Chains Of Heaven

After the end of the match between Enkidu and the last disciple of the Seven Star Divine Palace even more attention was put into Enkidu. That was especially true from the top cultivators present, they were aghast at what they had just seen.

"That, that should not be possible." The sect head Zuo Hanshuo of the Heaven Thwarting sect said in a whisper, the Palace Chief, Duan Heisha, of Seven Stars Divine Palace and the Soaring Celestial Sword Sect Sect Master, Mu Yingchan, could only nod mutely.

"That kid, he must enter one of our sects. We cannot allow a genius like that to enter one of the Evil Sects." Mu Yingchan said.

"I agree, and considering our core techniques I believe he would do better in my sect. Our seven constellation moves include one Earth and one Wood related moves, he would certainly improve the most there." Duan Heisha said.

"Stop dreaming, you star-eyed fool. He clearly is nimble and has great prospects in Metal Arts, my Soaring Celestial Sword Sect is the best when it comes to Sword, I am sure he would quickly grow within the ranks.

The only one quiet was the Heaven Thwarting Sect Sect Head since he could see that Enkidu's abilities and talents were much too different of the ones practiced in his sect.

It was to be understood, while many people knew of the Laws normally only those above the Sky Realm could even hope to touch on those Laws and to actually use the Laws properly it would only be on an even higher realm.

The comprehension that Enkidu displayed was one that normally only those in the Overlord Realm could match and even then only the more talented ones could after hundreds of years of study.

Thus all three strongest sects were excited about this.

///---///

The tournament continued afterward, with Cai'er waiting for her next fight. Cai'er's father looked at his daughter stoically, neither pride nor joy could be seen in his stony face despite her current string of victories and the praise he heard for her already. For him winning was a necessity, a duty to be taken with utmost seriousness for their glorious clan, it is neither praiseworthy, nor a cause for joy, for why would one praise the obvious?

That, however, was normal in Cai'er's eyes. The man seemed to have never truly expected anything out of the child, her only goal is to protect the existing pride of the clan, for she couldn't possibly further it in his vision.

She was born as a failure for him due to being female, and a failure is what she would forever be on his eyes. It was all but a question if she proved herself worthy enough of creating a next-generation or if he should end the family line in his generation.

In his mind, it would likely be better than if he were to let a female carry on the family's history.

Cai'er stood on the back of the room where the participants were to stay, her stoic visage a perfect mask for her internal thoughts, still stuck on the opponent she showed even a hint of emotion towards the prospect of fighting. One that she could not even face.

'Why did he not come to face me? Is he looking down on me? Does he think I am not worth it enough to even face?'

In a moment of carelessness, her emotions got the better of her and her grip tightened around her sword's hilt, an action quickly and quietly rectified by Cai'er, before she silently returned next to her father, waiting for the next few matches, before the Semifinals.

It didn't truly take near as long as Cai'er thought it'll be, with a boy by the name of Fugui Wangquan dominating his opponent near effortlessly, a massacre so one-sided it wasn't even funny, and the time for the next match had come.

///---///

Cai'er and Fugui stood facing each other on the stage, both ironically wearing almost matching stone-cold faces, it was almost comical, though no one found it in them to actually point that out.

Both young and both equally pressured for being the best. To say who had it worst is hard as both had terrible lives and environments.

Soon the elder announced the start of the match, and quicker than most can blink, the two were on each other with merciless slashes and precise attacks.

///---///

Cai'er accelerated, her feet a blur as she advanced to Fugui, her dagger in hand as she aimed it to cut Fugui in the c.h.e.s.t.

Fugui moved his sword in front of the first sword, Cai'er changed slightly the direction of her free hand in a knife position to aim at another point so as to hit Fugui. Fugui moved his feet before she could, his feel hitting her left hand and stoping it before she could advance close enough to hit him.

Not being deterred Cai'er spun in her heels and kicked Fugui away. The boy flew quite a distance and readied himself just in time as Cai'er moved with a flurry of strikes at him.

She was a raging storm as she rained down attacks at him while he was simply deflecting and countering her strikes calmly. Both were close to be equally matched in power and nearly equal in skill as well but one thing became clear as the fight continued in their furious exchange.

Fugui's attacks were sharper than Cai'er's. The reason was apparent for those who understood what that truly means.

Fugui, much like Enkidu, had started to learn about the Laws despite not being of an appropriate Realm.

