The Blood Compass

The fortune-teller, Yu Xiu, looked at Qi Yuan with an unfathomable expression on his face. "You speak in odd ways, little brother, but... as long as it is what you seek to divine, today... I will satisfy your request." After all, this was his method for dealing with the curse on his body, Yu Xiu silently reminded himself. Only by using these props and coming to... this place to tell fortunes could he dissipate a fraction of the curse that clung to him. These props were all single-use. One could say that anything in this world could be divined. "Place your hand on the bronze compass, and I will know the answer," the fortune-teller said softly. "Alright." Qi Yuan placed his hand on the bronze compass. Han Xianyun, Northern Crane, wore an odd look. Both men before him were thoroughly bizarre. Leaving aside the fortune-teller, who was somewhat mysterious and unfathomable... This Qi Yuan, who had come to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, spoke like a madman. Clearing a game? What did that even mean? A disdainful smirk curved the lips of Zhang Yang, Southern Lion. "It seems there is more than one lunatic here today." He had always been arrogant, looking down on everyone. He was of noble birth, his family having generational ties with the legendary Seven Martial Stars clans, so he always considered himself superior. His presence in the martial arts circle was an honor to the martial arts circle. Now that he was about to leave the martial arts circle behind to pursue a far brighter future, he looked down on these people even more. After all, generally speaking, very few true aristocrats ever joined the martial arts circle. Usually... it was just a bunch of upstarts. At this moment, Yu Xiu was fully focused, the blood throughout his body boiling as he awaited the bronze compass's guidance. He was merely an ordinary doomed man; what did he know of divination? The so-called fortune-telling was entirely performed by the bronze compass prop. Yet, as the seconds ticked by, not a single hint came through. A stunned look surfaced in Yu Xiu's eyes, replaced by total bewilderment. Just then, Qi Yuan fixed his eyes on Yu Xiu and said softly, "Well? How did the reading go? When will I be able to clear this game?" Yu Xiu fell silent for a moment, tempestuous waves churning in his heart. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a thing. A hundred thousand questions swirled in his mind. After all... this was the first time a prop had ever malfunctioned on him. Could it be... this person was just like him? Yet... He looked at Qi Yuan with a troubled expression. "Your question has truly stumped me, sir. Perhaps... you could change the question, and I'll give it another try?" Even his form of address for Qi Yuan had shifted. Hearing this, Qi Yuan sighed. "Your divination skills aren't up to par. I overestimated you. How about this: divine whether or not I'll take the championship in this Martial Arts Tournament!" Before Yu Xiu could speak, a burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding martial artists. Looking at Qi Yuan, Han Xianyun, Northern Crane, couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Brother Qi, aren't you being a bit too confident?" Just a moment ago, they had exchanged names. A naturally contemptuous look appeared in Zhang Yang's eyes. His voice boomed like a great bell as he looked toward Qi Yuan. "I am participating in this tournament as well." His meaning was unmistakable: Since I am participating... the championship belongs to me. The other martial artists chimed in with agreement. A year ago, Zhang Yang, Southern Lion, had lost to the tournament champion by merely a single move. This year, his martial arts were bound to be even more refined; winning the championship was a foregone conclusion. "Kid, the man next to you is Southern Lion, Zhang Yang. The champion of this Martial Arts Tournament will undoubtedly be him. Don't go indulging in wild fantasies." Qi Yuan paid no attention to these remarks. His hand rested on the bronze compass as he waited for Yu Xiu's answer. Right then, a snippet of information entered his vision: [Blood Compass Replica: Appears capable of peering into heavenly secrets and capturing the trajectory of fate. Produced by Blood Compass Island.] Just then, a sharp crack rang out. Cracks spiderwebbed across the bronze compass beneath Qi Yuan's hand, and it shattered completely. "Pfft..." Horror flashed through Yu Xiu's eyes, mingled with bewilderment, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his lips. The prop had actually... shattered! How... how was this possible?! It had broken just from telling a single fortune! The onlookers watched this with strange looks on their faces. "What's going on?" "Why's he spitting blood?" "Is it an act?" The crowd was utterly bewildered. Zhang Yang, Southern Lion, let out a cold sneer. "Playing tricks. I'm not sticking around to watch you two put on a show." With that, he walked away. Seeing this, most of the surrounding martial artists chuckled and left as well. Clearly, they assumed Qi Yuan and the fortune-teller knew each other and were scheming against someone. Even Han Xianyun, Northern Crane, looked at Qi Yuan with a hint of suspicion. The fortune-teller had earlier revealed private secrets about him—could it be that Qi Yuan was actually involved? At this moment, Qi Yuan reached out and pulled out his psychiatric certificate. "Look closely—this is my certificate! Don't try to scam me; I didn't break it!" Qi Yuan had always been prudent, carrying his psychiatric certificate everywhere precisely to avoid getting framed or scammed. And here it was, coming in handy. This bizarre maneuver instantly dispelled the suspicion in Han Xianyun's heart. If this were part of a scheme against him, would Qi Yuan really put on an