The panic that resulted from Blue’s sudden appearance in the waiting area of the arena was difficult to contain at first, but Lena and Azar were quick to appear and suppress the noise before any spectators took notice. Azar blocked the audience’s view of Blue with his large frame, and Lena released an aura that practically paralyzed several of the young contestants.

  “Silence!” Lena declared with a thundering voice. “In the name of the empire, maintain order!”

  “Honoured Imperial Guard!” Tsurum, the burly representative of the Air Moon Sect, shrieked as he hid behind Tae, whose own expression immediately turned sour. “Save us!”

  “Silence!” Lena replied with a stern warning. “The pixie belongs to Micro. Its presence is known and safety measures are in place.”

  “What safety measures?!” Tsurum shouted. “That’s a blue one! A blue pix—”

  “Kind of you to notice!” Blue said as she landed on Micro’s head and performed a graceful bow, but her rare show of good manners was undercut by her maniacal laughter. “What other colours can you see?”

  “Enough of that,” Lena said as she rolled her eyes. She emitted a small burst of her aura with a wave of her hand in Tsurum’s direction, causing him to faint without another word. Lena then looked at Blue with a look of fatigue. “Pixie! What is the meaning of this?”

  “Huh?” Blue raised an eyebrow and jumped on Micro’s head, leaning forward with an intimidating glare. “It should be my turn to fight by now!”

  “Why would a pixie participate in some little competition of jade level cultivators?” Lena asked. “Do you have nothing to do but torment these poor souls?”

  “I’m a representative of the Fire Turtle, umm—” Blue paused for a moment and looked to Kel for assistance.

  “The Jade Fire Mountain Turtle Sect…?” Kel replied tentatively. “But why do you claim to represent it?”

  “Are you as senile as that baldy?” Blue shouted back. “He said we were all representatives.”

  “When did my grandfather make such a claim?” Kel asked in horror.

  The other participants began to gather around to listen in on the discussion, while the audience became concerned about the sudden appearance of two Imperial Guards. Some tried to move closer and ascertain the situation, but a fierce look from Azar kept them from approaching.

  “There was a big room, lots of people…” Blue continued. “Is that ringing any bells?”

  “My grandfather said… Oh—” Kel’s face suddenly paled. “Oh no…”

  “What is it, young master?!” Tae asked, her concern for his sudden change in complexion.

  Micro tried not to move his head, worried that Blue might fall off, but the tension was beginning to make him uncomfortable.

  “My—My grandfather said,” Kel mumbled. “He said that the masters of the Turtle Art before him would represent the sect…”

  “So? What about Blue?” Tae asked.

  “Micro…” Kel said slowly. “Was Blue in your pocket at that time?”

  “Of course!” Micro replied with a thumbs up.

  “Then it is true,” Kel stated with glassy eyes. “Undeniably…”

  “Don’t you dare say it,” Lena grumbled as she brought her hands to her face. “You must be joking…”

  “As if mastering the Turtle Art is a big deal,” Blue scoffed.

  “The pixie known as Blue has already been officially recognized as a contestant,” Kel explained with a grim tone. “Regardless of the circumstances, the matter was settled before we even left the temple.”

  The other contestants couldn’t find the words to express their shock or confusion as Azar and Lena radiated increasingly intense auras. Blue looked around at them and laughed, and Lena turned to Micro with a heavy look.

  “Why did I promise not to interfere in this tournament?” She asked as all the energy in her body left her. She looked up and sighed so heavily that Micro wondered if she had used a skill to increase the gravity around him. “Is there any chance of your little blue friend withdrawing at this point? She has yet to be challenged after all.”

  “You may address me directly, fellow cultivator,” Blue interjected with a dignified glow. “And no, I shall not be withdrawing. As a turtle master, I have rights, and I shall fight that silly child over there, on my honour!”

  “What’s going on?” Ki shouted impatiently. “Shall I continue or not?”

  “Why must you fight her, dare I ask?” Lena asked, ignoring Ki’s complaints.

  “Because she annoys me in a very particular way,” Blue answered. “And I like her.”

  “I shouldn’t have asked…” Lena instinctively held her hand up to stop Azar from saying whatever he was about to say, while the other contestants slowly backed away from Micro and Blue. Kel thought for a moment while Tae looked at him patiently, and then he straightened his posture, wiped some blood and dust from his face, and nodded.

  “I believe the only way to resolve this is to go with the flow,” Kel said with resolve, addressing the other contestants who still looked shocked. “I ask that you be understanding, as this matter concerns the honour and integrity of my sect.”

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  “Very well…” Lena responded on behalf of the group.

  “You have my gratitude,” Kel said with a deep bow and a typical salute. “Leave this to me. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  Kel walked back out to the stage, gesturing to the announcer that he wished to make an announcement. Ki looked down with a look of amusement as Kel returned.

  “You miss me already?” she asked, prompting some laughter from the audience.

  “I have news regarding the representatives of the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect!” Kel declared loud enough for everyone to hear. “A fourth representative, officially sanctioned by our sect leader, wishes to join the tournament.”

  “A second latecomer?” the announcer asked. “Even for masters of the Turtle Art, that level of tardiness is a little hard to stomach, young master.”

  “As heir to my sect, I sincerely apologize on their behalf!” Kel continued, bowing to the announcer. He lifted his head and continued with a solemn expression. “But I must also assert their rights, despite their discourtesy. As masters of one of the primary arts studied in our sect, they are entitled to participate in this event. It is my own oversight that caused this misunderstanding!”

  Kel’s statement seemed to be well received by the audience, though not everybody looked impressed by the sudden change of plans. However, Micro noticed Tohan grinning widely at the turn of events.

