Cicada Bone (4,000 words; monthly votes appreciated)

A gentle breeze stirred atop Flying Rainbow Peak.

Tianming Zai was Mr. Ming.

The old man was the leader of the Dragon-Tiger Tradition.

The old man laughed. "You're just too modest."

As they talked, a figure climbed the mountain, moving like a gust of wind. Before long, she reached the summit.

She was a slender woman with a capable look and practical clothes. Standing beside Mr. Ming, she glanced at the old man and hesitated.

Mr. Ming smiled. "We're all family. If there's something to say, just say it."

The woman smiled. "Boss, Tiger Granny sent word. The Crossing River Association has wrapped up successfully."

"Did Heaven's Will come to cause trouble?" Mr. Ming asked.

"They did. Three contestants were killed and one was injured, but we seized the chance to hunt down seven geniuses from their Number One Heavenly Courtyard."

"Understood," Mr. Ming said.

The old man smiled. "As the founder of the Crossing River Association, you don't seem very concerned about who became Martial Champion."

Mr. Ming sighed. "After so many tournaments, we've had Martial Champions by the handful, and Superior Physiques as plentiful as crucian carp crossing a river. Yet barely a handful have shown enough promise to become our followers. These young geniuses all charge like tigers at first, then wilt the moment they enter the Inner Heaven and Earth. They've no staying power... Compared with these champions, I've been more interested in a young girl with a Superior Physique. Her father is a veteran of Ever Joy. I happened to meet her once and discovered a section of Cicada Bone inside her..."

The old man looked surprised. "Cicada Bone? Seventeen-year or twenty-seven-year?"

"Seventeen-year," Mr. Ming said with a smile.

The old man looked a little disappointed. "A pity. If it were Twenty-Seven-Year Cicada Bone, after