So this is how it is?

I hear hushed murmurs as I make my way through the crowd to the fighting stage.

”Thats the dying boy. ” One contestant whisper in the ear of another.

”His sister was trying to find a cure. ”

”Yes she ask the local practitioners to help. ”

”She was too poor and couldn afford his treatments. ”

”Such a nice sister. ” ”I here she is very lovely. ” ”Oh, if thats the case, after his death, she can live with me. ” With all the being said, the room erupts with laughter.

” Ill show them who dies here today. ” I say through my teeth. A lone tear of happiness appeared at the corner of my eye. ( ”My sister is so wonderful ”) I think, as bitterness and resentment fills my heart. I was bitter because she had to endure so much and resentment toward all those that wanted to treat her as an object and not a person. Thats why I made up my mind to help her get stronger, so she can hold her hear up high.

I finally reach the stage when the burley man named Jacko turns to face me. I heard his name being said a few times while I was walking to the stage.

”Well if its not the dying boy, after I kill you. I go visit your….. ”

”You talk too much.. ” I interrupt him, ”Is there a count down or do we just fight. ” I turn my head to the referee and ask.

”Why you little brat!!! ”Jacko bellowed as he started to emit a powerful fighting aura. The stage beneath his feet started to crack and the on lookers in the stands begun to clamor.

” He must be a mid staged iron level warrior. ”

Now I must confess, in all the cultivation novels and anime I watched, bronze was stronger then iron. Back on earth iron metal was stronger then bronze, so im assuming that bronze was a high level then iron in this world.

After Jacko powered up he yells, ”Fist of the raging dragon. ”

Shock traveled across the faces of the crowd,

”Isn that a bronze level battle technique? ”

”Yes it is, I heard he won first place last time and that was his reward. ”

”I have seen him practicing that technique to perfection over the last 6 months. ” one of the on lookers shouted.

” The poor boy, he only looks 12. Sigh to die so young. ”

”Thats Tianlong, he has a deadly illness, I hear he wont make it to his 14th birthday. ”

”Tsk What do they know, Im not the same as I was 2 days ago. ” I mumble as I watch red energy flow to Jackos fist. The same red energy merge and formed a dragons head on both of his fists.

”Now you DIE!!!!! ” Jacko roars, as he pushes off the ground and dashes forward. The distance between us was only 8 feet, which took him half a second to reach me.

( ”Wow so cool! ”) I think, ( ”I can feel the heat from his fists ”) ”This is so exciting! ” I spoke out loud.

”Exciting? See how exciting it will be once I r8pe…. ” his words trail off and blood drips from his lips. He looks at me, then at my hand then down at his chest.

”Thats mine… give it.. ba… ” his says weakly as his body thumps to the ground. The Crowd and the remaining contestants watching from the waiting room went silent.

”Let this be a reminder to all. If you have bad thoughts and say bad things about my sister your death with be far more painful!!!! ” I say as I look at the referee. ” Is the match over now, can I go back to the waiting room? I want to was the blood off my hand. ” I then bend down and place his still beating heart in the palm of his out stretched arm.

”Tianlong is the winner. ” the referee announces and points me to the nearest wash room. The crowd was silent for a short time followed by hushed murmurs.

1 ”How can this 14 year old be this strong? ”

”I thought he was weak. ”

”Thats right! ” ”yeah ”

”Wasn he suppose to be sick ” ”And dying. ”

”He cheated ” ” Cheater! ”

I finally find the was restroom and I am able to rinse the sticky now hardened blood from my hand.

”Killing someone still makes me sick to my stomach but I couldn help it. I guess the original owners love for his sister was so strong that its affecting me. Love is a very powerful emotion after all. ” I say to myself. ”Those idiots thinking I cheated. how and where would I buy the items? I don know anything about this world, cheating especially. ”

The fighting in the arena continues on as I make my way into the waiting room. 30 contestants my not seem like a lot of people but with this number of people the fights should last a few more hours. ( ”Id say its about 9am so I should be done with this by noon, I hope sissa is okay, I left without letting her now. ”) I let out a long sigh and notice that one person has yet to participate but I think nothing more of it.

