A Thousand-Year Old Prophecy

42: Festival Competition 5

Nyssa couldn't help spacing out habang nakatingin sa mga tao sa baba ng restaurant.

These people did not have any cultivation power. But that was not the reason why this town was hidden.

Kung tutuusin without their trust issues, these people were quite nice. Everyone treated her and Loki nicely after they started to perform tasks comfortably without any cultivation at all.

Well, as for Loki, wala naman talaga siyang cultivation. And as for her? You know very well her condition at all.

But what made Nyssa think so deeply right now was the fact that these people isolated themselves, decided to hide within mountain, just because some cultivators couldn't get a grip of themselves and even these innocent people were not spared.

Nyssa quite knew the story of these people from her old life.

Like Anastasia, she also joined this Central City Festival.

That was the reason why she was very familiar with the missions.

That's why she was so prepared.

Pero di gaya ngayon, she had quite a hardship when as Nyssa, she needed to do tasks for these people.

She couldn't understand why they hated cultivators. She couldn't stop using cultivation power during those times.

Until...

Days after she won the contest, she found out that the people of this town was annihilated.

They were killed by those people who were also participants of this competition.

They had taken revenge just because they gave them a hard time. That's how they showed them how cultivators were way above than non-cultivators.

Hindi napansin ni Nyssa na ang mahigpit na pagkakakuyom ng kamay niya at pagtiim ng bagang niya. Not until someone pointed it out to her.

"By the way your jaw hardening and hands clenching, one might thought you are prepared to kill."

It was Jin.

Hindi niya napansin na lumabas pala ito ng kwarto.

Nyssa blinked and then her expression softening.

"I.. I was just thinking something."

"I could tell. Do you wanna share?" Jin had this smug smile again.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Bakit? Close ba tayo?"

Suddenly, Jin's smirking face was in front of her.

"Ayan. We're close now."

Her hand instantly raised.

Pero agad itong napigilan ni Jin kasabay ng tawa nito.

"I am just kidding." Sabay layo sa kanya.

"Ehem..."

Both of them looked on their right. They saw there Mr. Mercer standing.

Then he approached them with a teasing smile.

"I am glad you seem to be staying well here, Miss Ana."

"Thank you, Mr. Mercer." Magiliw pa na nginitian ni Nyssa ang matandang lalaki.

Napakamot naman sa ulo niya si Jin.

He doubted if the lady got whatever the old man was trying to imply.

***

Nang matapos na makakain yung apat ay agad ding umalis sila Nyssa at Loki.

Gaya nga ng sabi ng bata kanina, they still had an upcoming mission to do.

As for the four lads, they continued doing their mission for Mr. Mercer until he already gave them a signature.

Puro ganun lang ang ginawa nila hanggang sa dumating na ang ikalimang araw ng Festival Competition.

***

"About time..." Nyssa said as she saw Toby's group coming sa ikatlong venue.

May ilan pa na kasunod nila but she no longer paid them attention.

Instead, she went down from the tree and landed beside Loki.

Hindi rin naman nagtagal ay nagsalita na ang isa sa mga test masters na naroroon kanina pa.

"Good to see you all again.

"It's been five days since this Festival started. I am glad to see that there are still quite a lot of you here.

"However, this is the last test, last day and last chance to grab the opportunity to be the winner.

"As all of you know, only one can win the prizes we have prepared. And so, we are encouraging all of you to give your best in this last test now." The test master on the left said.

"This last test will be all about your personal skills as cultivator. If in the second test, you have to suppress yourselves. This time, you have to go all out.

"Behind us is a forest full of unknown things and creatures. Your goal, though, is to go to the deepest part of the forest and take that golden egg lies in there.

"That golden egg is said to be from the Adarna Bird itself. So within that hides a huge deal of power."

Nyssa smirked to herself.

Adarna's golden egg, huh?

"It's a bluff..." Maru reacted within the void. Of course, she was watching this. Pero hindi niya inaasahang siya ang gagamitin ng mga taong ito.

Usual na na sa mga Festival na gaya nito ay inaassociate ang mga ancient beasts at deities sa mga test nila. But still...

How dare these people say she has golden egg?

Ano siya? Bibe?

Nyssa stopped herself from laughing.

She could feel Maru's protest within her. She also started feeling angry.

Kundi lang siya natatakot na mapagkamalang baliw ng mga nakapaligid sa kanya, baka tinukso pa niya ito.

Kaya naman she remained quiet and tried to maintain her expression impassive kahit na sa totoo lang ay tawang tawa na siya.

She just masked it by coughing lightly.

"But of course, taking the golden egg won't be that easy at all as it won't just be you who wants it." The left test master finished with a mysterious smile.

Other participants started to whisper among themselves. Curious about what the test master was pertaining to.

"I believe everyone knows their goal now. So...

"Let the race begin."

***