Rise of The Demon General

"Despite their power has not yet consolidated, the fact that they managed to overthrow the previous ruler showed that they couldn't be underestimated," Lin Bubai answered Madam Lin's question. "If the clans insisted on fighting against the sect, they might win, but they will also suffer major casualties. Not to mention, the clans were not exactly trusting of each other. Their cooperation wouldn't be smooth. They might end up fighting against each other instead. The White Cloud sect understood that fact as well, that's why they offer a bargain instead of forcefully monopolizing the secret dimension."

"What is the bargain?" Madam Lin asked.

"The entry to the secret dimension will be shared. There is a limit as to how many people can enter. And not only that, the entrance only opens every ten years for a limited time and only youths of fifteen years of age or below can enter."

Hearing that, Amon could roughly guess the nature of this White Cloud Tournament.

"Only one hundred youths can enter the dimension every ten years. The White Cloud Sect had the right for half of the entry slots, while the remaining half was given to the band of clans."

Amon spoke up at this time. "Then why open the tournament to the public? Why didn't they just invite the clans' representatives to compete for the fifty slots?"

"Because after one thousand years of ruling, the White Cloud Sect has turned into something of a giant that no one can offend. At first, these fifty slots were indeed only given to the powerful clans. Over time, many large clans went into decline or were destroyed outright for one reason or another. The only large clans remaining from that era when the bargain was struck are only the Lin and the Lei clans. The White Sect decided to continue sharing the remaining fifty spots with other new clans and eventually, they also invite independent cultivators. That's how the White Cloud Tournament was born. Perhaps they were no longer afraid to share the dimension. With the amount they gained, they still developed far faster than we who are competing against each other for the remaining half.

"The White Cloud Sect could have reneged the bargain and monopolized all the one hundred slots if they want… Maybe perhaps they already did… Well, what I want to say is, that although they allow other clans and public talents to compete for entry to this special dimension, everything that is found inside has to be handed over to them when the participants exited the dimension."

"What? Then why do we bother to send our youths to participate? They will still take the findings, it is the same as if they take all the one hundred slots for themselves," Madam Lin uttered.

"As I said, they have grown strong enough to impose that. Probably it does mean that they no longer share that dimension with us. But they give something in return. All the treasures our youths find inside will be marked with points. They take the treasures but we will be given points. They pick and set aside some of the treasures and allow the clans to use those points to buy the treasures. Aside from that, they also compensate the winning clans with generous aer stones and support on some influence within the city."

"It still sounds like we are working for them," Madam Lin said with dissatisfaction.

"Everyone in this city is working for them, sister," Lin Bubai uttered. "Such is the privilege of a supreme ruler. They are strong enough to be tyrannical, but they chose to do it in a more obscure manner. Perhaps that's why they have been able to stay on top for this long. It will be difficult to organize enough force to rebel against them. Not enough people are dissatisfied with their position, yet. On another note, most of the ones from the clanless talent who managed to enter the dimension, are then recruited into their sect. So, they are killing two birds with one stone."

"So, it doesn't matter if I perform well in this final round. All my effort will be taken away by the sect," Amon said.

"We will still be grateful if you score enough points for us. If we get enough points, we can exchange them for good treasures and we can also better negotiate when opening business venues in this city," Lin Bubai said.

'But there is nothing for me,' Amon uttered in his mind.

"Still, you need to be careful inside the secret dimension," Lin Bubai added. "This secret dimension holds many treasures, but it also holds unknown dangers. There are plenty of Spirit beasts inside. Mostly inferior, but there are also reports of superior beasts being sighted. If you meet such a beast, you need to run immediately. There are often casualties every time this secret dimension is opened."

Amon thought about this info while Madam Lin chat with her brother. After getting this information, Amon had little interest in doing his best in the final. He was even considering forfeiting. He was just not sure how the Lin clan would react if he did so. His reputation was already not so good within this clan. Not that he cared, but he would prefer to avoid unnecessary trouble for now.

During his train of thought, he suddenly thought of something. He grinned. Perhaps he could still gain benefit from going into this secret dimension.

Amon no longer asked any questions. He had gained the answer he was seeking, so he just kept his silence as the two adults talked. After a while, Madam Lin noticed that Amon had lost interest. She then expressed her desire to leave. Amon thanked Lin Bubai for the information before leaving with Madam Lin.

Lin Bubai mentioned that they will send a record of the landscape and beasts that had been encountered by past Lin participants inside this dimension. These records would be given to both Amon and the other two Lin finalists. This was to help them with starting information when they entered the dimension.

