The First Peak of the Force

by Yuri Ajin

  “Ha!” One of the most respected senior elders chuckled. “Jiang Liu, you shouldn’t worry about that! We don’t know what these three fragments are made of, but they’re in no way inferior to the Tower. Even a hundred Elementalists can’t damage the key! So I support the former patriarch. We must open the Tower as soon as possible!”

  A relatively young-looking girl quietly cleared her throat. In comparison to those around her, she was nothing more than a child. But one would have to be a fool to underestimate her. Long ago, Jiang Yui was the winner of the Tournament, and when she turned three hundred, she was able to reach the Elementalist Stage, which was an incredible achievement. “Since I’m new and nobody has told me anything yet... Can you please explain to me what the patriarch and the supreme elder are doing now? What are we going to do with this key, and why exactly is the clan accumulating Crystals and Stones?”

  Everyone brightened up as soon as they heard her wonderful voice. Jiang Yui was loved by many members of the clan.

  “We’ve really forgotten to inform our new colleague!” said the oldest of the elders. “With the help of the key and the fragments, we’re going to open the Tower, which has stood on the Plateau since the times of the civilization that had been here before us. We assume that the Tower has something to do with the cataclysm and that by opening it, we’ll manage to go beyond the Elementalist Stage. You must’ve noticed that after reaching the peak of your current stage, something seemed to interfere with your progress, right?”

  Jiang Yui nodded.

  “That’s why we need the Crystals to unite the three fragments of the key. The fastest way to get enough is to have the students find them for us. While the Tournament is going on, the patriarch and the supreme elder are getting ready for the ritual.”

  Everyone was silent for a while. The elders were looking forward to opening the Tower, reaching the next stage, and increasing their life span. And the younger ones pondered what other secrets the Tower could be hiding.

  “Since the array seems to be working fine, I think we can leave. Others can keep monitoring the students.”

  The Elementalists nodded and left the terrace one by one. In their stead came several Exorcists, assigned to monitor the participants.

  ***

  It was the fourth day of the first round of the Tournament. A group of ten people was making their way through the dense forest. By their green robes, everyone could see that they belonged to the Tree of Life Clan. Like many others, they had formed their team long before the Tournament had begun. Luckily, all ten of them were able to pass the qualifying round.

  Nobody would call this team weak, but nobody would bet on them to win the Tournament either. Those with numbers higher than four thousand didn’t hope for much except to at least pass the first round, as their own clan would reward them for their trouble.

  The main task of such teams, however, wasn’t victory, but scavenging the land for resources. The Far Wasteland was an extremely dangerous place that had cost several careless Exorcists their lives. In addition to powerful monsters, the main danger were natural traps. This combination allowed very few to go to the east of the Plateau. Even apprentices rarely got out of the Middle Wasteland, only occasionally crossing the border, and even then not for long. For most, the Far Wasteland remained an unattainable dream full of untold treasures.

  But this year everything was different.

  ***

  Six months ago, the strongest of the students were working hard on getting ready for the Tournament, while the rest weren’t giving it much thought. However, when the rules of the first round were finally revealed, the leaders of the other six clans became alarmed. This time, even regular disciples, who usually acted as servants for the clans and never participated in such events, also became interested in what was happening.

  One could understand why the clan leaders and elders became alarmed. With this, they’d have to put the lives of their best students and potential future heirs in jeopardy. Threats and demands for an explanation were immediately directed to the Blades. No one understood why they came up with such an unnecessarily dangerous test.

  After many days of complaining and arguing, people began to expect that the Blades would back down, apologize, and come up with a new test. People wanted to see a proud and strong clan humiliated, trying to justify itself, but nothing like that happened.

  With their heads held high, the elders of the Blades announced that they wouldn’t change anything, which came as a surprise to everyone. The silence that fell upon the square lasted for no more than a few seconds, and just when the people were about to protest, the Blades reaffirmed why they were the strongest of the clans.

  In a minute, the angry and gloomy faces were replaced by intrigued and even joyful ones. The elders explained that they shouldn’t be afraid for the students and they had scouted the Far Wasteland, using almost all of their Elementalists and the strongest of Exorcists. In just a week, they managed to deal with all the natural traps and Tyrant-Stage monsters, making the Far Wasteland significantly less hostile. It wasn’t a hospitable place still, but it was no longer deadly either.

  By uniting into small teams, the students would be able to survive for a long time, and apprentices could even handle the quest alone. This also meant that countless Plants were now left without beasts to protect them.

  The test was still a serious matter. A cultivator — a real cultivator — couldn’t be raised in a bubble, no matter how many resources they were fed. A true understanding of the path of cultivation could be obtained only by walking the thin line between life and death as often as possible. Only by overcoming mortal danger could one discover the secrets of the path of development. This was the only way to stimulate the body and soul and achieve much more than could be achieved through training and studying.

  The elders were aware of this, so their anger was quickly replaced by understanding. Now the clans wanted to send as many of their students as possible. If they couldn’t pass the first round, they’d still gain invaluable experience and have a chance to get their hands on some of the rarest resources. Granted, they probably wouldn’t be able to find a lot in the vast Far Wasteland, but it’d still be better than coming back empty-handed.

