MAZE - The Endless Quest

The arena located at the very peak of the Heaven’s Edge Summit was, in one word, magnificent. To enter it, one had to cross the gates that blended seamlessly with the mountain. It was to the point that Hera could barely believe she was seeing things correctly. The very rocks were opening a path for the cultivators and the audience that would watch them battle. Inside, pillars of red, black, and gold spread around like roots of a tree who fought against the stone for dominance. Yet, those battles formed perfectly shaped tunnels and hallways. Every single one of them with that mix of vegetation and mineral covering the walls.

The public moved through those passages, finding their luxurious seats waiting for them. Well maintained benches made out of various large pieces of gemstones, with cushions eagerly anticipating those who would use them on these rare occasions. In here, there was no social class. The wealthy merchants sat beside the beggars, the scribes chatted with the thugs. In here, they were all friends. There was no bad blood among anyone, not inside this arena. The only difference was between those who came to watch and those who came to fight.

Yulan and Yuwei moved past the countless lines and floors of seats and continued to the inner rings of the audience. Where those who would fight had the right to stay in the front row. The elders of each sect had their own section on that area, however the same wasn’t true for the rest of the sect members. Everyone was not just incentivized to mingle with the other sects, but they were expected to do so.

The center of the arena was completely flat and made out of gray rock. The rock that was part of the mountain since its formation. There were no blemishes, no scratches, nothing on that slab of stone. Yulan explained that this had been the case ever since the first tournament. Nothing, and no one, was able to break that part of the mountain. People said that as long as the arena remained unblemished, the hills would prosper.

From the ground floor, where all the battles would take place, the surrounding stadium rose another 30 meters into the sky. However, that didn’t mean people felt like they were trapped at the bottom of a well. In each of the cardinal directions, there was a gap showing the sky and the view from the top of the mountain. That gap aligned perfectly with the sun, meaning that the arena was illuminated from dawn to dusk. On the edges of some of the floors, there were long flags leading down, some signaled the various sects, but others were there to represent the winners of previous tournaments. Each of those long pieces of cloth emblazoned with a specific symbol picked by the winners.

A man wearing long white and gold robes walked from the side, taking the center stage of the arena. He cleared his throat, the sound reverberating through the entire structure, “I would like to thank all of you for being here today. This is the 789th Sky Sword Meeting. And I, being the mayor of Heaven’s Edge, have the honor of starting the procedures.”

He turned around, facing a different part of the crowd, “As you all know, this tournament was created in an age of strife. It became a way for the sects to solve their differences without going to war. At the time, most had doubts about this. If a tournament would truly be enough, and if the sects would honor their loss, even if they had bigger numbers and more masters willing to go to war. Yet, despite all the opposition, all the doubts, and the fear. The Sky Sword Meeting became the most important aspect of our lives. With it, we achieved peace, and we work towards a millennium of boundless prosperity.”

The mayor put both hands in front of his body while turning once more, “And for that. I thank you,” he bowed, his arms pouting to the north, “and I thank you,” he shifted, now to the east, and bowed again, “And I thank you,” once more, he turned, now facing south, “and I thank you,” the last of his bows was aimed at the west. A way to thank not just all of those in the arena, but also those living on the plains themselves.

Clearing his throat once more, the mayor continued, “I apologize for the brief introduction, but I’ve been made aware that last time, I may have overdone the speech. Now, let us start the tournament!” he shouted as the entire crowd started clapping.

“How long was the last speech?” Hera turned to Yulan.

“From the moment he stepped foot in the arena until he left… About three hours. That ended up delaying the entire tournament. The finals only happened two days later,” the Orc woman replied.

“Yeah. But there were some good parts. I liked the story about how all the old masters tried to fight and the mountain split in four ways,” Yuwei added.

“So, this is something that happened by accident?” Helena looked around. She noticed a couple of mirrors on the very top of each of the sections of the arena.

“Yeah, and here is the best part,” Yulan smiled.

The mayor gestured for a few people who started shifting the mirrors. At the same time, the four rays of light hit a specific spot on the side of each structure. Another network of mirrors was hiding inside and one by one, at a staggering speed, the benches made out of precious gems started glowing as the sunlight illuminated the stones.

Hera and Helena had to hold back, not to laugh. Sure, it was an incredible sight, and if they were not part of the modern world, this would be one of the most amazing things they ever saw. However, since they were used to technology, they couldn’t help but think that the entire arena had ‘gamer chair’ seats covered in led lights that did nothing but look pretty.

