Chapter 71: A Black Rainbow

Chapter 71: A Black Rainbow

Before leaving and heading back to cultivate, Han Lingyun still had some questions left.

Teacher Wen, do you know anything about that guest that provided the Black Talent Pill and the Deep Abyss sword?

Elder Wens face darkened a little. This touches information far above your level

Before Han Lingyun could say anything else, Elder Wen raised a hand to interrupt him. The elder then placed down flags around the room and activated several formations to avoid any prying ears. Han Lingyun had never seen him take such precautions and immediately straightened up.

But since you ask, Ill give you a brief answer as long as you dont speak of it to anyone else.

I will follow teachers commands.

Hum, I trust you. So, have you heard of Black Rainbow Sect?

Is it that powerful sect that is somehow controlling the continent from the shadows? Han Lingyun remembered some information Wang Yimo had once divulged to him under the stars.

Yes and no. Elder Wen corrected him. The Black Rainbow Sect could be considered the overlords of our planet. But they are not controlling the continent from the shadows as you say. They dont rule the continent simply by lack of interest, you see the Black Rainbow sect occupies a whole other continent by itself, known as the Central Island. The Black Rainbow sect is easily capable of conquering and ruling our continent but it seems to be satisfied by the current affairs of the Edera continent and doesnt wish to directly administer it. They only recruit the most promising disciples when they turn 16.

Now the Black Rainbow sect isnt a completely unified sect either, it isnt as peaceful as our White Tiger Sect. Over the years, two factions with radically different philosophies have emerged. Those two factions are respectively known as the Black and the Rainbow factions. As I understand, to caricature, the Rainbow faction advocates for laissez faire and diversity of the cultivation world, while the Black faction defends a philosophy of natural selection and cold efficiency in the cultivation world, where the weak are naturally weeded out by the strong.

Now to come back to the guest, as you should have understood by now, with the items presented, it is certainly an Elder of the Black Rainbow Sect, and more specifically from the Black faction. His actions should be to leave a message, I will be present at the ranking competitions.

Elder Wen looked concerned. He took a long breath. For you and the other disciples, that means bad news.

What do you mean, teacher?

The competition wont be a peaceful one where Elders prevent terrible injuries. This time, I am certain that disciples will die.

Han Lingyun was alarmed. Is it frequent for Black faction elders to preside the SCA competitions?

No. Okay thats enough information for now. You are warned so go calm yourself down and prepare well for the competitions.

Han Lingyun came back to his cultivation room with a somber look. On his way, he passed by his two friends places and only spoke a few words. Be careful for next week. Prepare well. Shen Lin and Yang Haoyu werent stupid, seeing his face and through his words, they understood that something had changed for the competition.

Finally, there will be important rewards for those that finish in the top 64 of the final competition rankings so try your best to qualify, we will fill you on the details of the rewards at the end of the competition only. Just keep in mind that the rewards will be worth as much as last years rewards, at the very least.

Thats all.

This vague statement didnt entice the disciples too much but it was made on purpose. The type of rewards shouldnt influence the proceedings. In any case, all the disciples would also receive a different treatment in their own sect depending on their performance at the competition.

Thousands of elders accompanying their disciples were hovering in the air outside the array. They would not be able to intervene but would be able to watch everything happening in the array formation. For the competition, another group of Elders under the SCA flag were stationed in the formation for the proceedings.

Han Lingyun gave a last look to Shen Lin, Yan Haoyu and Wang Yimo before slotting into the long line of disciples heading towards the formation.

So, killing is possible. Elder Wen has warned me but I still cant wrap my head around it. Those Black Faction monsters are sick in the head. We have only begun our cultivation journey yet they dont mind sacrificing some of the continents greatest talents, for what? Those might not be the ones going further on the path of cultivation in the end. Anyway, there is no point losing hair over this. Like a lonely boat in the storm, I just need to stay afloat, even if Im not able to control the direction the boat is heading to. *Sigh* Ill have to take my fate into my own hands at some point. At least the path ahead is obvious.

After using the time spent waiting in line to reorganize his thoughts, Han Lingyun straightened his back. The formation was just in front of him. It begins.

As soon as he entered, Han Lingyuns vision turned completely dark. He could sense that he was transported away. In fact, all the disciples were randomly spread out.

After an incense stick worth of time, his vision suddenly came back. This marked the beginning of the competition. Han Lingyun rapidly scanned his surroundings: he was in a bushy environment with a couple small trees here and there. Tall dry grass covered a hilly terrain. Han Lingyun hadnt started moving when he saw several colored smoke bombs and other visual signals light up the sky. At the same time, he was hearing distant explosions with precise pauses.

These were the different types of signals disciples were using to group themselves with others of the same sect. At the same time, those using this method were taking risks by revealing their position to everyone and painting a target on their back.

Han Lingyun picked a talisman he had in his pocket and rushed to the direction it pointed to. This was given to him by Wang Yimo who had a paired one. The two talismans indicated each others direction. Because they knew each others fighting style very well already, Han Lingyun and Wang Yimo had planned on working together. Plus, they had trained together in preparation for the event.

Han Lingyun kept his merger art activated to the fullest as he ran, while keeping his senses on the highest alert for ambushes. Most of the places he passed were still and frozen, only shaken by distant sounds of fighting but from time to time he would suddenly land on small groups and full-on confrontations. Han Lingyun would pass those without a pause. He managed to slip through undetected until now.

After some time, he noticed that the sky was in fact a giant dome. This formation arena was absolutely gigantic, it stretched tens of kilometers in every direction.

By then, some disciples had already tried flying in the sky but those encountered frequent ambushes coming from the ground. Therefore, not many remained in the air for long: the objective was only to survive and pass this phase after all.

A good portion of disciples made the rational decision to hide and focus on ambushing others.

After half an hour of careful advance, Han Lingyun made it to the scene of a devastating conflict. Trees and bushes were burned or uprooted, there were even some small craters in the ground.

There was no one left around.

A talisman similar to the one in his hands was slowly being pushed around by the wind. There was blood on it.