Seed Of Speed

"I thought we would meet meeting in the Gambling Arena," Tovao said as he walked up, the last to arrive.

"We were already renting the largest private room for our practices. If we doubled the number of people in there, we would practically be on top of each other," Stormblade said.

"Now that everyone's here, Moonfall and I can lead you in. Master's grounds are layered with a number of illusions that could trap you if you aren't careful," Diego said as he pushed open the gates to Shadowbolt's manor.

"So, where are we going?" Tovao asked, following the group in.

"Master said she will be taking us to one of the islands under the sect control," Diego replied.

"That seems a little extreme for an Apprentice Team test," Silverflame chimed.

"Heh, heh," Diego said, scratching the back of his head where Jalu tickled with one of its tails from its perch, "We are taking the Adapt Team test."

Everyone but Diego froze at his words. Aside from Silverflame and Flowingrock, everyone else was at the Apprentice rank and, while most of them were at the Peak of the Mortal Body, there was still a big difference between the two stages.

"Does that mean...?" Rainshower asked, being the first to recover from the shock.

"Yes, I have ascended to the Demi-Body Stage, but I haven't officially advanced to Adept rank," Diego explained which was met with some awkward congratulations

"You have to be the youngest Demi-Body cultivator in the sect," Silverflame sighed.

"The sect has been very kind to me," Diego laughed it off. "There are records of a twelve-year-old who broke through so I'm not quite a monster."

"But the sheer price for the manuals and materials," Korto sighed, with Kibal and Stormblade agreeing with a sigh of their own.

"What is remaining for you to advance to the Adapt rank, Junior disciple-brother?" Moonfall asked.

"He's going to be Senior disciple-brother to you soon," Tovao teased.

"Waaa...? No, Junior brother, you can't! You're my only Junior!" she cried.

"Of course not, Senior disciple-sister," Diego replied, punching Tovao in the arm. "You have been under Master's care the longer than me, so you will always be my Senior. But I do need to ask that you keep my advancement a secret for now, I'm only now starting to show the value the sect has but into me."

Shadowbolt chuckled as she watched the disciples interact, remembering some of her own adventures. When they got close, she pulled out a small, wooden black boat with a single, triangular sail and tossed it forward, making it grow in size until it could hold everyone comfortably.

"Everyone board. Your test will begin shortly after we land so use this time to plan your strategy," Shadowbolt said, floating up and gently landing on the ship deck.

Everyone used their own method to leap on the ship, Tovao, a fiery jump, Rainshower flew up with a gust of wind, Moonfall simply defied gravity, floating straight up then drifting over to the deck. Diego used his [White Lightning Array], beating everyone with a bolt of light.

Unlike Swordflash's sword golem, the ship created a pocket of calm air that allowed everyone to comfortably move around the deck even as the ship raised up and shot through the air. Everyone but Shadowbolt stood at the edge of the deck and watched the sect shrink out of view. This time, they were heading straight out to sea unlike the island he had been taken to for his advancement.

Diego cleared his throat and called everyone over, "Alright, I should explain things since we are having a unique test. We are competing against ten of the eleven other Core Disciples at the behest of my master, Grand Master Swordflash. And while this is a Team Test, this is also my Rank Test where I have to demonstrate my new custom spell... well, Spell-Song in my case."

"What?!?" Stormblade and Tovao cried in unison.

Kibal and Korto both paled as Kang Chen just raised an eyebrow and pulled out a silver flask. Rainshower, Moonfall, and Flowingrock had taken on a concerned expression while Silverflame looked exhausted before the fight had even begun.

"My fee will be adjusted if this expedition falls through," Silverflame sighed.

"We haven't lost yet," Diego retorted.

"Does this mean we will have to fight, Big Sis Dreamcaller?" Moonfall asked.

"Yes, we will, and nine others just like her. I know this seems impossible, but I promise I have a way to make this more manageable," Diego said then summoned a small ball of black flames which made everyone shrink back as they were hit by the chilling aura. "Due to my advancement, I gained control of a 'Unique' branch of fire magic, like Gravity from Earth or Holy Water. The flames have the ability to suppress my foes and my new Spell-Song incorporates them. It was my use of them in one of my daily spars with Master Swordflash that caused him to change the method of our test."

Once the flames were extinguished, Silverflame was the first to recover, but he still needed to take in a deep breath before he could speak. "Alright, Brightmelody, you have my attention. Tell me your plan," he said, giving Diego a long look.

"The key this whole challenge is power! Do we have enough power to break through their defense? My idea is to..." Diego said, explaining his idea to his team.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Blueserpent! Long time, no see," a blonde-haired man with a thin frame called out to a raven-haired man who had just walked into the room.

The raven-haired man in blue robes turned slightly and made his way over to the small group around the blonde. "It has been some time, Hawkeye. Mountainaxe, Lightningrush, Blackshield," Blueserpent said, acknowledging the others.

Hawkeye was the blonde, a thinly built man with sunny orange skin that wore a set of gray leathers that clung tightly to his body. Mountainaxe was a mountain of man, standing just over two meters and covered in muscle. Lightningrush could be confused as Mountainaxe's brother since they shared a similar build, but the only thing that distinguished the pair was Mountainaxe's brown hair and Lightningrush's orange. Blackshield seemed like an average man within this group, both smaller than the two large men and not as handsome as Hawkeye, but unlike the others, he wore a large black shield across his back and black metal armor.

