Chapter Twenty Four: Old Friend

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The two walked out together chatting about the competition. Nie Asreal was trying to give him all the best places to go whilst Yi Lian talked technique.

Nie Asreal spoke quickly, "So remember to go between the left and centre peaks because it has the most activity-"

Yi Lian, "Yes and remember the Evil Peak Demons weakness are the sides of their torso and the wedge of rock between their head and neck-"

Nie Asreal, "And if you end up at a cave do not enter too deep. The entrance is okay but further is dangerous- If you need help-"

Yi Lian waved him off. "Burn the talisman yes, yes I know."

Nie Asreal nodded with a smile. "I still can't believe you know more about Evil Peak Demons then me."

Yi Lian laughed. "Of course you won't. I read books about far away demon species and so do you! Your Sect just deals with them and doesn't think much about how they wrongly kill because they will get them eventually. They don't bother with the quickest way only to deal with them as they come."

Nie Asreal placed a hand to his shoulder. "You are just the best Yi Lian. You know that right?"

Yi Lian smiled and tugged his hood to hide himself. "I'll meet you after."

Nie Asreal nodded and ran over to his Sect who were in the midst of getting ready like the rest.

Yi Lian wandered over to his but nobody paid much mind to him. Only his brother was keeping a mild eye on him so he took the moment to check over his Frost Bow. Everything he owned could do all of one thing so they were pretty consistent in names. Yi Lian felt slightly wronged in this respect. Yi Jian had his two daggers called Forcol. Yi Xien had Enderian, but for Yi Lian it had to be somehow cold. Winters-Gaze was gifted to him so he couldn't complain, but Frost Bow? The weapons smith was told what it needed to be able to withstand and he named it as he saw it.

This bow could form arrows from thin air. Arrows of crystal. The frost would go through Yi Lian's hands, through the bow string and handle to form an arrow. It wasn't a spiritual device but it did fake itself into looking like one.

As he was tending to it he felt his side rattle. Immediately Yi Lian placed a hand over the clasp. "No." He thought, "I will use my bow so that you don't draw attention to us."

Winters-Gaze threw a jealous fit. It had been waiting for so long to show off infront of all the Sects and Yi Lian was about to ruin it! It rattled around in a thrashing motion at his hip whilst Yi Lian awkwardly held it with two hands.

After quite the struggle WInters-Gaze finally won and unsheathed itself and jumped into Yi Lian's hand.

It was normal to be cleaning or sharpening your sword before a competition but Winters-Gaze was not a simple sword.

It blazed with white light, making it look ethereal, a gift from the heavens. Yi Lian suppressed an eye roll in public but still held it towards the ground so that it wouldn't look so holy. Cai Shen, a disciple of the Yi Sect, came rushing over. They had been close at one point were him and Yi Lian but that didn't make Yi Lian anymore enthusiastic about someone coming over in his battle with a part of his own spirit.

Cai Shen, "Wow! Yi Lian, is that Winters-Gaze? I didn't know it got more powerful."

Yi Lian scratched his head. "My power is it's power so I guess it will have."

Cai Shen smiled at Winters-Gaze then turned his attention to his old friend. "I heard you have been getting close with the Bai Sect disciples. Is that place really as boring as people say?"

In all honesty, yes. Yi Lian liked the solitude and nice people but after a while it can get repetitive. The action of greeting the same person three or four times a day that you have never spoken to, but it was every single person and several times a day. Yi Lian was very glad about his venturing out with his friends because he probably would have left otherwise.

Yi Lian, "It's... alright. Less rules then Immortals Valley Peak but there are less hidden places to explore."

Cai Shen nodded and looked to be thinking. "Less rules sound nice but sneaking off to the cave bar definitely couldn't be traded for such."

The cave bar is as it's name entails. A bar, run by the more lax disciples, in a cave somewhere in the forest and mountains. Not many have access, it's usually filled with the type who don't particularly like Yi Jian and his reign of horror, so they all came to one place to relax. Yi Lian went sometimes. Even though at the time he was still on such good terms with his brother they let him go because he was sweet along with some female disciples.

Yi Lian chucked and tried sheathing Winters-Gaze but it was like trying to fit a rock into a twig as it repelled from its sheath aggressively.

Cai Shen sighed for him. "He won't budge?"

Yi Lian shrugged. "I wouldn't call it a he. It gets annoyed. I'll just carry it around i guess..."

The two caught up a bit on their lives. Turns out Cai Shen had been given permission to go travel to become enlightened but when he left it turned out he just started living at the bar and started working there full time. He said he found enlightenment in Ale prices and how high he could put them till the customers tuned sober at the sight of the bill.

After their talk Cai Shen thought about seriously moving to the Bai Sect and opening a bar in their closest city. Yi Lian had asked why he would want to cultivate if he just wanted to open a bar but he shrugged and told him about his parents wishes for him and that he could kick people out easier if he was a cultivator.

The two stood together at the entrance waiting for the music to play to signal the beginning of the event. Yi Xien came over briefly to check that Yi Lian was actually dressed properly and once he'd seen the perfection, he left to watch from above with Sect Leader Yi.

-----

The loud music began and the disciples were let loose in a flurry of white, brown, black and purple. Once the eager ones had shot off on their swords the more powerful bunch strolled in.

This powerful squad was built up of Yi Lian, Bai Xi-Wang, Nie Asreal and Yi Jian and his group of yes men.

Yi Lian saluted them all with the purpose of good sportsmanship and the notion to leave but someone caught him hand as he turned.

It was Nie Asreal.

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