Dao of the World Walker (Xianxia) Book 2

”In third place, we have Ming Tao.”

Polite applause came from the audience as a young man rose from his seat and made his way to the front, standing beside the elder.

”Second place was something of a surprise.” The elder paused. ”In second place, we have Chen Yang. An outer sect disciple at the second stage of Qi Condensation.”

Yang sat very still.

It took him almost a full minute to register that his name had been called. The audience seemed equally disbelieving. The applause started sparse, a few uncertain hands, then gradually built as the reality of it settled over the room. His senior brothers and sisters were leading it with full enthusiasm. Ye Xuan had actually risen to his feet entirely.

Yang got stiffly to his feet and made his way to the front, aware of the eyes on him from every desk he passed.

The elder gestured to him to stand beside the third-place winner. Senior Brother Ming Tao gave him a composed nod.

”And first place goes to Si Yu.”

A female disciple near the front stood and joined them at the front of the hall.

Then the elder announced the prizes.

Third place received six hundred mid-grade spirit stones, fifty hours in the cultivation chambers, and a talisman brush presented in a jade box.

Yang was called forward next. He received a pouch containing one thousand mid-grade spirit stones, a jade token granting access to one hundred hours in the cultivation chambers, and a large jade chest which, the elder told him, contained a set of talisman manuals. Yang had not expected the number of spirit stones or the cultivation chamber hours. Both were double what the other foundation stage event winners had received.

First place: Si Yu was given two thousand mid-grade spirit stones, two hundred hours in the cultivation chambers, and a flat wooden case containing a variety of talisman brushes. Each brush, the elder explained, had been made attuned to a specific type of qi. Using an attuned brush for its corresponding talisman type produced results stronger than the crafter would normally achieve.

All three of them bowed to the elder and were excused.

Yang made his way back to where his group was gathered, the jade chest under one arm, and found that Ye Xuan had already joined them and was standing next to Senior Sister Xing Fei. The hall around them was busy, with some audience members dispersing while others moved toward the participant desks to meet their friends.

”Junior Brother.” Senior Brother Lin Yi was the first to reach him, wearing a large smile. ”Congratulations. I am genuinely pleased. No one could have anticipated this.”

”Senior Brother, it is you I should be thanking. Without you, I would never have had the opportunity to participate at all,” Yang replied. He was barely containing his own excitement. After the shock had passed, he felt entirely revitalized.

”Junior Brother, you continue to surprise us,” Senior Sister Xing Fei added, stepping forward.

The others followed with their own congratulations. Senior Brother Zhen Hao ruffled Yang’s hair with full confidence as he proclaimed, ”I of course always knew Yang would surprise everyone.” Senior Sister Shen Yue gave him a look that suggested she found this claim doubtful, and Senior Brother Xu Kai simply sighed.

”Yang, Yang.” Ye Xuan arrived with a bear hug that squeezed most of the air from Yang’s chest. ”You made the outer sect proud.”

Yang smiled and gave a slight bow to all of them, thanking them for coming.

”No need for thanks, Junior Brother,” Senior Brother Liu Te said, with a slight smile. ”It was worth coming just to see you play the dark horse.”

”Are we going to stand here all day? Let us go to the Crystal Water Pavilion. This time it is my treat,” Senior Sister Xing Fei announced.

There was a brief silence.

Before Yang could respond, Senior Sister Shen Yue turned to the group. ”Junior Brother Yang has given us two surprises today. The greater one is getting Xing Fei to open her purse strings.”

”I am in the mood for some good wine,” Senior Brother Jiang Zhen Hao admitted, turning to Senior Sister Xing Fei with a warning expression. ”Xing Fei, do not try to skim when we get there.”

Senior Sister Xing Fei rolled her eyes. ”Come on. Ye Xuan, you can ride with me.”

Ye Xuan happily fell in beside her as the group made its way out of the hall.

Yang suddenly remembered Senior Brother Wu Nai and quickly reached into his sleeve for the coin, sending a message that he would not need a ride back today.

