Born in Blood



As the eight of them spoke of terms, Liam wondered if he could have a small piece of that Miracle Fruit.

Something of that level was extremely valuable, no doubt.

But just a tiny bit?

Was it too much to ask?

Granted, Liam didn't even know if eating a Rank 6 item was possible for a low ranking cultivator like him.

…It probably wasn't.

Or if Usan was even okay with giving him such an important resource. 

Considering everything Liam did for him and the Temple as a whole, he was entitled to a small bit of the fruit.

'There are the Elders to take care of before me. Or maybe he wants to consume the whole thing for himself and become a Rank 6.'

Nevertheless, Liam was thinking too far into the future. 

The tournament hadn't even begun, and he was already contemplating victory.

Those seven clans weren't a joke, and neither were those below them.

Their martial arts were among the most advanced and ridiculously powerful.

Where Echoria shined in their inscription, formation and other specialization capabilities, martial arts were a different game.

And Ilali was absolutely unmatched in this regard.

'The Temple's specialization is just the shadow… I have to win with my own prowess.'

Then again, Liam's prowess was disgustingly advanced for someone his age.

If Liam was forced to use his Ashura Form, he could even fight a Rank 4.

That said, those eight were taking their sweet time discussing their terms.

By then, the atmosphere erupted into a loud cacophony of different cheers and noises.

The part about the Martial Art Tournament already spread to the farthest edges of Ilali. 

Every old man with a hunched back and a cane were making their way to the Main Lands.

This was a time of profit!

Entertainment!

Change!

The borders of Ilali were already being closed from all sides.

Island-scale Formations were being activated, negating any sort of Jade connections or other forms of communication.

Businesses were closing down and relocating towards the Main Lands.

The entire country was going to this world-class event.

As Liam looked towards the hordes of faces, he grimaced.

If the battles were indeed going to be for the public's eye, Liam would have to hold back.

Everything about Liam was abnormal.

His Blood Arts, his chaos, his Blood manipulation and so much more, which he couldn't afford to let anyone know about.

Liam prayed that Usan knew this fact.

Nevertheless, a solid two hours passed.

Finally, the Isolation Barrier whiffed out, and the eight of them spread out.

"Eight months!" North Star declared with a bit of annoyance in his tone. "In eight months, the tournament will begin. The terms will be decided by the Seven and… him."

"Until that time, preparations are to be made."

BOOM!

That was all North Star said before shooting away towards the light-made palace.

Butthurt, everyone thought, but didn't say out loud.

The discussions were fruitful, judging by Usan's satisfied expression.

The Unforgiven flew back to the Monolith Lion's head.

"All Sect leaders can participate," Miasma Queen said, obviously unhappy.

The less people there were, the faster they could win the tournament and be done with it.

But that Unforgiven wouldn't have it.

Sun's Spear had a broad smile on his face. Everything about the current situation was to his benefit.

"If you would like to opt out, that is also allowed," Unmoving Mountain added.

"The official rules will be revealed on the day of the tournament," Felling Wind said.

"Until then, we will all prepare," Myriad Brush said.

Everyone else followed suit, each of the seven flying towards their individual domains. 

The Monolith Lion swerved around and made its way towards the Temple's home-island again.

A sea of people opened a path as Unforgiven Shadow took his time heading back.

From the looks of it, he was no longer in exile. 

And he had no trouble flaunting his new status to the Ilalians.

'I'm finally free.'

Usan smiled lightly.

But his expression turned stern a second later.

'Everything depends on this tournament.'

'They'll be doing their best to push me out of this too.'

'They'd lose the most if I win.'

Nobody wanted the Unforgiven to win.

What kind of monster would he be once he became a Rank 6 powerhouse?

Usan made it clear it was revenge he sought.

Naturally, they had a hostile bias towards him.

Usan glanced towards Liam, who was currently cultivating as they made their way back.

The way this tournament was made… 

Well, it was a bit different, that was for sure.

Eventually, everyone made their way back to the Temple.

No longer did they need to be secretive of their quarters.

In fact… some people were already contacting Usan!

They wanted to join the Temple!

They had seen the Unforgiven's stance on Ilali.

His grief over the dead and destroyed lands.

In a flash, they realized Usan's real personality.

Alliances were already being put into plan. 

Once they had successfully arrived at the island, the Unforgiven dismounted and all the acolytes spread in different directions.

Surprisingly, it was Usan who approached Liam first, erecting a small-sized Isolation Barrier for them to talk privately.

"You plan on participating, right?" he asked. Liam nodded. "Good. Because you'll be a Secondary Fighter."

Liam raised a brow.

"Meaning?"

Usan looked to the side, where the Main Lands were.

"There will be different battles that the groups will participate in. But there's only one that really matters. The Main Battle and the Secondary Battle."

"The Sect leaders…"

"And their most promising Mortal Ranked disciple."

"They both carry the same amount of weight."

"Since the tournament will be point based, even if the Sect leader is defeated, if their disciple wins all their bouts and attains the most points, they win the whole thing."

Liam hummed in thought.

"You don't have to worry about holding back," Usan reassured. "I can probably add a rule that blocks outside viewing. You'll be able to fight with your chaos and demon form."

Key word: probably.

Liam pursed his lips.

"Do I get a piece of the pie?"