The Sword-Saint strode through the halls of the Sword-Dao Sects flying ship, his steps long and quick, filled with purpose. Lathus followed silently behind, not wanting to draw any ire from the Sword-Saint. He knew how important it was to the Sword-Saint that Ji'Han place first, and that had been shattered by this unknown participants score.
The Sword-Saint arrived at the exit of the ship, which was hovering high above the Yang-Dao Sect. He stepped out and sped towards the Yang-Dao Tower, which was the tall spire in the middle of the sect. The spire looked like a long flame surging up to the sky, its tip almost touching the dome of fire high above.
This was the central building of the sect, and was where the Yang-Dao Sovereign lived. The Sword-Saint appeared before the building a moment later, landing on a platform near the top of the spire. This platform could only be used by someone as important as the Sword-Saint, as it led directly to the Yang-Dao Sects throne room.
Several others were waiting on the platform already, although the Sword-Saint ignored them as he strode towards the throne room, pushing open the large doorway with purpose, as if it had somehow wronged him. The doors flew open, revealing a sprawling throne room on the other side.
The throne room was several hundred yards wide and long. Powerful flames danced from floor to ceiling on the edges of the room, bathing the throne room in an orange light. The heat of the fire was suppressed by a formation, making the room quite comfortable.
A long carpet of fire led directly towards the throne on the other side of the room, adding to the charm of the chamber. Like the flames on the edge of the room, the carpet of fire was suppressed by a formation, shielding those inside from harm.
The throne of the room was also made from pure flames, ones that burned with a scorching heat. On top of the throne sat a middle-aged cultivator, whose red hair flowed like flames behind him. His eyebrows were also red, and danced over his face like flames as well.
His orange eyes glowed like a sun, while his body gave off a natural heat, as if he was a source of pure yang energy himself. He wore the red and orange robes of the Yang-Dao Sect, although the quality of the robe was far better than the robes the other members wore.
The Sword-Saint's loud arrival drew the attention of those already in the room, who turned their heads to watch him approach. The Sword-Saint's eyebrows raised slightly as he saw them, clearly not expecting such a busy room already. There were six other people standing next to the throne, discussing something.
"Sword-Saint," a female who appeared to be in her late thirties nodded to him as he arrived. She had long purple hair, emerald, green eyes, a beautiful, mature face, and an alluring body. Her purple and gold robe clung tightly to her body, revealing eye-catching curves in several places.
"Mage-Sovereign," the Sword-Saint returned her greeting with respect. The woman before him was one of the few people on the entire planet that deserved such respect from him.
After greeting the Mage-Sovereign, the Sword-Saint looked at the others, who greeted him as well. With the Sword-Sovereign deep in a year long meditation session, trying to seek insight into a new sword art he had envisioned, the Sword-Saint was the defacto leader of the Sword-Dao Sect for the tournament duration.
The other's gathered were those of similar rank and prestige as him, Vice-Leaders of the Yang-Dao or Mage-Dao Sect.
"This is quite the crowd," the Sword-Saint said. "What have you gathered to discuss?"
"There's been a recent development with the testing formation," the Yang-Sovereign said, sitting atop his throne of flames. His voice was deep and powerful, as if it alone could move mountains and oceans.
"Very good," the Sword-Saint nodded, "that is why I have come here as well."
"We figured as much," the Mage-Sovereign said, her tone tinged with amusement, as if she was about to watch an intriguing show take place. She, along with all the others gathered, knew how important the testing scores were to the Sword-Saint, and had expected him to stir up a fuss once he found out about the new, alarmingly high score.
The Sword-Saint gave the Mage-Sovereign a pointed glance, then looked back to the Yang-Dao Sovereign. As the hosts of the tournament this time around, the Yang-Sovereign had ultimate authority on how to proceed regarding this development.
"What have you discovered? Who is this boy?" the Sword-Saint asked.
"Nothing yet," the Yang-Sovereign said, strumming his fingers on the armrest of his fiery throne. "We all just received notice of this score, and have gathered to discuss how to proceed."
"Discuss how to proceed?" the Sword-Saint frowned. "Isn't the path forward clear? This boy most certainly cheated, that much is clear. He must be stripped of his scores, exiled from whatever sect he comes from, and imprisoned for his egregious insult towards the sanctity of the Three Dao Tournament!"
"And you have proof of these accusations?" the Mage-Sovereign asked, a small smile on her face as she watched the Sword-Saint get worked up. Out of all the Holy Manifestation cultivators, he was always the one quickest to temper.
"Proof? The proof is his outlandish, impossible score!" the Sword-Saint said firmly, doing his best to not yell at someone as powerful and lofty as the Mage-Sovereign. The Three Dao Sovereigns were the pinnacle leaders of humanity, as well as the three strongest cultivators from the Dao Sects. Even him, with his Middle Holy Manifestation cultivation, was still weaker than the Mage-Sovereign, although not by much, and so he had to be treated carefully and respectfully through this situation.
"While his score is impossible to believe, that alone is not proof enough," the Mage-Sovereign said. "No one has managed to cheat the testing formations in the history of the tournament. Their creation alone took our three sects hundreds of years and countless resources to perfect, and you're saying this…boy…managed to trick the formations, and by extension, us?"
"Do you have any other explanation?" the Sword-Saint frowned. "It's far easier to believe he cheated somehow, than to believe he actually obtained these scores. He must be working with the Devils, who devised a way to cheat the test."
"And why would the Devils do such a time consuming yet insignificant thing?" the Mage-Sovereign asked, mouth curled with an amused look.
"To embarrass us, of course," the Sword-Saint replied. "The world knows of the prestige of this tournament, and them cheating us is simply a slap in the face of our prestige. It's something the Devils would do if given the opportunity. And to add to this theory, his sect isn't even listed. He does not belong to a Dao Sect, and therefore is an outsider. Where else could he come from?"
A thoughtful look appeared on the Yang-Sovereigns face, who then sighed.
"These are lofty and serious accusations," the Yang-Sovereign said. "The only solution is to bring the boy here, and discern the truth directly from him."
"I agree," the Sword-Saint said, eyes narrowing. "Let's see just how he managed to pull this wool over our eyes."
