The Grudge's End had been restructured and turned from a place where people would come to resolve blood feuds into an Arena, to everyone's enjoyment. After all, enough blood had been shed on top of that location, why shed more? At that moment, the stalls were full to the brim with people.

Wether they were Disciples or Elders, everyone was hyped and couldn't help but feel their blood pumping when they thought what was about to begin!

The Golden Arena was made out by countless golden weapons. Few people knew exactly what kind of power this golden weapons held and even fewer had been able to witness those countless golden weapons smashing the gigantic Shadow Dragon into smithereens.

Now, these weapons had been arranged into the gigantic Golden Arena, a place where competitions and tournaments took place!

...

"A tournament?" Xiao Wu sat up on the bed. Her whole body hurt and she felt as if someone was striking her temples with a hammer.

Lao Jianghu sighed "Yes. I'm sorry to ask you this after you have just woken up, however it is for the best." He waved his sleeve and a round object flew through the air "Eat this. It should heal your body back to your top condition"

Xiao Wu grabbed the round object and examined it: it was a round medicinal pill. From the lack of any medicinal aroma wafting around the room, its grade seemed to be pretty high.

"Just think of it as being a chance to try out your new toy!" Lao Jianghu smiled and then turned around, heading outside "Come to the Golden Arena in two hours. Your two Martial Siblings will also be there!"

...

Xiao Wu dashed through the air and then came to a stop above the gigantic building made out of golden weapons. She scanned her surroundings for a bit. Finally, her eyes lit up as she noticed a pavilion next to the stage where the fighting would take place.

It was completely golden and a gigantic, golden eye was depicted on top of it.

Xiao WU smiled. She kicked off the air and sped downwards. In the blink of an eye, she had already stepped into the tent.

However, how could her actions go on unnoticed, especially in front os such a large crowd?

"Wasn't that the 'Princess', Xiao Wu? Such speed! I could barely catch her from the corner of my eyes..." A Core Disciple exclaimed as he gaped.

"Yeah, that was her! To think that such a young and beautiful lady would be so powerful..." An Inner Disciple whose senses were developed enough to catch a glimpse of the girl's figure shook his head and sighed.

Hearing their words, an Inner Elder nodded as he stroked his goatee "They say that she is the greatest genius this world has seen in centuries, millennia even!"

"And they are not wrong! Nine years old and already at the Superior stage!" One of the Disciples from before, the Core Disciple, exclaimed. His eyes brightened as an expression of admiration appeared on his face.

"Greatest genius? But... Wasn't the Sect Leader, the Golden Emperor, also a child?" The other frowned.

"No way! Those are just rumours, aren't they? I mean, a child slaughtering the Reverend stage? Those people are at the very peak and are capable of inhuman feats!" The Core Disciple shook his head.

"Stop talking you three! They are about to announce the order of the matches!" A Core Elder humped.

The three immediately shut their mouth. It wasn't because they were afraid of the other's identity as a Core Elder, but because they also couldn't help but feel excited for what was to come...

A battle between the Sect's top twelve disciples!

As soon as she entered the tent, Xiao Wu looked around, searching for her clothes. She headed towards one side of the room and took her robe from a hanger as well as a purple armband.

The robe was purple, with tinges of black and white that slightly resembled a white tree and a black dragon. However, what truly showed her position as a 'Successor' was the golden eye drawn on top of her armband.

Each Successor would have personalised clothes, contrary to the plain, white-striped, black robes which normal disciples usually wore. However, other than that, Successors would also have a feature distinguishing their roles from the other Disciples.

And that was the 'Golden Eye'.

What the eye meant was that seeing a Successor was like seeing half of a Golden Emperor. As the title of successor also indicated one's right to become the Head of the Golden Emperor Sect, or at the very least a Protector, to see a Successor was like seeing a Golden Emperor in the making! Thus, the single Golden Eye.

"So... When exactly is it going to begin?" Xiao Wu asked as she put on the Sect Robes.

