Chapter 29: Festival Opening
One week quickly passed, the city was in full bloom, crowds of people could be seen marching like a river towards the new stadium. Today was the start of the Sword Tournament and even if it would only be the lower category of Intent, the people was very excited to see the talented swordmasters.
People started entering the stadium filling every seat. The sheer amount of people was enormous and would be the biggest crowd of the tournament as it was the only category where everyone could come to see. The rules for the spectators where that your sword cultivation should at least be one realm lower than the category, for the Domain category only those at the Sword Intent or higher being able to see to the Monarchs' fight where only All Swords have the capability.
Suddenly all the lights of the stadium disappeared. It wasn't only the artificials ones, all light disappeared, the stadium becoming pitch black like the darkest of the night, causing the audience to murmur for what was about to come.
"Flash!" A pillar of light surged from the middle of the stadium, climbing over the sky. In the middle of it, a beautiful girl stood floating. She seemed to be no more than 18 years old and had a shining blond hair with charming and seductive yellow eyes. She was truly shining with her own light.
"Hello to every fanatic of the sword. Are you ready for the festival?" She shouted gaining some excited shouts from the audience "I will be your commentator and presenter" She leaned over her body, putting two fingers over her right eye and blinking with a cute pose "Shining Light!" The pillar of light around her exploded, a little explosion of different colors surrounding her, a light play around her.
"Shining Light!" "Shining Light!" Some fanatics over the audience started shouting, showing their fanatism towards their idol.
"Without further delay, the Sword Douluo Festival starts!" She extended her arms, swords of light surging around her, shooting all around. As they impacted over the stadium, new light pillars shot from them, completely illuminating the stadium, might brighter than before.
"Let's make a warm reception towards the protagonist that would start this festival" Shining Light introduced "The Intent Category!" She announced, 10 focus of light different converged together, illuminating an entrance towards the center of the arena. From there, a great number of youngsters walked over the Arena, there were over a thousand of them. They were the participants of the Intent Category, those of the Inner Valley and those who classified for it.
"Don't look down at their power as they had a monstrous talent. I look forward to seeing what these little boys and girls are capable of" Shining Light said "They had only took the first step, but maybe we are seeing future Monarchs today, look forward to it" She smiled radiantly "Especially at the 7 participants from the Inner Valley, you can expect great feats from it."
From the crowd of participants, Xueqin furrowed his brows. It might seem like a compliment, but what Shining Light was truly doing was to make everyone wary about the Inner Valley, making sure to be targetted if there was a group battle.
While Shining Light was animating and cheering the audience, Xueqin activated his special sight. After those years here, Xueqin had learned to control his sight, being able to control when to use and have a high resistance to it, he could even use in the Inner Valley, no longer blinding himself due to the strong sword aura of it.
Just as he activated it looking at Shining Light, he regretted. She truly shined, blinding him and causing his eyes a great pain, it was even more than usual at the Inner Valley.
Xueqin quickly retracted his gaze "That presenter is truly a monster. She might even surpass master" Xueqin gulped shocked. He shook his head, she wasn't an important now. She was clearly too far of his actual self and it wasn't like she was his opponent.
Xueqin turned over the other participant, his gaze piercing over them, having different shines over it. There were a lot of talented swordmasters, but his gaze especially focused on three of them. "Interesting. They are truly strong" A grin appeared over Xueqin's face as he looked at them, only recognizing one of them as Stargod.
"Let's start the tournament!" Shining Light announced, waking Xueqin from his stupor. Sword surged over the ground, a gray mist surging from them engulfing every participant.
Xueqin found himself, completely surrounded by the gray mist, his perception completely blocked by it. Xueqin extended his right arm, his Golden Dragon Sword appearing over him. With a simple swing, he dispersed all the mist, but he found himself in a completely different place than before. It was. He was surrounded by a lot of trees and vegetation, like a primeval forest that seemed more of a jungle.
"For those that couldn't cut the mist, you are eliminated, sorry!" Shining Light's voice resounded over the forest "If you are even unable of that, you are not worth to even consider" Her voice sounded coldly.
"For that who passed, congratulations!" She said cheerfully "Let me explain the rules from this first part. Every one of you had been handed an identification number. Please take it out and attach it over a visible place of your body"
Xueqin took his identifiers, a round token made of an unknown metal where the number 6 was written over it with a gray color.
"The task will be to collect the other identifiers, everyone with different point values. To take it, it would be necessary for you to beat, kill or make surrounder the owner. Once someone surrenders, it would instantly be taken away, assuring his safety, but I advise you to not take to much time as while your life won't be in danger, you won't be saved from the feeling of death" Shining Light explained.
"There's a time limit, but I won't say what would be. Once the time pass, the 8 people with the greatest points would pass to the next round" She said "For more rules and information, please look the sky. Good Luck, everyone!"
Xueqin looked over the sky where some lights were forming phrases, explaining more rules. The value of the identifiers depended of the number in it. Higher than 1000 were white and it was 1 point; Between 500 and 999 were yellow and it was 5 points; Between 100 and 499 were purple and it was 10 points; Between 50 and 99 were black and it was 50 points; Between 10 and 49 were red and it was 100 points; Finally, lower than 10, it was a x2 multiplier.
Wining against another would only give you his personal identifier, not his accumulated. Even if you were eliminated you won't lose your points, keeping your count with the exemption of the x2 that is transferred to the winner, the beaten loosing its accumulative effect.
Xueqin scoffed "This is really targetting us. People would avoid working in great numbers as their points would be lower. The only exemption are those of lower than 10 that I suppose are from the Inner Valley, the tournament inciting the cooperation to take them out, being able to later fight for the multiplier." He deducted.
Just as he was about to move, a bright purple pillar of light shot to the sky far away from his position.
"Sorry, I forgot to say it" Shining Light appeared over the sky making a tehepero's pose "You should keep your identifier visible, if not..." She paused for a second and smiled brightly "Let's say that it's not a possibility." She said before quickly disappearing.
Xueqin instantly knew that the purple pillar was someone who tried to hide his identifier, the payment being transformed in a lighthouse, easily targetted by everyone.
Xueqin looked at his identifier and remembered Mucheng's note that had appeared over his desk just before the tournament "Winning is no the important, this tournament is a refiner. Make the most of it" It was written over it.
"Let's refine then" Xueqin smiled, hiding his identifier inside his spatial ring. Just as he hid it, a gray pillar shot from him, piercing over the sky and giving away his position.
"Come to the light, fireflies" He grinned.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
picaco
picaco I'm back from holidays! I missed using a computer!
I'll need to take over the accumulated reading and some work so I might not be able to write everyday (Or yes, I don't know) But I will return to write, this little hiatus having finished.
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