Born in Blood

The item looked incredibly potent with magic.

A halo of silver moonlight surrounded its perfectly spherical shape.

In reality, its surface was made out of a brass color, but reflected sharper red light.

It was as though it didn't belong in this world.

There was no doubt about it. 

This was a one of a kind item.

"Stop teasing and tell us what it is already!" Eyes of Knowledge snapped. 

It was clear that he, of all people present, was the most excited about this thing.

And quite frankly, everyone was.

Liam, too.

'Star Dust… has it actually come from outer space?' Liam thought. 

The Mayor grinned broadly, seeing Eyes of Knowledge's reaction.

But just before he answered, Reiner interrupted him again, raising a hand. 

"Wait! I'll give you 3 different treasures in exchange for that. How about it?"

Almost everyone in the room simultaneously glared at Reiner, but the enthusiastic seeker of knowledge was unfazed.

Then, they glared at the Mayor, daring him to agree to the trade.

The Mayor felt a little smaller under so many powerful eyes. He chuckled awkwardly.

"Haha… ahem… that's… unnecessary. I'm afraid I cannot do that, Mister Knowledge."

The tense, heavy atmosphere softened.

Eyes of Knowledge had a gloomy look on his face. 

'What a stingy person,' Liam thought. 'Most of all, stingy with knowledge.' 

A moment later, the Mayor continued, adjusting his monocle and tophat.

Using some sort of telekinesis, he raised the object into the air for all to see.

"As you can tell by the name, this little thing does not belong on this planet."

The Mayor spoke in a proud tone. 

"It's a meteor with Rank 6 magical properties!" 

Shocked silence.

Even a Rank 4 item that came from outer space was bound to be interesting.

This was Rank 6?

It was common knowledge that meteorites turned into motes of ash once they entered the planet's atmosphere.

The friction caused by the world's gasses caused it to burn apart.

It was rare for a meteorite to actually hit the planet square on.

However, for the cultivation world, that was even more true.

Why, exactly?

Because of the sheer amount of things that lived in the sky!

Dragons, Wyverns and all kinds of aerial beasts swarmed amidst the clouds, even if they were dormant at times.

If they saw a meteorite, it'd most likely mistake it for an invading species, then attack it viciously until they were sure it was erased.

However…

Meteorites were just rocks in space that managed to enter the planet's gravitational orbit.

They weren't Rank 6 materials!

And this thing was?!

Not to mention, it contained magical properties?

It was clear that everyone wanted the Star Dust. 

Liam was no exception!

He imagined what a weapon made from a Rank 6 material would be like…

Could it cleave a mountain in one single swing?

No…

It could do much more!

"What does it do?" Spirit of Nature asked innocently. "Other than being Rank 6, of course."

The Mayor smiled wryly.

"We… don't know."

Silence.

"I've brought several renowned archeologists—"

"But not me?!" Eyes of Knowledge interrupted.

"—to look into the item and understand its purpose," the Mayor continued, unfazed by Reiner's interjection. 

"None have truly found out what it contains, nor understood its special properties."

A pause.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that this has been birthed from an actual star!"

"A dying one, at least. I'm not too wise on the anatomy of the celestial bodies, but I'm sure they have something to do with… whatever this is."

A moment of silence ensued.

'I must have it,' Liam thought seriously. 'I must.'

The core of a dying star?

Are you kidding?

Liam would want nothing else!

The Mayor grinned broadly. 

"But I've washed my hands clean of it."

His smile grew deeper.

"It's the prize for our big game."

The 'game' no longer sounded as bland and stupid as before.

With this as the carrot, the stick could be whatever the Mayor wanted it to be.

"Any questions before I begin explaining what the game is?" the Mayor asked. "You're… all participating, right?" 

"I haven't left yet, have I?" the General said in a husky voice and a charming tone. 

Funny enough, Liam noticed how the General said 'I' and not 'we'.

As though he was the only person that mattered. 

"Very well," the Mayor said with a nod. "Let us commence!"

As everyone rose from their seats, the Mayor made a wide sweeping gesture with his palm outstretched. 

Wherever his hand moved, the floor's structure transformed.

The flower-like chandeliers regressed into the ceiling.

The private seating areas were sucked into the floor, before turning entirely flat a second later.

And the bar precisely broke apart into smaller pieces, before turning flat as well.

Now, the floor perfectly resembled a gymnasium! 

The wooden planks had spread throughout the ground.

The ceiling was decorated with cozy white lights.

The floor itself was divided into two sides.

In the center was a long, wide net held up by two poles.

The 'arena' was rectangularly shaped, with a white strip of painting marking its precise boundaries.

Liam's eyes widened in mild surprise.

This…

…looked like a volleyball pitch!

An indoor volleyball pitch, of course.

All those present looked confused.

They had never seen such a thing before!

When one thought of a game in the cultivation world, they would either think of something involving violence, gambling or dares.

Not this.

"I call this…" 

The Mayor paused for dramatic effect.

"Touch Ball!"

A crystal portal shimmered from above, through which a small ball made from a rubber-like material emerged.

Striped with black-and-white colors, it was perfectly circular, yet looked incredibly durable. 

It floated mid-air, bobbing up and down idly.

"Please forgive me for doing this, but I swear, it's because I want the players to be absolutely fair."

CLICK! 

A second later, the Mayor snapped his fingers.

At once, Liam's suit, overcoat and undershirt transformed into an athletic attire suited for… well, volleyball!

Looking around, Liam realized that it was the same for everyone!