Life takes you to strange places. The other day I found myself unknowingly interviewing for a full time position at a bank which I got rejected from for an internship. Never stop trying my friends, the Dao path will take you to different places if you keep climbing.
Across the vast plains one could witness clashes amongst chosen both near and far no matter where one was. Most of these clashes did not end in life and death situations however. The divine sense obstructing abilities of the grass made escape much easier for the defeated to retreat.If one was to sense that the battle was unfavorable, retreat was only a few steps away, at any given point. Well... it was for most defeated Chosen. Those unlucky enough to encounter Lineir were not so fortunate. Relying on Mei's divine sense he could pin point their location in the tall grass as easily as an eagle could spot a snake. In this way, the number of Chosen were being reduced relatively quickly. Lineir was careful to only target those who had been defeated by other Chosen however. There was a vast difference between the levels of top Chosen and weak Chosen in the Sightless Plains. Those who had already been defeated and were fleeing were the ideal target as they were naturally weaker and oftentimes injured. To Lineir it was as if money was growing in the fields just waiting to be reaped.
"Hmph, another interesting haul. At this point, I've finally managed to scrounge up some decent defensive items."
If one were to carefully observe Lineir now, they would realize that he was outfitted much differently than when he had entered the Sightless Plains. Throughout his cultivation and travels Lineir did not usually wear armor. This was simply because defensive artifacts required much more time and energy to make and were thus consequently were more rare. After all, what requires more materials, a single sword or a whole suit of armor? While hunting down escaping Chosen, Lineir had gradually acquired a fair amount of wealth. What he had done was to wear the pieces which he had found were best suited for him. The result was that he now looked like an oddly wealthy bandit. He had on beautiful armored boots which Mei assured him were made from the descendant of a minor dragon. Under his robes he now had a strong flexible silk armor which while he was unsure of its exact quality, was definitely extremely resilient to ordinary blows. Additionally, one of his hands was now covered in rings which could be used one time only to generate extremely potent life saving magics. Some of them were purely defensive in nature, such as barriers, while others could be used offensively as a last ditch attack.
Unfortunately, while these treasures were certainly valuable and combined definitely increased Lineir's survivability considerably, they were all spoils looted from the bodies of losers. Hence Lineir was certain that against the truly strong Chosen of the Trials they probably wouldn't have much of an effect.
"Hide!!"
Mei's voice suddenly hissed in Lineir's ears like a snake. Immediately he withdrew his limited aura and shrank into the tall grass. His Qi circled and collapsed in on itself as per the secret technique he had rigorously practiced upon the Sky Pillar. To those of his level, he was practically invisible unless they knew he was there or happened to look directly at him. Even those vastly above his level, members of the senior generation and the like, could have trouble sensing him if they were not actively looking. Though he should be invisible, Lineir exercised great caution. Anyone who Mei would warn him to hide from was probably trouble at the very least.
"Damn, she ran for it as soon as she saw me. Smart but damn annoying, how did the clan realize..."
An average looking figure stumbled by. However, this Chosen while average in shape, stature and dress, sporting standard green cultivator's robes had one odd characteristic about him. Lineir could see very clearly from his hiding place. His eye's were glowing jade green! They were the eyes of a snake and at first glance Lineir instantly knew that this man was more than he seemed.
Crack!!
The man and Lineir in his hiding place both froze as a small cracking noise rebounded across the plains. The man with snake eyes seemed to turn completely green as the glow in his eyes receded and he appeared to blend into the grass. If Lineir didn't know he was there already he wouldn't have been able to sense a thing until he was practically on top of him!
"Hahaha damn. Stealth has never been my thing! Come on out little brother, the clan has instructed me to discipline you!"
A great hulking man, perhaps 3 meters tall, bumbled into view. He wore a great fur coat draped across one shoulder like a scarf and was otherwise bare chested with many scars. A large crescent shaped battleaxe hung on his back. Lineir noted that though he crashed through the grass making great noise, his feet were actually quite lithe and nimble never stopping. They embodied the essence of momentum. Clearly this man despite his brutish appearance had great understanding of the Dao.
