Tensions Rise

More guest continued to slowly filter in, one after another their names and sects were announced. In the case of the other High Nine inheritors they were announced  all the proper fanfare, names, titles, and accomplishments, were all declared with a triumphant trumpet. The other inheritors all wore very bizarre outfits though, one man, the inheritor of the Eight Heavens sect, had eight golden disks floating behind him. A women from the Ascendant Inheritor sect wore a dress that I recognized as the skin form a single cored Titan beast named Aithe.

They all wore as much luxury and status as they possibly could, so much so that I couldn't help but laugh at them. In the Rift, the truly powerful experts didn't see the need to wear such shows of power, instead we let the aura we had spent a lifetime refining flow forth. I once saw a painting in the beautiful citadel of Hellas of many finely dressed men and women bowing in fear to a man in tattered robes and a straw hat, a picture of the long dead Overlord Insurgence. For a powerful Overlord such shows of wealth and power would have been an embarrassment.

Once the drawn out process of announcing all the "important" people had come to an end the crowd slowly dispersed and began to intermingle. I quietly followed behind Andorra as she went around and greeted all the other inheritors, pointless words were exchanged and meaningless pleasantry were passed back and forward. I could tell that Andorra must have been using all her wit and cunning to keep the edge in these conversations, but to me the onlooker these exchanges were very boring.

I silently left Andorra's side to explore the venue on my own. There were many statues of Titan beasts that the Heavens Grace sect and the other High Nine sects had hunted and collected over the many years of their long history displayed for observation, some of which I recognized which made me feel a little nostalgic. I was observing the statue of a familiar Titan beast,  a monstrosity with ten bug like legs, a large round body with a single giant eye in the center. And though I couldn't see its underside I knew it was entirely occupied by its mouth with four tongues. This beast was once called Ancleass, it would travel around by jumping into the air with its powerful legs and use its long tongues to consume any creatures beneath it. This creature once had me pinned inside a crevasse for weeks  when I was only just getting started as an Overlord before it finally became bored and left.

I was so lost in my own bitter memories  that I didn't notice the man that had snuck up on me. "Ferocious, is it not" he said.

"Yes, it must have been" I said not turning to see who it was.

"It took me and my men almost three years to track it down, but once we found it, we caught it in a net mid jump. Had to make sure the ropes were long enough to avoid its disgusting tongues. Had to hang it there until it tired itself out before I could give the final blow" he said, casually describing how he trapped and killed a beast that had caused me so much pain.

"The statue doesn't have any plaques, did you not know its name." I asked, wanting to give my old enemy a little respect in death.

"These things have names" he asked condescendingly?

"Of course, creature as powerful and feared as them will a name." I said, turning to see that it was the young man from the Eight Heavens sect.

"Well I never thought to asked a mindless beast its name, next time I'll give it a try" he said full of bravado. "But enough of my hunting trip to that wasteland, please let me introduce myself. I am Heracel of the Eight Heavens sect, may I know your name."

Composing myself, I repressed the anger from his flagrant disregard for me and gave a small smile and a deep bow "I am Tol Nafatha of the Mountain Fate sect, a pleasure to meet your greatness"

"You're the girl little Andorra brought right, if your supposed be her attendant then why are you here observing the art." He said.

"I'm less of an attendant than a silent observer" I respond, only nearly tolerating his arrogant attitude.

"Hmm, let guess, you're a rising star within your sect and you're here to observe the competition, are you scared yet" he said leaning in close, almost to close.

"You're correct." I said taking a step back.

"Well if that's the case then there's  something that's confusing me, if you're the Mountain Fate's savior then why cant I feel any cultivation coming from you" he said raising his voice, now drawing a crowd.

"Well that's because I don't cultivate, I am a different sort of power, I'm a body refiner." I said.

Heracel and the crowd were stunned, quietly staring at me in shock before they all began to laugh. "I didn't know the Mountain Fate sect was this desperate" he said.

I am a several thousand year old Overlord who faced far greater threats than these kids, yet their laughter embarrassed me. I was suppressing the growing urge to kill everyone here as Andorra pushed her way through the crowd.

"What happened" she hissed?

"I don't know, but if they don't stop soon I'm going to remove their heads from their necks" I said gathering Qi into my limbs, readying for the slaughter.

Andorra felt me tense up and immediately put her hand on my chest to tell me to hold back for now "what is the meaning of this Heracel" she demanded.

"My apologies Andorra, Tol here just informed me that she was a body refiner. I couldn't help but laugh at how desperate the Mountain Fate sect was" he said no longer laughing.

"And what's so funny about it" she said in an icy tone. "Its my understanding that all the major and minor sects have given body refining a try"

"Yes, buts results are always abysmal. No matter the sheer strength it allows a body refiner can never use spells, which makes it completely useless" he said condescendingly.

"Really," I said finally having enough. "Then what about the Rifter that assaulted and broke through the walls, wasn't she a body refiner."

