The Core Disciple Exhibition (4)

Including Homa, everyone was shocked by how suddenly his flames were extinguished. While Homa was stuck in a daze wondering how this happened, Shui shook his head with a disappointed expression.

"It was too controlled. The void flame would be better in this case."

The heavenly flame, Ouros, should have the ferocity of a wild beast and would have potentially burnt Shui if he tried to use it, so the fact that the flame he used worked as expected was a failure in his eyes.

After hearing Shui speak, Homa swung his eyes in his direction.

"Yo-yo-yo-you, what did you do to me!"

Shui furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the hysterical Homa, but he didn't express any hostility since Homa had been useful.

"Calm down. I only let my flame eat your energy. You're not harmed, are you?"

Once Shui brought it up, many were stunned to realise that Homa hadn't been hurt by Shui's flame despite the fact that it extinguished his flames in an instant.

'It can choose what to burn?'

Once he had this thought, one inner sect elder's eyes went wide. There were as many fire element spells as there were stars in the sky, but the requirements to cast a flame that only burnt what the castor intended were too stringent for even someone on his level to meet. 

'No, genius or not, something like that is impossible.'

While it did seem like Shui had reached such a realm, the elder quickly set aside that thought since there was no way a youngster like Shui was that monstrous.

Back on the stage, Homa didn't understand how Shui's flame ate his, but even if he wanted to try again, he was out of energy. Since he no longer had any use, Shui stopped minding him and thought about how to create Ourus. In his desperation, Homa saw this as a chance that he could take.

"Don't underestimate me!"

He crossed the little distance that was between them with a knife that was hidden in his clothes. But all he could take was one step before a sudden impact knocked him into the sky.

"Here's a piece of advice."

Just as Homa realised he was in mid-air, he heard a voice coming from above him.

"You should spend more time researching your bloodline."

Following this line, Homa received another impact that slammed him to the ground, instantly cutting off his consciousness. If it wasn't obvious before, it was now plain for all to see who won.

"Winner: Shui!"

As Shui walked off the stage, many admiring gazes reached him, but only two people were allowed to get close.

"Nice job, Boss!"

"You did great, Shui."

"Thanks."

He also spotted Kate and the other core disciples looking down from a Reinhart's flight artifact. Only elders and core disciples were allowed to be in the air, so it wasn't hard to find them. They knew what Shui was capable of, so they had no doubt in his victory, but they were still surprised to see him find a way to defeat his opponent in their specialty. 

"Did he have a grudge against him?" Luke asked.

"I doubt it. Knowing him, he probably figured something out while observing him and wanted to test it out."

As his childhood friend and old sparring partner, Kate knew that Shui always possessed an inquisitive mind and was quick to pick things up. There were times when he would even copy her moves and use them against her. Of course, she now had powerful techniques that not even Shui could replicate easily, but while watching the battle, she was reminded of how frustrated she felt when he took the technique she was proud of and made it his own. 

"So you mean to say he defeated him with an attack he thought of mid-battle? To be honest, I could believe that if it's him."

Reinhart knew that using common sense to judge Shui would just make things harder for himself, so he believed Kate's guess and once again pitied Shui's next opponents. 

The third battle of Lionel and Deidre was a straightforward one. As both of them trained in body cultivation, their fight quickly transformed into a brawl. Punches and kicks were exchanged swiftly and mercilessly, with every attack charged with confidence and a desire for victory. Their strengths appeared to be evenly matched, but then Lionel revealed his true power, his Earth Realm cultivation.

"Ha! It's time to put an end to this."

With his restraints gone, a single punch from Lionel broke the arm that Deidre tried to block with. Deidre endured with just a grimace, but there was a hint of despair in his eyes as he watched Lionel's next punch incoming. 

"That's enough. This is Lionel's victory."

Though neither had met the conditions for losing, as this was meant to be a friendly spar, the High elder intervened. With a bit of dissatisfaction, Lionel snorted and withdrew his fist. Deidre knew that he couldn't have dealt with his next punch, but losing like this made him frustrated enough to bite his lower lip. Once the two left the stage, a quick assessment was done, and it was determined that Homa and Deidre were unfit to continue the exhibition, leaving only four competitors. Upon hearing this news, Tora also surrendered, so the top three were the only remaining fighters.

The plan was to continue with the remaining matches, but Shui raised his hand to make a suggestion.

"Esteemed High elder, may I put forward an idea that I believe should satisfy all parties?"

Many were shocked by his bold action of addressing the High elder, someone who even core elders had to be careful around. However, the High elder showed no distaste for his initiative.

"Hmm, speak. What is this idea of yours?"

"Instead of three more matches, let's decide the final victor with a free-for-all. I believe that way we can accurately show who's the strongest among us."

Due to the odd number of competitors, someone would have to fight twice in a row if they stuck to the same format; however, that wouldn't be the case if they settled everything with one final match. Of course, a free-for-all had its own disadvantages, so the High elder requested the opinions of the other competitors.

"What do you two say to his suggestion?"

"I have no complaints," Clyde responded.

"Same with me," answered Lionel.

Once they had all agreed, the High elder had a quick discussion with the other presiding elders, including Core Elder Ren. Once that discussion was finished, the High elder made another announcement.

"Upon our review, it has been decided that the final match will feature all three of the remaining competitors. The rules will remain the same; however, there will be an additional two elders serving as referees to prevent any accidents. I understand that you're all eager to prove your strength, but you must remember that you are all disciples of the manor. Do I make myself clear?"

"""Yes, High elder!"""

"Good. You may descend to the stage."

Upon receiving the High elder's permission, Clyde, Lionel, and Shui jumped to stage. Each of them occupied the point of an imaginary triangle and kept both of their opponents within their sights. The spectators were excited by this unforeseen match, but there was heavy tension from the stage that kept them quiet. The three fighters had fought each other before, but this would be the first time they fought in this format.

Anyone could tell that this was a battle that shouldn't be missed.