Chapter 426: Talent (1/2)
Branches and trees entwined to form expansive bleachers that were partitioned into mid-sized platforms that would be able to house between five and twenty people each. Even seats and tables sprouted up from the ground on the platforms.
Finally an inscribed disk was lifted out of the ground with the help of six gargantuan roots. The platform looked like an enormous coin, with a diameter of thirty meters or so. It would be impossible to have a proper battle on such a small surface, so it could only mean it was exclusively meant for the Dao Discourses.
The disk was almost ten meters high and its surface looked just like the forest floor. It was a bit uneven and covered in grass, with a few bushes growing as well. Two smaller platforms rose up next to the [Dao Discourse Array], one on each side of it. An altar holding a football-sized crystal was placed on each of them, no doubt the control crystals the competitors would use.
“The rules are simple,” the matriarch said as she was lifted to one of the highest platforms by a root that looked like a massive snake. “If you wish to participate, simply take a number. To get the opportunity to bathe in the Pool of Tranquility you need to defeat two of my grandchildren. However, If you lose the first battle you are out.”
“Why this rule?” the Matriarch smiled when she noticed some discontent among the guest. “It’s to save their reserves. A Dao Discourse isn’t as draining as a real battle, but there are dozens of you here. My grandchildren would turn into hollowed-out husks if they had to expend so much spiritual force.”
Of course, there was also the not-so-hidden implication that they were favoring their own. Zac didn’t feel there was anything wrong with that though. It was their pond after all, and they should be able to stack the odds in their favor a bit.
Zac and Thelim walked over and got their allotted numbers from one of the servants holding a crystal, and Zac was pretty happy with the result. He was placed at the 8th spot, whereas Thelim drew 2nd. It was perfect for Zac as it gave him some time to observe how the Discourse worked. It sounded pretty fantastical from Galau’s explanations and he wanted to see some examples before he jumped into the fray himself.
The best would have been to play around with the array for a bit to test out its limits and various ideas, but there was no chance of that happening. The first person to challenge the Enlightened Three was one of the few wandering cultivators just like himself, and she didn't seem all too pleased at being the sacrificial lamb that had to sound out the three youths.
The woman still walked up to the large control crystal and it lit up with power the next moment. Zac looked on with interest as large swirls of mist rose out of the Discourse Array to quickly form the avatars the combatants would use, the wandering cultivator had chosen to form a dozen soldiers, each standing roughly one meter tall.
Their swords radiated a distinct sharpness that Zac was all too familiar with, and he knew that the girl had mastered the Seed of Sharpness, and it was at High Stage judging by its power.
The dryad rather summoned a field of flowers, and Zac couldn’t place what Dao they were made from. When Zac looked at it with [Cosmic Gaze] he realized its true nature though. The flowers barely emitted any color to his adjusted spectrum, but there were actually vibrant roots running through the platform itself, snaking their way toward the soldiers that were targeting the flowers above.
The wandering cultivator didn’t seem to sense anything amiss and she ordered the soldiers to approach the flowers, even sending a few of them forward to scout out the plants. One of the soldiers swept his sword in a wide arc, and a rippling wave of sharpness cut down a noticeable section of them.
There was no reaction from neither the flowers nor the young dryad who held his hand against the control crystal, and the guest immediately realized something was wrong even if she couldn’t sense the roots digging ever closer. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before she grit her teeth and ordered her whole squad forward in an attempt to preempt whatever the Perenne scion had planned.
The soldiers only had time to take a few steps before spears made of wood struck out of the ground, piercing the chest of one soldier after another, ripping them apart in seconds. Each strike also seemed to hit the controller as well and she staggered away from the crystal as blood started running down her nose. She threw an unknown pill into her mouth and quickly scurried away after bowing toward the hosts.
The battle was over in an instant, and Zac didn’t even get a chance to see the dryad use any hidden cards. He had heard that the three of them had represented the family a decade ago as well, and at that time all three had showcased peak Dao seeds. Some believed that the three had gained Dao Fragments by now while others thought they had rather worked on their supplementary Daos.
One thing that Zac could glean from the fight was that tactics were just as important as strength. The dryad hadn’t even bothered using any fancy techniques such as fusing multiple Daos into one stronger projection, but he had rather won using wits.
The Dao that formed the spikes were related to nature as it felt a bit similar to his Seed of Trees, but there were also distinct differences. Zac guessed it might be the Seed of Root. He guessed such a seed could contain some piercing capabilities like those he saw just then. But most importantly, the seed that the youth had used was only at Middle Stage, yet it defeated the wandering cultivator in an instant.
“How skilled,” Thelim murmured. “I only sensed the roots due to my natural affinity. I wouldn’t have fared any better if I was a human in that fight.”
”Good luck,” Zac said to his temporary travel companion as the tree stood up with a grunt.
The one-sided battle seemed to have put a bit of a damper on Thelim's mood, but he still reluctantly stepped to the plate. His showing was a bit better where he summoned a massive tree that released a storm of leaves to cut his enemy.
The Enlightened Three had changed representative to let the dryads rest in between flights, and the next one conjured stone golems that withstood the barrage of leaves until they reached the tree. A few of them combined forces to forcibly rip apart the tree, at which point Thelim surrendered by unsummoning his avatar.
“Well, it was worth a try at least,” Thelim rumbled with a sigh as he returned to Zac’s side. “Those three siblings are truly fearsome. We both used High Stage seeds, but the amount of spirit he could instill into the avatars were night and day. He also controlled those golems so naturally, while I struggled to just send the leaves in the right direction. Both the strength of their souls and their control over their Daos is top tier.”
Zac slowly nodded, but he didn’t directly comment on the fight. The friendly ent was honestly fighting way above his weight class, and if this was a real fight the living tree would have been ripped to shreds in an instant.