71 The Moon Stones Brilliance (2/2)
After Nuan had refined the Moon Stone, no apparent changes seemed to have occured.
”Maybe the Moon Stone is too high level a resource for little Nuan... After all there should be some limit to her destiny changing abilities.”
She had used the stone every night to cultivate peacefully for about a month when, spending some time in the library, she had determined the Moon Stone powers to last only for about a few weeks of use.
”What?! Only a few weeks! I didn't know the Moon Stone only lasted such a short time! Despite being so rare and in limited amounts it only lasts so long. And I was so close to breaking through to the second step.”
Shin Sumi was tempted to go back up the mountain once more, just off the chance the senior who gifted her the stone would reiterate.
”It is strange though, the intensity of the Yin Shinsoo from the Moon Stone has not gone down even a little bit.”
Unable to do anything about it, Shin Sumi didn't want to think too hard of the matter. Between the three Pavilions she was in, a lot of practice and cultivation was needed anyway.
”Now is not the time to slack of, Sumi,” Xiao Yue told her one night, ”the rankings will be determined in only a month! A whole year of resources will be based only on your placement among your branch.”
Shin Sumi sighed.
”The Star-Sword Pavilion's ranking is almost already done. We all know who the disciples participating in the Cross Branches Arena will be.”
”Yes exactly! And you're one of them, Sumi. So everybody is going to want to challenge you to prove their strength.”
”You really have it good, Yue, being the Sword Master's direct disciple and all... Nobody will challenge you, that's going to save a lot of hassle.”
In a flash, Xiao Yue stood up from the bench both girls were sitting on. She stomped her foot with an angry expression.
”Oh, I have it good?! Sumi, don't devalue yourself like that! Let's not even talk about the Rising Star Tournament, and you're in three Pavilions at the same time! You have three times as many chances as anyone else! Or two, if the Beasts Pavilion doesn't participate.”
Shin Sumi looked down. Somehow she had forgotten how incredible her situation was compared to others. But Xiao Yue didn't seem to understand her line of thought. She simply didn't want to participate in any tournament.
Shin Sumi stood up as well, gently embracing her sworn sister, the Black Devil Maiden Xiao Yue that everyone feared in combat, the proud disciple of the number one expert in the Dark Sky Starry Sect. Only with Shin Sumi would she allow her cheeks to turn red and her eyes to close blissfully.
”You are right, Yue, as always. And as long as I make it for the Sword Pavilion, I won't even participate in the other rankings. And I do need to work on my swordsmanship. Because I'm not using the Void Sword but Sky Deception, I can't use my full strength.”
This was a thing she had discussed for a long time with her sister before. Despite hiding it from everyone, the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword, now turned into the Void Sword was still her primary weapon. The bond between a sword and its master was no simple matter.
Hiding the Void Sword from the eyes of the world was like fighting with only one arm for a wrestler.
Due to her high talent and her perfect Shinsoo Apertures, Shin Sumi was still among the best in the new Liquid Realm Disciples, but it just wasn't the same without the Void Sword.
”I'm thankful to the Gods that you are not using that sword. Sky Deception is fine, really!” commented Xiao Yue.
Shin Sumi snickered, ”Eh, you're only glad I don't wipe the floor with you in the rankings challenge.”
Xiao Yue lifted her shoulders, palms to the sky.
”It's fine with me, between you crushing everyone and you stuck below Mei Yunei, I rather prefer the latter.”
”Hey she's not better than me” replied Shin Sumi!
Xiao Yue, who had been looking intensely at the pond with a malicious smile, turned back sharply.
”Oh, you haven't heard? She fought Ken Duang earlier at the First Star Arena. It's her fifth win against him, and she only lost four times. You and Ken Duang are at a stalemate, right?”
Shin Sumi didn't need more to understand the implications of Xiao Yue's sentence, but the latter decided to say it out loud anyway.
”That places you below Mei Yunei.”
With a hand in front of her mouth, Xiao Yue bid her goodnight. Shin Sumi feigned being angry and training right away, hiding her cristalline laughter.
Back to her courtyard a few minutes later, Shin Sumi sat down with the Moon Stone in one hand, Nuan perched on her shoulder.
”So Mei Yunei really is going to place fourth if this continues.”
There were only six places for each branch to participate in the Cross Branch Arena, excluding the Shinsoo-Medicine Pavilion which wasn't concentrated on fighting and the Beasts Pavilion because the new disciples spirit creatures were all too small to fight yet. That was the first rule, the second being that only newly accepted Liquid Realm disciples could participate.
If Shin Sumi disguised as Bai Fulong could hold on to her fifth place, then she would be happy. The Cross Branch Arena results afterwards didn't matter that much, everybody knew that the real fight was between the might of the three direct disciples of each Pavilion Master.
Placing in the top six of a branch was all that mattered for the rewards, the resources given by the sect for a whole year.
”Yue will take first place, then Mua Lin and Mua Jin, her, me and finally Ken Duang. That should be the final six, unless...”
Shin Sumi closed her eyes, thinking back to the final stages of the Rising Star Tournament. Behind her eyelids, an ice cold face was looking back at her.
”Sui Lin... She is the first person that ever crushed me completely, back then. And there's also Tai Bu. These two haven't made a move yet but I'm certain they will try their best to participate in the Cross Branch Arena.”
Sui Lin and Tai Bu were two of the Big Three from back in the Shinsoo Gathering Realm. Despite their reputation and their acceptance in the Sword Pavilion, they had kept silent and discrete until then.
”Maybe that is what they were waiting for. With their respective abilities, there is no way they won't make big waves soon. Well... Sui Lin at least.”
Shin Sumi's opinion on Tai Bu was kind of low. After all they had only met twice, the first time being when she had stolen his Flaming Whip and the second when she had completely beat him.
But Sui Lin was another matter. She had only crossed paths with her once or twice at the Star-Sword Pavilion, despite attending the same classes and training sessions. The only thing she knew was that the silent girl had never once shown her magical paintbrush there.
Much like herself she had picked up another sword with which to fight. But unlike Shin Sumi there was a good chance Sui Lin was going to use her favorite weapon for the ranking of the Sword Pavilion.
”That is going to be a problem if she comes after me. She was already terrifying when she wasn't in the Liquid Realm yet. Her proficience with magic is very high and combined with the might of the Star Sword Canon she would be really hard to beat.”
Shin Sumi's path was similar, in the sense that she could use her teachings from the Cloud-Formation Pavilion and use the magical techniques she had become quite good at, but because of her hidden identities she didn't have the same option as Sui Lin.
”Nuan, it's time for you to rest,” Shin Sumi called out. Understanding, the Lion Bat disappeared in the leaf pattern on her wrist.
The Copper Bell rang once, Shin Sumi's traits morphing into Bai Fulong's.
The Star Arenas located all around the upper valley were busy during day and night alike, and that was precisely her destination.
”Ken Duang, it's time for us to settle our score. Third Star Arena now, what do you say?”
Shin Sumi was already on her way when she received a divine sense message back from the young man, agreeing to the rendez-vous.
When Bai Fulong arrived at the meeting place, Ken Duang was already standing on top of a fighting plaftorm, attracting the eyes of a few disciples around.
”Whichever wins will keep their place until the end of the ranking month, alright?”
Nodding with a smile, Bai Fulong didn't waste any time. Sky Deception's dark grey blade fended the air as Shin Sumi leaped to join her opponent.