Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 391: The Array Competition Begins

The energy within the Lightning Sect’s Grand Coliseum shifted once more after Volten’s announcement. The excitement from the Martial Comprehension Competition still hung in the air, but anticipation had already begun building for the next major event of the Elder Summit.

The stage rumbled to life. Lightning-etched formations flickered across the arena floor as the platform began reconfiguring itself. The smooth stone surface split into multiple hexagonal zones this time, each one pulsing faintly with pre-engraved a standard set of circuit lines—the foundation for the arrays that would soon be built on top and tested.

The coliseum stirred with renewed anticipation as the stands filled once more, the hum of conversation growing louder with each passing moment.

"Who’s got the fastest setup time this year?"

"I heard one of them can activate an entire array with a single movement—no setup delay at all."

"That’s nothing. What about the endurance rounds? The real test starts when the fifth construct joins the fight."

At the highest vantage point, Sect Master Volten leaned back into his chair, arms crossed as he observed the arena below. Beside him, Lassim tapped a finger idly against the armrest of his seat, watching as the once solid floor split apart.

A sharp metallic clang suddenly rang out from one of the side entrances of the coliseum. A new figure strode into the arena, her entrance neither rushed nor hesitant or flamboyant like the last announcer.

Her shoulder-length violet hair, loosely tied back, shifted back and forth with each step, faint static clinging to the strands. Perched atop her head, a pair of rune-etched goggles gleamed as she adjusted them, the red lenses flickering slightly.

She wasn’t wearing any standard uniform at all, nothing to give away if she was a disciple or an Elder. Instead, she wore a high-collared sleeveless coat, lined with carefully stitched script that pulsed in sequence with the small arrays woven into the fabric—subtle enhancements that seemed to be designed more for function rather than decoration.

She reached the center of the coliseum, then snapped her fingers—and another one of the side gates thundered open.

In near-perfect unison, 90 Personal Disciples stepped forward, entering the arena in controlled strides. They fanned out smoothly, forming an organized line along the newly revealed competition zone, not yet taking to stand in any of the new hexagon shaped platforms that were equally spaced out across the arena.

Only then did the announcer pause, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"Alright, alright, alright! Everyone settle down!" Her voice rang out across the coliseum, seemingly coming not fully from her mouth but enhanced by a rune on the lapel of her coat, carrying through the air as effortlessly.

The new Master of Ceremonies, grinned as she adjusted her flickering goggle glasses on top of her head, their runic inscriptions glowing faintly with an active mana-feed.

"For those of you who don’t know me—which, let’s be honest, means you don’t spend nearly enough time in the research halls—I’m Ilyara Renquist! Master Array Scholar, certified rune enthusiast, and your announcer for today’s Array Competition!"

"She’s quite a bit different from Niko," Tessa murmured beside Aurelian.

"More chaotic," Aurelian added, eyeing the ridiculously over-accessorized outfit she was wearing.

Lassim smirked. "She’s interesting."

Ilyara spread her arms dramatically, the projection screen used in the alchemy competition flaring to life once more behind her.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome! To all of you still reeling from the spectacle of kicks and beams from our last competition—allow me to introduce something just as thrilling! The Array Competition!"

Ilyara spun on her heel, pivoting toward the line up of 90 ranked Personal Disciples.

"Today, this is no ordinary contest of brute force! No, no, no!" she exclaimed, adjusting her glasses as multiple layers of blue-glowing runes activated along their rims. "This event’s focus is about testing the Array Master’s strategy, intelligence, and resilience in stressful situations! This is the most important aspect, the foundation upon which battles are won before they even begin, especially towards the Abyss! A good array can change the tides and defense against their legions, or like our Sect’s very own perpetual storm used in the Sect War."

She pointed toward the competitors, her voice rising in intensity.

"These 90 Personal Disciples standing before you are not your ordinary Spirit Warriors! They are the Lightning Sect’s future architects of war—the ones who fortify our strongholds, create our battle formations, and develop the protections that hold back our enemies!"

