Chapter 135 — Three Names Again

CHAPTER 135

Three Names Again

“Great Liang's other two representatives have arrived,” Kang Shu said.

Shi Feng stood beside the reporting counter with his plate in hand. The clerk checked the seal once more and placed it beside two others.

First, Sima Yu. Second, Ling Qingzhu. Third, Shi Feng.

The names hadn't changed during the journey. A great deal else had.

“Final kingdom list,” Kang Shu explained. “Check the entry, sign, and take your plate. When the opening bell rings, enter by the arena's eastern gate.”

Shi Feng checked his name and signed. His mid Foundation Establishment qi remained steady beneath his robe. The breakthrough at the inn had settled fully. He was ready for the opening rounds.

Behind him, several newly arrived candidates argued over where they should stand. None wore Great Liang's crest.

One young man leaned past him to examine the list. His name was Duan Yichen, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator from Great Zhao. He wore a dark robe without ornaments and carried a heavy sabre.

“Third?” Duan Yichen asked.

Shi Feng looked at him.

“That's what it says,” Shi Feng replied.

“Mid Foundation Establishment takes third place in your kingdom?” Duan Yichen asked.

“It sent three qualifiers,” Shi Feng said.

Duan Yichen studied him for a moment. There was no offence in his expression, only a direct attempt to judge an opponent.

“Don't expect the arena to be gentle,” Duan Yichen said.

“Then you should stand carefully,” Shi Feng replied.

The sabre user laughed once and moved toward the next counter. Neither needed to become a lifelong enemy over a few words. Kang Shu handed the plates back to their proper tray and called for the remaining Great Liang names.

Sima Yu entered from the side passage.

The Crown Prince wore pale gold robes and a jade belt. Two servants followed him until a hall guard pointed at the waiting area outside.

“Candidates only,” Pan Zhi said.

One servant looked offended. Sima Yu raised a hand, and both stopped immediately. There was no point making a scene beneath the Great Sects' registration banners.

“Brother Shi,” Sima Yu said pleasantly. “A safe journey?”

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

The prince looked at the plain sword and travel-worn boots. His late Foundation Establishment cultivation drew a few interested glances from nearby candidates, but nobody bowed because of his robe. Here, he was another young cultivator with a qualifying plate.

“Great Liang's representatives should stay together,” Sima Yu said.

“The clerk has the three names,” Shi Feng replied. “That should be enough.”

Sima Yu's smile cooled.

“I meant we should share what we learn,” Sima Yu said.

“Then learn something useful,” Shi Feng replied.

Pan Zhi glanced toward them. The Crown Prince noticed and returned his attention to the counter.

Shi Feng didn't press further. He hadn't forgotten the killing orders, and he hadn't come to argue about them in a queue. The arena would give them a clearer place to settle their grudge.

Kang Shu checked Sima Yu's signature without calling him Your Highness.

The prince completed it with controlled patience.

Then Ling Qingzhu entered.

Shi Feng heard her steps before turning. His fingers stopped on the bottle's cork. He pressed it firmly into place, then looked toward the stair.

Her white veil covered her face, and her black hair was pinned with the repaired silver clasp. The violet robe beneath her travelling cloak was familiar too.

She stopped when she saw him.

“Shi Feng,” Ling Qingzhu said.

“Fairy Ling,” Shi Feng replied.

Sima Yu looked between them. The space they left was too noticeable for him to miss, but neither offered an explanation.

Ling Qingzhu went to the counter and completed her registration. The clerk confirmed her eligibility without announcing her exact cultivation. Her qi remained restrained, giving the watching candidates little to judge.

She took her plate and turned toward Shi Feng again.

“May I walk out with you?” Ling Qingzhu asked.

“I'm only going as far as the notice board,” Shi Feng said.

They left Sima Yu standing beside the list.

Outside, the avenue was crowded with cultivators heading toward the arena district. A tall notice board listed the opening time and the candidates' entrance.

Ling Qingzhu stopped beside it. Shi Feng kept two full paces between them, his attention on the posted bell schedule rather than her veil.

“Have you found a room?” Ling Qingzhu asked.

“Yes,” Shi Feng said.

“I'm near the southern avenue,” Ling Qingzhu said, her fingers tightening briefly around her reporting plate when he didn't offer his inn's name. “If there's anything important about the tournament, I'll send word through the reporting hall.”

“The notice board will have the draws,” Shi Feng replied evenly.

She wanted to ask where he stayed. She wanted to ask whether he'd eat with her, whether he still woke before dawn, whether he used the warmer quilt. She didn't ask all those questions at once simply because she missed knowing the answers.

“Do well in the opening round,” Ling Qingzhu said quietly.

“You too,” Shi Feng replied.

Ling Rong came out of the reporting hall and stopped a few steps away. The steward's early Foundation Establishment aura was familiar, but his careful greeting was quieter than it used to be.

“Young Master Shi,” Ling Rong said. “The clan's lodging is near—”

“I've told him,” Ling Qingzhu interrupted.

The steward stopped. She didn't sound angry, but the firmness in her voice made him wait.

“Don't arrange visits for me,” Ling Qingzhu said. “I'll ask for what I want myself.”

Ling Rong bowed and moved toward the carriage waiting farther down the avenue. He didn't understand every part of the couple's disagreement. He understood an instruction clear enough to follow.

Shi Feng inclined his head once—polite, unhurried, and no warmer than he had been to Duan Yichen at the counter.

She stepped aside first. He walked toward the medicine street without asking her to follow.

Ling Qingzhu watched him go until the crowd hid his dark robe. Then she turned toward her own lodging.

At the inn, Shi Feng checked the sword and the medicine he intended to carry. There was no need for a great pile of treasures. He knew the weapon, knew his own strength, and had enough pills to recover between matches.

He took one from his own bottle and swallowed it. Its force entered his foundation without resistance. The process steadied his attention while the hall below grew louder with arguments about tomorrow's favourites.

Sima Yu's name appeared once among them. So did several names Shi Feng hadn't heard before. He wasn't interested in deciding a winner from a dinner table.

Kang Liu knocked before the lamps were lit.

“Early breakfast tomorrow?” Kang Liu asked.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

“The plain one?” Kang Liu asked. “There's also a candidate's strengthening meal.”

“What's different?” Shi Feng asked.

“More meat,” Kang Liu replied.

“Then call it more meat,” Shi Feng said.

The innkeeper sighed and wrote down the order. After he left, Shi Feng opened the shutters. Beyond the rooftops, great banners moved above the arena walls.

For months, he'd worked toward this gathering. He completed the Extreme, established his foundation, and earned a qualifying place. None of those things depended on anyone else.

He still wanted to win.

Shi Feng shut the window and set the plate beside his sword. When the opening bell rang, he would enter the arena for himself.