The flight over to the ceremony grounds took a couple of hours, and somehow it flew past in minutes as I marvelled at the scenery outside my window. As we approached, what to me looked like a huge stadium, the size of 3 football fields, if you picked a certain spot to stand and had their size expand outwards in a perfect circle. The ground inside the stadium had lush green grass and was surrounded by seating. Even from where I was I could see the seat was already mostly full and thousands of people were standing around one end of the stadium while others swarmed over the rest setting things up.

  “This is amazing” I whispered to Itshu Biyu.

  She glanced up from her phone to look at me before turning her head to look out the window at the stadium. We both sat there for a few moments, observing the stadium as the taxi vehicle slowly circled around to the far side from the mass of waiting people.

  “It is indeed a spectacle.” she replied before turning to look at me.

  “What?” I asked, feeling like something to shatter my good mood was about to be said.

  “Nothing, really, just a minor bit of studying to do while we are waiting for the event to kick off.” she replied with a slight smile.

  “What kind of studying?” I asked slowly as my eyes glanced out the window, feeling like I was about to be told I needed to memorise all these people's names and details.

  “You need to study a technique I have arranged to by in your sky box. It will teach you how to fight. There is a sword technique, a movement technique, that's all.” she replied with a slight grin on her face.

  “Then why do I have a bad feeling about it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. I could also feel the taxi vehicle had begun its descent towards what I assumed was a landing pad.

  “Because techniques can take a long time to master, and you want to be lazy and lie around, well don't worry, there will be plenty of time for that when the event begins tomorrow.” she replied.

  I bit my lip softly as I turned my head just in time to see the taxi fly into a tunnel that lasted a few moments before it turned into a small hangar and the vehicle quickly turned as it descending onto the landing pad, presenting the exit towards the doors out of the hangar. A moment later, the door quickly opened and Itshu Biyu stood up as she declared excitedly.

  “And here we are!”

  I let out a small groan as I followed her out of the taxi. We didn't even make it to the door out of the hangar before the taxi lifted off and flew back down the tunnel, leaving us behind. I turned back to the door and watched Itshu Biyu wave her phone at a green square by the door before it opened and let us through to a huge atrium. I smiled softly as I observed all the seating and plants arranged stylishly around the atrium before Itshu Biyu grabbed my elbow and directed my forwards to the reception desk that was waiting in the centre.

  “Young Blood Commander and Captain, checking in” Itshu Biyu told the young woman standing behind the circle counter.

  I observed the young woman as I waited for her to finish tapping away on what looked like a holographic keyboard on the surface of her counter, I suspected the screen was in her eye, as I couldn't see one. As for the girl, she had long black hair that went down to her knees and was tied up in a ponytail. Her eyes were slanted like an Asians, and she wore a very expensive black robe with gold and silver thread stylising a dragon in flight across her body.

  “Greetings Venerable ones, I have you checked in, and the access codes have been sent to your linked slates they will allow you access to your personal sky suite.” she declared as she half bowed to us, her hands remained crossed over her thighs as did this. A moment later, while maintaining the half bow, she raised her left hand, keeping it open as she indicated off to our left.

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  Itshu Biyu bowed her head slightly before tugging on my elbow and leading me off to the left. We walked across the atrium to a set of elevators in the wall. A wave of Itshu Biyu’s phone later and the elevator doors opened, letting us in. I was confused for a moment when there were no buttons for us to push and the receptionist didn't mention what floor we were meant to go to.

  “Young Blood Sky Suite.” Itshu Biyu declared as she waited patiently.

  The doors closed and then nothing happened. Causing me to frown, I was about to turn to ask her if the elevator was broken when the doors opened again to reveal a huge open spaced room. Itshu Biyu guided me out of the elevator by my elbow again before letting go of it and waved her hand at a nearby coffee table before turning and leaving me there.

  I glanced at the table that had two scrolls sitting on it before my eyes quickly darted back to taking in the huge room. On the left were two doors, Itshu Biyu disappeared through the one on the left, and the quick glance inside that I managed to get indicated it was a bedroom. I assumed the other one was my bedroom and turned my head to the right where I could see a kitchen complete with stove, oven, sink, microwave, and a counter. In the middle was a raised platform that was only raised by a single step. However, it was surrounded by seating and plants, with small tables next to each seat.