"Not coming out little bro? It's pointless to hide from me! You know this little ax of mine is not something a little grass can block! Fine we can do this the hard way!"
Lineir almost choked in disbelief as this burly newcomer unslung his ax.
"Little ax?? That thing is so large it's practically a scythe!"
Lineir was not exaggerating. The double bladed axe was nearly 2 meters from tip to tip. When it was unslung an intense foreboding sense of danger filled the plains. The burly man leveled it with the ground so that the tip pointed straight down. The ax was so long that though the man himself was nigh 3 meters tall, the tip almost touched the ground.
"Last chance!" The huge man paused for a second but from Lineir's hiding spot he could tell the jade eyed man still hadn't budged a centimeter.
"Fine! I'll dig you up along with the grass little snake bro!"
WHOOOOOOSH!!!
A loud whistling sound swept through the air as the man swung his ax in a wide circle. A purple colored sheen coated the ax and Lineir felt a sort of resonance within him. This man used the Darkness element!
VROOOOM!
As the massive ax spun, an expanding ripple of Darkness Qi filled the air and slashed the tall grass to pieces. Lineir quickly ducked under the blow, but the grass which he had been hiding in was ripped out of the ground and shredded in a solid 10 meter radius. Instantly there was a new clearing in the grass and the only things left standing around the man with the ax was the jade eyed man and Lineir. All three men were exposed now that the grass was cleared. The jade eyed man quickly locked eyes with the ax wielding monster, but both of them startled as they realized Lineir was but a few meters away. They voiced their astonishment in unison,
"Who the hell are you???"
Lineir immediately reacted despite his shock that the ax had managed to scythe away the tough grass in one blow. While he could accomplish the same feat, that was because Mei's sword was infinitely more sharp than most weapons. To clear an area of 10 meters of the tough divine sense blocking grass would take immense strength and technique. With a single leap backwards Lineir instantly cleared the exposed 10 meter area and fled back into the grass.
"Hmph, no one of importance it seems. Alright little bro, you're coming with me!" The massive man took one hand off his battleaxe and reached it out through the air towards the jade eyed youth. It glowed a brilliant azure blue and even a dozen meters away Lineir felt a sort of formless pull sucking him towards the man's palm.
"Gravitational manipulation. Rudimentary at this level, but definitely not something to be trifled with. Be careful disciple, this one definitely has some sort of major power backing him! There's no way he developed such a technique on his own!"
Mei analyzed the technique in a moment and warned Lineir who was still hiding in the brush. Lineir snorted,
"Which one of these Chosen doesn't have a major power backing them?"
Mei could only helplessly admit that in terms of backing, Lineir whose master was halfway to a ghost, was lacking. As the huge man's palm glowed, the jade eyed man slit his eyes and raised a palm as well which glowed emerald as he resisted the invisible attraction.
Whoosh!
The air being attracted towards the big man's palm started to violently flow in and out as the two clashed from a distance.
"Give it up lil bro, you know I'm stronger than you'll ever be. It's time to face punishment! We are leaving this trial!" The big man called out. However, the jade eyed man said with a fierce look.
"Jun! I don't give a damn about the clan. She's mine and you know it! Besides, you're not capable of making me leave the Trials!"
With a grin the green light expanded into a sphere 3 meters wide and a huge repulsive force appeared completely blasting away the invisible attraction from the big man's palm. Instantly the jade eyed youth sprinted off leaving the monstrous man far behind. However, though the big man looked vaguely annoyed, he actually quickly smiled.
"Lil-bro has grown so strong. This Trial will be a good tempering experience for him. As for you little man in the grass. Come on out, I don't like those who hide besides lil bro!"
This Chosen Jun quickly raised his hands and that formless attraction tugged at Lineir nigh 15 meters away. Lineir, with a little smile of his own walked out with his hands out stepping into the open.
"I didn't mean to spy on your family problems. However, would you be interested in a little spar?"
The big man grinning from ear to ear as well grabbed his ax.
"You want to spar? Why didn't you say so sooner, I Jun Li have never turned down a fight in my life!!"