Chapter 395: The Competition Begins (1/2)
Chapter 395: The Competition Begins
Lan Jue was the most excited of them all. Had it not been for his suggestion, little Jun’er would not have come. Ever since leaving the Avenue, her mother had recognized a difference. In the end the Jewelry Master had been right – locking a little one up is very bad for development.The more she learned of the outside world, the better.
There were drawbacks and dangers to using the psychic projection helmet. He’d discussed these concerns with the Pharmacist already. In fact that had been the reason why the young mother hadn’t already tried it. She never even considered it an option before. When Lan Jue first asked if he could buy her one, she’d been reticent. However, Lan Jue explained that a child’s mental and emotional growth was just as important as their physical well-being.
Until now, Jun’er had never experienced anything other than the inside of the Pharmacist’s shop. It was truly amazing for this little girl, to experience the whole world opening up to her. The helmet only became dangerous if it was used too long, so if they regulated its use there would be no problems. It was an easy decision to make when you considered the benefits.
When Jun’er first used the helmet – when she saw her ‘parents’ loving looks, and saw all the richness and color of the world – she’d crowd copious, happy tears. She was almost like a different girl entirely. For more than an hour, she wandered around muttering ‘I can see… I can see’ before eventually falling asleep.
Now she was full of light and excitement, a child with a new lease on life. Her pale face was even turning a little ruddy as the sun kissed her cheeks. All of this meant that Lan Jue had been right. The Pharmacist’s protection of her little girl had been absolute, and her atrophied figure underlined that.
The Pharmacist did not approach the stories Paragon to get her child. Instead she decided to remain behind, and sit in the seat provided for her a few rows back. Now she was beginning to understand that if she wanted Jun’er to grow in to a healthy adult she would need to experience everything the world had to offer.
The Gourmet interrupted the unlikely friends. “Jun’er, you’ve been wearing the helmet for quite a while. Time to take it off now, sweetie.”
“No! I want to see daddy fight,” she replied fiercely.
The Terminator chuckled. “Which one is your daddy? What does he look like?”
She shook her head emphatically. “Daddy said that’s a secret only he and I know. He said I can’t tell anybody else. Only I know who daddy is.”
This caused the giant man to erupt in great bursts of laughter. “Your daddy sounds like a very mysterious man! Very interesting… very interesting indeed.”
The first batch of the tournament’s initial round finished in short order, not even breaking thirty minutes. With so many competitors and the random draws, there were many uneven match-ups. A ninth level Adept didn’t need more than a few seconds to finish a sixth or seventh level. Other than the Pharmacist, the Barber and the Seamstress. By twenty minutes, the second batch was getting ready to get on the field.
Once the first round of festivities was complete, robots flooded the area to help clear things away. They took the injured for recovery while the victors found they own way back to the waiting room. Each of their badges had an extra light, indicative of their victory.
After a ten minute break to reset the field, fighters from the second batch made their appearance.For those watching the stream, they were subjected to a round of advertisements.
They were just as quick as the first batch. Lan Jue didn’t recognize anyone on the field with, and everything seemed normal. Of course it was difficult to get an accurate lay of the land down here among the milling competitors. With nothing to focus on, Lan Jue closed his eyes and simply allowed himself to get swept up in the energy around him. It was a practice he engaged in a lot more recently after the first time he’d joined with Qianlin and felt the sensation of being a peak-level Adept.
Gramps would tell them ‘once an Adept reached the height of his power, he must begin to commune with the powers around him.’ Everyone had to find how they fit in the unfathomable patchwork of the universe, and discover the road to enlightenment. This process would not be a quick one; it would come like a supernova once one’s accumulated understanding was sufficient.
Every Adept had to break through their personal obstacles to achieve Paragon. The first attempt was the most important, and had the highest rate of success. Someone who failed would find their chances diminished almost to nothing without some epiphany.
This was why Lan Jue did not let up, despite understanding the nature of protogenia. He tried every day to commune with the universe like he was told, to find that underpinning truth.
“Batch three competitors, take positions.”
Lan Jue’s eyes popped open, and he made his way to the field. He was in arena 350, against contestant number 1724.
By the time he got there his opponent was already waiting. He was a man with a dark aura and half made of metal. Even half of his head was man-made, and it made him look terribly ferocious. His eye had been replaced with a blinking orange substitute.
So this was 1724.
They stood at opposite ends of the small arena and eyed one another. Beside’s Lan Jue’s dramatic mask, he didn’t look anything special. Clearly though, 1724 was a product of the North.