"You mean the Tyrannical Overlord, while it is true that she did break through the wall she never set foot in Illia. Besides she was wielding powerful weapons and it's believed that her curse gave her the extra strength."

"Fine" I said lowering myself into a fighting stance "if your so certain that body refining is worthless then fight me and prove yourself"

He looked at me for a second, caught off guard by my sudden challenge "please there's no need for that, besides I've already  reached the sixth stage, however if you want to prove yourself then I prepose a more civil wager. A drinking contest, you and I will each bring out our strongest alcohol and drink until one of us concedes defeat"

I thought about it for a moment, obviously he had some sort of plan in place, but I doubt he had anything that I couldn't handle.

I nodded my head, agreeing to his terms.

"Alright, I'll go first" he snapped his fingers and a group of plain white robed people quickly assembled behind him. They had a symbol similar to an elongated star etched into foreheads, a slave mark.

It was something I had seen often in the Rift, if there was any real economy or industry it was all slave based. A slave seal could do many things, from restricting their movements to a certain area, sending powerful painful shock into the body, or providing their master with their exact location at all times. But the one on these slaves was very different than the ones in the Rift, these were total domination seals. It completely cut off the persons free will and bound their every action to the master's will, and what was even scarier is that it could be passed down to their children indefinitely, forever making them a clan of slaves. Seals like this were almost impossible to break because its had generations to imbed itself, trying to break it would only result in the slaves death.

"Bring out my 'special' wine" he said. A slave women with a blank and expressionless face passed forward a white jug with gold trimming. Heracel poured a deep red liquid into a golden goblet, instantly a fiery Qi filled up the air as I caught the scent of blood. "This here is the finest wine my family has" he said as he passed me the cup.

Looking into the cup I instantly knew what it really was, Dragon Blood. Drained from the most powerful beast in the Rift this stuff was very dangerous, it was filled with such a dense amount of fire Qi that if I were to ignite it the flames produced could melt even the most powerful weapons. But using it like that would be a waste, it is far better to refine it into a pill like the one I gave Seraphina, or into a weapon. Drinking this would cause severe damage to a persons internal organs, and might even cause death if the person was weak enough.

I stared into the chalice weighing my options

"Be careful" Heracel taunted "its very strong, I would only recommend a sip."

I looked him dead in the eyes as I lifted the cup to my lips, and downed it in one go. It felt like molten lead, and had it been anyone else they surely would have died. But I am a body refiner who is only a half step from the demigod stage of power, my organs are some of the most versatile on Arkadia. As the dragons blood flowed down my throat and Heracles eyes widened in anticipation, something weird happened. I was fully prepared to deal with the extreme pain involved drinking pure dragons blood, but instead I felt no pain whatsoever. I felt my body instantly absorbing the fire Qi from the dragons blood. A tingling sensation  spread through my body in waves as I felt for the first time in a very long while, my cultivation was improving.

It was only a little bit, nothing close to what it would take to get me to the demigod stage, but even still it was an excellent sign. The only issue is I have no idea why it helped my cultivation.

Heracel was completely stunned, unable to figure out whether or not I had played some sort of trick on him.

"This is excellent, mind if I keep the jar for later" I said, not waiting for his response as the jar flew to my bag with the skull inside.

Recovering from his shock he looked like he wanted to say something, but instead kept his mounts shut.

"Now, this might not have the same fiery kick as your 'wine', but I think you'll find this stuff is better in quality" I said as an old looking cask flew out from the bag, the weathered cask of alcohol emanated a dangerous aura of slaughter. When I poured Heracel a cup a grey mist rose from the cup, in the mist woeful faces could be seen. By all accounts it would seem that whatever I had just pulled out was a deadly poison. To show everyone that this was a fair match I poured a small cup for myself and took a sip, just to show that it was nothing I couldn't handle.

Despite the appearance of the drink it was only the beast brew I got from Stout wall, the aura of slaughter was my own. But Heracel didn't know that, he only felt the intense feeling of death the cup was giving off. Biting his lower lip he conceded defeat

"I guess I'm beat Tol. But make no mistake, the tournament is far less simple than a drinking contest." He said, rage and fury building in his eyes as he turned away.

I was watching Heracel and his slave entourage when Andorra walked up next to me. "That was pointless" she said.

"Not entirely. That 'special' wine is dragons blood, when I drank it. I felt like my cultivation improved a little. That blood might just be the key to stepping into the demigod stage of cultivation." I said feeling a little giddy. My cultivation had been stagnant for a long time, but whatever secret that dragons blood held could finally help me take that last step.

"That would be helpful, whatever lets just get through tonight. Then we can try to figure out that dragons blood." She said.

Time slowly passed as I followed Andorra from boring conversation to boring conversation. And while I was bored out my mind Andorra seemed to really be enjoying herself. Each conversation was a battle ground of words, and time and time again Andorra walked out victorious. I could tell she enjoyed flipping all their preconceived notions about her on their heads, and leaving everyone stunned by her confidence. When it finally came time for the dance almost every single man here was competing to dance with her.