Outside, as they approached the landing area, Senior Brother Lin Yi held out a hand.

”Junior Brother, let me take that.”

Yang handed over the jade chest without argument. It was not particularly heavy, his constitution had seen to that, but it was unwieldy, and he had been shifting it from arm to arm since the prize was given out.

”Thank you, Senior Brother.” Senior Brother Lin Yi tucked it into his storage ring.

”Now that you have so many spirit stones, you should consider getting a storage treasure,” Senior Brother Lin Yi said as they walked.

”How much do they cost?” Yang asked, curious.

”Anywhere from a hundred mid-grade spirit stones for the most basic ones to hundreds of thousands of high-grade spirit stones for the finest ones,” Senior Brother Lin Yi said.

Yang’s eyes widened.

Senior Brother Liu Te let out a short laugh beside them. ”Junior Brother, they are tools made by tool refiners. It is natural for them to be expensive. Even the most basic tool costs considerably more than most things.”

”I understand that. I am just not sure how much I should be willing to spend at this point,” Yang admitted.

”Not much,” came Senior Brother Xu Kai’s voice from his other side. ”You are in the outer sect. You are not going anywhere beyond the city. You do not need an advanced one. Wait until Foundation Establishment. Your need for resources and the space to store them will increase tenfold once you begin going out on missions.”

”Indeed, once you are out in the world you accumulate things quickly,” Senior Brother Lin Yi agreed, with the expression of someone speaking from experience. ”Pills, talismans, tools, spirit stones, weapons. There is no such thing as having too much when you are outside the sect.” He looked at Yang. ”Xu Kai is right. A basic one will meet your needs now. And while a thousand mid-grade spirit stones sounds like a great deal, for a cultivator, it does not last as long as you might think.”

That reminded Yang of a question he had been about to ask. ”Senior Brother, why were the prizes so much more than what the foundation stage winners of other events received?”

Senior Brother Lin Yi’s expression became slightly apologetic. ”There are not many treasures that can be given to a talisman crafter that will genuinely help them improve. A well-suited brush is worth more to a crafter than an unsuitable one of a higher grade. Any brush or manual you and the other winners received today can be commissioned from a tool refiner or purchased from the library. So the spirit stones and cultivation chamber hours are increased to compensate.” 

Senior Brother Xu Kai added, ”The sect could have given you brushes made of precious materials or with historical significance, but those would have no practical value in improving your craft. The prizes are meant to help you grow, not sit in your storage as a collector’s piece.”

Yang nodded. He agreed with that entirely.

They reached the landing area. Yang immediately followed Senior Brother Lin Yi closely and got on his sword as soon as he took it out, before any alternatives could present themselves. Ye Xuan, equally quick, secured a spot on Senior Sister Xing Fei’s sword. Senior Brother Zhen Hao turned around, looking for Yang with a wide smile, and Yang watched the smile dim as he registered that Yang was already settled on Senior Brother Lin Yi’s sword. Senior Brother Zhen Hao opened his mouth, but before he could say anything.

Senior Brother Lin Yi took off.

”No need to thank me, Junior Brother,” he said as they rose.

Yang held on and laughed.

Then Senior Brother Jiang Zhen Hao’s sword shot past them at close range, near enough that Yang felt the rush of air. Senior Sister Xing Fei and Ye Xuan were close ahead and the next to suffer. Senior Sister Xing Fei let out a startled sound and immediately gave chase, her sword accelerating sharply. Senior Brother Jiang Zhen Hao’s laugh trailed back as he pulled ahead, taunting Senior Sister Xing Fei.

Senior Sister Shen Yue followed at a more dignified speed.

”Hold tight, Junior Brother, we cannot let Zhen Hao and Xing Fei get too big of a head.”

The sword surged forward. Yang grabbed Senior Brother Lin Yi’s shoulder as they swerved through the group, overtaking Senior Sister Shen Yue, cutting past Senior Brother Xu Kai, diving into the open air with the evening sky spread out ahead of them.

Yang laughed, holding on as the cold air rushed past him.

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