Spirit Cultivation

"Dad, explain yourself. What is the meaning of this?"

With her grandpa gone, Wu turned to her father, expecting an explanation. Xuefeng knew she wanted to have a wholesome meeting, trying to introduce him to her family yet they tried to kill him instead. How could she ever trust them in such case? 

She didn't seem to realize the importance of this talk, talking through his anger so Xuefeng hugged her again, trying to calm her down. 

"Wu, it's alright. They did what they thought was best for you. They were wrong but everyone makes mistakes," Xuefeng assured her, wrapping his arms around her. 

Wu used to calm much faster in his embrace and it worked once again, bringing out a sigh from her. Although it was awkward, he didn't want Wu to ruin her relationship with her family. After all, they were still family. As long as they didn't do anything horrible, it was okay to forgive.

"Xuefeng, I know it might not be enough for you but I want to apologize. I have nothing against you. I even advised my daughter to chase after you as you are a good man, worthy to be my son-in-law," Manager Kong apologized sincerely but Xuefeng didn't want it. 

"Don't apologize to me, I'm fine. Do it for your daughter who just lost her trust in you," Xuefeng suggested, hiding behind Wu so she becomes the main focus. "If she forgives you, I will too." 

"Wu, I'm sorry. You should know that me and your granddaughter have been secretly searching for the Elemental Bracelet for many years. That part is very true. Your grandpa searched throughout the Heaven Realm and I did it here in Earth Realm." Manager Kong confirmed. "It seems I failed as I wasn't able to find it in time. What's worse, the man I chose for you was actually the person who had the bracelet the whole time. What an irony." 

"When you learned about it, couldn't you simply give up on it then and support him?" Wu questioned, still upset with her father's choice. "I���m happy with Xuefeng. I don't want to kill him just to get his bracelet. I would hate and blame myself forever. I don't want to live like this."

"I figured since you haven't been with each other for too long, you would only end up hating me and your grandpa. As long as it could guarantee a bright future for you, we would accept such an outcome," Manager Kong replied simply before sighing, "We just didn't expect Xuefeng would be this strong, already on top of the Earth Realm." 

"Even if you succeeded and got it, do you think I would accept it? I would rather die than take it from you," Wu called out, her anger only kept in check by Xuefeng. "You want to give me bright future but did you ask me if that's what I want? I just want to be happy. I don't care about power or being the top of the world or make a mark in the history. If you asked me, I would tell you." 

"…" 

Manager Kong didn't reply to her right away. Nothing he would say would explain his actions. He knew he was wrong. His only chance is hope that Wu forgives him. 

"Even if I know that now, the damage is already done. I can't rewind time. If that is really what you want, I will respect your wish," Manager Kong decided for himself. "But, that's just me. I'm sure your grandpa will not give up on the Elemental Stone without a fight. It would mean he wasted so many years for nothing. For me it was just a side job but he was really invested in the idea of making you the greatest cultivator in existence." 

Manager Kong gazed at Wu softly and added, "In the end of the day, we just wanted the best for you. You know how much grandpa loves you. When he thought of giving you the Elemental Bracelet as a gift, he got obsessed. He was so invested in the search for so many years that he forgot to ask how do you feel about it. I'm also guilty of that." 

"Just forgive them. It's not that big of a deal," Xuefeng shared his opinion. "It's clear that your grandpa loves you. Either way, if I wanted to gain Trade Union's support, I would have to fight him to prove that I'm worthy of you so nothing changed. It just that he learned about me sooner than later." 

So what if they wanted to kill him? There were many who tried and all of them failed. He doesn't need to beg for the Elemental Stone in Wu's grandpa possession. He will take it himself and prove why the bracelet should belong to him. 

"Mhmm…" Wu nodded but she didn't seem to be fully convinced. 

He opened his mouth to assured her more when Ming called out to him, 'Ask him if the Holy Tournament is the reason why her grandpa wants to give her the bracelet.'

Xuefeng didn't hesitate and repeated the question out loud, trusting Ming. 

"What is the Holy Tournament?" Wu questioned confused and followed his gaze, looking at her father. 

"How do you know about the Holy Tournament?" Manager Kong asked back surprised and nodded, "Yes, indeed. Ten years ago they announced the date of the next Holy Tournament. Since then, we have been searching for the Elemental Bracelet for Wu as that's the only condition we would let her take part in it." 

"How come I don't know about it?" Wu complained upset. 

"We didn't tell you as we didn't find the bracelet. Without the bracelet that is one of the Godly treasures, we didn't want you to risk your life. Now that the last of the Godly Treasures is taken by Xuefeng, it's impossible for you to join anyway," Manager Kong explained. "It's a really deadly tournament for cultivators that are younger than one hundred years old. The survival rate is less than one for every hundred participants so only the top of the top are joining this one." 

Xuefeng wasn't really surprised but that, realizing people in this world seemed to love tournaments and brag how strong they are. He wasn't really a fan but if the reward was nice, there was no harm in trying. 

"I suppose the price for the winner is drool worthy for many to risk their lives like that, am I right?" Xuefeng guessed. 

"For the winners," Manager Kong corrected. "From what I know, top one hundred cultivators with the most kills that survive the trial will get an admission to Holy Academy and enter Ancient Lands. I don't know many details about it but one thing I know for sure. Anyone who returned from the Ancient Lands became a famous Cultivator with power that no one could match." 

'I guess I calculated correctly. It really is the time that Ancient Lands open once again. Hehe, I guess we will need to speed up and grab as many Elemental Stones before the Holy Tournament starts,' Ming commented with a giggle. 'He is right. Wu wouldn't be able to survive without having at least one treasure like Elemental Bracelet. Even you would have hard time surviving.'

'What are Ancient Lands?'