From the Elder’s section of the stands, a powerful humming resonance filled the air as three figures stood and flew down to land and sit at the Judge’s platform.

Ilyara gave a princely bow to them, making quite a few of the female disciples in the crowd swoon.

"Now, let’s introduce the ones who will determine your fates! Our esteemed Array Masters, the finest minds in our sect when it comes to formations and constructs!"

Ilyara flicked her wrist, and three prominent figures stepped forward from the judging platform. "For those of you competing today—these three are the ones you need to impress. And let me be clear…"

She leaned forward, her voice carrying a playful but serious edge.

"They aren’t easily impressed."

A few of the competitors visibly straightened, tension rippling through the assembled Personal Disciples.

Ilyara gestured toward the first judge, a woman whose reinforced leather-metal armguards bore the faint glow of engraved lightning runes, her sleeves pushed up to reveal bands of inscription coils embedded directly into the fabric. Her deep violet hair, braided with intricate blue threads woven for aesthetic design, was pulled over one shoulder today.

Unlike the refined composure of the other judges, her presence carried the unmistakable air of a craftsman—someone who forged the very constructs that fortified the sect and refused to tolerate anything less than perfection. Lassim smiled and waved, catching her side-eye glance and returned a smile as she looked in his direction.

"This is Elder Rlyis," Ilyara announced. "The foremost Lightning Construct Array Master of the sect. If you’ve ever activated a Lightning Construct, relied on an array-forged defense, or witnessed a mechanized guardian in action—there’s a high chance she was the one who designed it and made it."

A few murmurs rippled through the crowd at the confirmation. Rlyis, however, barely reacted.

Ilyara, amused, turned next to the second judge, a tall, well-built man clad in a platinum-silver set of armor, accented with deep purple alloy streaks, its surface shifting faintly as if the metal itself was alive. Unlike Rlyis, his presence was blindingly sharp, but also sturdy, like a heavy broadsword sharpened to the maximum was flashing itself in front of you. His platinum hair gleamed unnaturally bright under the arena lights, each strand reflecting like polished silver wire, untouched by time or imperfection.

"And next, we have Elder Eno—the Lightning Sect’s premier metallurgist and fabricator," Ilyara declared. "For thousands of years, he has personally forged, refined, and reinforced the alloys that form the foundation of our constructs and defensive barriers."

A few of the array competitors straightened at that revelation. The very metal used in the sect’s core defensive arrays and everything metal used across all the lightning constructs? That was his work.

Ilyara smirked slightly. "If you think an array is just about runes, you’re wrong. Without the right materials, no construct or array will hold. That’s why he’s here—because he knows the difference between durability and decoration for any of your inventions you’ll showcase today."

Unlike Rlyis, Eno simply clasped his metal-plated hands behind his back, his expression unreadable. His personally-forged armor gleamed faintly under the lightning flashes from the storm above.

Where Rlyis would evaluate the array creation skills, Eno would challenge the materials and construction.

And then, finally—

Ilyara turned toward the last judge.

Unlike the first two, this woman was older, wrapped in flowing, rune-woven robes that shimmered with layered lightning inscriptions. Her deep lightning-blue eyes carried a presence heavier than the storm overhead, her expression the epitome of unshakeable patience and discipline.

Each judge and even the announcer all didn’t wear the standard Elder robes, but Lassim thought that perhaps this was just how all the Array Masters were when it came to their fashion.

"And finally, we have Elder Sarrin Vel—the Grand Defensive Architect of our Lightning Sect!" Ilyara announced, her voice carrying the weight of the title. "She is the one responsible for maintaining the grand defensive arrays that power our headquarters, sect walls, and deep-ward barriers. If you think your work is ’stable,’ let me remind you—she maintains the array that has held back and fought against the wrath of the Sun Sect and the Abyss’ influence. Not only that, but she’s done so for millenia."

A few disciples visibly stiffened at that fact.

Sarrin’s gaze swept across the competitors, her violet eyes piercing, as if already predicting which ones would fail first.

