13 || The Hufang Family Tournament (1)

"Could you make weapons at the center? Di found an incredible forging method while adventuring." Shuyren asks Tara's place as to not draw their ire to Tara any further.

In the past two months in Renovel, Tara had been furiously placing all of her journals into diamond scrolls and having Shuyren keep them. The most recent one that had new information depicted the weapons preferred for Twin Sphere energy as well as forging methods.

With these weapons, even if used by a singular who didn't use the Twin Sphere technique, one could harbor Twin Sphere energy and use it in battle. Di had already shared this information with her baby brother. He had spent some time meditating on this new style as well as the strange ores.

"I think that's certainly possible. I've been inspecting the ore Di brought back and there's something special about it that I can't place. This shall be my first project as a Bone Crystallization aurator!" He declares, "For your future forging lessons come to watch my process."

Tara's elder cousins were raging in their hearts, knowing full and well that whatever was made first would surely go to the young girl. They had heard the rumors about her fight in Gatse but couldn't with their heart believe it. It was just too fantastical that a child faces a Spark Lion of that level and wins, no matter how she was raised.

And now she was getting a gift more powerful than she knew! The only consolation was the upcoming tournament. If they could come out on top, then the benefits of joining a Martial Academy outweighed any weapon in the hands of some kid.

Little did they know Tara had not been slacking off the past two months. The recording of her previous notes and current findings had only happened in her seclusion days.

During the other four days, with her Luck stat giving a boost in item making, Tara was able to fuse her first pill finally and crafted her own daggers. She was also quickly becoming a master in her family's combat arts!

Niven has already broken through midtier Skin Igniting a month ago while Zuwen and Chun were not far behind! Tara's already begun to train the three of them to use Ember Gather and Rain Scatter without aural energy after the events in Gaste. Now Tara's own usage of the moves was on the edge of entering the mid tier level.

Now instead of specks of red sparks and cyan splashes, they were orbiting bands of flame and foam when using Twin Sphere energy alone. Tara feels certain she could take a high tier Blood Directing Aural Beast without using her aura.

The week before the tournament passes without incident. Tara continues her regimen and is steadily growing stronger. Her favorite part of the week remains to be forging as she watches Elder Zaigo work away on her daggers. Simply watching the process and masterful execution of the forging method that had been given to him, Tara's own insights in her own weapon-making grew.

The promised day finally arrives. Hidden within the mountain range apart from the Hufang family was a gigantic arena. It had been built by their ancestors and carried a powerful enchantment of lowering non-members' strength a level lower. Despite this restriction, many other families opted to use the arena for their family tournaments or even set up matches with other families.

Many have arrived, including the Shepi family, eager to see how strong this youngest generation was. The capital of Riversword, Tabanos, sent a representative as they had lost out in the ruin trial to the Hufang. Two hundred teens ranging from thirteen to nineteen were waiting in ten groups of twenty.

The eldest among them was mid tier Blood Directing who was trained by Elder Xaei since youth. The youngest among them was a tiny girl who had only recently turned eleven but to those who knew her she was surely the strongest.

Tara was on the ground checking her supplies. She counts her small pouch of recovery pills in between matches before polishing the daggers in her holsters.

Elder Zaigo was still working on her Soul Bead weapons but in watching him she came to understand how to engrave a weapon with the necessary inscription patterns.

She has already made her father a new sword that could hold some lunar energy but had failed several times to make her mother a new chain scythe. Even with her Luck stat upgrading her skills from high tier Beginner to low tier Novice, it was such a tricky weapon to create. Thankfully, Di had appreciated the effort.

Footsteps caught her attention as three boys suddenly loomed over her. Two of them were scrawny thirteen-year-olds from Elder Lesand's, the family Inscription Master, branch. In front of them was a hulking fifteen-year-old boy from Elder Xaei's branch who's name was Chao.

"This isn't the place for tiny little girls," Chao sneers as he leans over her. Tara continues to clean her weapons and ignores him, "Hey! I'm talking to you! What? You think because you're the Matriarch's favorite that you're better than the rest of us?! One little rumor and suddenly you think you can compete with us true marti--hhgkk?" A spear point presses against his throat as Niven fades into his view.

"Niven, restrain your aura, please. He won't know what to do against a true martial artist." Tara says, flipping the gray blades over as the pattern hummed with energy before standing up.

Just because Niven was participating in another bracket didn't mean she couldn't watch over Tara until the start. Niven pulls back her weapon and the heavy pressure of her mid tier level Skin Igniting aura vanishes. All three boys had fallen back onto their backsides, visibly shaken. Chao and his cronies scrambled away.