Heracel disappeared for a time, but when he returned none of his slave attendants were to be seen. He would glare at me occasionally, but eventually found him self occupied with chasing some other pretty girls.

When it was announced that it was time for the grand dance people scrambled to find their partners, and those poor saps who didn't have one were gathered in the center. Unfortunately I was also one of those poor fools, Andorra had somehow secured a dance with a gossipy know it all from a medium sized sect. The 'random' selection process consisted of people quickly matching up with the closest person. By the time it was all over I was left standing alone, having lucked out of a partner.

While the dancers all shuffled off the waltz to the soft music, I wandered off to find a table full of wine in a corner of the platform. I had just poured a glass when I felt an unfamiliar  prescience approach me.

"Don't tell me I need to dance with you" I sighed, and turned to see the red haired woman from before, a slight blush on her cheek.

"Don't even joke about that" she coldly reprimanded.

"If that's not the case then why are you here" I said sipping the fruity wine.

"I was left without a partner as well" she said.

"Surly that cant be true, you were the one to organize this whole event, and the heir to the Heavens grace sect. You could have your pick of any man here" I teased, already knowing her answer.

"None of the men here could catch my eye" she said reaching for the already opened bottle.

"And yet it would seem that I have" I said.

Her eyes flashed with rage "I don't like what your insinuating" she growled.

"Nothing perverse if that's what your thinking, its just that out of every where you could have gone you came to me. What do you want" I said cutting to the heart of what she wanted.

She stared at me not talking, trying to process what I had said.

"Oh but where are my manners" I said I held my hand out "my name is Tol Nafatha of the Mountain Fate sect, disciple of master Halite." I said practicing the lie me and Andorra had already prepared. It would explain why I was able to make my own body refining technique if I was Master Halites disciple, rather than an several thousand year old Overlord with access to a Primordial library.

"I have heard good things of master Halite, your master is very wise, I am Persius Heavens Grace, inheritor of the Heavens Grace sect" she said.

"A pleasure to officially meet you Persius, now to the matter at hand, why are you here." I said once more.

Persius paused, thinking about her answer, or maybe thinking about the real reason she was here. "I am here to see you. Andorra was only allowed one guest, I knew that whoever she brought would be the person who had the greatest chances in  the tournament. I thought she would bring Charon, but instead I see you, an unknown variable. I wanted to know what made you so special." She said, with slight hint of bitterness.

"Unfortunately Charon passed away in the Rift, so you wont be seeing anymore of him. And as for me, I wouldn't say that I have the greatest chance at the tournament, I'm just the sects experimental body refiner. Andorra only brought me because she wanted a friend at this party full of snakes" I said. Persius's face soured slightly at my last statement, whether from the party full of snakes comment or calling myself Andorras friend was unknown.

"I see, it's a shame that Charon is gone now, he might have just been your sects last chance of survival" she said.

"Oh I wouldn't say that, we have found few new talents since Charon. But what has me curious is why you care, almost all the others have written us off as good as dead, but it seems to me that you don't actually want the Mountain Fate sect to be destroyed. Why?"

Persius was caught off guard by my deductions, which let me know the that I had just hit the nail on the head.

"I, I," she stuttered. Calming herself with one deep breath she looked at me with many complicated emotions whirling around her eyes. "Look around this party Tol, all the other ladies here are either the second or third child of the sect masters, or the daughter of an influential elder. None of them will ever have the burden of leading a sect, even I wasn't supposed to be my sects inheritor. Had my older brother not died fighting the Tyrannical Overlord all those years ago I wouldn't have taken his place. In a way its comforting to know that there is another woman like me who has to lead a sect in world dominated by men. As far as I'm concerned, only Andorra's father sinned against Elhere, so if he were to die and she took his place then the Mountain Fate sect is fine in my eyes. Besides it would be such a waste if a sect as old as the Mountain Fate were to vanish just like that" she said.

"And how old is the Mountain Fate sect" I asked, curious about the last part of her little speech.

"Older than even my Heavens Grace sect, our records indicate that it was formed sometime around the beginning of the second era." She said.

This statement shocked me, sects formed and faded all the time, only those with  truly profound and even Primordial foundations lasted across eras. I began to think about the ancient records that Halite often buried himself in and what they might hold. The blind Fate library did hold a wealth of knowledge, but even it had gaps in its coverage.

I frowned at Persius "is that really the only reason you want the Mountain Fate sect to survive, there's not another more personal reason" I asked.

Her eyes widened as her whole body went tense with either fear or anger, "those are the only reasons" she said through gritted teeth, eyeing me cautiously.

The music stopped as the dance came to an end, I glanced over and saw that Andorra was now standing alone looking around for me. I turned back to Persius, who looked ready to kill if I said the wrong thing. "Well if you say that's all, then that's all" I said as I turned away and walked towards Andorra.