Chapter 26: Puppet Coliseum

Toward noon, Re Coot came out of the house. He looked wrinkled, but there was a gloomy light in his eyes. He seemed to have consulted with himself and the bottle pretty hard over the last few days, and had come to some sort of decision.

- Hey, did you say you lost your cultivation? - He turned to Yee Rhys who was just cultivating a body in the courtyard.

- Yes. - He nodded nonchalantly between his exercises.

- And if you don't mind my asking... - Re Coot hesitated for a moment, but he continued - what level were you... before.

- Soaring Core. - Reluctantly Yee Rhys answered. It hurt to think of the losses.

They were silent.

- Then can you... train me? - At last Re Coot made up his mind.

- I can see what your abilities are and give you some advice. But I just don't have time to fully train anyone.

- I see. - The asker admitted.

- I'll finish the cycle in a moment. - Exhaled Yee Rhys. - And we'll check your fighting ability.

He finished his workout and stretched up.

- Shall we spar? - The counselor suggested. - It's been a long time since I fought properly.

- All right. - Re Coot drew his sword and held it out in front of him.

Yee Rhys squinted. The sword is good, but not a treasure. The subject holds weapon confidently, one can feel the experience. But no affinity.

- Take out the weapon. - Re Coot demanded.

- I have none. - Yee Rhys put his empty palms out in front of him. - But my hands are enough for me.

- As you wish. - His opponent swung and leaped, bringing his sword down on his opponent.

The young man watched calmly, and when hands with sword began to drop, he lunged forward, striking Re Coot's chin with the base of his palm, knocking him backwards. The body did a backflip in the air, finally collapsing on its back, and the sword flew off into the distance.

- What was that. - The injured man sat up, scratching his aching chin.

- Your weak spot. - Yee Rhys shrugged - Swordsman usually opens up in the swing. And with experience you can take advantage of it.

- You seem to have that experience. - Re Coot turned serious and admitted.

- My first sect specialized in swords. - A calm reply followed.

- First sect... so you're not originally from the Seven Dreams sect?

- Yes. - Yee Rhys confirmed, - I came here five years ago. After I lost my cultivation.

- And five years... - Re Coot suddenly realized.

- I don't want to remember that. - Shook his head the young man.

- I see. - The testee stood up and found his sword. - One more time?

***

- Shit. How do you manage to win all the time? - Re Coot got up off the ground once more.

- Why aren't you using techniques? - Yee Rhys frowned in his response.

- There were no good techniques in my village. - Tiredly admitted the swordsman. - I was only able to reach two wisps by sixteen. When I entered the sect, I chose a medium level cultivation technique. Even though I'm already approaching three wisps, I still don't have a single attack technique.

His consultant only sighed softly. This is a common problem of all poor cultivators.

- I have a few techniques... from the past. Which I can pass on. - Yee Rhys sighed. - But your main problem is your lack of experience. You seem to have fought mostly beasts rather than humans before.

- Yes. - Admitted Re Coot - I used to be a hunter.

- It's a valuable experience. - Yee Rhys acknowledged. - But fighting against humans is different. And battles against cultivators are twice as different. The higher the level, the more important the techniques and treasures are.

- It's a shame to realize that I lost without a chance to an opponent a wisp below me. - Sighs the testee.

- The best geniuses can defeat opponents two or even three minor limits above themselves. - Finished him off Yee Rhys - Though this usually involves using high level techniques and treasures. A good treasure raises your power. Sometimes by a level.

Re Coot could only shake his head. The gap was too big.

***

After completing a series of sparring sessions with Re Coot, Yee Rhys felt disappointed. It wasn't even enough of a warm-up. Thinking about it, he put his hand on his sack and felt a slip with a pass to the Puppet Coliseum in it. The mood was just right. Originally, the young man wanted to use this place to master techniques without revealing his cards to others. But the techniques were mastered faster than expected. So, the timing was indeed right.

With a smile, Yee Rhys left the courtyard and headed towards the Puppet Coliseum. The array was actually on the border between the Outer and Inner Sects, as it was used by both the disciples of the Wisp Creation Sphere and the disciples of the Soaring Core Sphere. The latter more often, as few of the first group could enter it.

The entrance to the Puppet Coliseum was guarded by two disciples of the Soaring Core Sphere. The young man with a single wisp of Qi they cast a disdainful glance.

Mentally sighing, Yee Rhys pulled out a pass.

This is what the guards reacted to.

- Where did you get it from? - The disciple standing on the left asked.

- It doesn't matter where. - The young man smiled and handed him a pass and a name slip. - May I come in?

The guard checked the slips and checked the list.

- Damn. - He exhaled.

- What? - The disciple on his right inquired.

- This boy has a level one pass. - The inspector exhaled.

The passes were divided into levels. The first was the best, the highest priority. The third was the lowest, the worst. If more than one disciples ran into each other at the entrance, the priority was determined based on the level of the pass. Disciples of the Outer Sect could hardly even get a third level pass. The first level was only available to the best disciples with good support.

And here was the little guy with the highest access.

- Really? - The right one disciple questioned.

- You see for yourself. - The left one tossed the slips over to him.

- Indeed, it's first. - The latter admitted in amazement.

Yee Rhys could only smile. If the Lady personally demanded the pass, who would give her the lowest level?

- Okay, kid, you know the rules? - Turned to the visitor, the disciple on the left.

- It's my first time here, so I'd appreciate it if you could tell me. - Politely asked the young man.

- Then listen. - The guard sighed. - There are three halls in the Puppet Coliseum. The hall can be used alone or with a group. A level one pass entitles you to take four more people with you, for a total of five.

Yee Rhys was pleasantly surprised. He did not know about the possibility of group training.

- Further, the Coliseum has a pre-registration system. The first level pass, of course, allows you to forcibly interrupt someone else's workout, but this is considered unethical and gives you penalty points, which over time can lead to a lower level or cancellation of the pass. That's why I recommend make reservation in advance, which will make life easier for everyone.

The young man nodded. The advice was sound. Neither the waiting in line nor the penalty points appealed to him.

- If two people with the same level of pass came in at the same time, the person with the reservation has priority. - The guard continued. - Each person has a different number of hours per week. You have twenty hours. There's no clear link between the number of hours and the level of pass, although the general order is maintained. That's about it. Right now two halls are occupied and one is free. How much time do you plan to use?

- I think two hours is enough for the first time. - Yee Rhys replied.

- Alright. - The disciple entered data into the service slip. - Then you can go in, you're in the second hall. The array is controlled through the pass. You set the difficulty yourself.

The guard returned the pass and the nameslip to the young man.

- Every hour there will be a signal. Five minutes before the end of time, the pass will vibrate. When the time expires, the array will stop. If you realize there's not enough time, you can request an extension through the pass. But be warned, if all the time is reserved, you'll be denied.

Yee Rhys nodded and went inside. There was a large hall, from which three corridors diverged in different directions, not counting the entrance. Above each corridor was a number. The young man steadily headed into the second, middle one.