The Pinnacle - Day 8 (Final)

It was late morning in the center of Market Square where a large platform covered by a tent was set up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure you know me by now but I will still introduce myself", a woman's voice could be heard, "I am Lui Mingxue, and I have had the honor to be the host for this tournament for it's duration."

"I am Jin Lei, and like my co host, I have also had the honor and the pleasure", Jin Lei remarked, "Today is a day of celebration as we recognize the champions of the Pinnacle. It is also a somber day as it is the last day, and many of you will be leaving for home soon."

"The Ministers of Sun & Moon island are here to not only present the rewards to the winners", Lui Mingxue explained, "They also wish to share a few words with everyone."

Minister Ye and the others made their way to where the two commentators were standing, and Minister Ye stepped forward as the others stood behind.

"The ministry of Sun & Moon island wants to thank everyone involved with this event ", Ye started his speech, "First of all, to all the residents to labored hard to have everything ready. You all have done a wonderful job, and we will make sure that your work is rewarded. To all the guests that have entered our island, You have done well in representing where you are from and acted in a manner that is distinguished. It will be sad to see you leave, though I know some of you have been invited back to attend another event at the beginning of the new season. Now I could stand here and ramble for some time, but I do not believe that is why you are here. It would be better if we got started, do you also agree?"

"Of course Minister", Lui Mingxue replied, "To make this simple, we will call out the event, the division, and the winner. Recipients please make your way to the right side of the stage over here, accept the reward, pose for an image, and exit to the left."

"Also, there will be various announcements during the ceremony", Jin Lei said, "After the ceremony, all the winners are invited to a banquet with the Ministry and Manager Wei Huoran. Attendance is not mandatory, but you are invited all the same."

The ceremony commences as the hosts started announcing the winners. Everything was seen by the gathered crowd, but it was also broadcast to all the QR Pods, QTVs, and QPhones for anyone who wished to watch. The ceremony proceeds as several categories and all their divisions have their champions rewarded.

Lui Mingxue walked back to the speech magnifier after the final winner of the team arena event stepped off the stage.

"It's inspiring to see the apex of the pinnacle", Lui Mingxue said, "But before we announce the next winners, Sun & Moon island wishes to present a new adventure coming soon. Let's watch to see what's in store."

A holographic projector started to play as everyone watched on. Above everyone, the night sky with a sea of stars was seen as serene music played in the background. After a few moments, the beautiful face of a young woman appeared as the stars seemed to dissipate. The young lady stood and walks through a small alley as the projection shrinks to reveal a city not unlike Sun city. People can be seen walking the sidewalks, cars are driving down the streets, and the signs of businesses create a different vibrant image.

The picture continues to condense until the whole city came be seen, and the music explodes into a grand opening. The focus shifts to a train that traveling through the city as the music enters a heart pounding rhythm until it stops at a certain station. A fight breaks out as several people dressed as bandits attack some guards, and run into a nearby gate of a fence. The image does not follow them but stays in place for a few moments until one man exits the train with graceful movements. Wearing black robes, and sporting shorter but oddly shaped golden hair, he walks forwards carrying a tremendously large saber. Two guards not seen before exit the train, heading straight for the golden haired man as the latter takes the large saber and prepares to attack. Just before he does, the screen turns white and everyone is shocked for a moment when a message appears (Coming to QR Pods everywhere. The Last Fantasy is available next Season).

The image disappears, and the projector returns to its original location as the crowd begins to complain.

"How could you do this", "Why do we have to wait?", and "What happens next?" Could be heard among other things as the crowd was discontent.

"My apologies", Lui Mingxue looked pitiful, "Unfortunately, this is all that was provided to us, so poor Xue'er cannot do much more."

The crowd seemed to calm down under Lui Mingxue's expert manipulation, so her co host continued.

"We will have another announcement soon", Jin Lei said, "But for now, we will continue on to the next category."

More name were called as they made their way through the arena and team battle arena, Gran Prix, and Sage events.

Jin Lei was the next to introduce the next segment, "I can already tell that the last announcement made everyone excited, but it's only just begun. Please watch the next segment."

The projector had already deployed, and at the last words of Jin Lei, it started to play again.

A blank image slowly changed as a beatiful scene emerged displaying a grand gazebo with a bamboo forest in the background. Beautiful music played as the scene moved to a mirror sitting on the table in the gazebo. (From the makers of 'The Destiny of the Fairy and the Sword') appeared on the mirror until if felt like the audience was sucked into the mirror. On the other side, scene are seen of cultivators fighting giant demons, finding legendary treasures, and unleashing devastating attacks.

A voice started to narrate, "In the Destiny of the fairy and sword, you alone sligh adventure into the unknown as you discovered the world. We are proud to present 'The World of the Fairy and Sword' which will be similar in many ways but this time you can play with friends. Discover the new story alone, or gather people you know as you once again enter the realm of Xianxia. More scenes kept appearing including dragons, people flying in the sky, magnificent swords, and beautiful women. Then once again it faded back to the mirror, (Coming to QR Pod everywhere next season).

