Chapter 71: Life 60, Age 29, Martial Grandmaster 1
We spent a week enjoying the festival, eating and drinking around town while watching the martial arts tournaments and other entertainments, but eventually, our short vacation came to an end.
Mei, SuYin, and I arrived at the arena early on the day of the exhibition for non-fighter Grandmasters. We wanted to see what the competition would be like and get a feel for how likely it was for SuYin to be selected by the Verdant Forests Sect.
Each of the three major factions had a single observer present. All of them had reached Peak Grandmaster and, if judged by mortal standards, appeared to be in their late twenties. For Grandmasters, this generally indicated they were somewhere in their fifties. Being recruiters for this event showed they possessed some level of authority in their faction, so they would be on the shortlist for positions to ascend to Martial Lord. This festival would be one of their last duties before that happened.
The recruiter for the Verdant Forests Sect was a tall, beautiful woman wearing a light green hanfu. Her poise and posture displayed the elegance of a noble. Her face had a light coating of makeup on it, and her hair was done up in a tight bun decorated with a large wreath of colorful flowers.
The Rising Sun Empire had sent a younger man, possibly in his late thirties, who looked like a peacock. The base color of his hanfu may have been red, but it was covered with so many colorful embroideries of various mythical beasts that it was hard to tell. His face bore a constant smirk, and he never strayed far from the woman from the Verdant Forests.
The man from the Flowing Mountain Sect gave off the feeling of a master craftsman. His hands were rough and calloused, and his eyes glinted with a deep intelligence. He stood back as the other two talked and carefully observed his surroundings.
After a lengthy introduction to the day’s events, the Grandmaster demonstrations finally began.
I expected some jostling to be the first to go on stage, but everyone was quietly deferential to an older man who stepped forward. He was a Peak Grandmaster and had to be at least 250 years old. Unless he advanced, his life would soon come to an end, but would any of the powers present be willing to grant an attempt to do so to someone whose qi had long calcified? Even if he could step into the Lord realm, it would be nearly impossible for him to take even a single step further.
The old man walked to the center of the arena, faced the judges, and gave a martial arts salute with a slight bow.