Taoist Master

The Grand Final 6

The noise from the hall was beginning to pick up as Yuan Shi and his two companions, past disciples of his, sat down to await the arrival of the final ten contestants.   Around them, palace staff came and went quietly about their duties while ensuring to remain out of sight of those gathering just few yards away and all the while, the excitement in his belly rose for the day to begin.

Yuan Shi was the official Celestials Grand Master Taoist and the only one considered just as much an authority on the subject as Mo Yuan and Di Jun. F or centuries he had taken on students much like them and he had produced some talented graduates who had gone onto heading their own temples and schools so his fame and rank was exceptionally high.

Only sitting at the low table awaiting the call to take their places, saw him sitting with his head bowed in deep contemplation.  Other than Mo Yuan and Di Jun, no one else over the vast centuries had earned his respect for the great knowledge they held, though lately the Lady Grand Master was added to his short list.  However, the past few weeks had seen the rise or perhaps the appearance of even more talent that to his mind deserved the same respect and having already figured out who most of them were, he had been able to tailor his questions to them directly which saw the very best erupt.

Only one man had him stumped.  He could not name him nor could he determine the source of his knowledge or his tribal affiliations.   Even if he hadn't recognized Mo Yuan and Di Juns energies and despite their disguised voices, both men gave away their identities through several means.  That being certain words and phrases they used as belonging solely to the Celestials hierarchy along with the slight differences in accents.  Bai Qian on the other hand was the only female there with just as much knowledge as those two men and the elite schooling to back herself up whereas the other woman who he had already determined to be Queen Liu Fei was not quite there.  And he knew it was her going by the presence of her three sons in the audience.

Zhe Yan on the other hand gave himself away several times by using references to peaches, peach trees and even its wine and with his elite energy on top, he could only be the High God himself.  Whereas Bai Zhis accent, vast knowledge and High God energy gave him away as the Fox King himself.  Ci Hang of course was a close personal friend, and the Taoist monks from the north were his own past students.  That left the mystery man and one that was causing him a headache because so far he was the only one who had not had a question tailored personally to him.

But having spent the entire week going over that mans answers, he had a fair idea of the manner of man that he was at least, so his question for the day was one he hoped would challenge him while also giving up clues to his identity.  And the moment the call came to enter the main hall, Yuan Shi was not only prepared for the final ten, but he had already determined who would most likely continue on to the final five  and when the real debating would take place.

The wide arced curtain was still the same width but the contestant now had far more  space to relax in, though once the final five were determined, the arc would shorten considerably and their comfort would be narrow again.  This was important because it added to the pressure they would all be under and those who struggled would make way for the final four, and then three before the final two were announced.

Now raising a hand to settle the audience behind him, Yuan Shis smile rose along with the card in his hand that would determine who would go first.

"Number seventeen.  Is going with the flow the best course of action in every situation?"

Closing her eyes briefly, Bai Qians mind went back to a debate she'd had with her family on this exact question.  A multitude of scenarios had played out and all manner of persuasions came from that debate, but with only thirty seconds to answer the question, Bai Qian honed in on the one answer that her father had given which she still held true.  She also knew he would no doubt use the same argument but this was the Grand final with only five places left at the end of the session, so any loyalty she had to her father did not register.   So ruthlessly taking his words she kicked off the final debate with what she hoped would be just as persuasive as it had been back then.