Ding!
Disciple Rei has achieved Understanding in the following Dao’s:
Human Path - Initial Understanding
A system window appeared before Karn just as Hong Tao’s fell outside the boundary.
The outcome of the battle immediately stirred the spectators. Some disciples cheered, while others spat toward the ground, clearly dissatisfied with the unexpected ending. The crowd was almost evenly divided.
Only the Elders maintained a unified opinion.
"This battle will likely go down in the archives of the sect," one of them remarked. Several Elders nodded in agreement.
Karn simply smiled. He was, in truth, quite proud of his disciple. She had acquired the second quality of a genius, Dao comprehension. But more importantly to Karn, she had learned to enjoy a fight.
As Rei descended the arena, Hong Tao stood in front of her.
"I lost." He spoke.
"Yes." Rei nodded.
"That was fun." Hong Tao grinned.
"It was." Rei’s lips curved upward. She passed Hong Tao and walked back to the resting area of the contest where Shin was.
"Koko..." High above the arena, Karn stroked his beard.
’The lass entered the arena expecting an easy victory, yet ended up learning an entirely new lesson.’ Karn thought as his smile widened into a grin.
’That may very well be the greatest gain.’
Hong Tao was escorted toward the infirmary by several logistics disciples. His body was covered in wounds, and although none were life-threatening, there was hardly a part of him that hadn’t been battered during the battle.
The Heavenly Mountain Elder watched the two young disciples for a moment longer before turning away and leaving as well.
As Rei returned she replayed every moment of her fight with Hong Tao from moments ago. She did not show it but the intoxication from understanding the Dao had been plaguing her the whole time. Every person’s actions around her seemed to reveal a little something about them.
She suddenly remembered how she had left Shin with the little girl and the strange feeling she had received from her.
Even after her fight, she still could not forget that feeling she wrote off due to the contest. A deeply dark anxiousness appeared in her heart as she walked towards where she had left Shin faster.
As she approached the area and looked around, her face became more dreadful.
’Where is he?’ Rei thought to herself. She activated the Heavenly Thief Technique, her figure becoming a blur as she rushed through the resting area.
’Where? Where is he?’ Her anxious heart tightened. The strange feeling from before became unbearable until she heard a voice.
"Li Lian, please stop." His hand was wrapped around Li Lian’s wrist. The girl’s fingers had been inches away from pulling down his blindfold.
Shin’s demeanor had changed though. The flustered Shin had disappeared, instead Shin’s face seemed entirely too cold. A hidden anger could be felt in his breathing even without seeing the child’s eyes.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Shin’s fingers remained wrapped around her wrist and Li Lian’s playful smile had disappeared.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Shin... Please let me go...." she whispered.
Shin did not answer immediately, his breathing remained steady. The hand beneath Li Lian’s wrist tightened slightly.
"I said stop." There was no childishness in his voice.
Li Lian stared at him. Her charm technique had worked perfectly until now. Shin had been flustered, embarrassed, and completely unaware of what she was doing but the moment her fingers touched his blindfold, something had changed.
She could feel a faint pressure.
’Did he notice?’ Li Lian’s eyes flickered.
"Why? You said you trusted me." She pleaded again.
"I do but I don’t want you touching my blindfold." Shin finally released her wrist.
"Why not?" Li Lian tilted her head.
"Because my master told me never to remove it unless he says I can." Shin reached up and adjusted his blindfold.
"Even for me?" Li Lian’s expression stiffened.
"Especially for you." The words came out colder than Shin intended.
Li Lian’s eyes widened. For the first time, the childlike warmth disappeared completely from her face.
"Shin!" Rei’s voice echoed through the area.
Shin’s head turned.
"Sister!" Rei appeared in front of them almost instantly.
Her eyes immediately fell upon Li Lian. The moment she saw the girl’s face, the strange sensation she had felt earlier returned but this time, it was different. After comprehending the Human Path, Rei could no longer simply describe it as a feeling.
She could see where the strangeness originated from. Li Lian’s smile was pleasant but her eyes were not. Her breathing was calm but beneath that calmness was something carefully concealed.
"Where is your mother?" Rei’s hand moved toward her sword.
"We haven’t found her yet." Li Lian blinked.
Rei took another step forward and Li Lian instinctively stepped backward.
Rei’s eyes sharpened. Fear began oozing out of her mannerisms, but it was not the fear of a lost child.
"Shin."
"Hm?"
"Come here." Shin immediately walked toward Rei.
Li Lian watched him go and for a brief moment, her eyes became icy.
"Senior Sister Rei, did you win?" Then the sweet smile returned.
"Yes."
"That’s wonderful!" Li Lian clapped her hands but Rei did not respond.
She stared at her. The Human Path she had just comprehended was faint, but it allowed her to notice things she had previously ignored.
The timing of Li Lian’s smile and the slight tightening of her fingers. The way she looked at Shin that differed when she looked elsewhere. All of it spoke something.
"Li’er." Suddenly a figure appeared out of thin air behind Li Lian.
The woman looked as though she had been sculpted from ice itself. Her long robes were pale and pristine, while a faint chill seemed to permeate the air around her. Her blue eyes glowed with an almost unnatural brilliance.
"Mother!" Li Lian’s expression immediately brightened.
The woman stepped forward and placed a hand upon her daughter’s shoulder. Her gaze slowly shifted toward Rei and Shin.
Rei’s hand remained on her sword.
The woman’s blue eyes narrowed slightly as a strange pressure spread through the surrounding air.
Rei’s instincts screamed. This woman was strong. But despite the pressure pressing against her body, Rei’s expression remained calm.
The woman wasn’t looking at her with hostility. Her gaze revealed a bit of recognition.
"Thank you for keeping my daughter company. I was worried sick." The woman spoke, lacking any of the emotion that necessitated those words.
"Yes." Rei’s eyes narrowed. The woman smiled faintly.
"We will be on our way. Please take this as payment for your help." She spoke as she threw out a pouch at Shin.
Although the pouch appeared suddenly, Shin caught it without effort.
"Mother..." Li Lian spoke as she looked up at the woman pleadingly.
The woman smiled in response and disappeared into thin air along with Li Lian.
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