Bai Qing'er thought of the day when on a sect mission, she asked the Inner Court disciple, the senior sister, who was leading them. She had asked, 'Senior sister, if you ever encounter a chance to get the ability to read someone's thoughts about you, will you keep it?'
The reply from her Senior Sister didn't surprise her when she said, 'Of course, I will accept it. This is the best ability I can ask for. Imagine knowing what people think about you. You will never be betrayed, never be lied to, and will never be at a disadvantage.'
When Bai Qing'er heard this, she wanted to argue back. But her words remained stuck in her throat.
She had thought, 'You may know all the secrets, but you will lose everything else. I remember when I was a kid, I didn't have this ability. I miss those days. Even though now, with this ability, I can see everyone's true nature.'
'But at what cost? I lost my chance to live like a normal person. I saw many disciples come close to me because of my looks. Male disciples came close to get into my pants, female disciples came close to me to get benefits and jealousy. I don't even feel anger now whenever I see male disciples lusting for my body, nor do I feel sad when I see female disciples feeling jealous for no reason. I have lost too much because of this ability. I... I feel alone.'
'I wish to live like a normal person. Even if it's just for one day.'
…
"Do you all wish to take part in the spar?" Yuan Shuchun's qi-infused voice once again echoed through the hall, bringing Bai Qing'er back to reality.
"YEAH!" The disciples roared in excitement.
However, just as Yuan Shuchun was about to continue, someone from the older Inner Court disciples stood up and said, "Senior Sister Yuan, as we also allowed to take part in the spar?"
"Ah, yes. Of course, you are. But since we know who the winner will be most of the time, if an older and new Inner Court disciples have a spar, therefore, to make things fair for everyone, I will propose some rules."
"First, let me explain how we're going to decide the worthy winners."
"On the platform, there will be two circles. Rules are simple, the disciples who can stand the longest on the platform and as many challenges as possible will take back one bottle of elixir."
"And if there's someone who can dominate on any of the two, he will be worthy of this Arcane Path cultivation manual."
"Out of these two, one is for the older Inner Court disciples and the other is for the new Inner Court disciples."
"During the spar, injuries are common and you may even get crippled. So go on the stage at your own risk. Also, don't forget we're from the same sect, so no killing, alright?"
"Okay, then, who three will come first on the stage?"
Yuan Shuchun finished announcing the rules and waited for the disciples, but no one seemed to come forward.
Seeing no response, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Let me rephrase my earlier words, the winner won't be the LAST disciple standing on the platform, but rather who stood for the LONGEST time."
And it finally dawned on the disciples and without hesitation, three disciples jumped on the stage.
Seeing them, Yuan Shuchun smiled and continued, "Well, we have some heroic volunteers. Choose your circle and defeat anyone else who also chooses that circle."
The disciples moved and took their positions.
Both of them were side-by-side to each other. And coincidently, out of the three disciples, two of them were new Inner Court disciples while the third one was an older Inner Court disciple.
The new disciples chose the same circle, the one at the left of Yuan Shuchun, clearly avoiding the older disciple.
The older inner Court disciple now stood alone in his circle.
Yuan Shuchun nodded at them and said, "Before this event begins, I want you to always announce your name and peak before you start the spars. My maids at the side of the Hall will keep the track of your time spent on the stage."
"And since we have so many disciples present today, and the time in our hands is less, everyone will only get one chance. Once eliminated, they should go back and recuperate. You will be eliminated if you forfeit on your own or if you step out of the circle."
"Alright, then, let's start!"
The disciples on the stage nodded and one by one announced their name.
"Zhao Yi Of the Sixth Peak."
"Duan Han Of the Eight Peak"
"Qian Shi Of the Seventh Peak."
The older Inner Court disciple was from the Seventh Peak.
And seeing him standing alone, Yuan Shuchun squinted as she announced a new rule, "Well, just want to let you know that all the new Inner Court disciples will get double points if they stay in the circle for the older Inner Court disciples."
Hearing her words, someone from her right side immediately jumped on the platform and entered the circle with the Inner Court disciple.
"Feng Qiao Of the Ninth Peak, please advise."
The older Inner Court disciple smirked condescendingly and said, "You really think just because you will get double points in this circle, you can have the chance to get your hands on the elixir?"
"Hmph, we will see. Just because you had a few years more to cultivate doesn't necessarily mean you can defeat me."
"Alright then, let's see if you can still spout bullshit after losing a few teeth."
And then both of them swiftly moved towards each other to attack.
Similarly, on the other circle, both sides had begun their fight.
Meanwhile, on the seats near the throne, Xiao Ming was still pissed off about Zheng Xiang's blatant challenge. He looked at him and said, "Hey brat, weren't you talking too much? Let's get on the stage. Maybe you can bring your friend too, doesn't he like to put his nose in other people's business?"
...
A/n: If you find any errors or typos, please let me know in the comments so I can correct them.