  I slowly walked past all that, wanting to find out what was on the far side of the room. I was a little surprised when I found a wall of glass with two sliding doors that had been left open. Beyond the wall of glass, I could clearly see a few stylish and expensive looking seats that faced a balcony overlooking the stadium grounds. I was a little surprised when I stepped out onto the balcony and a holographic screen appeared between the glass railing that came up to my hip and the ceiling. The screen was displaying a screen of each person that was either sitting or standing as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

  “Amazing” I whispered. I couldn't help think about home and how people would love to get their hands on this technology.

  I turned back, deciding I had better go find out what those scrolls were about before Itshu Biyu came to slap me over the head with them or something. A quick walk back found me staring down at the scrolls and a little note I had missed when I glanced at them. After a moment of hesitation, I picked up the note.

  Kenna, these are two scrolls that were passed to me by my cultivation master. They may only be held by a void hawk bloodline and can not be shared with others. So pass them only to your own disciples and ensure they have the void hawk bloodline, or it won't work. A few centuries ago a little shit attempted to steal them, i of course, killed that little shit and placed a formation on the scrolls. If anyone without the void hawk bloodline tries to read them now, it will simply just look like gibberish to them and if they try to puzzle it out, then they will experience a severe backlash that may, with any luck, kill them.

  It was signed by my cultivation master in some flowery penmanship that I disregarded as I tossed the note back down on the table. I quickly picked up the scrolls and read the title of the one in my left hand. ‘Void Hawk's Sword Dance’ I turned my head and read the title of the one in my right hand. ‘Void Hawk's Flight’

  “A sword technique and a movement.” I said as I placed the sword technique back on the table and carefully opened the movement technique. I felt the information flood my brain instantly. However, the information while there was slightly out of focus and what I could make out suggested that the rest would come into focus as I practiced the first steps. It suggested the movement was simple, and what I could make out certainly looked simple. So I walked over to the raised platform and stood on the edge of it.

  I followed the technique and took a step forwards with my right foot as I lowered my torso, I lowered my right shoulder further and leant to the right as if I was a bird in flight that wanted to bank to the right. I took the next step with my left foot and tilted my body to the left like I was now banking to the left. It was as simple as that, and I continued to do it as I walked across the platform. Once I had made it to the other side, I collapsed and nearly lost consciousness.

  I lay on the floor gasping for air, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. It only took me a few moments until I realised it felt the same as when that void step had completely drained me of my Qi, and after a quick check I confirmed that my dantian was now empty. I let out a groan and turned my attention back to the technique, wanting to go over it again to make sure I hadn't made a huge mistake and somehow used way too much Qi on a simple dozen steps.

  I was surprised when I found a new section of the technique had come into focus, and it was a warning. It explained how the user being unused to how the technique worked would use way more Qi than necessary and when the user became more proficient in the technique's use they could fine tune the amount of Qi needed until it was barely any.

  “Basically practice until you can use it properly” I muttered, feeling slightly annoyed.

  Once I could pull myself into a sitting position, I began to meditate and refill my dantian. Once it was full, I got back up on the corner of the platform and looked at the far side as I got ready to walk across it again, but I was hesitating to do so. I knew why I was hesitating, though, I didn't really want to experience the lack of Qi again. It took me a few more moments to firm my resolve, grit my teeth and take the first step. When I made it to the other side, I mentally prepared myself for the feeling of my dantian being empty again. However, I was slightly surprised when I dropped to my knees panting and found a single strand of Qi still in my dantian.

  I quickly and excitedly began to meditate again to refill my dantian so I could try again. ‘I was improving’ I thought happily as I watched my dantian fill. As I began my third walk across the platform, a stray thought entered my mind, ‘is this good movement technique?’ I knew instantly that I didn't have an answer for that question and would have to ask Itshu Biyu. When I finished the third pass, I managed to stay on my feet, barely. Once my dantian was full again I went to take my first step, but I noticed out the corner of my eye Itshu Biyu open her room door and as I walked the twelve steps across the platform I noticed that she seemed to be frozen in time. However, the moment I stopped, she quickly stepped out of her room and closed the door before turning to look at me.

  “You managed to stay on your feet, impressive, movement techniques have a more than not tendency to be Qi hogs at the beginning, causing many disciples to spend the first few days lying around trying to suck Qi back into their dantians.” she said with a slight laugh as she turned and walked to the balcony.

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