Crack

  I let my opponent fall to the ground after meeting my fist to her jaw and look around the quadrant I was segregated into.

  When there isn’t anyone aiming for your head, the free-for-all at the beginning of the promotional tournament goes by pretty fast. I idly watch the few fights still going on around me, raising a brow as I see two younger disciples discard their swords and start wrestling on the ground.

  “Stop.”

  A voice says in a normal tone, but it pervades across the grounds and forces all fights to a stop.

  Walking past the disciples carrying the limp body of my st opponent up and away, I walk with everyone else to gather in a retively organized fashion in front of the stands filled with very important people.

  Though noticeably far less than the one a few months ago, with not even the Sect Leader present this time. Winter is close, a few months away, so they’re probably gone to prepare for it. Plus, the most talented and likely to reach Meridian Creation were promoted at the st tournament.

  I doubt many here with me, will be able to ascend even after we reached the ninth stage.

  I bring my roaming eyes away from the various elders and core disciples as an elder steps up to the front of the stands above us.

  “Congratutions disciples, you sixteen are the future of our great sect, those who will protect the glorious Empire and enact the will of those chosen by the Heavens.”

  He pauses for a moment to let his words settle, “You shall prove today who amongst you are the strongest, the worthiest to have a chance to ascend and join the inner sect.”

  “Prove your Dao.”

  We get sent to the stands where the elders sit, though separated and shoved to the corner but still with a good view of the fights. Unluckily, I’m not amongst the first eight sent to fight so I’m stuck having my blood cool from the warmup while I watch the fights, luckily, I get to observe all my potential competitors.

  Including that young master from a few months ago.

  He wasn’t lying when he said he could be the strongest in the outer sect. His opponent, a boy wielding a sword as well, charges with determination and leaps towards his rexed opponent with a determined yell as he brings down his sword.

  All I see is the Hiu Young Master’s arm blur before blood erupts in a wave from the boy’s chest as he goes flying back.

  My eyes narrow as the young master haughtily stands in the center, robes somehow billowing around him as the match is called and disciples rush to grab the defeated boy. He’s fast, at the brink of what I can react to, but that ssh… it wasn’t as deep as it should have been.

  It was debilitating certainly, but from what I can see as the boy moans in pain as he’s carried away by stretcher, he barely dug to the ribcage. We’re told to fight just short of death, the sect taking care of what happens after and he doesn’t seem to be the type to hold back that much.

  So he’s fast, but not as strong. Good.

  I idly watch as the rest of the fights take a bit longer than the Hiu’s, expected as-

  Never mind, it seems that there’s more than just the Hiu to watch out for. I watch as a woman yields due to the sword resting on her neck, easily disarmed by the girl holding said sword. My eyes narrow on the girl as she walks away without looking back at her opponent, I didn’t see most of her fight but she’s skillful, very skillful given she barely broke a sweat and it being a mere minute after the fights started. If she wins against the Hiu boy, then it will be an interesting fight.

  I watch the other disciples, not noticing anything too interesting from them but it takes a few more minutes before the matches are decided and I get called up with the other half of the contenders.

  Walking to the set quadrant for the fight, I slip my spear free from my back and brandish it towards my opponent, a lithe girl wielding, as expected, a slim jian. I left my own sword behind, not trying to ruin my showing by showing off my pitiable sword skills.

  It’s mainly meant as a st resort, so it doesn’t hamper me much.

  I wait until the elder calls the match and as soon as he does, the ground cracks beneath my feet as I charge at the girl.

  Her eyes widen as I close the distance in a blur, bde gging and clearly showing she’s a stage or two below, but it’s fast enough to just hit my spear’s bde to try deflecting it.

  Try, as I just muscle through the meager force that she puts against the bde, even if she has the skill to overcome the strength difference, her reaction and speed is still gging, and I stop my spear just short of her face.

  She stills like a doe in face of the bde.

  “Yield?”

  She answers my question with a shaky nod, and I pull back my spear with a respectful nod as I walk back to the stands and leave her standing in surprise and fear.

  Gncing around, I see that the fights are still picking up steam, the combatants going at it with one another with fury and look to be evenly matched. I notice only two others that seem to be at lower stages, given the difference in speed and strength they fight at, and coincidentally, they’re both matched with one another.