act like this? What purpose would such a performance even serve? The fortune-teller, Yu Xiu, looked at Qi Yuan in utter bewilderment, numerous thoughts racing through his mind. "This... indeed had nothing to do with you, sir." Props—especially special ones like this—did not shatter without reason. This could only mean that the person and matter he had tried to divine... exceeded the prop's capacity. Yet... didn't this kind of thing usually happen only with those horrifying monsters? How could it happen with a human? Could it be that this person carried a prop that shielded against divination? "By the way, where did you get this Blood Compass? It's pretty interesting; I'd like to get one too. If I had something like this, wouldn't I be raking in cash hand over fist?" Qi Yuan asked. At this question, a surge of vigilance flashed through Yu Xiu's heart. "You... how do you know it's called a Blood Compass? You have no death qi on you at all!" The moment the words escaped his mouth, Yu Xiu regretted them. Qi Yuan looked thoughtful. "Because I have a mental illness. Isn't it totally normal for a mentally ill person to know these things? By the way, I wanted to ask you a question. Have you heard of the Spirit Dao Martial Master?" Upon arriving in this world, Qi Yuan's tasks were to become the Human Dao Martial Master, the Spirit Dao Martial Master, and cultivate to the realm of the Myriad Dao Martial God. The Human Dao Martial Master was simple enough: just win the Martial Arts Tournament a hundred times. The Spirit Dao Martial Master, however, had no leads whatsoever. Seeing how peculiar this fortune-teller was, Qi Yuan decided to ask him. "Spirit Dao Martial Master?" Yu Xiu shook his head. "Never heard of it. However... I have heard of the Human Dao Martial Master, as well as the Mythological Wild Dragon Martial Master." This time, Yu Xiu did not withhold anything. He sensed that Qi Yuan seemed to harbor secrets as well. Otherwise, how could he possibly know the name of the Blood Compass? "A Martial Master, huh?" Qi Yuan murmured. Just then, Yu Xiu's face abruptly drained of color. "Not good. I... have to leave." With the Blood Compass shattered, lingering traces of the curse still remained on his body. He had to hurry and resolve it. Leaving those words behind, he departed swiftly. As for the table, he left it behind where it stood. Han Xianyun, Northern Crane, watched Yu Xiu's retreating back with an expression full of intrigue. "Are you sure the two of you don't know each other?" "We don't... But he's quite interesting," Qi Yuan said. He recalled the words "death qi" mentioned by Yu Xiu. That indicated the man was not acting alone, but belonged to an entire faction or group. "He really is interesting—just as interesting as you. Could it be... the rumors are true?" Han Xianyun murmured, struck by a thought. "What rumors?" Qi Yuan asked curiously. At the same time, he used his phone to send keywords like "Blood Compass," "Blood Compass Island," "death qi," and "Mythological Wild Dragon Martial Master" to the robot Zero-One, asking her to look up information on them. "A while ago, a major incident occurred in the Wugui Kingdom—an entire military camp was wiped off the map. I watched the video. A gigantic blood-red sword appeared in the sky, and in an instant... every soldier in the camp died. Rumors say immortal cultivation is reviving, and that person was an immortal cultivator!" Han Xianyun lowered his voice. As he spoke, excitement shone in his eyes, accompanied by a tinge of despondency. "If the immortal path truly exists, what have all our years of hard work been for...?" He was genuinely disheartened. If immortal cultivation was real, martial arts were completely obsolete. Even if one broke through the martial arts limit... what point was there? Could it annihilate a legion of three thousand men with a single sword? Qi Yuan chuckled. "With all your years of hard work, can you beat a gene warrior?" "..." Han Xianyun was rendered speechless. Indeed, even without immortal cultivation, martial arts didn't amount to much anyway. Someone at the martial arts limit couldn't even defeat a soldier who had taken high-grade gene medicine. "If you don't know how to talk nicely, don't talk at all!" Han Xianyun complained, though his mood had visibly improved. Right, if martial arts were weak, so be it. It wasn't as if they were strong to begin with. "The only thing I'm worried about now is that if the revival of immortal cultivation is real, what if the Martial Arts Tournament gets canceled in the future...? Then..." Han Xianyun's voice held a trace of loneliness. No matter how weak martial arts were, it was something he cherished like his own child. He had watched the matches of the Martial Arts Tournament since he was little. To him, those at the martial arts limit were the professional athletes he idolized. Judging by how things were unfolding, this world might truly end up without a Martial Arts Tournament. "You're overthinking it. Even if the Qinyuan Kingdom is destroyed, the Martial Arts Tournament will continue for a hundred sessions!" Qi Yuan stated with absolute conviction. "You sure can brag! If the Qinyuan Kingdom is gone, what bloody Martial Arts Tournament would there be?!" Han Xianyun couldn't help but shoot back. "As long as I am here, the Martial Arts Tournament will remain." "Tsk, tsk!" Talking and laughing, the two entered the Martial Arts Alliance branch. Next up was the testing. Anyone who passed the test would qualify directly for the main draw of the Martial Arts Tournament. Inside the main hall were roughly thirty people, every one of them a martial artist radiating a sharp aura. At that moment, Zhang Yang, Southern Lion, let out a loud shout, unleashing his innate martial technique. A thunderclap seemed to detonate on the arena stage. His