The Martial Unity

Rui immediately got up, beholding her form once again.

He couldn't help but almost feel that she was out of place in this very world. It was as though she was just one step away from breaking out of it.

Power beyond his wildest fathoming radiated from within her being, power that put to shame anything else he had ever sensed in the past. He couldn't even understand how a single being could possess so much individual power. It was though the very world was broken to allow an individual to ascend to such heights.

The Upper Realms in general seemed extremely inscrutable to him. Where was all this power coming from? He got the feeling that the Squire and the Senior Realms were a lot more transparent and easier to understand.

Regardless, he was unable to gain any insight into her power, her Martial Art or Path, or even the nature of her being.

"Today we commence the seventy-second Virodhabhasa Martial Contest," She spoke.

Her voice radiated beyond the medium of air, almost as if it wormed its way into everybody's heart. Almost as if the very information that she conveyed with every word engraved itself into his mind, unwilling to ever let itself be forgotten.

"Today, we commence the seventy-second attempt to scour our very world in hopes of finding the object of our worship and devotion," She spoke with a greater hint of severity. "Today we commence the seventy-second avenue of opportunity for the leaders of the Martial World of tomorrow to shine and show the world the very essence of who they are."

Her eyes went over each of the one thousand contestants briefly. "Today is your day. The entire world is watching. The power, the valor, the conviction, the heart that you show today will be engraved in history forever."

She paused, letting the contestants absorb her message.

They couldn't help but grow more severe.

"Bare yourselves," She instructed. "The path forward is one of great tribulation. Give everything you have; your body, heart, mind, and soul. Throw all of it out for the sake of moving forward, and you just may very well do so. The Martial Path we tread is one bestowed upon us by His Divinity himself, yet he demands sacrifice, and the investment of the entirety of one's self to the Path. The true winner is not the one that ends up with the cup in their hands, a medal around their neck, and the title of the strongest. The true winner is the one that used the pursuit of those to squeeze their potential to take even one more step down their Martial Path."

Her message made the Martial Squires reconsider their priorities.

Each of them had partaken in the Martial Contest to win the event itself. There was much to be obtained through victory. Capital, support, aid of all sorts, wealth, political power, and influence. It could easily set up one's life forever.

While some did consider the benefits of challenging themselves against the strongest of the strongest in general, very few considered that this aspect may very well be the most important part of the Martial Contest.

Rui too couldn't help but think about the driving force behind his action. Unlike the others, he wasn't doing this for material reasons, he did it to help someone he cared about while he was out and about training himself.

While he most certainly reveled with the three of testing the Flowing Void Style against his peers and growing stronger, he never considered that this very well could be the greatest benefit he gained.

If this little event could push him down his Martial Path even further, then he did not intend to let go of that opportunity. He would be a fool to let go of that opportunity.

His eyes sharpened as he looked at the Martial Contest not just as a means to get what he wanted for Senior Xanarn, but also as a way to train himself.

Sage Sariawar smiled at the response from the Martial Squires, nodding. "I shall take this opportunity to witness what you have to bear. I look forward to seeing what you will show me. I look forward to seeing what you will show yourselves. I truly look forward, as should all of you."

She disappeared all of a sudden, leaving the colosseum entirely.

"Good luck." Her voice reverberated across the world they occupied even after she left.

Rui couldn't help but gain a deep sense of admiration for the Martial Sage, as well as the Sage Realm in general.

"Amazing, is she not?" Master Deivon sighed with admiration and envy. "Every Martial Sage is like this; inscrutable, profoundly powerful, and deeper in the essence of their being than any of us. Just a step away from the absolute pinnacle of power."

Rui nodded slowly, still reeling from the impact of that encounter.

"Still, now is not the time to think about it. I have a contest to win."

"Good, I was afraid you'd let yourself get distracted," Master Deivon nodded with an approving smile. "Alright, now the ceremony itself will continue."

What followed were rather standard practice events. Each of the contestants was given a badge that identified the name or alias they went by, and the town they represented. There were even pledges to fair play, among other things. It was all too convenient to cheat by taking potions that could enhance physical prowess. Of course, the Martial Contest organizers will have almost certainly taken great measures to detect any foul play of any sort. He had no doubt that the Virodha Theocracy was more than capable of finding out whether or not a Martial Squire was engaging in any kind of foul play either through its own technological prowess or technology outsources from other sources like the carriage technological sector of the religion.

The ceremony was also thorough to sure to shout out the sponsors and the partners of the event. It appeared the promotion sponsorship deals were not a foreign concept even in the world of Martial Art.