Taoist Master

A Match

3 months earlier.

Entering the grand Hall in the Celestial Heavens between two rows of guards and a security shield, Bai Qian had felt like a prisoner being led to the punishment block.  It all seemed so extravagant and unnecessary, but keeping her identity a secret, meant extreme measures.  And not just for her either, but also the fifteen other competitors who were also being led in under cover.

Now and then, she would catch a glimpse of energy through her own shield which of course had her wondering who it might belong to.  Only one person knew her true identity and that was Lord Pua who had taken the names of all the contestants before assigning her a number which was number three.  And the only things he would share with her in regards to the rest, was how many rivals she had and who her judges were.   Nothing else was shared.  All she had to do was make it through each round without being kicked out.

She had never even heard of them, so their names had been quickly forgotten, but she did learn that even though her number was three, the contestants were randomly chosen to answer the question from a box with their numbers in it, so there was no particular order for any of them, which she liked.  It meant, there was no preferential treatment.

Though the moment she sat down and the energy gave way, then her guards not only left her quietly sitting behind a large curtain, but she suddenly began to feel scared.  She had only entered the competition to prove to her brother that she was just as knowledgeable as he was in Taoism, after all, her father had taught them both along with Zhe Yan and even her mother.  But having been raised with a brother not much older than her, and so competitive in absolutely everything, he promptly deemed himself a Taoist extraordinaire the first time he ever attended the Great Taoist Debate which saw High God Mo Yuan win.

Yet despite her comprehensive knowledge on the subject, he never took her attempts to debate with him seriously, in that no matter how right she was, he literally scoffed at her, patted her head most affectionately and walked away shaking his head while his laughter would leave her fuming for days.  And it all came to a head when he literally told her in no uncertain terms, that she just didn't understand the basics of Taoism, so debating it was beyond her abilities and in the very next breath, he had informed her that he would be attending the next debate in a couple of weeks time, which gave her the idea of entering.  

Now sitting on a high backed cushioned chair and feeling both excited and very nervous, she listened as the judges were introduced before the entire hall fell silent.  Behind that curtain, that sudden cease of noise, immediately put her on edge.  There was something most intimidating about being walled in by ceiling to floor curtains and not knowing what was happening on the other side even though everyone out there knew she was there hiding from view. 

Yet if one of them were to breathe a little heavier than normal, the entire curtain would collapse and she would be bared to the world.  In fact, it almost felt like being completely naked in the bath with just an unlocked door between her and everyone else who could easily just walk on in and she would be exposed.  It felt that intimidating!

Only the moment she could hear the judges taking their seats, then a sort of calm fell over her as her eyes closed.  This was the big moment.  One of them would go home in just under a couple of hours while the rest would continue.  And the moment the question was announced, then that silence began to deepen as the first of the numbers were called out and the answers given.  

"In the least amount of words possible, define Taoism."

That was the first question which she felt quite confident in answering, then as each of her rivals spoke,  she began to realize how great the age gap was between herself and her peers.  Most sounded quite old, so were probably teachers on the subject and even masters, but the moment it came time for her to answer, the sudden eruption of voices beyond the curtain had her hesitating.  She had been the last to be called, but going by the conversations taking place, it seemed that her being a woman was causing quite a stir.