  I get a few minutes to stretch while the fights finish up but luckily short enough that my blood is still pumping as I face my next opponent, this time all eight of us remaining are fighting at once.

  I’m going to aim to finish this up quick so I can get a chance to observe the other two, I’d rather not have any surprises.

  “Give up now weakling,” the words slither into my ears, and I shiver in disgust at the sheer arrogance coming off of it and bring my gaze to my opponent.

  A brow raises as I catch sight of all the glittering gold the man has across his form, from the bare bit of armour he has to the halberd he wields.

  My other brow joins the other in amusement as the man swings his halberd around, flourishing it and showing off his dexterity as it spins around his form and between his hands until he lowers into a high stance, bde pointed behind him and to the sky, ready to be brought down.

  “You cannot fathom the peak of my skill; my bde has never been stopped and will not be by you.”

  I don’t say anything and instead join him and get into my own stance, spear pointed and ready. As the signal is given, I decide to caution myself and approach a bit more slowly, but my opponent seems to want to set the pace and with a glint in his eyes, dashes forward and reels his arm back.

  “Fall!”

  He heaves the massive bde at me, and I decide to test him and send my own spear sweeping up to meet his.

  Cng

  Metal striking metal shrieks through the air as our weapons bounce off one another. Reeling my weapon back, I brandish it towards my opponent who settles back into his own stance, arrogant smile widening.

  “You see weakling, you cannot hope to match me!”

  “Just fight,” I merely say, something that gets a vein throbbing on his forehead and he reels his arm back for another heavy strike.

  Like I said, I was testing his strike, and I can tell from my experience with Xue Xu that he put his all into it, and quite frankly, he’s cking compared to her.

  Which means he’s cking in strength to me as well.

  CLANG

  A louder bang echoes out as our bdes collide even harder than before as I put greater strength into it and I see my bde chip away as it digs into his own, the spear not built for meeting another bde.

  But it doesn’t matter right now because I’m pushing him back.

  A grin creeps onto my face as the man winces on the other side from the force, arm buckling slightly and even though I can feel the reverbs coursing through my arms, it’s nothing compared to what I typically train with my Martial Art.

  Actually…

  Swoosh CLANG

  My grin covers my face as I retract and sm my spear back within a fraction of a second, giving the man no time to center himself from the st blow and I can see his arms shake as he strains to keep my weapon back.

  CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

  I start a fury of strikes, each stronger than the st, each chipping away at my weapon against his higher-quality one but it pushes him down bit by bit, arms dipping down and feet sliding back from the sheer force.

  CLANG CLANG THUNK THUNK

  I’m not even aiming for him now, just his weapon as he braces it horizontally with both hands above his head and takes it to the shaft.

  THUNK THUNK

  I sm a foot forward, getting closer into his guard and I meet his panic filled eyes with my gleeful ones as I reel back for a heavy blow.

  “Hold tight.”

  CRACK

  His arms dip down, smming his weapon’s shaft into his chest as he goes flying back and to the ground from the massive blow that shatters my spear in half.

  I fly through the splinters in the air and leap up, casting a shadow on the man ying dazedly on the ground who looks up just in time to see me dropping on him, the sharp end of my broken weapon pointed straight at him and he screams.

  “IIIAHHHHH!” A high-pitched scream rings across the arena.

  The remains of my spear hovers over the man’s chest, poised to stab but I keep myself from doing so as I just stare at the man who finally opens his eyes and his shrieking dies down.

  I step away from him in amusement as his face explodes like a tomato and he scrambles to his feet.

  “YOU- ahem,” he coughs and deepens his voice, “you dare!”

  I just wave over my shoulder as I walk to the side, and I hear him scrambling behind me.

  “Who do you think you are!? I am Lixue! The Unstoppable Bde of the Blue Acre Prefecture! There is no way a plebian like you can defeat someone-,” I tune the man out as he starts bbbering about something or another.

  He has quite the pair of lungs on him.

