Chapter 11: Razil's Ploy

"Winner, Zax!" Talhera declared.

The crowd of spectators stared in bewilderment. The fight might have seemed like it took a long time to conclude, but in truth it was over in less than four minutes after the three began to move.

"That's ... That's it?! With the same single move he subdued Woren and simultaneously made Silvia forfeit?!" A spectator murmured to himself.

This was the second round, and nothing yet spectacular should have taken place, but the three way battle had three experts that any one of whom was fit to be among the top ten. It was reasonable for everyone to expect from the first stage to shine with the spender of high class techniques. With this expectation in mind, Woren and Silvia certainly complied to the crowd's anticipation, but Zax ... the winner of the three way battle ... with just a flick of his hand, it felt as if not just his two opponents were defeated, but the great suspense of the crowd was crushed!

"What the hell?! What kind of soul attack did he employ to take down an expert such as Woren without giving him a chance to retaliate?!"

While there were many who voiced their shock, there were quite a few who sat with dejected expressions on their faces.

Yet again, all those who derided Zax before the first round felt like a sharp bone was stuck in their throat, and the one to swallow the prime rib was, of course, Razil. Not long ago he compered Silvia and her sister to Neyrar, claiming in the same breath that they are genuine Pearls in comparison to Zax. And now, the stronger of the two sisters lost to Zax without even trying to put up a fight.

Will it not be his turn, sooner or later, to receive Zax's retribution?

Razil bit his tongue and inconspicuously glanced at Neyrar. Quickly color began to return to his face with additional red shine. Piously he put his fate in his the number one representative of his school and several major forces.

...

"Senior Ten, your kid seems fond of your Soul Binding formation, but am I seeing things wrong? The formations he used in this fight and the previous one a bit differs from what I remember..." The elderly third realm woman said with a piqued smile and even though she did not send her word through her Sublime Soul Sense, superintendent Ten was still the sole person to hear her.

"Mmm, student Zax cultivated my Soul Binding formation to perfection couple of years ago. What he used in the two fights was a variation of his creation. That is why it looks familiar to you, lady Takeda". Superintendent Ten used the same technique to transmit his words directly to her ears.

In the past four years, while learning from the reading material in Eden Formation's Summit and Grandmaster Kartion about the basis of soul formations, Zax had yet to attain a proficient enough level to create a formation that could match superintendent Ten's Soul Binding formation. But he was able to experiment. And although, overall, the variation he came up with is not better than the original Soul Binding formation, he did manage to modify it for a more comfortable use for himself.

"But ... I would rather suggest you to subtly take note of student Zax's soul. There, lies his true fortitude as a Martial cultivator". Superintendent Ten added.

The elderly female third realm expert, lady Takeda, carefully inspected Zax's sea of consciousness with her Sublime Soul Sense as he came down from the fighting stage.

"I see ... his soul is at the Peak of the first realm, but its strength comparable to a Peak second level Core Master, maybe even a Beginner third level Core Master. So he himself is yet another freak of nature..." Lady Takeda sighed. "Judging by that and his extraordinary bodily refinement technique, I'll say that there are only three junior participants who can match his ability. As for age, only Nirger's boy has surpassed his accomplishments".

"Ahm", superintendent Ten groaned. "Nirger's boy is indeed exceptional, but student Zax traverses a Martial path unique to him alone, which none among the older generations sitting here can follow, and, perhaps, not one of the younger generation will ever repeat".

Toward this steadfast comment lady Takeda had not say in response anything. The Martial path is known to be the same as an endless root system with countless small and big paths. Most are negligible, having nothing special to them but conformism. But a few rare ones possess the challenges that even fewer are really qualify to pass for attainment of transcendence beyond their peers.

If Zax was on such of a unique path, lady Takeda could make a guess to find out which. After all, a junior in the first realm could only traverse so far. Nevertheless, lady Takeda kept to herself. It will be unbefitting for a senior to dig into the affairs of a junior. Moreover, in her opinion, a third realm expert at her age should forget about everything and either die or continue cultivating for the alluding infinitesimal chance of true ascension.

...

The second round fights proceeded in high spirit despite the bland results of the three way battle.

There was a total of twenty battles for forty one participants to fight over the twenty places of the third round.

Susuya entered the fighting stage along with an independent female expert, seemingly thirty five years of age. The name of the female expert was Linor, and by the crowd reaction to her appearing in the second round, her popularity was really big.

Linor's frame was bulky to a woman and her body, including her face, was scars ridden. From that, one could gather that it was not her unparalleled beauty that the crowd regarded with great exclamations, but the strength with which she dominated and gained her reputation as the number one assassin of the Basement Floor!

At the beginning of the fight, Talhera notified Susuya, and everyone else with the same idea, that from the second round onward it is forbidden to exploit the fighting stages' formations. To everyone surprise, though, Linor did not mind whether Susuya use the power source of the stage to fuel her formations.