opponent, a formidable martial artist, didn't even have time to resist before crashing heavily to the ground. "Zhang Yang, Southern Lion, wins!" At the referee's announcement, Zhang Yang stepped down arrogantly from the ring. As for the martial artist he had defeated, he didn't spare him a single glance, regarding him as beneath notice. The martial artists below looked at Zhang Yang, their eyes filled with envy and shock. "Zhang Yang's strength has advanced even further compared to last year!" "It looks like the championship of this tournament will definitely be his!" "Still... he's far too arrogant!" The crowd buzzed with chatter. "Next... Qi Yuan." Hearing the referee's call, Qi Yuan stepped forward. Having already passed his test, Han Xianyun, Northern Crane, grinned. "Good luck, future champion. Don't go failing the test now." Yang Shan smiled and said, "You're underestimating Qi Yuan far too much. His talent... is even higher than yours!" "Higher than mine?" Han Xianyun froze for a second. "What level of strength does he have?" "Watch and see." Yang Shan's smile deepened. Qi Yuan was only in his early twenties, seven or eight years younger than Han Xianyun. Yet he had already reached the martial arts limit. More importantly, Qi Yuan had been practicing martial arts for less than a year. Perhaps he truly could break through the martial arts limit just like Luo Bufan. After all, according to the records, Luo Bufan's martial talent had not been as high as Qi Yuan's. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan stepped onto the ring, his expression calm. His opponent was a towering, burly brute whose arms were thicker than Qi Yuan's thighs. Standing on the stage, he looked like a wall. "That kid has terrible luck, running into Iron Armor Gale of all people!" "Iron Armor Gale practices the peerless defensive Iron Armor Art. With defense like his, that young lad won't even be able to breach his guard!" "Why is he even here?" The martial artists below murmured amongst themselves, and worry crossed Han Xianyun's face as well. "His luck is really too bad. Even an ordinary fighter at the martial arts limit wouldn't stand a chance against Iron Armor Gale. After all... martial arts... have their limits!" After all, martial arts were still weak in this world, and physical size made a huge difference. That behemoth looked to weigh at least three hundred jin and stood two meters tall. A powerhouse like that could easily overpower martial artists even without training in martial arts, let alone having mastered a hard martial art like the Iron Armor Art. Yet on the stage, Qi Yuan looked at the burly giant, a look of pity in his eyes. "A physique like yours is great for corpse refinement. Too bad I'm a good person." With those words, Qi Yuan struck out abruptly. In the eyes of the watching martial artists, his speed was breathtakingly fast. Iron Armor Gale couldn't react at all. A tremendous force crashed right into his chest. "Argh!" Iron Armor Gale bellowed. Yet his massive body flew uncontrollably off the stage, crashing down with a deafening thud. The battle started quickly and ended just as fast. Everyone present looked on in utter shock; the scene before them was far too terrifying. "This... the martial arts limit! And certainly no ordinary martial arts limit!" As the realization dawned on them, the way they looked at Qi Yuan changed completely. "So young... This talent is even greater than Northern Crane and Southern Lion!" The martial artists in the hall were stunned. Several elderly martial artists on the elevated viewing platform even rose to their feet in excitement. "Has another Luo Bufan appeared in this world?" Every martial artist looked at Qi Yuan with renewed awe. After all, reaching the martial arts limit at such a tender age... Such talent was unprecedented, and perhaps would never be seen again. Perhaps... he truly had hope of breaking past the martial arts limit. At this thought, none of the martial artists present could stay calm. The gazes directed at Qi Yuan underwent a complete transformation. At this time, a martial artist glanced toward Zhang Yang, Southern Lion, with an inscrutable expression. "Zhang Yang, you have a real opponent this time. His strength... probably isn't beneath yours." Zhang Yang cast a glance at Qi Yuan, his eyes still haughty. "I am competing in this tournament, so the championship can only be mine. Hmph, his strength... in the past, I might have regarded it with some respect. But the me of today... is no longer who I used to be. If not to take the crown and exit on a high note, I wouldn't have deigned to participate in this Martial Arts Tournament at all." The current him was nothing like his past self. He... was already an immortal cultivator. Though he had only just stepped through the threshold... dealing with mere mortal martial artists would be an absolute breeze, wouldn't it? Facing Qi Yuan and the rest of these martial artists from upstart backgrounds, he naturally felt nothing but disdain. ... Meanwhile, in an alley. The fortune-teller, Yu Xiu, wore a look of agony. Dense red marks were actually erupting across his face. These red marks covered his entire visage, looking horrifyingly grotesque. "Not good..." Thump! Thump! Sounds resembling the beating of war drums resonated at this moment. Slumping limp onto the ground, his vision blurred. Through the mist ahead, a terrifying bipedal beast with two horns walked toward him. In its hand, the beast gripped an axe smeared with blood. The scene was utterly terrifying. Yu Xiu's face was painted with sheer dread. "How could it be a monster of this caliber...? It's over. I'm going to die here..." Bitterness filled his chest. He had just been doing an ordinary fortune-telling session to dispel a curse. How in the world had he ended up with such atrocious luck?