The mayor left the arena, leaving someone younger, an Orc with a long hair in a tall pompadour style, of all things. He wore a similar white and gold robe, but the colors were reversed. Instead of predominant white, gold was the color that covered most of his body. He got to the center while moving slowly, and then burst into motion, turning to one of the sides of the arena with every word.

“Ladies, gentlemen, everyone in between and to the side. Welcome to the 789th Sky Sword Meeting. Are you ready to ruuummmbllleeeee!!!??”

The entire crowd cheered, and the announcer continued, “The first duel of the day is one that will be remembered through the ages! Starting with our junior brackets. From the east corner, the fiery son of the flames. The genius spark of light. The inheritor of the phoenix himself. Representing the Celestial Phoenix Sect, Huo Jingyun!”

A younger Orc, likely in his early 20s, came from the east entrance. He had a red banana on his forehead and a plume of fiery red hair resting on top of it. His sleeveless vest was of dark red, with yellow trim showing a lean build. He walked forward, jumping into the air while letting some fire come out of his feet to boost his motion, and landed in the center of the arena. Throwing a few punches in the air.

“And on the west corner, the icy damsel of the sea. The calamity of snow, the frozen heart of the tundra, the youngest priestess of the Serene Lotus Temple, Xue Lianhua!”

Walking slowly from the west entrance, another Orc who should be in her early 20s, if not younger, emerged. She had long flowy blue robes and an aura of frost around her body. Her steps were slow, calculated, and void of any emotion until she reached the center of the arena and simply stared at her opponent.

The announcer jumped up and stood in the air a few meters above ground, “Fire and water, a battle as old as time. Who will win this time? Will the cold be enough to cut off the heat? Or will the ice melt away? We shall have the answer soon!” he said something else that only the two cultivators in the arena could hear. A confirmation if the two were ready, and after getting a nod from them, the announcer shouted, “Ready? Fight!”

It didn’t take long for Hera to realize the fight was extremely boring. Sure, this was just the junior bracket, and she wasn’t expecting massively powerful skills or anything of the sort. Since these people were cultivators, she imagined they had trained for several years. What she wanted to see were extremely well practiced martial arts, and maybe use that to figure something out herself. But what was happening was very far from that idea.

Xue Lianhua seemed to have practiced the same half a dozen moves to perfection, but she had to return to a neutral stance after every attack. That caused her to lose any momentum, and in fact, it made her look very much like one of the training dummies the Empress used in the past. Huo Jingyun, on the other hand, wasn’t following any set martial art. He was just flailing and hoping to hit his opponent with whatever he could do. It very much reminded Hera of her early days as an explorer.

Both of them had some elemental abilities, with the man shooting fire from his hands, and the woman freezing the surrounding air to lower his body temperature. But their mana, or Qi, as they called it, was all over the place. Most of the magic they used was dispersed once the effect was created. Meaning they only cared about sending out the spell, or skill, not about making sure it maintained its strength until reaching the target.

Eventually, Xue Lianhua ended up winning as the man from the Celestial Phoenix Sect ran out of steam and collapsed due to the cold that surrounded his body. The next fight was equally underwhelming, which made Hera and Helena focus more on talking with Yuwei and Yulan than anything else.

There were a couple of moments when Yuwei had to leave for her own match, but she finished her battles in just a few moves. All of them were simple and without any special technique behind them. She was making a point to reach the finals without showing any of her real abilities, as her mother asked. Which she was able to do, as each fight only lasted around 10 minutes.

Yulan was the opening act for her bracket. Even if the name was odd. She was in a stronger group than Yuwei, but it was still called the junior bracket. Just the second junior bracket.

She was also able to finish her fights in record time. Before the tournament started, she had set up a teleportation location outside of the arena, and every time someone got close, she would just open a portal for them to fall through. The rules clearly stated that leaving the arena was the same as forfeiting the duel.

A lot of people protested against her way of fighting, and even the crowd booed her a few times. But the judge already had an answer for that. Yulan’s master had won a previous tournament using the same technique, and that was allowed. Which meant that it would be unfair to ban that skill now.

Once the fights were over, the group moved back to the inn. None of them were tired, but things got a bit rowdy after the tournament and, unlike almost everyone else, they couldn’t party to their heart's content. Then again, that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy some of the festivities. They still had time to enjoy the plays, the music, the dances, and, most importantly, the food stalls.