Within seconds the dais was alight with fighting. The sound of swords, daggers, spears, whips, and every other weapon roared in this immense space. Ming Ran had been practicing for months on how to use the throwing daggers using his qi. He had managed to recall his daggers, but not much more. He had come a long way, but it was clear that in this melee he was far outclassed. Cang Mu had lived with swords all his life. He had been beaten and starved in his home before he ran away and became a part of the Honglu clan. In the Honglu clan he had trained until he was their best warrior and assassin. His previous life made learning battle tactics and martial arts much easier. Whenever Cang Mu came into his view, Ming Ran could see the mix of his previous life in his current one. His blade had become an extension of himself. He weaved through the space like a mighty river. His movements were the river's form, his qi the current that propelled him forward, his sword was the circumstance in which the mighty river could decide ones fate. His sword sliced through opponent's qi like butter. Ming Ran's movements were much daintier. Where Cang Mu was a river, he was like a breeze. He was a quiet movements that brushed passed others and brought gentle relief. He was Cang Mu's breeze. Whenever someone would attempt to take his husband by surprise, Ming Ran would back him up. Like this, the pair were unbreakable. Cang Mu needed to be able to get his hands on this power. Ming Ran had no interest in it. It was the ability to give up the prize that made their bond unbreakable.
The cry of a woman carried from the heavens. A maiden crashed down from above, bringing down a huge broadsword. Ming Ran barely dodged. He stepped back, feeling debris scratch his cheek. Ming Ran readied himself to fight, but before he could send out his daggers a spear slammed into the maiden's side, sending her flying from the dais. Ming Ran looked up to see Gong June. She ruffled his hair and smirked before running off to hit a few more home runs. Ming Ran steadied himself and threw himself into battle once more. His daggers met their marks more often than not. In the beginning one thousand cultivators had stood atop this dais-- less than half remained. Soon, he found himself surrounded by ten cultivators. Ming Ran used his daggers to hit pressure points, but with so many weapons attacking him at once it was hard to focus. He gave up ground over and over again, until finally they had him at the precipice of failure. He grimaced. He had taken out four of the ten cultivators who had ganged up on him, however, there were way too many.
"Hey! Don't you give up! Remember! Capture the flag!" Ming Ran's eyes widened. This voice--!
Back in their college days there was a field day. Elle had participated in Capture the Flag with her friends. So many people, so many athletes. Everyone thought the football team would win. When the dust settled, it was the literature club that had one the game.
Ming Ran raced forward, catching the cultivator wearing the red sash off guard. He raised his sword in vain. Ming Ran ducked under him and dodged the ax and spear. He pivoted and threw his daggers at the shoulder blades above the red sash. His feet side stepped, his hips swayed and he found himself untouchable by any weapon. Five left. Four! At a flick of his wrists, two! Until all that was left was a giant wielding an ax.
"That's some fancy footwork, pretty boy. Too bad that this is where--" Ming Ran threw his daggers. One, two, three, four! The giant froze as he felt his muscles numb. He fell to his knees and spat blood. Ming Ran recalled his daggers and ran off. Cang Mu was in the center of the dais surrounded by fifteen cultivators. He parried a sword and ducked down. His sword rushed over the chest of a light green hanfu, the flow continuing on to pierce another. Ming Ran threw his daggers and another giant allowing his muscles to bulge from his vest was struck down. Cang Mu fought his way to Ming Ran, elegantly and mercilessly whipping his blade through the air. Like a gale with the force of a hurricane, blood was raised into the air by his blade. One had been slashed across the chest, another was now sporting a gash on her upper arm. Men and women alike where struck down by his sword. Finally, reaching Ming Ran, they fought back to back. A sword fell downwards like a boulder falling from a high mountaintop.
"What are you doing here?!" Ming Ran looked up to see a very confused Wei Ning. Just before he could say more, Cang Mu whirled around and slashed him with his sword. Every time a cultivator was injured gravely, they would disappear from the dimension in a flurry of blue snow. Ming Ran watched it descend from the heavens as his Shixiong and family friend was expelled from the realm. There were only a handful of members left. Among them was his friends from his life as Elle. For the exception of Wei Ning, who had just been dispatched, Fa Lin, Khan Qing, Gong June, Ming Cheng, and Wen Quinn still stood strong. Khan Qing had dispatched Gong June with her short sword. Wen Quinn was currently fighting her, with a fury Ming Ran had never witnessed before. Even when he was Billy in his past life, he had seen him anger at Lulu many times. Elle had always stepped in to help her. This version was surprising to say the least. Ming Ran had seen Khan Qing defeat Gong June, but was that not expected? This was a competition, and all of them deserved the prize. Even Ming Ran would have to make a decision about whether or not to concede the prize to Cang Mu at the end.
Did he expect everyone to just give him the prize..? Ming Ran wondered. He pondered this only for a moment more, before joining the fray again. Fifty contestants easily became 25, then 10, until only five remained. Wen Quinn had defeated Khan Qing, and still panted in pure fury at her betrayal. Cang Mu rushed forward and quickly dispatched Fa Lin before she could recover from her previous battle. Fa Lin may have been fit to lead the Embroidered Guards, she was no warrior like Gong June or Ming Cheng. She was not as swift as she was with the brush, nor as quick to react as she was to retort in court politics. She was made to thrive on court battles as an official, but a general on the battlefield, she was not. Fa Lin had found new ways to expand her expertise and power under her teacher. Her poisons were potent, and could be a game changer. Cang Mu was the assassin of the Honglu Clan, one of the pillars of its society. He knew how to pick out the greatest threats, and had no trouble doing so when they let their guard down. Ming Cheng attempted to strike him down, only to find his path obstructed by Ming Ran's daggers. Faced with his youngest brother as an opponent, he faltered. That opening was enough. Cang Mu finished the job with ease. As he watched Cang Mu wield his blade, Ming Ran knew that he had chosen his path-- and it was not at the side of his sibling.
Ming Ran was not Ellenor Swanson. Ming Ran was a new life and a new path. In this life, he would follow his own path, and it did not coincide with his birth family.