Fugui was using the Law of the Sword, the Law of the Sword did not have Profound Mysteries but it was defined by some areas. While there are no specific Mysteries the Law of the Sword centers on a few areas, piercing, countering, overflowing might, assassination, sharpness, and speed. Fugui knew of two things the most, Countering and Sharpness.

He was using them to move his sword quickly to where it needs to be and defending just in time from Cai'er's attacks.

As the fight went on, it was becoming increasingly evident that Fugui had the upper hand, as she was having to spend more and more of her energy to avoid FUgui as he got more and more used to her style of attack. She might be faster than Fugui but he was avoiding her better and better.

'No, I cannot let this end like this. I just CAN'T!'

Thinking so she began using a technique her father said to not study, it was a technique that her father said was inferior and that she should forget it, but right now she felt it would be good to use.

Concentrating four points around her body four spheres of pure profound energy appeared around her, they quickly turned into thunder profound energy. They were focal points from where her energy was released in beans after Fugui.

When she brought out this technique the battle turned to her favor, but the expenditure of energy was intense since it was an incomplete profound art and her own understanding of Thunder Laws, despite her talent to it being great, was nil.

The fight became a fight of attrition since Fugui could not get to her to attack and she could not injure him as he was too fast to reach. In the end, she lost all her profound energy and even used her blood essence, the basis of the vitality of all cultivators, to empower herself to fight.

She still lost in the end, she did manage to injury Fugui slightly, some burnt marks in his body and a few cuts from her sword, but her own sword was a mangled mess that was more fit to be called a stick instead and her energy was completely spent.

"Victory, Wenqian Fugui!" The announcer said as she passed out from exhaustion.

The young man impassively looked at her for a second, before turning around and leaving, the match already decided.

One hour later Cai'er woke up and mustered enough strength to stand up, she was on the back of the stage in the medicinal area. Despite the doctor's orders around she still moved, she began walking towards where her father was supposed to be. She had to ask forgiveness for her 'sin', she saw him there and moved to him with her head lowered, she was about to speak when she felt a sharp pain as she got a strike on her c.h.e.s.t.

She could not breathe, she was already quite weakened and being caught by surprise she was unable to say anything. As the girl's clothes slowly took on a crimson color because of her vomiting blood, the shocked gasps and screams from those close by seemed so distant to her.

"Father, why?"

"Silence, Trash! You have disgraced the clan for the last time, not enough being born wrong you have failed to live up to the clan's tradition and lost in such a humiliating fashion. As such, you are hereby exiled from the clan, never again shall you use or associate yourself with its name. You are unworthy of receiving the dagger of the Assassin God and you will take this as penance for your sins against the clan, now begone from my sigh, sinner who cut down out glorious history."

As her father finished speaking he took out the dagger she had with her. As he did so he did not simply pull away from a weapon, her profound veins and much of her blood vitality was taken with it as the dagger had already partially accepted her making the act of taking the dagger away like this enough to basically completely cripple her.

Cai'er couldn't utter a word, watching as her father marched away from there, sword still drawn and blood dripping down from his blade. His steps were firm and steady, as if he did not just cripple his own blood.

She tried to move forward, in her mind she imagined herself stretching her arms to her father, the only person and life she ever knew and was now denied to her, only for her body to fail her, having already been passed its limits before such serious injuries were inflicted upon it, and by the crippling she had just suffered.

This opened many of her injuries that had barely been closed by the match, her blood painted her entire body as she turned from someone who garnered the attention and admiration of all who saw her to a withering red flower, falling with the wind.

She watched as the cold, hard ground approached. She did not even bother to close her eyes, deeming even such a basic reaction to being unnecessary anymore since her life was over as far as she was concerned.

However, when one door closes another opens as, before she hit the ground and just as she could only see only the darkness of her own shadow and the red of her own blood another color appeared in front of her.

She felt arms hugging her up, human contact she never remembered having felt and as her body was getting colder and colder from lack of blood the body close to her felt more and more comfortable to snuggle upon.

The color in front of her was green, and the voice that spoke to her was gentler and more worried for her wellbeing than any she has ever heard in her life. There was no edge to it, no strictness, no derision, no scorn, no challenge, just simple worry for her.

"Wait for just a second, I will help you. I promise that I will help you."

And thus Enkidu met one more example of how the world he was in work. And as Cai'er's body laid cold against him while she was bleeding out, Enkidu reinforced his belief that there was something seriously, seriously wrong with this world, and he would do all he can to fix it.

He was good with medicine, possibly the best in the entire continent with only his teacher being possibly better than him. If he put his mind onto it he was sure he would find some way to deal with this.