Once again the crowd erupted as the mirror faded away, and the projector stopped.

"I can feel everyone's passion", Lui Mingxue smiled as she once again tried to rein in the crowd, "I know this is exciting, but just a quick reminder that if you cannot calm down, methods will be used to keep the peace."

Suddenly, the unhappy audience quieted down remembering where they were. The ceremony once again commenced until it was time for the next debut.

This time everyone went silent as they saw the projector move.

"Coming to a theater near you", the announcer said, "Once there was a man who was the deadliest assassin."

The recording narrated how the man left the sect, got married, and lived his life. Then one day, his wife contracted a terminal illness and died. Driven by sorrow, the man shut himself in isolation with only a dog for a companion. A twist of fate happens when the man, Li Wei, goes shopping one day. The young master of the sect Li Wei left was traveling close to Li Wei's land doing business, and stumbled upon the empty house. In a moment of arrogance, the young master destroys parts of the house and kills the dog protecting the land before leaving to finish his business.

When Li Wei returns to find his house damaged, his dog dead, and he is distraught. In his grief, he recognizes the methods used as the same as his previous sect sect and becomes angry. He goes to an unassuming place, and retrieves all the weapons he used in his past with only one thought in mind, destroy his former sect. The next scene shows the magnificent home of the young master where a party is ongoing. The lackeys of the young master are having fun, but then the lights cut out. The audience watching sees an outline similar to Li Wei for just a moment before the screen is completely dark and words appear (The Immortal Shadow), (Coming next season).

The crowd did not riot this time when the movie trailer finished, but Jin Lei could see they were close to erupting. He went ahead to introduce the next category quickly to try and change the topic. The air was starting to feel odd as Jin Lei started to feel that the audience's feelings had changed. He realized that they were beginning to look forward to the announcements more than the ceremony, so he quickly introduced the next category.

When it was time for the next announcement, everyone started to get excited as the projector turned on. In this recording, an image of a mountain appeared until the image began to shrink. Eventually, the camera pulled back far enough until the whole planet was visible when special flying ship appeared from space. The ships descended to the surface, and deployed vehicles and equipment to build a base. Three different types of cultures could be recognized, human cultivators, Beastkins, and the swarm. The audience watched as the three armies engaged in battle using methods somewhat than their own.

"In 'The War in Heaven', it is not your might that is being challenged, but your ability to lead", the announcer said, "Learn the abilities of your followers, create the perfect strategies, and conquer your foes."

Surprisingly, when the announcement finished, the crowd was not as restless as before. At least the younger members did not seem as excited now as they were for previous announcements. In contrast, the younger cultivators seemed to have a gleam in their eye as they understood the intent behind this game.

The last few categories were taken care of, and Lui Mingxue was ready to introduce the last announcement.

"This last broadcast is different than the rest", she expressed, "Unlike the previous revelations, this is a new product."

The projector started to play, "Everyone is familiar with the QR Pod, and is probably also aware of its weakness. No matter how much to cultivate and practice mentally, it does not give you practical control over what you learn. That changes today!"

A QR Pod that looked mostly like the one everyone used nowadays appeared, except it was bigger.

"Unlike the original, the improved Pod is larger, and equipped with the last runes so that anything you are doing in the virtual realm will be done for real as well", the representative explained, "You might be hesitant to use something like this, but this improved pod was created by the Sages of Sun & Moon island. Whether you are aware or not, an expedition will soon leave to make their way to the two new continents discovered on the other side of the world. To ensure that the training of the crew is done properly, the Sages worked hard to create this pod so that the crews of the ship can fight in the best condition. These new pods will also be added to the Pod cafes on Sun & Moon island, but will be sold to others in small quantities until supply can meet demand."

This did not mean much for the normal cultivator, but for the leaders of the organizations, this was huge news. If you could even get one, it would be instantly dedicated to your most promising disciple because you could raise them into a successor without worry. Just as the higher level cultivators started to get agitated, Minister Ye appeared at the podium again.

"Ah! Everyone, Minister Ye has asked us to speak to everyone one more time before we are finished, so please give him your attention", Lui Mingxue requested.

Minister Ye cleared his throat and spoke, "Everyone, I am pleased that everyone is excited for the new things that will come soon", Ye said, "That being said, please remember the spirit in which we gather today. We were hear to recognize your fellow daoist, elders, brothers, sisters, or even masters. We will hold this competition again in five years time, and the winners today will be recorded as the first in what should be a long tradition. Do not let your excitement diminish what the representatives from your sects did today. Well, that's enough for me. The other ministers and I are due to attend the banquet that will start soon, and I look forward to speaking to those who attend as well. Have a good evening."

Minister Ye bowed to the contestants and the crowd before he and the others left to enter their cars and head to the banquet.