259 Under A Scorching Sun

The first to approach the box was Zenki. He cautiously placed his hand inside gripping onto one of the metal pieces at the bottom to a nervously awaiting audience. Swiftly his hand was raised and when he opened it there was a sigh of relief that escaped his lips. Silver, this was indeed his lucky day as a smile blossomed on his face.

Next was for him to select a name and with haste, he grabbed onto a piece of parchment which combusted into a harmless blue mist spelling out a name for all to see- Niesha. When seeing this Zenki felt it was not such a bad draw as he smiled at Niesha. He exuded confidence that he would simply be dominant in their 

Following Zenki's selection, the other nine became even more nervous. It was then Aaron's turn to pick and he anxiously made his way forward. When pulling out one of the remaining nine pieces, he sighed in relief when seeing the glistening of a silver metal. He then gingerly placed his hand into the box once more which was followed by red puffs of mist spelling out the name- Talle.

Obviously this was totally devastating for Aaron with this being one of the last contestants anyone wanted to face. As for Talle he simply sat with his eyes closed as though the events were trivial no matter who he faced.

After Aaron, it was time for Niesha to choose. Even though Zenki had selected her as an opponent, she still needed to select one of the metal pieces. Inside her heart raced nonstop with it being truly nerve-racking. Her small hand dipped into the box as she tried to will a silver piece into her grasp. When finally opening her hand there was only an awkward silence as a gold piece glistened inside hand for all to see.

'Damn!' Niesha cursed her luck as the other contested smiled in relief. Not only did she have a tough opponent in Zenki, but now she had to select another opponent from the box. Wanting to get it all over with, her hand quickly dropped into the box once more as a harmless puff of green smoke exploded into a name- Cedra.

"Holy fuck that's some bad luck!" Shouted a disciple who hastily covered his mouth embarrassingly after the outburst. Yet he was not alone in his thought process as all onlookers held the same belief. Not only would Niesha face a tough competitor in Zenki, but one of the favorites Cedra. Her odds of arriving at the semi-finals were basically impossible.

If she were to defeat one as difficult as that would be, by the time she was to face the next, what could Niesha possibly offer? The one in question Niesha could only sigh, it seemed she had to do it the hard way. Since that was the case she made her way off the platform to sit in the lotus position drowning out the noise around her.

Still, the selections continued with now more relax faces being seen and after a while, all the matches were known. They were in the following order:

1. Zenki vs. Niesha

2. Aaron vs. Talle

3. Aria vs. Davos

4. Rita vs. Athea

5. Niesha vs. Cedra

Seeing that everyone had made their selection elder Mary's voice once more reverberated around the arena to the delight of the tens of thousands of disciples eagerly awaiting the first matchup,

"Five minutes before the first match begins. Zenki and Niesha get yourself ready to enter the stage. How about my audience? Are you all ready for this awesome match? If you are, scream!"

Seemingly her voice ignited the massive arena into a frenzy as they shouted at the top of their lungs, "Yes! Bring it on!"

"You've got to shout louder cause I can't hear you!" Elder Mary gestured as she placed her hand to ear further fueling the passion of the crowds lighting up the atmosphere.

"Yes, Zenki! Zenki! 

Niesha! Niesha!"

The crowd became truly riled up so shouted at the top of their lungs for their favorite. No wonder why Elder Mary was so beloved by all who met her and revered by the disciples so much.

Even May could be seen shouting Niesha's name while waving a yellow flag with a broad sword on it. As for Taf he too was quite enjoying the atmosphere. This was a first for him similar to May, it could be said he was even quite intrigued to see how the battles would unfold.

Attention was then turned to the platform as both Zenki and Niesha made their way to the center. As if aware of the battle about to ensue the platform began expanding ten times its previous radius until all its boundaries were surrounded by walls merely five meters from the nearest seating.

As the shouts intensified from the stands Zenki smiled as though he was the hero in his own story. A sword was then summoned to his hand as he eyed Neisha with the odd broad sword in her hand.

"They say you're quite skilled with a sword. Let's just say I dabble a bit too." He grinned as his qi of a full circle qi realm was unleashed. Neisha however paid him no heed. In her mind, she knew the only way to persevere through the two battles was to be quite tactical.

Not only did she have an eye on Cedra who proceeded this find but the semi-final as well. Of her two opponents, it could be said the toughest fight will definitely be the most seasoned Cedra. It then stands with good reason she needed to reserve as much qi and stamina as possible, thus a drawn-out match would be disadvantageous.

Though it was a risk Niesha knew what needed to be done. She gazed upon a sun that was blazing in all its glory as Qi slowly twisted around her body causing a serious expression to form on Zenki's face. This girl by no means was inferior to him based on the thickness of the qi felt. A silence over to the audience as a great battle was about to unfold.

Boom! 

The two sprinted off like lightning but neither went directly towards their adversary. No, this was the perfect time to gauge the opponent's speed, agility, and most importantly the flaws within their technique. This might be a lot to grasp in mere seconds, yet anyone who has wielded a sword knew that just one glimpse of weakness was all that was required to fall your opponent. 

Finally - Cling!

The two smashed their swords before separating in split seconds. Thus began their lightning exchanges as those in the stands unfortunate to have lower cultivations could simply not keep track of their movements. With their eyes moving back and forth as though a seizure was on its way.

"So fast. Is this the speed attained when one reaches a full circle qi condensation?" A young teen gasped as she excitedly watched on. However, no one replied as they dared not look away fearing it might lead to regret in the future.

Soon they all witnessed as Zenki slashed his sword on the hardened surface below him as earth-like spikes suddenly unrooted causing Niesha to seize her attack. She hurriedly dodged to her right as the spikes elongated from the group.

Like this Niesha was constantly put on the defensive as she barely escaped one earth attack after the next. Yet that was not all she had to contend with, from time to time Zenki would sneakily hide himself in attacks through camouflaged dirt. As the battle unfolded all realized a growing theme, Zenki was the one dictating the tempo of the match with Niesha unable to use her elemental techniques to counter.

"It's just a matter of time before Zenki defeats her. What a shame I did expect a bit more." Uttered Cedra dismissively as she watched the match unfold. It seems there was really no need for her to fight after all.

Sensing his victory Zenki intensified his attacks on a retreating Niesha whose strength evidently began to fade.

He then uttered wickedly, "Look at this way, you were never worthy to move ahead anyway." He launched himself one last time with everything he had, both earth element and sword at full throttle.

Bang!

Niesha smashed her sword head first into the earth before tilting it at a 45-degree angle. Instinctively Zenki could only cover his eyes as blinding light reflected from the surface of the broad sword. It was all provided by the sun which hung above in all its glory.

When he finally regained his sight he saw Niesha awkward firmly in place on the opposing wall in a sword stance-

????Way of the sword - [Wind Element] - Fourth Killing stance of Yuruka????

It was at that moment Zenki knew he had screw up as he hurried to counter whatever Niesha had planned. Swiftly he erected a hardened earthen barrier before him. However, he saw it all crumble to dust as Niesha burst from the walls to within his presence as not a second past. He stood in one place as Niesha behind him sheathed her sword. Not one bit of blood was on its blade as he walked away.

As he fell to the ground Zenki finally realized what unfolded in the battle. He reflected on his naivety when thinking he was the one dictating the tempo, when all along he was basically a puppet on a string with Niesha the puppeteer.

Her plan was as simple as it could be, bring him to the part of the battleground with the most sun exposure and when he least expected blind him. This was a death sentence for anyone engaged in a sword fight. It was then followed by a devastating attack.

Plop!

He fell to the ground as blood oozed from his mouth-Defeated

Unedited Version

To be continued....