The Martial Unity

The moment the contestants were affected by the Heavenly Pathos technique Master Carian employed to put all the contestants in a dream of their ideal lives led to an interesting circumstance for the spectators.

All of the remaining contestants had fallen to the ground unconscious then and there. No efforts had been made to cushion their fall given that such an impact was not at all a threat to the like of Martial Squires.

Many expected to get bored watching the contestants simply lie down on the ground unconscious, after all, where was the fun in that? 

Yet it soon became evident that the contestants were literally acting out their actions in their dreams on the ground, it appeared that they retained full control of their bodies even while they were in this dreamlike state.

What unfolded was an amusing set of circumstances where the unconscious contestants began putting on a bit of a comedy show for the spectators. There were some whose actions revealed exactly what they were dreaming about, and they were not safe for work, to say the very least.

The Martial Master had mentioned they could break out of the illusion in a brief amount of time, thus many expected that this would continue for a while.

That was why the first break-out surprised everyone. 

Their eyes widened as they noticed Rui opening his eyes, groggily getting up to his feet in just a matter of two minutes!

Master Carian furrowed his eyebrows, clearly surprised.

Although he had drastically lowered the intensity of the technique to even allow the Martial Squires to break out of it, it was still something that should have been far from easy.

As Rui came back to his senses, he glared at Master Carian. At that moment, he did not care about the man's identity, status, or power, he was about to rebuke the Master with strong words when something drew his attention, interrupting him.

Another Martial Squire got up just seconds after he did.

Rui narrowed his eyes as he recognized her. 

She was the youngest Martial Squire contesting after him.

The youngest two Martial Squires had succeeded far earlier than the rest of them did for some reason apparently.

She swept her long flowing hair aside as she realized Rui was already standing, before pouting mildly. "Second… How not beautiful…"

Rui did not know what that meant, but he did not particularly care.

He turned back to Master Carian, with a unpleasant expression behind his mask.

"You seem truly displeased by this test, young man," The Martial Master remarked unperturbed.

"With all due respect, I believe there are less invasive and humiliating ways of testing fortitude," Rui replied with a measured tone.

"That is certainly true," The Master nodded, willing to entertain Rui's complaints. "But do you think reality cares about whether the tribulations you face are invasive and humiliating?"

Rui considered the question for a moment.

"Reality will break you down much more harshly than this illusionary technique will, young man," The Master snorted. "The only difference is that the stakes will be much higher when reality does it, compared to this harmless first round. Here you lose a bit of dignity, but reality will take your life, and the lives of everyone you care about. Ask yourself if you are prepared for the hard reality of this world if you feel the need to complain about such a trivial matter."

Rui paused, reconsidering his stance. He knew that the man was right. He had already experienced it after the fiasco of the Shionel Confederation. His own life and the lives of his family were at stake. 

He sighed, his expression softening a bit.

Compared to that predicament, this first round was nothing, objectively speaking.

He just felt angered because the illusion that he had been shown touched more than just a nerve. It rubbed more than salt in his wounds, it was nothing short of acidic in its pain. It showed him everything that he wanted, that was so far away. He often coped by not thinking about it deeply and focusing on developing his Martial Art, walking his Martial Path, and pursuing power.

But the illusion forced him to confront it.

"Still," the Martial Master smiled, regarding both of the contestants who had woken up just two minutes after the challenge had begun. "The two of you have done well, there is no question that you have faced much, and overcome much. I am not surprised that you, Squire Meera, managed to accomplish this feat as the reigning champion of the Martial Contest. But you…"

He said a lot of things that Rui would have drawn Rui's interest ordinarily, but not this time. Master Carian studied Rui with piercing eyes. Rui immediately grew wary as he recalled what Master Deivon informed him about the insight of Martial Masters.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do at the moment.

He could only watch as Master Carian took his time, his eyes widening as he observed Rui.

"You…" The man murmured. "Incredible. I have almost never seen anything quite like this in the Squire Realm. I can see why Master Deivon, someone who seldom patrons Martial Squires, has decided to go all-in with you."

"Your eyes are beautiful," Squire Meera walked over as she remarked with a jovial expression, agreeing with Master Carian.

"Uh… Thanks."

"It's a pity I can't see them over whatever it is you have done to disguise them." She casually remarked with a hint of melancholy. "That silver does not reflect you. That lacking fit is not beautiful."

Rui immediately narrowed his eyes. 

This was the first time that someone had seen right through his disguise. He had purchased a bunch of rare drugs that could change the color of his eyes and hair and never had anyone realized.

Until she did.

It appeared that not even Master Carian had made that insight.

"You said… reigning champion?" Rui regarded her with wariness, recalling what Master Carian had said about her. 

She simply nodded. "I am the seventy-first champion of the Virodha Martial Contest, Meera Froulia. "