Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Are we going to attack him or do you want to run?" asked Xue Yue.

Her tone was wary but the word she spoke was the opposite. She wanted a fight with the Grand Elder for the bloodthirsty aura her exuded had aroused her lust for battle. Having been asleep, she did not know who this was person was, only that he is powerful and seemingly vicious. The Grand Elder was a threat in her eyes, the choice here was to fight or escape.

"We do nothing. Xue Yue, this is just a test of our mind. Those who run in fear will fail."

Ming Yue knew the situation and chose neither. Instead, she stood upright and faced the Grand Elder, staring straight into his eye as he looked at her. His eyes seemed like dark pits that seemed to radiate with death as if he had seen countless of lives taken perhaps by others or by him.

"So we aren't going to fight him, but it seems that he wants someone to attack."

Xue Yue's voice echoed in her mind, still convinced that Ming Yue should make a move.

Conversing among themselves, Ming Yue did not notice the Grand Elder's mouth curl into a smile. He looked around, gauging just how many were still on the arena.

"Hmm, a little bit over a thousand, not bad, not bad at all. Though, this is a bit too much for the dueling rounds. Let's increase the strength just a tad."

The Grand Elder took in a deep breath. As he exhaled, a breath of crimson mist manifested itself. Suddenly, the killing aura he emitted nearly doubled in strength. In an instant those who weren't quite affected began to feel the pressure and those who barely hanged on either lost conciousness or fear had overtaken them.

Ming Yue was taken aback by the outburst. She whipped her sword out due to instinct, raising it at the Grand Elder. Several others did the same, brandishing their weapons against the Grand Elder.

"Fight or run, we have to make a move. If not now, he will kill us."

Xue Yue's voice grew serious as even she had been affected by the dread that this man showed.

Everyone knew that this was a test and that the grand Elder would not kill them. But the killing intent he gave off, made them uncertain.

Would he really kill them?

Ming Yue tried to keep her calm and stay level-headed but the amount of killing intent around her was almost too much.

She turned around to find both Xukun and Anqing still awake though the state they were in was severe. Anqing trembled uncontrollably, she had her spear out ready to use the poison contraption on it. Xukun's swords flew out of his scabbards, floating in the air as they were pointed at the Grand Elder. Both of them were covered in sweat, eyes wide with shock and fear, unable to utter a single sound.

They stuck to each other and stayed close to Ming Yue.

The Grand Elder paid no attention to their actions, only checking to see just how many people had fallen.

"Good, we have exactly a thousand."

He smiled and the murderous aura he sent out suddenly vanished. The killing intent was gone and all those still on the arena floor and conscious found themselves gasping for air. Even after the end of it all, they trembled and sweat ran down their faces. There was no fight, no enemy, but the fear had been deeply ingrained within them.

The Grand Elder flew up and announced the end of the third round.

"The third round has ended, which concludes the first day of the Heavenly Gate Tournament. Of the several thousands of you, only a thousand remain for the dueling rounds. The elite disciples and Inheritors will now be joining you all. Those that did not make it will be rewarded in accordance to when they were eliminated. That is all. Take this time to rest and reflect on yourselves."

Ming Yue watched him leave and saw that everyone else had begun to clear out of the coliseum. Those on the arena were still shaken by the third round. Evidently, they needed time to calm themselves.

"Anqing, Xukun, are you two okay?"

She looked around and saw that the two were still frozen on the ground. Even though the killing intent was no longer there, it had left too great of an impression on them. Shaking them, Anqing and Xukun awakened from their dazed state though their pale faces and wide eyes did not change.

"Huh, oh, uh."

"We-we made it to the next round."

"Yeah, we did, didn't we."

"Yeah, yeah..."

They were still shocked and could not say much. In the end, Ming Yue hoisted them to their legs, leading them out of the coliseum. With everyone gone, the coliseum descended into the ground as the Institution took on its original appearance.

"Hm, they might not last long in this tournament, don't you think? After all, their strength was below yours when we were in the garden."

Having been awakened, Xue Yue began observing everything. As she was in Ming Yue's mind, Xue Yue sees what Ming Yue sees and remembered the couple that Ming Yue dragged back.

"You don't know that. They've been cultivating hard these past months."

"Please, you had to save them more than once."

"Xue Yue, be quiet. They were the reason we even went to the garden."

"Peh."

There was a small silence between the two before Xue Yue spoke up again.

"What do you think about tomorrow? The dueling rounds that the Grand Elder spoke about."

"I'm not sure. It could be one on one or group battles."

From what the elder's told her, the dueling rounds were random. Everything from the people to the set up would be chosen for everyone. It was hard to predict or even estimate their chances.

"Hm, It doesn't quite matter. I will be there to take control if you lose."

Xue Yue's voice trailed off but it left a rather playful tone. It was almost as if she was expecting Ming Yue to lose conciousness, that would be her time to act.

Ming Yue paid no attention to her. She had won against Xue Yue and she could do it again. Furthermore, It wasn't as if Xue Yue had bad intentions but Ming Yue did not entertain the idea of losing control over her own body to another, especially to a more cruel version of her.

With the night almost arriving, Ming Yue decided to take Xukun and Anqing to the Spirit Hall. Considering the reputation that the Spirit Hall had, they might have refused to enter. Fortunately, they were too shaken to do so and found themselves inside a serene landscape.

The illusion of the island within the endless sea was soothing. The crashing waves and gentle wind calmed their minds and relaxed their hearts. If not for this, Anqing and Xukun might not have been able to sleep at night for they were both restless and nervous. Not to mention, the fear cast by the killing intent had faded away.

"Thank you, Ming Yue. I needed this."

Xukun gave heartfelt thanks as he would have found it difficult to sleep after experiencing such intense killing intent. As someone who was difficult to speak to, he seemed to have improved especially as he spoke with someone other than Anqing.

A bit of recovery within the illusion was all it took and everyone rested for the night. The next day was a similar scene to yesterday, a crowd of disciples waiting at the center of the insititution. The ground rumbled and split apart, revealing the coliseum once more.

However this time, the arena took on a different appearance. The once massive platform had split into ten smaller stone platforms and everyone gathered around them.

The fourth round would start soon.