  In previous Tournaments, there were usually about two, sometimes three, thousand students during the first round. This time, the clans wanted to send more, so the Blades allowed each clan to send up to seven thousand people. And although this sounded like a lot, it was certainly less than the number of students most of the elders wanted to send.

  ***

  One of the teams was moving forward to the northeast. During these four days, they had met several monsters and even managed to earn some points, but their main goal was collecting Plants. Since the Tree of Life Clan specialized in Forces and energies of Life, Fauna, and Flora, it was much easier for them to locate Herbs or Fruits than for the members of other clans.

  They had already managed to find a couple of rare Herbs, and were on their way to the place where, presumably, a peak-quality Gold-rank Plant could be found. At least that was what their leader’s special technique showed. Local flora didn’t care about people, as humans rarely ever showed up in these parts of the Far Wasteland. Luckily for the students, this meant that they were unlikely to have any abilities to hide. They could protect themselves from animals, but people — they could barely even detect their presence.

  Walking right behind the broad-shouldered man in front of him, who had always been the life of their company, Yang Ling looked around apprehensively. After teleportation, they ended up east, near the ocean. There were no other participants nearby, so the first days were calm and productive. Everything was going well until another terrain check revealed the presence of this Plant. It was then that fear crept into his soul.

  At first, Yang Ling ignored this, and when the feeling of impending doom began to grow as if they were going straight into the lair of some terrible monster, he simply wrote it off to the inf
luence of the local lands. He didn’t want to look like a coward so he stayed quiet.

  Yang Ling knew that he was a very lucky individual. Because of this, he had to be a strong cultivator with an unshakable spirit, so as not to disgrace his family who worked hard so that he could be here.

  Or so he thought.

  The reality was that, one day, a long time ago, his great-grandfather got to the Lowlands from somewhere far north. His son was able to pass the exam and became a disciple of the Tree of Life Clan. Unfortunately, during one of the journeys into the Middle Wasteland, Yang Ling’s grandfather was mortally wounded and died soon after. After that, Yang Ling’s grandmother and father remained in the clan. His father was no more than a year old at the time. To stay in the clan and put food on the table, his grandmother had to do all sorts of jobs but she could still barely make ends meet. And when her son was eight, she died too.

  Unfortunately, Yang Ling’s father didn’t have any talent for cultivation. But what he did have was a lot of stamina and desire. He was able to prove his worth to the clan and stay on the Plateau. Like his father, he managed to become a student and even start a family. Yang Ling’s father wanted to fulfill his parents’ dream — to provide his children with a good future.

  However, his first three children weren’t very talented. And when Yang Ling was born, the family finally received their miracle. All of the funds were immediately invested in Yang Ling’s education and development. At the age of fifteen, he reached the Sensory Organs Endurance level, living up to the hopes of his parents and brothers. After that, he became an inner-circle student.

  Yang Ling would soon turn seventeen, but he was already halfway to the Brain Endurance level. He hoped to reach the Soul Stage by the age of eighteen, which neither his father, grandfather, nor great-grandfather had managed to do. Having come this far, he longed to repay his family for believing in him. So how could he turn back now? How could he be called a cultivator if he was afraid to take risks?

  Suppressing his fear and anxiety, Yang Ling pulled himself together and continued on his way.

  ***

  They walked for several more hours until they reached a lonely rock. Approaching it, they all felt the power of the Plant.

  “Amazing!” their leader exclaimed in a muffled voice. “Looks like it’s an Illusionary Flower! I can’t make out what attributes it has, but it’s definitely of peak quality!”

  Smiles immediately appeared on everyone’s faces, including Yang Ling’s. Hearing about such a rare Herb, he instantly forgot about his fears. The desire to get the treasure as soon as possible took over.

  The group began to walk around the rock, guided by their developed senses. As it soon turned out, behind a dense cover of thickets was a small clearing with a cave. Waves of power were coming from its depths.

  Having got out into the open, the students immediately headed to the cave. Feeling danger, they halted, drew their weapons, and prepared their techniques.

  On the opposite side of the clearing, no less surprised, another group of ten emerged from the thickets. Judging by their robes, they belonged to the Bright Moon Clan.

  For some reason, none of them could feel each other’s presence until the very last moment. Yang Ling’s heart was pounding wildly. He cursed himself for ignoring his gut.

  Only one thing prevented them from rushing at each other ― the fact that they didn’t know what their opponents were capable of. They stood still for a couple of moments, eyeing one another, until they finally realized that they were on an equal level. The Bright Moon Clan didn’t seem to be aiming for victory either. They, too, simply wanted to collect as many resources as possible.

  “I propose we share the Flower,” said the leader of the Trees, breaking the oppressive silence.

  The other clan’s leader chuckled.

  “What is it? Are you scared? Why should we share it with you?”

  “If we start fighting, we could disturb the Flower. What if it masks its presence from us? As for why should we share it... Well, I don’t know... Maybe because I’m sure that none of you have any idea how to harvest the Flower correctly in order for it to survive and not suffer any damage. We, however, do.”