Arriving back in their housing complex, Madam Lin gave Amon some medicinal herbs to help him recover from the tournament. Amon thanked her. She gave Amon the advice to rest before leaving.

Amon touched his stomach. The pain was still there. Wei Lhosa's one punch was strong enough to cause an internal wound. Therefore, Amon took Madam Lin's advice and rested. He drank some recovery potions and then brewed the medicinal herbs Madam Lin had given to drink regularly. He then spent the rest of the day and night doing nothing but letting his body rest.

For the next ten days, he spent them as usual. Meditation and training. Now that he was back in his own house, he was free to practice his martial art. He focused on practicing his newly created art, the Silent Swift Shadow Fist. He could now execute this fist easily and with greater force than when he used it in the tournament.

He also prepared more Poison Cloud Bullets in his free time and made several wooden bolts for his crossbow. He prepared some vial of poison that he could dip the bolts into if necessary. He regularly sharpened his Swan dagger and all his throwing knives, then put the whetstone into his storage ring for use in the field.

There was also another recipe inside 101 primal poison tome that he deciphered. But interestingly, it was not a recipe to make poison. It was a recipe to protect against poison. It's called Poison Repelling Pill. Consuming this pill would protect him from all sorts of poisons in the next three hours. As long as it was not a poison strong enough to affect cultivators of the martial realm, this pill would be effective.

It's a good thing that this pill could be made using ingredients available on the market, but very expensive. With his aer stones, he could only buy enough to produce four pills.

On the night before the final. He came out silently to his courtyard. After making sure no one was around. He picked a secluded corner and started digging. After digging a deep hole, he put into this hole a space ring he had prepared. Inside this space ring was several of his most valuable items. The 101 primal poison tome, Black Aetherium Stone, some of the most exotic materials he had bought in the market, and the two arcane art books which he had yet to learn.

These goods were originally inside his black space ring. After the incident with Lin Weida, and later with Madam Lin, the black space ring had been proven to be inaccessible to others except for Amon. Amon didn't know the reason yet, but if this was true, then he could put whatever things he had gotten inside the secret dimension into this black ring and no one would know what he had taken since no one could access this ring other than him.

Of course, he did not dare to risk things for an assumption. Although even someone like Lin Weida was unable to notice the space inside this black ring, it didn't guarantee that people from the White Cloud Sect could not. That's why he had removed his most valuable possessions from his black ring and transferred them to a normal ring which he now hid under this ground. If things didn't go as planned, the worst for him would be losing this black space ring.

Amon covered back the hole with dirt. He also moved some of the grass over, to ensure that no one suspected that this ground had been dug. After making sure everything looked fine, he returned to the house.

*

The next morning, Amon went directly to the White Cloud Estate. He didn't bother waiting for the other Lin finalists.

The White Cloud people checked his identification using the plate which had recorded his unique energy signature. After confirming his identity, the White House staff brought him inside.

Amon was brought to a plain room with only chairs. There was one other person inside, the Lei clan's prodigy, Lei San.

Amon wondered why this prodigy was alone here and so early. He pictured this golden boy coming with a parade and being the last person that arrived. To see him alone here was unexpected. But Amon didn't think too much of it. He sat on the opposite side and started meditating.

Lei San only glanced at Amon briefly. He didn't say anything as well. The two waited silently.

As time passed. More finalists arrived. When the other Lei finalist, Lei Muyin, arrived. She immediately came to Lei San with a concerned expression and barraged him with questions, asking him why he had left by himself. That everybody had been worried sick, thinking something had happened to him. Until Lei San's servant told them that he had left for White Cloud estate before the sun had even risen.

When the other Lin finalists, Lin Fen and Lin Cang, arrived. They also barraged Amon with words. Not caring words as Lei Muyin did, though. The two scolded Amon for acting by himself. The two had waited for him like fools only to find out that he had left.

Amon snickered at their words, "Well, with you two ranting like this, you two do indeed look like fools."

"You…!" Lin Fen's face was red with anger.

"Let's leave him. My father had told me about the nature of this final. We will roam dangerous lands. Let's see how he fares by himself," Lin Cang uttered.

"Hmph! Right! Don't expect us to lend you a hand!" Lin Fen said. The two then went away and sat in chairs as far from Amon as possible.

'Heh, I would be doomed if I need help from you two greenhorns,' Amon thought with a sneer.