A day later, Chen Chuan returned to Kawatua. Gazing down at all of Hatikan from the sky, he saw that nothing was amiss.
Above the clouds, Ikus's shadow had grown noticeably more solid and spirited. Upon seeing Chen Chuan return, it even poked its head out from the cloud layer to greet him.
Chen Chuan nodded in response. In just the few days he had been gone, Ikus had already regained this much vitality; in two months' time, it seemed there really would be no need to worry about Kawatua.
His return caused no stir this time. Ikus had given Hatikan Temple advance word, and the temple guards even raised their spears in salute toward his figure as he flew past.
Back at the manor, Chaoming, perched on the eaves, let out a chirp and leaped down, bounding swiftly to him. Chen Chuan reached out and stroked Chaoming's head.
Thanks to their cultivation a while back, Chaoming had also benefited greatly, its body having grown noticeably larger.
A larger frame meant it could accommodate more mutated tissue. Generally, mutated creatures in the Confluence favored the brute-force approach of piling on raw bulk; aside from certain swarming species, the more powerful a beast was, the more gargantuan its stature tended to be.
Only upon reaching a certain tier would mutated tissue begin internal metamorphosis, which usually indicated the possibility of entering a life-advancement phase.
Both in the past and in the present, Chaoming had been able to aid him in combat, and he hoped the same would hold true in the future. Yet as his own tier advanced, the gap between them was widening, so he needed to find ways to help Chaoming improve as well.
He had yet to use the essence Ikus had given him last time. While it would undoubtedly benefit Chaoming tremendously, until the risk of assimilation was resolved, leaving it unused was the wiser choice.
There was no rush now, either. If he could smoothly break through his realm boundary, he would gain access to far more resources and channels of information upon returning home, at which point he could give the matter thorough consideration.
Walking into the manor's lounge, he used his boundary credential to contact the rest of his team. Over the past few days, conditions in Kawatua had seen virtually no change, but the outside world was quite another story.
In the Federation, the West Coast Council had been mentioning Kawatua with unprecedented frequency. After all, the breach of Arcana State's Center City was an enormous event, and the Federal Government had expressed official concern.
For the past few days, the West Coast Council had been drumming up claims that Kawatua had assaulted Arcana's Center City, inflicting catastrophic destruction on the urban areas and carrying out indiscriminate massacres and abuse of innocent civilians.
In reality, this was pure fabrication. As a former Federation citizen, Ahtawa understood international rules well enough to know what could and could not be done.
In the past, Kawatua would have had no way to counter such wanton slander; the outside world simply had to accept whatever the Federation claimed.
Now that Great Shun had stepped forward in support, however, things were different. Great Shun wielded substantial influence over international public opinion as well. The delegation had documented Ahtawa's entire offensive into Arcana State, and once that mountain of evidence was released, many of the Federation's falsehoods collapsed on their own.
Furthermore, documentaries detailing the horrific plight of the First People began circulating internationally, their specifics and authenticity indisputable. Many civilians learning of these matters for the first time were profoundly shocked, sparking an international outcry against the Federation.
After reviewing this, Chen Chuan nodded slightly. This combo punch had landed well. It wasn't that Great Shun hadn't considered doing this in the past, but it required Kawatua's own cooperation.
Back then, those people had only cared about integrating into the Federation and avoiding offending them, but now circumstances had shifted. He dared say that if Kawatua wished to join the Federation now, it would actually be easier than before.
Beyond the war of words, the Federation had hardly remained idle. According to intelligence provided by Deputy Delegation Leader Lu, martial artists across West Coast cities appeared to have received conscription notices, seemingly gearing up for a full-scale assault on Kawatua.
This had indeed exerted unprecedented pressure on Kawatua.
Yet to him, it felt more like the Federation was bluffing.
Of course, if the Federation truly intended to do so, he would welcome it gladly.
Having reviewed the reports, he went indoors to rest.
Around noon, having heard of his return, Xin Hongtu came to pay a visit. He first gave a general update on Kawatua's recent arrangements and progress, while also extending an invitation.
To celebrate the rebirth of Kawatua and their recent victory, they were organizing a pellet-ball tournament that had not been held in a decade.
Moreover, given the special occasion and to honor the friendship between Great Shun and Kawatua, members of Great Shun's delegation had formed a team of their own to participate.
Chen Chuan had noticed mention of this in the reports as well.
Most members of his security detail had signed up. Because the Great Shun members were unfamiliar with the rules, they had spent the past few days practicing and getting accustomed to them; being fighters, picking up the game's rules had posed little difficulty.
Chen Chuan knew that pellet ball was widely popular among the First People—in the past, it had been a pastime played by the entire population—so he readily accepted.
Three days slipped by in a flash. On the official day of the tournament, at Xin Hongtu's warm invitation, they set out together by carriage and arrived at the spectator stands of the pellet-ball arena in the eastern part of the city.
Once they were seated, dozens of young First People women came forward carrying trays of food and beverages.
Xin Hongtu said warmly, "These are the first batch of recovered foodstuffs gathered from our holy ground, so we offer them to our honored guests."