  The Bright Moons frowned. Silently glancing at each other, the teams came to a decision.

  “Fine. But you have to take an oath.”

  “You too.”

  Yang Ling relaxed a little, realizing that there wouldn’t be a fight after all. Hell, even if they had fought and lost, they would’ve parted with their tokens, Rings, and the Flower. But they would be alive. So why the anxious feeling even though they were safe?

  “And here I thought that you’d kill each other and spare us the trouble. So much about picking up the goods without getting our hands dirty… Look at what you did. You decided to unite. Now we’ll have to do everything ourselves. A pity...” an unfamiliar voice came from somewhere to the left.

  Some thirty feet away from them was a man in bright orange robes of the Flame Salamander Clan. He looked like about sixteen. Judging by the token, he was an apprentice.

  Yang Ling finally understood where his anxiety was coming from. This was a trap! The Salamanders must’ve had some special concealing artifact since he could sense them only now, when they had already appeared.

  “All right, guys, you can come out now,” the apprentice said with a sneer and waved, signaling to nineteen more people to come and join them. Two groups of students emerged from the bushes.

  The fight began without warning. The Salamanders burst out of the thicket, weapons and techniques at the ready. The Tree of Life and Bright Moon members were quick to draw their weapons and counterattack.

  Deflecting a powerful blow, Yang Ling took a couple of steps back. His opponent was a whole level stronger than him, but he wasn’t going to give up.

  Strengthened by Forces and energy, Yang Ling fought fiercely when a shrill cry reached him. Glancing to the side, he gasped in shock — one of the Bright Moons had his hand cut off.

  Seeing an opening, his opponent grinned and attacked. Yang Ling managed to dodge the blade, but not the blow to his chest, which knocked the air out of his lungs and threw him on the ground. Luckily, he was quick to recover and get back to his feet.

  “What are you doing?!” he shouted. “You’ll be disqualified if you kill someone! You may even be executed!”

  “You’re an idiot!” His opponent grinned and swung his sword. Yang Ling felt a gust of air followed by a sharp, burning pain. Letting out a scream, he looked down and realized that he had lost several fingers on his right hand.

  Growling in pain, he tried to run away from his opponent. But he was too late.

  Eyes wide in horror, Yang Ling watched the blade getting closer when the already wounded leader appeared in front of him and pushed him aside. Falling back against a tree, Yang Ling watched as the sword slowly sank into his friend’s stomach.

  Time seemed to have stopped.

  Both of their teams were losing. The Salamanders turned out to be much stronger than them, even though the apprentice was just watching from the side.

  In less than a minute, none of them were left standing.

  Sitting frozen by the tree, Yang Ling stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

  “Bastards! You’ll all be punished! You’ve signed your own death sentence!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

  “You’re wrong,” the apprentice replied. “I don’t see any corpses, do you?”

  Looking around, Yang Ling bit his lip in frustration. He was right. Everyone was alive still. But, given their injuries, not all of them would remain so for long.

  “Of course, if we simply leave you to die, we’ll be marked as assassins. But what if, for example, you get eaten by animals?” The apprentice grinned wide, eyes glimmering with madness. “Get started!”

  Hearing the order, his teammates looked at him in confusion.

  “Are you sure that it’s worth it?” one of them quietly said.
/>
  “I said — start!” he growled through clenched teeth. He had taken the pill some hours ago and was now bursting with strength that he was having trouble taming. He wanted blood. He wanted excitement. He wanted carnage!

  The Salamanders grimaced, but no one dared to disobey. Taking out powerful enhancing and healing potions from their Rings, they forcibly poured them into the mouths of their wounded victims. In a matter of seconds, the air was filled with screams of pain and shouts for help.

  Frozen and pale, Yang Ling instantly forgot about his missing fingers. He was shaking with hatred and nausea to the point that he had to bend over and vomit. For someone like him, who had never seen the horrors of war, looking at the torture going on in front of him was too much for his stomach to handle. With the skill of professional butchers, the Salamanders cut off the limbs of his teammates and allies. As soon as they’d cut off an arm or leg, they’d immediately cauterized the wound with fire techniques.

  “A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!!!”

  “I beg you! STOP!!!”

  “No, no... PLEASE, NO!!!”

  “STAY AWAY!!! I beg you!!!”

  “Please!! A-A-A-A-A!!!”

  Deaf to the pleas of their victims, with hollow eyes and bloodstained clothes, the Salamanders continued this inhuman process.

  Yang Ling trembled, completely losing the will to resist. Listening to these cries, he felt the pain of his friends with every cell of his body. So numb and horrified was he that he didn’t even notice when hot tears started flowing down his cheeks.

  “Yes, yes! Cut them down! Come on! But see that no one dies!” The apprentice’s grin was so wide and eyes so mad that one would think that he was on some kind of drugs. But this was just how the pill created from the blood of the Alkis family influenced many Salamanders.

  His voice sobered up Yang Ling. Casting a glance at the leader of his group, he suddenly realized that his friend had never uttered a word, even though he was missing an arm and both of his legs. Their gazes met, and the young man read his lips.