In two other corners of the room, two more people also prepared themselves by putting on their own robes and fixing their appearance.

"Anytime now..." Fu Yin said as he examined his own set of clothing.

Just like Xiao Wu, his robes were different from the normal Sect Robes: plain black, the sleeves were red and a single, red hexagram was drawn on the back. The boy grabbed a red headband and put it on: the intimidating Golden Eye was depicted on it.

The red headband also revealed his scarred yet beautiful face, usually hidden by his long, white bangs.

"Seriously! Haven't we fought enough lately? That Zhao clan has been giving us quite the hassle!" Sou Rou fixed her hair and then tied it in place with an hairpin. The hairpin, of course, was not a simple pin: just like Xiao Wu and Fu Yin's head and armbands, a Golden Eye was represented on top of it.

Her robes was blue and had what resembled an azure lion's mane on the collar.

The robes were quite generous, for it revealed a large portion of the girl's skin, both on the chest and on the thighs. However, this was not only to show off her looks, but also to distract male opponents as well as to gain the appreciation from the audience and the... 'Support' from fellow male Sect Members.

After only a few days, her wealth had grown to be comparable to a small Clan's yearly supply.

Fu Yin smiled "I think the Protectors are doing this to show our strength and the power of the Sect to the Disciples. A boost to morale is never a bad thing. After all, ever since the Shuijing incident, some disciples have been questioning the authority of the Protectors..."

He waved his hand and a pair of drills appeared out of thin air, exuding intense killing intent "My guess however... Is that they want to arouse their fighting spirit and competitiveness by showing to those without talent us, the greatest geniuses in the Sect, thus awakening their fighting spirit and making them work harder."

"Ohhh.." Xiao Wu smirked "Aren't we quite arrogant?"

Fu Yin stuck out his tongue "I learned from the very best! Speaking of him, I wonder what is brother doing? According to Uncle Blacky, he is still alive, but then, why isn't he back yet?"

Xiao Wu frowned but then her forehead relaxed "No idea... Probably off, cultivating somewhere and didn't notice the passage of time. Knowing him, this could very well be it..."

Sou Rou bit her lip "Seriously... That child, at a first glance I would have never thought he was this amazing!"

Xiao Wu and Fu Yin looked at each other and smiled: who would? Their big brother was simply a being they would probably never be able to understand fully... Now though, he wasn't there.

Thus, in his place, they would protect this Sect he had fought for with all his might defend. And they would start... By demonstrating their strength as the potential Successors to the title of Sect Head!

...

The three of them walked out of the tent: as soon as they did, a huge cheer came from the crowd. Yells such as "Go, Fu Yin!" "Fight for us, Xiao Wu!" and "Show them how it's done, Sou Rou!" were common.

However, what happened next made all the commotion disappear: Lao Jianghu had appeared. No one dared to move, let alone speak. The guy was not only the First Protector: he was also the owner of the countless weapons that made up the very ground they were standing upon.

Who on their right minds would offend such an entity?

The old man wearing golden robes smiled amiably and then spoke: "Everyone, I am happy you have all gathered here! What's with this creepy silence? Everyone, yell and scream to your heart's content!

Hearing those words, the Arena once again filled with loud yells and approving roars. Lao Janghu nodded and spoke once again. For some strange reason, his voice could be heard even amidst the chaos.

"Very well! To see you all fired up, it makes this old man happy! Now, let's welcome our competitors! You have met our three stars, the three Successors! You like that golden eye on their clothing? Then why not becoming a Successor as well? Us Protectors will be waiting for you!"

The yells rose even higher in both intensity and volume, to the point that Xiao Wu was fighting against the instinct to cover her ears.

After that, Lao Jianghu announced the tournament's sheet to the audience who, unlike the participants, didn't know what and when fights would take place.

The crowd couldn't help but feel their blood boil: the first fight would take place five minutes from then and it would be a fight between two of the top beauties of the Golden Emperor Sect. The fighters would be none other than...

The enticing and mature Sou Rou versus the gentle and passionate Te Rin!