(MC POV)
"What?" That Zhong fella looked at the girl and asked, shocked that she had chosen me, and I can't blame her; I am just that handsome.
It could also be because we met before, so she feels more comfortable with me, or was it because of the perfume ring?
"I choose Elder Zen to be my go... I mean master." Her words bring a fuming look to Zhong's face.
"Why are you taking him? You should know that my phoenix sect is the 2nd largest sect in Qidian, and I am the youngest practitioner to become an elder..." He roared.
"Uh, you meant second youngest elder."
What? I had to correct him; we can't have him start spreading misinformation around; it will make us practitioners look bad.
"You!..."
"Elder Zen, it seems you have brainwashed this young lady!" Another elder who was sitting in the stands belonging to the phoenix sect stood up and spoke. "Let Elder Zhong teach her for a week and let's see if she still chooses you after."
"Ha, then why don't you let me take your disciples under my wing and teach them for a week, and let's see if they to will like to come back to you?" Elder Fuxi suddenly retorted, giving me a wink.
Right, he and this... I think it was elder Fang, don't get along for some reason. some people said they were supposed to enter the same sect together, but Fang ditched him after finding out he had Gold tier affinity with the elements.
The road of a practitioner is not always a bed of roses; even friends can turn into enemies.
"Elder Fuxi, I was not talking to you," Elder Fang hissed.
"You can defend your sect elder; why can't I?"
Imaginary lightning flew between the two, as it seemed they would start fighting anytime soon.
"The girl has already chosen," The sect master said, standing up. "Or does the phoenix sect also engage in stealing the disciples of others?"
"You know that is not true; my elder said he suspects foul play, so we must look into it." The sect master of the phoenix sect also arrived at the terrace of his stand, looking at ours with a small smile. "Or is your ink cloud sect afraid of being found out?"
Sigh.* What kind of problem is this? you guys don't even know she has a divine affinity. just because I chose her, you want to cause trouble for me. Okay, I guess the violent way is the only way these guys understand.
"Okay, let's fight for her then," I said, flying down to the stage and standing beside the girl. Instantly her face turned red as she looked at me.
Kawaii.
"Ha, and you said there was no brainwashing." The Zhing...uh, Zhong guy jumped down from his own stand.
When did I say there was no brainwashing? I did brainwash her with my dashing looks and maybe the ring I gave her. Wait, that sounds like that scam called marriage.
Note to self: if I ever want to take in disciples, give them gifts.
"Bu... but I chose Elder Zen." The girl's voice sounded out again, this time looking at the Zhong guy.
"Don't worry I would soon save you from his evil clutches, you poor thing. that man is no good. I have made sure that no upcoming practitioner has fallen into his evil clutches. so far I have saved six young and innocent minds from him, and they are living happily with me, far away from him."
"..."
Okay, there has to be a limit to this BS, right?
"Okay, let's clear the stage for the fighters!" The elder in charge of overseeing the test waved his hands as the orbs vanished and the middle of the stage broke into a circle and lifted up into the air. This happens every time elders of different sects fight for a disciple they both want; sometimes it's three, sometimes six.
"I will wait for elder Zen," The girl said, bowing to me as the stage slowly rose.
Wow, what is this feeling of importance and respect? Is this why these elders love having personal disciples? What if I had more? With my knowledge from both the heavens and the spirit realm, teaching them won't be a problem, but still i don't know if I have that kind of energy since I want to just live an easy life from now on.
"... Are you ready?" I came out of my thoughts just in time to hear the referee ask us if I was ready, to which I just nodded.
"Fight!"
"I will use this opportunity to teach you a very good lesson: just because you are an elder doesn't mean you have the experience to back it up... Phoenix claw!" My opponent yelled, making a hand gesture towards me, with his hands forming a kind of claw.
His hands glowed orange, and a flaming bird's claw materialized in front of him, heading straight to me.
"Predictable." I muttered and created a huge ball of water in front of me. What happens when water meets fire, steam, and, in this case, a massive one?
After blocking his vision and using my earth magic to determine his location, I created a sinkhole under his feet, and to make sure he would not dodge, I forced the air around him to solidify by adding in some water particles, creating a kind of ice cage.
"Ahhhh."
With the scream of him falling in my hole... Uh, not that kind of hole, but the sinkhole I created under him.
Walking out of the mist just in time to see him emerge out of the hole with fury in his eyes as he gazed at me.
The hole was not that deep, just two meters deep.
"Elder Zen!" He screamed, flying straight to me.
Wrong move. Most practitioners don't tend to create an air barrier around them when flying, so that means they are at the mercy of the wind, but with their strong physique being enhanced by the elements, they could just shrug it off.
But not in this fight. the cloud behind me moved, blocking his vision of me, and since he was moving very fast and could not stop, he would, of course, plunge into the mist cloud. Of course it would not really do him damage... If it was an ordinary mist cloud, after adding some tiny ice particles to the mist, well.
"Argh!" The grunt of pain is your answer. passing out of the mist cloud was a disheveled middle-aged man, covered in tiny wounds as the blood could not flow out since the wounds were also frozen. if care is not taken, his skin might break.
"Stop with the tricks and fight me, coward!" He yelled as steam was emitted out of his body.
He was, of course, using his heat magic to raise his temperature and, at the same time, channeling his energy.
"Wind blade!" A green-colored wind blade flew towards me, slicing through some of the icicles I had laid in infront of me.
Guess he is no longer rushing in like before, creating a mini cyclone in front of me that sucked in the wind blade as it dissipated. I then fired a beam of light at him, blinding him, and using spatial magic, I folded the space behind him and made him appear outside the edge of the stage.
"It's over," I simply said as I also came down the stage and saw my new disciple looking at me with awe. "Let's go."
Seeing as her legs were shaking and how she was finding it hard to stand, I decided to just princess carry her back to my sect stand to announce my departure.
I heard the announcement that I was the winner, but i just wanted to get out of here and go on an adventure with my Disciple. Honestly, i never really explored the mortal realm, but now that i am here, it is an easy life of just adventuring and seeing the sites.
"Congratulations." The elders congratulated me as the sect master came to pat my shoulder.
"So does elder Zen mind taking in a few more?" He said with a smile, to which I smiled back with a "No, am good."
"I excuse myself as i want to get to know my new disciple more," I said, still carrying the girl. it seemed she was a bit shy, as she hid in my embrace and her body was shaking heavily.
I also noticed some marks on her body since the clothes she wore did not really fit her.
"Of course, we can't force Elder Zen to stay if he does not want to." The sect master said. "We shall see at the sect."
Sorry? What?
"At the sect? I was hoping to take my disciple on a little trip before going back," I explained.
"Ah, it seems elder Zen does not know that your disciple needs to be registered into the sect; get her personal disciple robes and token," Elder Sun explained as his disciple behind him massaged his shoulders.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Well, there goes my adventure time. Man, I hate paperwork.works