Abyssal Awakening

As they approached the main arena situated near the headquarters of the sect, Alice saw some information posted on some pamphlets regarding the layout of the tournament.@@novelbin@@

There were three categories for the tournament with two of them being held near the start.

The first was as expected, Sigil combat. To test who is the strongest based off raw power.

You either take a test to prove the effectiveness of your Sigils or showcase your unique strength to the judges. If you pass, you'll be entered into the brackets where you fight different fighters.

A standard tournament.

But the next drew Alyss's attention.

Zero powers marital arts only combat.

"Apparently, they create a barrier over the arena that helps isolate the powers from reaching you. After entering, your body will go back to what would be considered their 'usual' physical state without the help of Abyss Blood or Sigils." Jin explained after gathering some information.

Folding her arms, Alice couldn't help but feel as though this reminded her of Severance to a certain degree or even her own powers.

She's able to isolate the powers of the Abyss from reaching a user thanks to Cayla's power and using her personal artifact to cut off the strands momentarily.

But the Empyrean Dragon sect was able to do this without Cayla or the power of Severance?

Alice wanted to find out how they do it.

'Seems like we'll be signing up for the Zero powers combat then.' Alyss chuckled.

'Seems so. You wanted to put your martial arts to the test anyway right? This sounds like the perfect chance. Plus, if we figure out how their barrier isolates the Abyss from reaching us, I'll be able to cook up a countermeasure in case we do fight them.' Alice nodded her head.

With a powerful barrier like this, Alice didn't want to risk the potential chance of them using it against her in a fight.

As for the final tournament, it was a selection of talented people from the new generation along with the top three from Sigil combat and Zero powers combat.

"Which one do you want to compete in? Since it's top three, even if I join in, it won't change much." Alice asked, surprising Jin.

"Wait, you're planning to join in as well?" He thought that she'll simply be watching him and judging his progress rather than joining in as well. After all, that's the usual script then it's a wandering master and disciple.

Yet she wanted to join in on the fun and compete as well.

What if they meet each other round one???

"Who do you think I am? Of course I'm going to join in. You forget that I was attacking other sects because Alyss wanted to learn their martial arts." Alice rolled her eyes.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if this disciple of her's was a little slow in the head.

After all, it should be rather obvious that she wanted to join in.

Speechless, Jin could only pray that he wasn't put into the same bracket as Alice. As long as he can make it to top three, he should be able to avoid harsh training.

"Ah speaking of which, Alyss mentioned that if you don't make it to top two and lose to us, we'll be increasing your training." Alice gave him a grin as Jin stared at her blankly.

###

"Shouldn't I be training at the training grounds? Why are we here to enjoy a festival?" Qiu Qiu asked with a frown.

She was currently following the leader of the Demon Extermination squad to browse the stalls in Baichuan.

"The better question is why not? Cutting yourself from the world to master martial arts while effective, will also cloud your understanding of the world. Only through a balance between both can you reach your desired strength.

"The Empyrean Dragon sect is hosting their annual Dragon Descent festival so why not take this chance to relax? There's also a tournament later for you to enjoy." The old man chuckled while Qiu Qiu shook her head.

"What's the point of fighting these vagrants who never had a proper fight in their life? Fighting them won't benefit me at all."

"That's where you're wrong little Qiu, sometimes even the weakest fighter may give you a surprise you didn't expect. Perhaps you should join the Zero powers category if you wish to experience this for yourself." The old man tapped the pamphlet while Qiu Qiu simply sighed.

If that's what the Leader was going to suggest then so be it.

"And don't you think it's a good chance for you to learn more about your six realms five desires? For it being your second resonance, you've only managed to tap into half of it. The Deva path with Form is still out of your reach despite having touched upon it with your fight against the demoness." He reminded as Qiu Qiu glanced down.

The six realms five desires was a state that's meant to enhance every aspect of her body with the right combination.

The hell realm grants resistances and enhanced defence.

Hungry ghost realm lets her devour energy to fuel herself.

Animal realm was still beyond her as of right now but it's supposed to enhance her instincts to the next level.

Human realm increases her comprehension and adaptability. To seek opportunity through danger and to learn the movements of her opponents.

Asura realm, the path of war. One that enhances all physical traits in order to best optimise her body for battle. It's the most violent realm yet also the strongest that she can access.

And finally, the Deva realm. The path that she barely touched upon thanks to her fight with Alyss yet wasn't something she struggled to understand.

The details of this realm was largely unknown even to her predecessors who had the same resonance.

After the paths were the states of desire.

Desire of touch helps her dull the sense of pain while also making her more sensitive to incoming dangers.

Desire for taste enhances her absorption of energy and even stealing a portion of her enemy's strength.

Desire for smell and sounds were both used to dispel illusions that mess with the senses. Outside of this, sound can help pinpoint her enemy's movements through vibrations.

Lastly, forms. Once again, like the Deva realm, it's unknown even for her predecessors.

Closing her eyes, Qiu Qiu tried to recall everything from that fight but the ending was blurred for her.

The only thing she could still remember was the sense of death. The fine boundary between life and death, the eternity of limbo.

But no matter how hard she pushed herself, no matter how dangerous the training, she wasn't able to tap into the same state. Maybe if she could, she would be able to unlock the key to her Deva Realm.

"And you think that someone in the Zero powers category can push me to the brink of death?" Qiu Qiu asked but the old man shook his head.

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"I don't think they can push you to the brink of death. But I do believe that they might show you something interesting. Of course, you can choose between accepting the invitation or participating as one of the contestants in the Zero power category. I'll leave that decision to you.

"For now, simply enjoy the festival, I'm going to meet up with a few old friends of mine since they invited me for a drink." The old man laughed while Qiu Qiu only sighed.

As the leader of the Demon Extermination squad, he was serious and respectable most of the time.

But after he became her master, Qiu Qiu realised what kind of man he was and her previous understanding of what he was like was shattered in an instant.

Setting aside his identity as a leader, he was simply an old man with a foul mouth who liked to drink. Shaking her head, Qiu Qiu decided to buy a disguise for herself. At least then, people won't quit too early once they realise who she was.

###

"Are you sure Alice will come to this place?" Hualing asked doubtfully as she was on an outing with Xiao An. After they parted ways with Alice, they expected to hear some news about her from the alliance.

It felt as though she just vanished into thin air.

No more sects or clans were attacked nor did anyone find a trace of her.

"Even if she doesn't come, we still need to show up and pay our respects as members of our clans." Xiao An chuckled.

"Urg… Don't remind me. I thought they would've given up after the wedding went to sh*t thanks to Alice but instead they kept the engagement alive." Hualing groaned as the old fodgey in the vermillion clan were truly tenacious f*ckers.

Refusing to let her go even after all the things that had happened.

"At least they didn't force it this time. They're letting us take our time to decide what happens." Xiao An comforted as Hualing let out a sigh.

They used the excuse of wanting to broaden their horizons and join the Demon Extermination squad temporarily to get away. But if Alice doesn't show up then the clan would probably send them news to go back.

Regardless, there was another reason why Hualing wanted to come. That being the invitation only tournament with the winners of the other two categories joining in.

She wanted to see how far she could get without showing too much.

Enough so that others wouldn't take advantage of her and use it as a leverage over her family but not enough so that a target is painted on her back.

"Shall we go for a quick drink before paying respects to the sect?" Hualing grinned while making a drinking motion.

However, Xiao An simply chopped down on her head.

"No, we're here as guests not to cause a havoc because you decided to drink."

Pouting a little, Hualing sighed and followed Xiao An to the sect headquarters.