There were no applause, nor murmurs of excitement echoing from the stands during the fight. Everything ended quickly, and the whale triumphed so overwhelmingly that few had any idea of the extent of its power.
While for the younger and common elders, the whale seemed completely intact and unshaken, the more experienced elders and family leaders internally detected a subtle change in its fluctuations. It was subtle but immediately perceived by sharp and experienced eyes.
In the funeral silence that dominated the arena for a few seconds, a dense aura emerged in the skies. Everyone in the audience felt it and turned their attention to the figure that appeared on high: it was the leader of the Moonlight family.
He stared at the whale in the center of the stage, and the whale returned the gaze coldly. "That weapon of yours. Where did you get it from?" The leader’s voice resonated like thunder.
"Hm? The dwarves call it moon crystal," replied the whale lazily. "I found nothing heavier on my planet and paid a high price for a piece of perfect size for a heavy sword. Lucky me, right?"
The audience heard the response and was still perplexed; the material of that sword was completely unknown to them.
"Moon crystal... is that the unique material from that planet?"
A Yangta elder blurted out, and in the silence of the arena, those closest could hear. With this hint, suddenly the wiser and more experienced elders recalled this material in the ancient records of the Pristine planet.
It was truly something singular, existing only on that planet, after all, it was forged by the behemoth himself. In a distant past, the four families discovered this and conducted investigations, using contacts in the divine world to unravel some of its origins. As some understood, mental messages spread and all the elders in the arena were informed.
The leader of the Moonlight Family pondered for a few moments and came to the same conclusion as the others. "I see... and how did this weapon become immortal?"
"Hm? The four families left immortal weapons as treasures for the side branches, right? I just happened to have the luck of having a disciple of the god of the forge by my side. He managed to use the cores of the weapons and forge something new," replied the whale unperturbedly, as if it were obvious.
With these words, the entire arena was surprised. Using the immortal cores to forge another weapon? That was unthinkable... immortal weapons were born with their cores, created by extremely difficult methods, with a high chance of failure. Removing the core meant destroying both the weapon and the core forever.
But... the mention of the disciple of the god of the forge clarified the issue for everyone. The god of the forge represented the ability to accomplish the impossible. Immediately, all eyes turned to Vuard, who remained indifferent and serene; soon after, the dwarf’s family was excited by this discovery, as it opened up several possibilities for them in the future.
The leader of the Moonlight family heavily grunted. "You truly had a lot of luck. A perfect bloodline to fight in this arena. And a weapon made of such rare material that it would be hard to find something similar in the divine world. Facing you unprepared is like playing with luck. However, hidden cards are only effective when they remain hidden."
The whale nodded, and everyone understood the meaning behind those words. That heavy sword was an anomaly that shouldn’t exist, either because of its material or because it contained an immortal core.
Everyone recalled the image of that weapon emerging, and those who noticed the great discrepancy in the whale’s energy connected the dots. He couldn’t properly use that weapon; his low cultivation level was a hindrance and a single movement from it consumed much of his energy.
Partly, this was true. But they couldn’t know that the whale hadn’t even fully activated his physical cultivation; with it, they could fight for a long time using Fides. But Alm and Bruno deliberately diminished much of his IQ, so they would think that.
The most experienced in the arena reflected. Girar was defeated because, using his power as Empyrean to block the laws of the earth in the arena, he thought he had won and that the whale would have no power to defend himself. It was a mistake that anyone in his place would make; after all, that whale was just a mortal cultivator. However, that hidden card ruthlessly destroyed all expectations, and Girar, who attacked without worrying about defenses, was mercilessly turned into a mist of blood.
The high elders of the families quickly reached this conclusion and sent mental messages, so most understood the situation. Everyone sighed upon hearing that, learning an important lesson: even as a cultivator from a mortal planet, one should never presume victory. Hidden cards and unexpected twists are common among cultivators. Today, a central disciple considered a genius who was turned into an Empyrean died due to carelessness against someone from a lower realm.