Back on the other side of town Baozhai blinks her sleep filled eyes and lets out a big yawn. She gets out of bed and stretches the tiredness from her slender body. She washes her face and other important areas, gets dressed and makes her way to the front of her house. She pauses at her bothers door debating to knock but then, ( ”If he is sleeping I don want to wake him, maybe I should go find breakfast for us first. I need to get stronger so I can help him recover from his illness. ”) concern leaves her eyes and is quickly filled with determination. She clenches her tiny fists next to her heart ( ”Yes I must get stronger for big brothers sake. ”) She thinks as she walks out the door and down to the forest. Once she enters the forest so starts to gather some wild veggies while looking for ways to better improve her cultivation and her martial arts. ”Sigh, this village is to far away, its almost impossible to find cultivation ingredients. ” Baozhai says as she wanders deeper into the forest. ”Big brother is counting on me to protect him… He maybe stronger and taller then before but he is still dying… isn he? ” she ask herself as she picks a few herbs and veggies that where nearby. The sun keeps on rising on her as she reaches a clearing, Baozhai places her hand up to protect her eyes from the light, and then clearing comes into focus. Baozhai knows this clearing well, she would come here often to cry and meditate. She would cry because of her mother and father but more importantly so would cry for her dying brother. She felt overwhelmed with worry and guilt. Baozhai always felt that deep down she was the cause what happened to her and her brother. Though she vaguely remembers that day, she can recall her and Tianlong where playing in the courtyard. They where laughing, Tianlong was making her laught because she failed the cultivation test. It was determined that she couldn become a cultivator, she had some ability but it was mediocre at best. Tianlong was acting silly and making her laugh, when all of a sudden their dad started yelling. Then he rushed over to them , ” How can you be happy when you are trash!!!! ” He yelled as he reached up and brought his hand down to smack her. Tianlong jumped out in front of her with his arms stretched out. ” You…..YOU!!!!!! ” dad roared , ”POISON PALM!!!!!!! ” He said coldly, a green and black aura formed around his hand, small ghostly faces appear and flow into his palm, then with a quick strike they are both send flying backwards. Before her body is crushed between her brother and the stone wall behind her, Tianlong spins her around and his back bounces off the wall and he coughs up blood. His teeth died red, Tianlong smiles at her and ask if she is OK, Baozhai nods her head Yes but passes out because of the blood. Tianlong soon follows and when she woke up she was in this clearing, her brother laying on the ground next to her. Her brother was shivering, pale and hot to the touch. He was poisoned, she knew that but their was nothing she could do. So she cried and cried and cried. Then the winded blew and flower pedals started to swirl around her. A cultivator in a pink hood softly floated down and landed next to Tianlong. This mysterious cultivator looked at Baozhai then back at Tianlong, then it took out a blue and yellow pill that had a silver glow to it. The mysterious cultivator then gave Tianlong the pill and his color returned to his face. The mysterious cultivator then said, ”This is only temporary, he is dying and needs better treatment. He has until his 14th birthday, there is a village up ahead. ” With that said she picked up Tianlong and carried him to the village. There she helped Baozhai build that house using a earth based cultivation technique. Right before she was about to leave she spoke for the last time, ”I did all I can, the rest is on fate and your ability…Im sorry ” Then she flew away living many unanswered questions.

Baozhai pushed these thoughts out of her head and she moved to the center of the clearing. For some reason she can feel the energy pool in the center, forming an invisible ball then it burst. Then the process starts over again, energy pooling at the center, forming an invisible ball, popping and starting over again. ”I will try to absorb that energy, make it my own and increase my cultivation base. ” She says to herself as she takes a meditation pose in the center of the clearing. The invisible energy rhythmically popping right above her head, as she closes her eyes and begins to focus. She feels her own energy flow inside her body, then she directs part of her energy to reach out and feel the energy around her.

20 minutes later. ”Its almost like this energy is breathing. The gathering and pooling of the energy into a ball is almost like an inhale. When the ball pops the small about is released like an exhale ” Baozhai says softly to herself as she begins to meditative using this new breathing method. 30 minutes pass and her body starts to emit beautiful golden/silver light. Suddenly that golden/silver light forms a pillar that shots up into the sky causing clouds to be blown away. As quickly as the pillar of light forms in fades away. ( ”A breakthrough, I made a breakthrough! ”) Baozhai thought happy then she furrows her eyebrows to concentrate harder. ( ”I feel like I can breakthrough again, I just need to continue to absorb this naturally occurring energy that forms here. ”)

Around 9am another pillar of golden/silver light can be seen jetting up from the forest. Baozhai is both exhausted and excited, she broke though twice and it was mentally taxing. Her body on the other hand was full of energy, she walks to the edge of the clearing. As Baozhai sizes up the tree in front of her she focuses her Qi into her small fist and then she punches forward. A small boom is heard and tree bark and wood go flying on all directions.

”I am so much stronger now! ” She yells excitedly as she starts to train with a new passion.

Hours flew by in a blink, and it was now my turn to fight.

”Thats him, hes the one that killed Brandon and our young master. ” Kain said as he points his finger at me.