect demon beasts and need not cast an array to find them. Both of them noticed a medium level demon beast north to their location at about the same time and rushed towards it soundlessly. EnYi’s QingGong (lightness skill) was excellent but QiuRan had been holding back earlier on. Before long, QiuRan had sped off ahead of her.
Landing beside a lake, QiuRan made sure to solidify his defense barrier and proceeded to cast offensive arrays. Since QiuRan specialises in defensive arts, he can only use traps and offensive arrays to attack the beast. EnYi noted this and decided to take advantage of his shortcomings.
Brandishing a long sabre which reverberated with a blue gleaming aura, the little girl who had just arrived slashed mercilessly at the medium level Siren Snake. QiuRan glared at her with his eyes twitching. For the first time in his life, he casted a protective array on a fucking demon beast.
WHAT THE FUCKING FUCCK!!!!???
IF YOU WANT TO DEFEAT A DEMON BEAST THEN FIND YOUR OWN AND DON’T PLUNDER MY CATCH!!!
“This here is mine! I found it first!”, QiuRan yelled loudly and amplified his voice with a resonance spell – worried that the girl might not have heard him amidst the raging storm. He still maintained that straight-faced polite mask simply because he made it a rule to make neither friend nor foe where possible.
“First kill First serve!”, the girl retorted and kept at bashing the barrier QiuRan had casted.
QiuRan immediately wanted to choke this little girl to death.
Like elder like disciple. Both of them are irritating as hell.
QiuRan strengthened both his trapping and protective barrier, preventing damage to get in and out to and from the beast while the girl keep on hacking at it. QiuRan gritted his teeth and was just about to give her another scolding when the girl suddenly turned and directed the hit towards him instead of the beast.
The FUCK!??
Demon beasts have different levels. All of them can pursue the dao. When they reach the Mahayana stage, they will be able to assume human forms. The kind which can assume human forms from a very young age and join a sect to play house like human mortals do are usually divine beasts. QiuRan had known from the first glance that this little lady is very likely a little princess of an esteemed divine beast family.
Yet a beast is still a beast. They are well known to have high bloodlust and a keen eye for warmongering!!!
Its not enough that she tried to catch the fisherman’s fish, she also has to go murder the fisherman?????
QiuRan still has a limited amount of Qi and had directed his qi on the protective and trapping array on the beast and as such, only had a rain barrier on himself.
In the face of the sabre’s descending sword-light, the rain barrier is basically just an umbrella facing the claws of Godzilla ah…..
Having no time to retreat or let go, QiuRan did his utmost to cast a defence barrier on himself while withdrawing his protective array on the beast.
A peach colored globe encased him in an instant and repelled the sabre’s emerald swordlight.
Well…some of it at least….for QiuRan soon trembled as he stared at a drop of blood which quickly surfaced on his arm- rolling into a perfect round red pearl before dropping onto the ground with a pling sound.
Oh shit…
His neck jerked upwards as he met the Siren Snake’s green eyes.
Author Note :
⋋✿ ⁰ o ⁰ ✿⋌
QiuRan : Mama don’t eat me
SirenSnake : Whats cooking? Smells good!!(ﾟοﾟ人))