  “I beg your forgiveness for the lack of courtesy my sect has displayed, and we would be honoured if you allow our newest member to prove themselves to you,” Kel continued. “Furthermore, she has expressed a particular desire to challenge the remaining representative of the Air Moon Sect.”

  “They want to fight me?” Ki asked in surprise, but she appeared aloof to the issue. “Whatever, I guess…”

  “This is highly irregular,” the announcer replied after conferring with several officials. “However, we believe the decision should fall to the contestant in question…”

  “Me?” the excited young girl on the stage asked with a wide smile. The crowd turned its attention to Ki, already excited to hear her answer. “Bring it on! I’ll fight as many turtles as you can bring me!”

  “I should warn you…” Kel shouted over the excitement of the crowd. When the audience had finally calmed, he continued with a stern tone. “I will not tolerate any disrespect shown to a legitimate disciple of my sect, from you, or anyone in this arena…”

  “Sure, sure, whatever,” Ki replied, her confusion at the warning shared by many in the audience.

  “That goes for everyone here!” Kel suddenly shouted at the audience, then addressed the announcer. “As one who has overseen this sacred event for generations, can I trust you to enforce our principles, regardless of the unique qualities of the contestant?!”

  “Of course!” The announcer replied, clearly offended by the question.

  “Do you swear on the honour of your sect that all contestants will be afforded an equal share of courtesy and respect?!” Kel continued.

  “I’ll say this once—” the announcer shouted, his face now red with anger. He rose from his chair and shouted so loudly that Micro’s ears began to ring. “I will die before I bring dishonour to this event! All contestants will be treated fairly. Are you satisfied?!”

  “I have one final request,” Kel added with a more modest tone.

  “What is it?!” The announcer cried out along with much of the audience.

  “Swear on your honour that you will not run from this contestant, nor attack them, regardless of their colour, shape, or wings,” Kel warned all who listened. “Swear on your—”

  “I swear it, now hurry up!” the announcer shouted in frustration, joined again by the audience. “Wait—”

  “Very well,” Kel concluded. “The Imperial Guard bears witness to your oath.”

  “Hurry up and—” Ki shouted, but the arrival of her opponent on the stone platform silenced her.

  Several among the audience noticed the nature of the small, blue contestant immediately, while others took longer to process what they were witnessing. The arena quickly fell silent, but murmurs of confusion and disbelief began to spread. Some wondered if it was a trick, while others were more fearful of the Imperial Guards’ retaliation than the pixie on the stage. Kel feared the announcer would forget his promise as a conflicted expression grew on the old man’s face, but a familiar and frustrated voice deflated the anxious air.

  “Imperial Guards surely witnessed the oaths made by each of you here tonight,” Lena announced with her hand on her forehead, her own voice amplified by her aura in the same way the announcer’s was. “On your honour and my own, the tournament will proceed without interruption!”

  “Excuse me, Blue…” Kel whispered to the pixie who stood in front of him on the stone platform. “If I may be so bold as to—”

  “What do you want?” she snapped back. “I’m busy here.”

  “I wanted to ask a small favour of you,” Kel continued.

  “I am known to be generous,” Blue nodded. “Among other things.”

  “If you could refrain from using any techniques that may cause…”

  “Fun?”

  “Yes, fun—” Kel nodded. “You represent the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect today, so it may be seen as discourteous to use techniques which are foreign to cultivators…”

  “You’re saying you want me to go easy on the brat?” Blue turned around to ask, pointing over her shoulder at Ki. “Fine, how about this?”

  Blue suddenly turned and walked quickly over to Ki, who was still paralyzed by shock. The anxious audience watched with grim expressions as they waited to see what the fate of the young master of the Air Moon Sect would soon be. Blue lifted one of her tiny hands, as if waving to the girl, causing hundreds to gasp. As her hand began to glow, only the intense stare of the Imperial Guards kept many from abandoning their honour and fleeing at once.

  “There,” Blue said to Ki casually. “Now we both have two arms.”

  “You—you—you—” Ki stuttered, grasping her newly healed arm in disbelief. “You’re a pixie?!”

  “I guess you’re smarter than you look,” Blue replied as she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, then she addressed the audience. “But today, I am not just the pixie called Blue!”

  “Wha—” Ki stuttered. The audience held their breath while waiting for the rest of her announcement. Ki finally managed to take a single step back, but her knees shook too much to run.

  “I fight for the honour of the Flaming Turtles!” Blue shouted with pride.

  “You mean the Jade Fire Mountain Turtle Sect!” Tae shouted from the contestants’ waiting area, though she could only roll her eyes as Blue continued. “Please remember that—”

  “You’re lucky I remember you exist at all!” Blue snapped back. “A thousand sects like you pop up every day, for crying out loud…!”

  “Pixie,” the announcer tentatively interjected. “You truly mean only to fight? But this is a cultivators’ competition… I can’t—”

  “You’re looking at the greatest cultivator you’ll ever see, junior!” Blue replied, pointing at her chest with her thumb.

  “Feast your eyes!”

  As she began to emit a powerful green aura, the eyes of the announcer and many among the audience began to glow, indicating usage of the Appraisal Skill or something similar. Their glowing eyes all widened as they beheld the tiny core burning fiercely within the pixie.

  “It’s true…!” several cultivators mumbled. “She has a proper core, there can be no doubt…”

  “And she’s mastered at least two Core Cards?!” a large woman shouted in shock.

  “Alright girl!” Blue shouted over the noise of their confusion, allowing no time for the frightened Ki to compose herself. “Let’s dance!”