Tara rolls her eyes and looks at Niven. "You didn't have to do that."

"For as long as I can stay by your side I won't have insults thrown in your direction." Niven replies simply, "I hope to see you in the finals." And with that, she prowls back to her bracket.

"The competition is simple. We have an arena square for each group and several matches will occur at the same time. A loss means you weren't strong enough to continue but a win does mean complete victory. The matches will continue until each square has a champion. Then we will truly see who the strongest among you really is."

Shuyren's voice booms throughout the stadium, the powerful aura within the words alone catching the various family heads full attention. The air seems to spark as she speaks from her booth. There was no way Shuyren had done what other family heads had strived for the last decade? And yet here Shuyren was proof that it was possible!

The Hufang has a leader who had broken through Vein Plating into the elusive Marrow Sparking!

Just what had the Hufang found within the ruins to make not only Di, but Shuyren so strong? Has this secret been passed onto the younger generation as well? Did that mean they could eventually gain noble status? The capital's representative was a noble himself, who nervously wrung his hands.

They all took a held breath as the matches started only to release them later after the third round of matches. While these kids were stronger than many of the visiting family's children, none of them displayed the overbearing aura like Shuyren or Di.

Whatever life-changing skill or object that had made the two women absolute powerhouses must have been something only they could use! This was because Shuyren didn't want Tara to use the Twin Sphere technique. Tara could easily glide her way to the top if she did but this would then reveal her abilities to so many people too early.

Luckily, Tara has no intention of using her Twin Sphere energy unless she absolutely had to. This is too good a chance to temper her family's Combat Arts more and get better at using her aura to defend herself. If any of the others in her bracket knew she was just using them as living training dummies, they'd spit up blood.

It is a shame she can't actually get any practice during this first round. Her opponent is a familiar hulking boy the same age as Niven and is one of the younger generations' few Blood Directing aurators. Jangi had taken up the Matriarch's call for the tournament in order to get back the honor he had lost.

Ever since his defeat by Tara, he was no longer the rancorous and arrogant boy, for those who had witnessed his loss didn't allow him to forget it. Tara became a scar within his mind and heart, making his already weak aural output even smaller. Jangi waited patiently within the arena square. He had hoped, as a Blood Directing aurator, he'd be able to climb the ranks and win whatever secret made the tiny girl so powerful.

Fate was not kind to him as the Hells sent his own personal demon to be his first opponent.

"I forfeit!" He shouts upon seeing Tara step onto the stone platform. Without another word he walks away and heads back into the waiting area, ignoring the jeers and cries from the audience.

Tara can't say she was surprised that Jangi forfeited as his energy was even fainter than before, but was disappointed she missed an opportunity to practice.

"If he won't fight you I will," Chao roars as he storms on stage. The referee of the match, a Blood Directing aunt of theirs, doesn't stop him and let's the match happen. She gives a wave of her hand before flickering off the stage.

Chao wastes no time, charging at Tara with his huge fist. Her tail flicks behind her, hidden from view thanks to Shuyren's enhanced illusion, and she raises a hand to catch the punch.

Chao's red aura collides with Tara's white and everyone expects her to be pushed back. Instead, they watch as Tara stops Chao in his tracks with little effort. Though Tara wasn't using her Twin Sphere energy, her aural energy has been dyed with sunlight and moonlight making her stronger physically and mentally. With her free hand, she grips onto his arm and lifts Chao off the ground.

"Tiger's Overthrow!" Tara cries out as she throws Chao into the air behind her. He slams into the ground with enough force to break his aura as well as the arena floor. Unconscious, his two cronies who were weaker than him were shaking like leaves.

For those who had no idea who Tara was, this was wildly unexpected but she must have had some good teaching. Those that know Tara is Di's daughter and Shuyren's great granddaughter are nevertheless impressed.

Tara and Niven quickly became their bracket winners between one strike wins or instant forfeits. Shuyren confirms not a single drop of Twin Sphere energy is used, very satisfied with their displays of strength.

The five from the upper branch beside them were: Neijin--who was the eldest of them all-- from the Body Arts Branch, Kang from the Education branch, Nara from Weapon Arts Branch, Yaling from Forging branch, and Xia from Inscription branch.

The final three contenders came from the lower family in Gaste town, feeling inspired after surviving the Aural Beast raid! The semi-finals were arranged with Tara fighting Nara and Niven taking down one of the Gaste members.