  I despondently look at the remains of my spear in hand, the hardened wood splintered and in no condition to be repaired. Not even the bde escaped unscathed, chipped all over from me meeting Lixue’s halberd head on but it’s more useful than the wooden end which I toss to the side.

  I was thinking about repcing the spear anyways, not rated to handle my eventual strength in Meridian Creation so it’s good it helped me one st time.

  “Tempest’s Mist.”

  My eyes lock onto the fight just as it finishes, and it finishes quite spectacurly as I see the same girl from before as her sword goes through her opponent’s sword and rest it on his neck.

  What?

  She didn’t cut through the sword, it went through it, leaving it whole.

  I just stare at her as she sheathes her bde and walks away from her stunned opponent and my eyes follow her as she comes to the side by the stands with her eyes closed, ignoring the stares sent her way.

  No way that was a Spirit technique, she shouldn’t be able to use one at just Body Tempering. But a Mortal technique that can do something like that? I’ve never seen one in my time here and one being able to bypass another’s weapon would be sought after by all disciples.

  A cn technique then, dangerous. Let’s hope I don’t face her next.

  “Disciple Zhan to quadrant three,” I hear a whisper from the elder in my ear, each of us having gotten orders only we could hear and it seems like I thought long enough for the matches to be over, leaving only four of us.

  Gncing over to the suddenly silent Lixue, it looks like the elder noticed he wasn’t leaving the grounds and said something given the man looks pale and about faces before marching away.

  Following the elder’s instructions, I pass by the Hiu who stays still in the quadrant he fought in, smugly looking at me as I pass. The other boy that won doesn’t give me a look as he passes by me and towards the Hiu.

  My eye twitches as I stare at the cn girl across from me, serenely standing with her sword in hand as we wait for the signal.

  Heaven’s damn it.

  “Begin.”

  The girl dashes towards me, rapidly closing the distance between us and I decide on a little trick.

  Backpedalling away from her at a slightly slower pace, I raise the remains of my spear with one hand and thrust it at her to keep her back.

  She responds by waving her sword to nock the spear away, and I grin as I see her eyes widen slightly when it doesn’t budge and she’s forced to grind her feet to a stop less she impales herself.

  Smming a foot down, I close the meter distance in a burst, something she reacts to by backpedalling away, the roles now reversed as I rapidly pierce my spear forward.

  She’s slippery however, weaving between each strike even with the bare amount of distance between us.

  I decide to cut this chase a little short and take a deliberate strong step forward and thrust.

  Air whistles as the sharp wood cuts through the air towards her form, and she takes the opening from the heavy strike, easily ducking to the side and sshes her sword to my exposed side.

  Cng

  Which meets the back of my gauntlet.

  I savour her eyes widening again as I throw my arm with all my strength, shoving the bde off and throwing her own arm to the side from the force. Leaving her wide open as I thrust the remains of my weapon as fast as I can.

  “Whispering Willow.”

  Heaven’s damn it.

  It’s a blur, a moment my spear was about to meet her, another and I see her a few meters away and my hand feeling lighter.

  Cck

  My spear ctters outside the quadrant, torn from my grip.

  I didn’t even feel my weapon leave my grip as she retreated, but it wasn’t without some effort her previous serene face gone as she tries to control her breathing with a few drops of sweat appearing.

  Flexing my hand, I lower into a stance as I prepare myself.

  Both techniques she’s shown focus on weapons, making them useless in the fight or removing them entirely. It would be a valid strategy.

  If she fought someone that can only fight with weapons.

  Rock cracks beneath my feet as I leap.

  She just moves far enough as I come down like a meteor and my falling foot sms into the ground in an explosion of rubble.

  I’m already ducking down in the small dust cloud just as a bde fshes through where my torso would have been, and my hands grab onto the fist sized rocks broken by my fall.

  She only hears a faint whistle in the air before a blur flies through the cloud towards her. In a panic, she barely gets her sword in the way in time to block it and the rock disintegrates to dust from the force of the throw and gets thrown back a few meters.

  I see her tumble to the ground as I burst from the cloud, rocks in either hands as I close in on her as she tries to recover.

  She’s on her knees as I throw another, this time she’s cautious enough to tilt herself to the side to dodge but doesn’t notice the other following it.

