Inspiration
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Lightning crackled painfully around Liu Hei's legs as he convulsed on the ground. The lightning soon faded away and Hei was left panting on the grass. He slammed his palm down. He almost had it that time! He was so close! So close! With a sigh he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the crisp blue sky. The grassy knoll he rested on exetened to the sharp cliff that descended down before smoothing into a gentle slope down the mountain. At the knoll's peak, if a knoll could ever be considered to have a peak, jutted an ax shaped stone slab. The tip of the stone was blackened by repeated lightning strikes and even now lightning qi hung thickly in the air even without the normal required storms. That combined with the fact that this spot was a ways off the normal paths and Hei found himself drawn to it frequently to practice his more difficult arts.
A stick poking him in the side was the first hint Hei had that someone else had arrived. Groaning he swatted the stick away before turning and looking at whoever found him. As expected Gou Fu, his roommate, was grinning at him.
"Another failure?" Fu asked kindly.
Hei groaned and turned back to staring at the sky. "Yes," he replied, "I was so close though. It almost worked."
"What happened?"
"I messed up the qi flow. Like usual."
"Well, you'll get it sooner or later." Fu said before laying down next to him.
"What have you been working on lately?" Hei asked as he blew stray hair away from his eyes. "I haven't seen you in a couple of days."
Fu hummed before answering. "I was working on some formations for my pill work. I think I have reached the limit of what I can do with just cores and was experimenting with ways formations might influence my results."
Both of them appreciated the silence for a while before Hei hoisted himself up and dusted off his pant legs. "Well back to work for me."
Fu nodded. "Busy as always."
Hei frowned at Fu. "Well, yes," he said, "The war is only going to get rougher from here. The best chance I have of surviving my scholarship term is getting into the inner sect. The sooner the better."
"Ahh," Fu said, "I didn't realize you wanted to pull a Ling."
"A Ling?" Hei asked.
Fu nodded. "Yah," he said, "Last year a commoner got through to the inner sect through the tournament. At least that is what the senior sect brothers and sisters say."
Hei grinned. "So it's possible," he said.
Fu stood up. "It's possible alright but Ling is a class of her own apparently. She finished fourth. Right under three ducal scions. Very impressive. Last year the tournament was a brutal trial and this year is promising to be much the same."
"How so?" Hei asked as he started stretching out his legs.
Fu sratched his chin before answering. "Well, you know how Gan Guangli failed to get into the inner sect last year?"
Hei nodded. Even though he tried to avoid almost every other student on this mountain he had heard that.
"He got eliminated in the preliminary round. The very first round meant to weed out the chaff from those with ability."
Hei felt his face tighten. Gan was a monster in the outer sect. If anyone had drive or talent it was him. To imagine him getting knocked out in such an early round was difficult.
Fu then pinned Hei with his gaze. "Even then Gan Guangli was fully green."
Hei's face whitened. Fully green and getting knocked out in the very first round.
"In fact," Fu continued, "three fully green students failed to get into the inner sect last year. Each spot was taken by someone in the green realm. It has been a very long time since something like that has happened."
Hei's qi fluttered inside of him, almost eager at the prospect of a challenge.
"This year," said Fu, "promises to have almost as many greens. Those that failed last year have at least another shot this year to make it and many others were almost green. Unless your green come the tournament then I can't even give you odds of making it in. Even then the competition will be beyond fierce and your odds won't be good."
Hei grinned, his heart beating faster. Even though his face had paled and he could feel the tremors of fear running through his arm he was excited. "But it's possible to be a commoner and reach green before the tournament," he said, "You said it yourself. This Ling managed it."
Fu laughed. "You are right and that is what I enjoy about you. Everything is a challenge to beat." He tossed Hei a bundle of pills. "Though if you want to compare yourself to Ling then you better get back to work. Here are some pills that should help gather lightning qi. Good luck. You'll need it."
Hei grinned and popped a pill into his mouth. He crushed it between his teeth and enjoyed the feeling of sparks playing behind his teeth. When he activated his new art it didn't leave him spasming on the ground. Instead he flashed to the other side of the knoll leaving sparks and burnt grass in his wake. He laughed as he blitzed around the stone slab while Fu watched with a grin.
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A.N
Omake for the Omake throne
@yrsillar
Please enjoy this piece. I envisioned this happening after the cloud nomad incursion but not too long after.