"When did you return from the Grassland Nation?" Blackshield asked.

"Last week, but I've spent my time back in seclusion while I solidified my advancement to the Third Stage," Blueserpent replied.

"Congratulations," Blackshield said with a nod while the others said the same. "Will you be attempting the Master's Trial soon?"

"Yes, my master has arranged it for the end of the month," Blueserpent agreed.

"A Master at the age of twenty-five, impressive," Hawkeye said.

"I'm more intrigued by this new Core Disciple that required all of us to gather for his test. I was promised a private two-hour concert of my choice for my participation in this, but I don't fully understand what that means," Blueserpent said.

"You must not have gone to his first concert then. Brightmelody's concerts can ease bottlenecks in cultivation or help your comprehension when learning techniques," Hawkeye explained.

"Don't forget that if we beat him, that two-hour becomes a ten-hour concert when we win," Mountainaxe added, his voice unnaturally deep.

"You mean 'if' we win," Blackshield corrected.

"We have a team of Core Disciples, it would be an insult if we lost," Lightningrush said arrogantly.

"Master Silverwall always says never underestimate your opponents. His master is Grand Master Swordflash, after all," Blackshield said, always the voice of calm reason.

"His power may be impressive, but what of his group? They are just normal disciples," Lightningrush retorted.

"You are underestimating the power of a Soul-Singer too much," Blueserpent replied. "The Grassland Nation has a number of them and, despite their constant infighting, most of the kingdoms could easily rival the entire power of the Sect and the Empire combined. The true power of a Soul-Singer comes from how they can unite a group of people and empower them. I believe that this is our masters' true plan, to demonstrate his power and remind us that while we may be giants of the desert, that is only within our sandy borders."

"Blueserpent's point is valid," Dreamcaller said as she approached the group with Rosepetal and Riverblade at her side. "My junior brother has only revealed a portion of his power around me and it is quite surprising for someone who has been in the sect for as short a time as he has."

"Ah, the sect's three goddesses," Hawkeye mused with an attractive smile, but the three girls ignored him.

"Junior brother? I thought he was supposed to be Swordflash's disciple," Mountainaxe said.

"He first joined the sect under my master's care. It wasn't until later that he became a Core Disciple and placed under Swordflash, but he still acknowledges Shadowbolt as his magical master."

"Swordflash doesn't have the best reputations with disciples, after all," Hawkeye added.

"So, who actually knows his level of skill?" Blackshield asked.

"I believe Quicksand has sparred with him before," Dreamcaller replied.

The group looked around the large meeting room and found the last two members of their team chatting over a game of cards, tucked into the far corner. (Quicksand's description) The other was a dashing young man with burnt red skin and long, bright yellow hair that he wore in a long braid down his back.

"Quicksand, Radiantspear, join us! We are discussing the upcoming duel," Hawkeye called out.

Radiantspear raised an eyebrow as he neatly placed his cards down on the table and smiled to Quicksand. "It seems we other tasks to attend to."

"But I had three knights!" Quicksand complained.

"The one they require is likely you as I have had no contact with our newest Core Disciple, and you were the one to discover him," Radiantspear replied.

Quicksand g.r.o.a.n.e.d as he tossed his cards onto the table and stood up. He made his way over to the group with Raidantspear behind him.

"So, tell us, what kind of fighter is Brightmelody?" Hawkeye asked.

"Unpredictable," Quicksand replied with a shrug. "He's fast, especially his movement technique, and he uses some strange cloning technique that allows the clones to be able to use chi techniques and magic. He also has a few spells that I've never seen before, like a fireball, but compressed to the size of a thumb, moving at high speeds, and can be different elements. Thunder Magic seems to be useless against him, and that was at the Mortal Body Stage."

"Are you sure he was at the Mortal Body Stage? That sounds like the Lightning Devouring King manual," Blueserpent mused.

"I know charms exist that hide your cultivation, but three months before he had been in the Seventh Level," Quicksand replied.

"What weapon does he use?" Blackshield asked.

"Spear," Quicksand chuckled as he gave Radiantspear a sideways glance.

"Did you ever see his Spell-Song, {Bright Melody of the Hero}?" Dreamcaller asked.

"No, he only used his Soul-Singer the second time, and I could not tell what it actually did," Quicksand replied.

"From what I have heard from my junior sister who has done a few runs in the Catacombs, he has the ability to restore both mana and chi with his songs."

"Soul-Singers in the Grassland Nations can do the same, as well as drain those energies from their enemies. They can empower their allies, boosting strength, defense, and speed. Hypnosis, suppression, and illusions are much more powerful when supported by that power as well," Blueserpent added.

"How many of those strange clones can he make?" Blackshield asked.

"I've seen two, but that doesn't mean it's his limit."

"Hmm... that may be another reason why we are the ones competing against him. What if he could make five of himself? Or ten? This will not be a simple ten-man team fight against a bunch of juniors," Blackshield said, eyeing Mountainaxe and Lightningrush.

"We will all take this seriously, understood?" Radiantspear said.

A chorus of "Yes, Head Disciple!" rang out from everyone, and they discussed formation for the upcoming fight.