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The leader of the Moonlight family came personally and delivered all this because he was sure the whale wouldn’t fight anymore. He clearly observed that the young cultivator had consumed a lot of his Qi; his core could replenish it, but he had lost almost half of his power. Now that his secret card had been used, he wouldn’t have a reason to accept another challenge.
In the skies, the family leader turned to the nearby elders, and with a glance, they all jumped and ran. The whale watched an elder approach and deliver some spatial rings to him. He checked the contents: they were the 500 immortal weapons that had been wagered.
"I heard you had a battle scheduled with another central member," said the Moonlight family leader softly to the whale, who nodded emotionlessly in response.
"I know you’re tired, but you’re not thinking of giving up, are you?" The leader teased, trying to hit the young cultivator’s ego. Little did he know who he was dealing with; the whale looked at him and perfectly understood everything going through the leader’s mind.
"Hm... it’s complicated... the risks no longer seem worth it. The fight wasn’t fair from the start, and now that I’ve had to show my cards, it’s almost impossible to accept," murmured the whale, making an expression as if he wanted to dodge responsibility.
"Indeed. Well, a real battle is never fair. But Yahci is the son of the vice-leader of the family; his father announced this fight to everyone... the Moonlight family can’t lose its prestige. I can help you make things more favorable," suggested the leader, leaving everyone in the arena silent and stunned. The leader was lowering himself and negotiating for him to fight?
"Hm... if the terms are fair and the rewards adequate, perhaps it’s worth it," the whale replied softly.
"I’ll give you a pill to fully recover, and I’ll personally seal his Qi, to the level of a cultivator at the peak of the Elemental Condensation Realm like yourself. He has rebuilt his body a few times, and that will already give him some advantage... then we’ll limit the battle to five of his moves, doesn’t that seem fair?" The leader’s words were gentle as he looked at the whale.
The whale sighed and responded. "Sounds reasonable. But it still doesn’t compensate for me the risk; after all, it’s a fight to the death."
"I understand. You wagered his saint-level immortal weapon, didn’t you? The families obtained some recently, so we put them up as a reward for the inter-family dispute. The others would be given to the most important high elders who didn’t have one; I’ll put in an extra one on the bet. If you win, you’ll take the weapon that was bet and one more as a bonus. Are the rewards worth the risk now?"
With the family leader’s words, the whale narrowed his eyes seriously. His expression oscillated between frustration and reflection. The leader blocked all of the whale’s escape routes; the battle rewards were extraordinary, and the opponent would be in fair conditions. How could he deny this battle and still save face?
In the private room of the stands, Ruri struggled to contain her laughter, observing the rarely seen expressions on her master. He really played convincingly when he wanted to gain more benefits. On the other hand, Kaiyka, who was previously concerned about the whale’s situation, was taken aback by Ruri’s reaction. Now, looking at the whale and realizing it was all an act, a strange feeling came over her... it was a completely irrational trust in that figure.
"Alright... alright. Since everything will be fair, as a prestigious cultivator I cannot run away, even if my life is at risk," asserted the whale, initially with a pensive tone, but ending with pride.
As soon as he spoke, the leader turned to a point in the arena. In the next moment, a figure leaped from the stands. It was a young man, with the same cultivation as all central members who participated in the competition; at the seventh level of the Body Destruction Realm.
He stared at the whale seriously, his name was Yahci. He was the same young man who went to the city to challenge the whale to a life-or-death duel. If none of this had happened, and they had fought, surely who would have died would be him and not Girar. That whale was sinister and hid deep secrets.
Yahci didn’t qualify among the top 20 in the competition, losing when there were only 40 competitors left. He was one of the five central members who qualified from the Moonlight family, but he lost his fight to a dwarf. He was forbidden by his father from using his saint-level weapon, and he was sure he could win if he had used it. Without it, he was at a level close to central members; but fighting against the dwarves and their runic seals, it was impossible to win normally.
The two stood in the center of the arena and locked eyes. At that moment, the entire arena felt the weight of this battle. They knew who Yahci was, and they knew that if he came to fight, he had the confidence to win.