Chen Chuan took a look. Even before tasting them, he could sense the rich nutrients contained within the food.
This was likely due to the sacred tree; and when nutritional density was high, it tasted exceptionally delicious to martial artists.
As for the accompanying beverage, it was the pressed juice of a unique fruit from the Confluence, its liquid glistening crystal-clear in the glassware.
Xin Hongtu remarked, "In Kawatua, the highest grade is the sap of the sacred tree. What we had saved in the past was all used for ritual offerings, but now that the sacred tree is returning, once we obtain more, we will surely serve it to Mr. Chen first."
Chen Chuan smiled. "Then my thanks in advance."
After chatting for a while, the players from both sides began entering the arena below.
Teams from both sides filed into the field through the arena's inner tunnels.
This match was between members of the Great Shun delegation and a traditional Kawatua team. All participants were fighters, ranging from the First Limit to the third limit, each assigned a specific role on the field.
A pellet-ball match could field anywhere from eleven to thirty-three players per side; the more players involved, the more intricate and exciting the game became. To allow more people to take part in this celebratory event, they used a large-scale arena roomy enough for dozens of fighters on both sides to sprint back and forth, thoughtfully equipped with field screens.
Below the oval stadium lay a rectangular playing pitch. At both ends stood vertically arranged ring-shaped apertures of varying heights and diameters; in addition, pits and depressions of various sizes dotted the ground.
Pellet ball had an intricate system of rules and scoring mechanics. In short, points were scored by bouncing the ball into the pits below or hurling it through the stone rings.
Throws into the ground pits had to ensure the ball rebounded out from another hole to score successfully; failure to do so resulted in a penalty. Skilled players could even make the ball bounce repeatedly through multiple pits in a single throw.
Only after skipping the ball through a set number of pits and accumulating sufficient points did one earn the right to shoot at the rings. Different stone rings represented different point values, but a shooter could only target a ring whose score divided evenly into their side's current round of points. If one's mental arithmetic fell short and they shot at the wrong ring, points would be deducted just the same.
During play, fighters could stomp hard on the ground to disrupt the ball's bounce according to its trajectory, and designated blockers worked to impede shots.
Notably, if the ball skipped through every pit in one go under active interference, the thrower automatically gained the right to target any ring regardless of point divisions. If the ball then passed through every single ring in one continuous throw, it was termed a "Divine Grace Throw."
Such a feat was historic. Over the past several millennia, it was said to have occurred only thirteen times, underscoring its sheer difficulty.
After exchanging courtesies, the match swiftly got underway.
Chen Chuan watched closely. The most conspicuous performer was Wei Dong, serving as the primary ball-carrier and rusher, who threw everything into chasing and colliding with a hulking opposing player in fierce back-and-forth clashes. Wu Han acted as secondary rusher, covering the main offensive push.
Whenever an opportunity arose to shoot at the rings, it was always passed to Feng Xiaoqi, who possessed the quickest mental math and threw with pinpoint accuracy.
Luo Kaiyuan served in a support role, accurately judging every ball rebounding from the pits, either spiking it back into another hole or intercepting and passing it for a shot at the rings.
Wei Chang'an took charge of directing and coordinating the plays, organizing wave after wave of defense and assault.
Chen Chuan observed that this sport integrated martial techniques, observation, decisiveness, reaction speed, and teamwork. It served as exceptional training for both combat skills and collaborative synergy.
Unfortunately, due to the First People's low social standing, the game had never received much recognition.
He mused to himself that with a few minor modifications, the sport might well be popularized in Great Shun, perhaps even commercialized to some degree.
An hour later, the first match concluded.
Owing to their polished technique and well-rehearsed tactics, Kawatua's players secured a commanding lead. In the second match, however, out of diplomatic goodwill, they began easing off—after all, they couldn't allow the Great Shun delegation to lose face.
Yet the delegation members gradually found their rhythm. Having deciphered some of the opposing tactics, they rallied remarkably fast. The contest turned into a spirited back-and-forth, and by halftime they had leveled the score.
When it came to the deciding final match, the Kawatua side buckled down in earnest. Both sides traded points in a neck-and-neck duel, ratcheting tension to a peak as cheers roared through the stands in rolling waves.
In the end, Kawatua's superior experience carried the day. Successfully executing a tactical play, they turned a seemingly disadvantageous position around in the final minute. Great Shun had no time left to mount another offensive, ultimately conceding a narrow, hard-fought defeat.
Nevertheless, both sides came away thoroughly pleased, particularly the Great Shun delegation—for a first-ever appearance, their showing had been exemplary.
Chen Chuan applauded. Looking around the arena, he saw the people of Kawatua cheering wildly, their faces brimming with joy and excitement, and he nodded slightly to himself.
Kawatua's current ruling echelon understood how to guide the populace and unite hearts. This was the proper way.
Governance was never just a matter of wielding armed force; it demanded internal cohesion and leadership. The old Kawatua had completely neglected this, or rather hadn't cared in the slightest what the common folk thought. What was happening now was a healthy sign.
Just then, an orderly hurried over, handed him a decrypted telegram, and whispered, "Section Chief, a telegram from Delegation Leader Xie."
Chapter 1277