1687 Mei Nienzhen
Lin Mu glanced at the token and saw the information.
"Same ring after this round." Lin Mu muttered.
It had taken him over fifteen hours before his second match had been scheduled.
'Well, technically it'll be my first. The previous one was a tie.' Lin Mu thought to himself.
He didn't mind or regret turning that fight into a draw though. Lin Mu believed that Chang Fa had a better chance of progressing in the Tournament. Even if he might not reach the final sixteen rankings, he at least should be able to reach the qualifying brackets.
Even if the man only reached till that point, it would still be a great achievement. After all, he would have reached that point after competing with millions of other immortals. It would be sufficient to help his clan gain some reputation.
Plus, there was still the reward that would be offered at that position.
Though for Lin Mu, there was only one rank that he needed to achieve and it was the very first rank!
"If I am to compete, I should look to the top." Lin Mu said ambitiously.
But for now, he needed to prepare for his fight and thus didn't use the Nine Divine Heart Sutras in this fight. He simply rested and optimized his condition until the announcement of his fight was heard.
"Mu Lin and Mei Nienzhen head to the ring!" The referee announced.
As soon as his name was spoken, Lin Mu stood up and walked to the ring. Little Shrubby was left behind, while a few eyes looked at him. After all, Lin Mu had also caught the attention of the audience during his fight.
Though with the various twists that were happening in the fights after that, the excitement of the audience had mellowed out Lin Mu's performance. It didn't matter much to him though, as he knew he could very easily strike his image in the hearts of the audience.
"Look it's Mu Lin!"
"It's his second fight already? That was fast."
"I think they scheduled it earlier, since his previous fight was a draw."
"Will he need to win five fights, including this, to qualify?" someone asked.
"Yes, it should be." The knowledgeable elder spoke once more. "Draws are essentially neutral for both contestants as they neither win nor lose." He explained.
This elder had also gained a bit of a reputation in the audience due to the information he provided. He had been to several tournaments of the Four Guardians and seemed to be well-versed in its rules and regulations.
"I see… But who's his opponent this time?" they asked before looking up at the formation screen.
The faces and names of the two competitors had appeared on it. On the left was Lin Mu and on the right, there was a woman.
"Mei Nienzhen… a pretty woman." A youth commented.
~SLAP~
"Careful how you speak, brat!" A person who was accompanying the youth slapped his head.
"Uncle! Why'd you do that?" The youth replied.
"You should watch your tongue. You never know which contestant belongs to which power." The uncle stated with a frown.
"Then do you know who that woman is?" the youth asked while rubbing his head.
"Of course… While I don't exactly recognize her name, from her appearance and surname, I'm sure she belongs to the Mei clan of the Iridescence Peak." The uncle answered.
~GASP~
"The.. The Iridescence Peak?!" The youth was clearly astonished, having recognized the name.
His loud voice was also enough to alert the others in the audience who heard the name.
"The Iridescence Peak actually sent someone this time?" It seemed like some people in the audience knew about it, too.
"Don't they only do it once every few hundred years?" a person asked.
"Indeed. Which means this is a rare occasion. Seems like we'll have a great fight to see." Several audience members nodded in agreement.
To them, the best thing they could do was to enjoy a fight.
"Once every few hundred years, huh… Interesting." Lin Mu had his immortal sense spread and thus heard everything the others had spoken about.
Lin Mu actually recognized the name Iridescence Peak, but didn't know much about it. All he knew was that it was one of the tall peaks located within the Huiqing Continent and was well known for being covered by snow all year round.
'Her information wasn't also in the booklet, which means she either kept her appearance hidden or only registered at the very last moment.' Lin Mu guessed.
~Clack~clack~clack~
While he was thinking this, the crisp sound of heels clacking against the hard floor was heard. Lin Mu looked to the side and saw a beautiful woman approaching. She was wearing a sky blue robe with white accents. Her sleeves had indigo tassels hanging from them while her shoes were elevated, having two inch high heels.
Her shoes matched the color of the robes as well, while a crystalline ornament that looked like an icicle adorned her long black hair. Her hair cascaded down her back, reaching all the way to her waist.
With her pale pink lips and deep brown eyes that were topped with thin eyebrows, she certainly looked stunning.
And yet, an aura of gloominess could be felt from her.
Her face was still and devoid of emotion, while a hint of sadness emanated from her eyes.
'It's as if… She doesn't want to be here…' Lin Mu thought.
The visage of the woman evoked mixed feelings, and the more one looked, the more confused one would get.
~step~step~step~
Mei Nienzhen finally came to stand in front of Lin Mu and cupped her hands in greeting.
"Mei Nienzhen greets Daoist Mu Lin." The woman said in a plain tone, showing no inclination.
"Greetings, Daoist Mei Nienzhen." Lin Mu too greeted in ceremony before looking at the referee, who seemed to be ready for the announcement.
"Both contestants ready? FIGHT!" The referee said out loud.