  Crack

  I hear the air leave her as she rolls back even further, the rock hitting her dead on her chest. I don’t know how much damage that did, even if her armour is just cloth and it a rock, it’s still a rock thrown by one at the peak of Body Tempering.

  I dash in as she rolls to recover, slower than before with the pressure I’m putting on her, and she gets to her knees once more just as I send a low-kick straight at her head that she blocks with an arm.

  And gets tossed to the side for her efforts, rolling once more from the strength but I curse as she expected it this time and pushes a hand off the ground to throw her to her feet, skidding across the ground to bleed off her momentum.

  I’m already halfway to her when she’s on her feet, and I see her eyes harden as they lock onto my form, sword raised for a downward ssh to my head.

  My arm goes up, relying on my gauntlet to take the hit as my other fist goes low to her stomach.

  “Tempest’s Mist.”

  My eyes widen in realization at the st moment, the world suddenly moving slowly as I see her sword descend on my raised arm and go through it.

  I grunt as it hits the thin shoulder strap of my breastpte, and although she’s clearly focused on fast, precise strikes, she’s still at the peak of Body Tempering.

  I feel the bde cleanly go through the metal and dig into the flesh by my colr, the bde easily going through the compact muscle and digging into bone. That’s as far as it goes as my body reacts before my mind and I feel my hip twist with the bde to bleed off momentum and my leg raise on its own.

  “Adamantine Crash.”

  She doesn’t see the knee coming before it sms into her side.

  Crack

  He eyes bulge, quite comically given how stoic she was just a moment before and goes flying, kicking up dust as she skids across the ground.

  I raise a hand and touch my colr, feeling the gouge in the strap made of tough sinew from a high-level beast, blood leaking from it though thankfully it shouldn’t hamper me much, however I won’t be doing any heavy strikes from that side.

  Scary.

  She’s not doing hot either, grimacing as she clutches her side, and given the crack I heard, I likely broke a rib or two.

  “Giving up?” A lot of disciples gave up after bone breaking injuries, not used to the pain.

  I just get a gre in response and silence which I just raise my arms in surrender before focusing again.

  She breathes out deeply and stands straighter, hunched to protect her injured side, but she’s ready to meet me as I dash at her.

  My fist dispces air as I aim for her head, but she surprises me as she ducks under it, no doubt making it painful for her ribs, and I feel a ssh across my torso.

  I grunt at the force, bde having not gone through the beast bone armour, and I send a low kick at her crouched form that she jumps over and sshes at my neck that I deflect with a gauntlet.

  It turns into a storm of trading blows, she ducks between my strikes with few just grazing her, and her unable to do more than scratch my armour, breathing heavily enough that I know she doesn’t have the energy to do either of her techniques anymore.

  But I have no idea how she’s so agile now after tiring herself from her techniques and doing so with broken bones, maybe another technique?

  It doesn’t matter though because she’s still starting to slow down, needing to guard more of my blows than dodge, and retaliating less.

  Cng

  Her sword blocks my fist, throwing her guard wide open. I reel my other fist back, on the injured side so it’ll be weaker but enough to end this.

  My fist flies true and nds square on her jaw with a sickening crack.

  It doesn’t drop her unconscious, though it’s a close thing as she stumbles back, dazed and barely standing as she tries to get her footing.

  I don’t let her as I grab her wrist as she lethargically sshes my way once I close in, tightening my grip to force her to release her sword, grabbing the falling bde with my other hand and press it against her throat.

  “Stop.”

  I immediately back off after hearing the whisper in my ear.

  “The winner is Outer Disciple Zhan!” The elder announces loudly for the rest of the sect, and then I hear the roar from the disciples.

  I can’t tell much of what they’re saying, what with thousands screaming and making noise, but I can distinctly hear a lot of negative things being thrown my way.

  Guess she must be famous.

  Looking over to the other fight, it seems they’re just wrapping up and of course it’s the Hiu boy that looks like is going to win it. But at least his opponent, who I don’t know, made him work for it given how heavily both are breathing though the Hiu’s better off though by a long shot.

  “Golden Rain of Samarah.”