Ilyara leaned forward conspiratorially, though her voice still rang across the arena. "If your barrier is unstable, if your formations are inaccurate, if you think ’good enough’ is an acceptable standard—walk away now. Because she will find your flaws."

A hush spread through the crowd.

Elder Sarrin was the first one to actually make a comment, her voice steady, low, and utterly firm, as she commanded, "Do not waste my time."

The tension skyrocketed. Some competitors swallowed nervously. Others tightened their grips on their array parchment scrolls and materials, steeling themselves for what was coming.

Ilyara straightened, clapping her hands together, her smirk returning.

"Alright, now that our esteemed judges are in place… let’s get to what you all came for—the competition itself!"

Ilyara adjusted her runic goggles, a bit of a habit it seemed, the inscriptions flashing brilliant azure as a set of floating diagrams appeared in the projection screen behind her.

She extended a hand toward the competitors.

"For all of you standing here today—this competition is your chance to prove your worth as budding array masters," she declared. "This is where speed, stability, and ingenuity will be tested!"

She lifted three fingers.

"Three phases. Three tests. If your arrays break, if you fail the installation, if you lack control—you’re out."

A murmur ran through the stands, excitement thickening the air.

Ilyara pointed toward the hexagonal platforms slightly below from her position, "The first trial is simple—install your Lightning Defense Array as fast as possible."

A flick of her wrist, and the display changed, showcasing a holographic timer with just 30 seconds on it.

"You will each be assigned a designated hexagonal zone, where you must engrave, inscribe, or activate a standard Lightning Barrier Array. You are being judged on speed. If your array is unstable or improperly formed, you will be immediately disqualified. Not by the clock, but… I’ll get to that in a moment."

Several disciples exhaled slowly, their hands already moving toward their array tools and prepared materials. Ilyara’s smirk sharpened.

"For those of you who have been bragging all year about your ’lightning-quick formation speed’—this is where you prove it."

The projection changed again, revealing five humanoid figures composed of pure lightning, their skeletal metallic frames glowing with storm energy.

"The clock counts down to that part I was mentioning. This is where things get fun," Ilyara teased with a slightly evil grin that sent chills through the competitor’s spines. "Once that timer his zero, regardless of if your arrays are set up or not… you will be attacked."

A ripple of excited murmurs ran through the audience.

"These aren’t just any opponents," she continued, motioning toward the animated Lightning Constructs now materializing at the edges of the field. "These Lightning Constructs will serve as your enemies—formed from a special combination of lightning and metal, designed to test your barriers’ endurance through both mana-based and physical attacks."

She grinned. "And here’s the best part."

"Not only will the constructs be 1 level directly higher than your current cultivation at the start, the longer you last, the more enemies will attack."

A shockwave of excitement erupted through the audience.

"The test starts with a single construct," Ilyara explained. "If your barrier holds for five attacks, another will be added to repeat, for another round of 5 attacks from each construct happening simultaneously. If it still holds, this will continue up to five constructs at once."

Her eyes gleamed.

"But if you survive that? The constructs will be ranked up—two levels higher than you. Then, the cycle begins again."

"If you somehow survive up to five attackers at two ranks above you? We keep going."

The tension skyrocketed. The final projection shift displayed various lightning arrays in intricate, glowing geometric patterns. Ilyara exhaled dramatically. "And then… we reach the last stage."

"If there are multiple survivors, the judges will determine the final rankings based on efficiency, creativity, and strategic innovation for the arrays you utilized today."

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She pointed at the competitors.

"This last test is not just about your barrier’s endurance or resilience. This is about who creates something truly remarkable. If your array is standard? You’d better hope you have perfect execution or else you’ll be judged more harshly. You all are Personal Disciples! SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!."

Then, her voice lowered, taking on a dramatic tone. Ilyara grinned one last time, cracking her knuckles. "Well, then. Let’s get started, shall we? Competitors, take your positions in the center of any free platform."