  The Hiu blurs forward, golden sword fshing in the sunlight as he rapidly pierces towards his opponent in a storm of bdes, the man not being able to defend himself from the sheer number of bdes cutting into him.

  Those below the seventh stage likely only saw blurs before Hiu’s opponent’s robes burst into tatters, before blood suddenly starts freely pouring down his form. I watch with narrow eyes as the man slumps down, the injuries on top of his cking stamina too much.

  Just as with his normal attacks, it seems the Hiu boy’s techniques aren’t strong as well, fast certainly, but the cuts are all retively shallow save the few that hit critical locations and are likely what pushed the man to lose.

  “The winner is outer Disciple Hiu Zong!”

  Really? He gets more cheers than I did?

  The disciples that come by to help the girl get waved off, both boys looking distinctly disappointed as their hands retreat, unsteadily standing on her feet and she stares at me, not with anger I think but… respect?

  “You fight well Zhan.”

  “Thank you, you did as well Sister…?” I ask.

  “Lingxue. I am Lingxue Li,” she introduces with a slight bow but stumbles, wincing as she straightens again. “If you find yourself dissatisfied in the sect, or find yourself going to the Imperial Army, know that I would be willing to sponsor you as a retainer to my family in Spirit Crossing City. My uncle, the Count, is always looking for talent.”

  I’m distinctly aware my mouth is open as she gives her offer, before she turns with a swish of her robes and struts away though I can tell she’s barely keeping herself steady.

  I ignore the gres of the disciples that came to help her and turn to stare at my st opponent whose gring at me with more fury than before?

  “You! You peasant first cim that you are the strongest in the outer sect, stronger than this Young Master! Now you, a toad, dare lust after swan meat!” He passionately yells at me as he brandishes his sword, “You dare speak to her! You dare y hands on Sister Lingxue, the greatest jade beauty in the outer sect! This Young Master Hiu Zong shall cut off the hand that dared y on her delicate skin! Only I can do that,” he whispers the st part I clearly can hear.

  “What?”

  I stare fbbergasted at what he pronounced, very loudly I might add, enough that the roar of approval from the stands disbances me for a second.

  “Well then,” the elder dryly interrupts his triad, “I was going to give you some time to recover Disciple Hiu, but it seems you are raring to battle. If Disciple Zhan is ready…?” I give a nod as Hiu Zong panics and opens his mouth, “Perfect, then begin.”

  “Wait-!”

  I bull rush him, closing the distance in less than a second but he’s not like the others I’ve fought and is able to react to send a fast downwards ssh at me.

  Wave Breaking Palm

  Barely catching the fast bde in time to redirect it, I use a nifty little trick I learnt while hunting a rather rge preying mantis beast. His bde moves to the side, pushing it along a different path to avoid me, before it abruptly stops, every single drop of force drained from it.

  Takes quite a bit of concentration, but it’s definitely worth it as my metal cd fingers grip his bde just as he goes to tug it out. Of course it doesn’t budge.

  “You-!?”

  My elbow sms straight towards his face, but he’s aware enough to raise an arm in a hasty guard.

  He grunts in pain and surprise as his arm can’t block it completely and jerks back, but it’s enough to stop me from smming it to his face.

  Wasn’t the point though.

  “Adamantine Crash.”

  My arm flies the other way, all the gathered momentum I’ve taken in the past five seconds gathered in my fist as it sms into the ft of the bde in my grip.

  Crack

  Metal shards fly as the bde snaps in two, leaving half the length in my hand and the other still connected to the hilt in its owners.

  I push through the soreness in my knuckles; the sword made of strong materials to withstand the strength of cultivators and what they face. And with this being a young master, it’s likely the highest quality bde in the outer sect.

  Not good enough to withstand my fist though.

  I twist my wrist, pointing the half-bde in my hand towards my opponent and thrust it towards his neck to force a surrender.

  “Water Walking Swan Steps!”

  He disappears from my sight with a skip, abruptly appearing a meter away before doing so again and again until he’s a dozen meters from me, visibly sweating and breathing deeper than before.

  I roll my injured shoulder, having torn the congealed wound open again from my technique.

  “YOU PEASANT!” Hiu Zong roars, “You dare break my Starfall Meteorite Dragon Bde! Do you know how much-!”

  He ducks to the side to dodge the spinning bde that whistles where his torso was a moment ago.

  Boom

  Until it lodges itself deep into the stone off the cliff face in the distance.

  He turns just in time to see me in front of him, fist rising to his chin that he pulls his head back from just as it goes whistling past his face.

  Countering with a ssh, I tilt myself back just enough for it to miss, and given the tight grimace on Hiu Zong’s face, it seems he’s not quite used to his shorter sword.

  Which is why I’m able to nd the next punch square to his stomach that makes him grunt in pain. Not enough to stun him as he sshes at me again, and once more I dodge and react with another hit, then another following right behind it.

  He gets desperate as he sshes wildly to keep me back, but my hits are slowing him down, each one harder than the st with more and more getting through his weakening guard.

  Shoulder. Head. Arm. Stomach. Head.

  “GRAAAGH!” He screams and pulls his arm back.

  “GOLDEN RAIN-!”

  “ADAMANTINE!”

  “-OF SAM-!” “CRASH!”

  Chest.

  The momentum from my string of attacks feeds into my fist and blurs to his chest before he can finish.

  My fist nds with a dull thunk and doesn’t move.

  I dumbly stare at the fist pnted firmly against his chest, before I notice Hiu Zong’s grimace slowly turn to realization and then a vicious grin as I notice the talisman he has hanging from his belt, dismissed as an accessory, slowly lighting up.

  “Shi-!”

  CRACK-THUUM

  An explosion of light blinds me and I feel myself tossed back hard. Eyes shut, I can’t even brace myself as I tumble roughly on the ground until my muscles loosen and I blindly sm my hands down to grind me to a stop.

  Shaking my head to get rid of the cobwebs, I close my eyes again with a wince, bck spots scattered across my vision. And Hiu Zong knows this as well as I hear him dash towards me, getting meters from me before I’m back on my feet but still blinded.

  “Golden Rain of Samsara!”

  The storm starts as I raise my guard to protect my head. I feel the bde digging into my armour, the impacts scratching but not getting through bar the few that find and roughly tear through flesh due to the broken end of the bde.

  Blinking rapidly to try and fix my vision, I make enough progress that when I feel his technique end, there’s only a few spots still in my vision. But I’m proven wrong about my thoughts when I feel a fsh of pain in my side as the half-sword pierces through the side of my armour.

  Grunting in pain, I push myself through the pain and sm my hand over the thin wrist holding the bde and lock it in pce.

  Lowering my other arm from guard, I gre at the boy who tries to tug helplessly against my grip.

  “Let go you-!”

  His head snaps to the side as my fist cracks against his jaw.

  Schlick

  I force the sword out my side with a grunt, bde red but not enough to keep me down and toss it away. Tightening my grip on his wrist to a painful degree, I pnt my feet, twist my hip and heave him over my shoulder.

  BOOM

  His back cracks the ground in an explosion of dirt that leaves him gasping.

  I don’t let go of my grip as I stare down at the boy who gives a rattling cough as he tries to regain his breath.

  “Do you yield?”

  He coughs once more as he directs a wincing gre up at me, “Y-you-!”

  I don’t let him finish and twist my hips again.

  BOOM

  BOOM

  BOOM

  I huff a breath and wave away the dust cloud around us, taking a few seconds for it to disperse enough to see the limp form of Hiu Zong in a small crater made by his body. I shake his limp arm a bit to see if he’s still awake and get a groan in return.

  “I believe that will be enough Disciple Zhan.”

  At this point, I’ve gotten moderately used to people just appearing by me without notice, which is why I don’t react much beyond a flinch as the elder whose been leading the tournament gazes down at the boy at my feet with amusement as he twirls his moustache.

  “As you say Elder,” I say with a nod and let the arm flop down back to its owner.

  “Ahem,” his voice booms across the arena, “Disciple Zhan has proven his Dao!”

  Like st time, it’s an odd mix of cheers and boos.

  ***

  AN: Its been 2 months since the st chapter and 8 since he joined the sect. Also, changed the Impurity Cleansing pill from Low to High Mortal.