~~~

His three matches after defeating Chang Wei all go in similar ways. The match after that, Liu Jin wins by default. His would-be opponent was incapacitated during a previous fight. With six wins and one loss, Liu Jin is guaranteed to pass to the next stage. Even if he were to lose the two fights that remain, his position as second in the group would not change.

That doesn’t mean his remaining opponents surrender without a fight.

For some, this is their only chance to fight someone from the Xiao Sect. Even if they lose, they can tell themselves, “At least I lost to someone from the Xiao Sect.” They probably intend to take that sort of story with them.

Besides…

Their opponent is someone who has already fought several matches. Surely, he must be getting tired. Surely, they have a chance of beating him? Imagine if they could defeat Xiao Zheng’s son-in-law during the Eastern Port City Tournament? What a boon to their reputation and that of their Sect that would be!

They do their best to defeat Liu Jin with those sorts of thoughts in their heads.

It’s possible Liu Jin made a mistake in making himself look weak. If he hadn’t, they would have undoubtedly surrendered out of fear. All the same, he didn’t want to give away all his skills too early. The stares coming from some of the other groups during his fights were not hard to miss.

In the end, Liu Jin wins eight out of the nine matches he has to fight in the group stage.

“Why?”

Cui Tian finishes as first of the group, but he does not go to his fellow disciples to celebrate. Instead, after the announcement has been made, the teen chooses to walk up to him.

If Liu Jin were Xiao Nan, he could intimidate Cui Tian with a smile. If he were Xiao Fang, he would already be halfway through a rant about Cui Tian’s lack of proper decorum. To walk up to a member of the Xiao Sect and address them as though they were equals is neither proper nor smart.

In the end, Liu Jin decides to do as his Master would.

“Why what?”

Cui Tian’s face twitches with annoyance. Obviously, Liu Jin knows exactly what Cui Tian wants to know. However, he is under no obligation to make things easy for Cui Tai.

While Cui Tian has not done anything wrong, being looked down on for so long has worn down Liu Jin’s patience.

“This one is not so foolish as to believe an honored disciple of the Xiao Sect would willingly shame his Sect. When you surrendered our match, I was shocked, but I never once believed the honored disciple of the Xiao Sect before me did so out of fear.”

That made him smarter than most of the people around him.

“The honored disciple’s performance in the latter matches only confirmed this. That is why this one is forced to come to the following conclusion. The honored disciple before me wanted to finish in second place.”

Liu Jin holds Cui Tian’s gaze for several seconds. A tense silence fills the air between the two. Beads of sweat start appearing on Cui Tian’s forehead.

Finally, Liu Jin nods.

“I did.”

Cui Tian looks shocked, not having expected for Liu Jin to admit it so bluntly.

“Why?”

Liu Jin sighs.

“I cannot blame you for not knowing how the groups and brackets were arranged ahead of time. However, you should have kept an eye on the strongest participants of the tournament. If you had, you would know what awaits you.”

Liu Jin leaves him with that. He knows a confused Cui Tian will soon go to see the brackets, and he knows exactly what he will find there. Usually, the first place of one group will fight the second place of another group, but that is not always the case. Even if Liu Jin finds this whole situation particularly suspicious, it will not change what Cui Tian’s next match will be.

Yun Han of the Yun Sect vs. Cui Tian of the Seven Leaves School.

~~~

“Did you all see that? That is what happens to those who challenge the Xiao Sect! Kowtow before this daddy!”

Big Nose Li is not a gracious victor.

With a perfect record of nine wins and zero losses, he will pass to the next round as the first of his group. Rather than being satisfied with that, he has taken to strutting around the ring, throwing his arms up high and shouting for all to hear. This behavior is sure to earn him many enemies. Already he is being looked at with venomous glares.

As he is of the Xiao Sect, it is unlikely that this will have any negative repercussions on him.

“He really should learn when to shut up.”

Su An looks like she wants to go to the ring and slap his face. Just like Liu Jin, she passed the group stage. Unlike Liu Jin, she finished first in her group. The two are watching the groups that have yet to finish from the comfort of the Xiao Sect’s private room.

“Ah, I can only imagine how angry the fellow disciples of those that oaf beat are going to be,” an Inner Disciple says, shaking his head melodramatically. “I don’t need someone swearing to avenge his brethren’s wounded honor. It is so tedious.”

He is exaggerating for effect, yet there is some truth to his words.

“Does it matter?” Another disciple asks. “Those at the top are hated no matter what.”

“Nevertheless, that does not change what we must do.”

At Xiao Fang’s words, everyone sits a bit straighter. He’s finally done with his matches. There is no need for anyone to ask him how things went.

He is Xiao Fang of the Xiao Sect.

From the beginning, taking the first place was the only alternative for him.

“Those who stand at the top are always envied. That is true. There is nothing we can do about it. No matter how they feel about us, we must keep winning. That is all.”

He is trying to smooth things over. It won’t do if they are not seen as a united front right now. Still, Liu Jin can tell he’s not exactly pleased with Big Nose Li. He’ll probably shout at him once they are back at the Sect.

Xiao Fang’s eyes find his.

“You finished in second place.”

At that moment, everyone but Liu Jin and Xiao Fang tenses. Liu Jin wants to sigh but doesn’t. This is something he knew was coming.

“I did.”

To Liu Jin’s surprise, Xiao Fang’s face does not show any anger. Instead, the Xiao Sect’s Young Master just stares at him for a minute in silent introspection.

“Under the circumstances, it was the best choice possible. However, do make sure to win your next match in a way that makes up for it. We have an image to maintain.”

It is rare when Xiao Fang manages to surprise Liu Jin.

Today, it has happened twice already.

~~~

The tournament proper starts an hour after the group stage is finished. The audience buzzes with anticipation as a large ring is installed in the center. A tournament official stands in the ring and announces the true start of the tournament.

Liu Jin barely hears him.

His attention is all for the medical attendant standing at the side. Liu Jin has even come down to the arena floor to better watch the proceedings.

It is entirely necessary to have medical personnel ready to act in a tournament like this one. Wounds, both big and small, are common even in sparring matches. When one adds the pressure of representing an entire Sect and personal pride, it goes without saying that some fights can become rather heated.

It would be weird if there isn’t at least one serious injury before the tournament is over. Even permanent damage is something that people expect.

Death… is something that has happened in previous tournaments.

This time, the medical assistant is Wu Yan, Doctor Wu’s son. Liu Jin carefully watches each of his movements. However, nothing out of the ordinary happens. Even when Wu Yan checks the disciples of the Xiao Sect for wounds, Liu Jin detects nothing unusual.

“Yun Han of the Yun Sect vs. Cui Tian of the Seven Leaves School!”

As soon as the match is announced, Liu Jin’s eyes go to the ring.

This match is one he has some interest in.

The audience cheers the moment Yun Han steps into the ring. It’s only to be expected. He is the Young Master of the Yun Sect. It is people like him that most are here to see. By comparison, the cheers Cui Tian gets are considerably tamer.

In fact, the applause that accompanies his steps to the ring can only be called polite.

“To have that Yun Han as his first opponent. How unlucky!”

“It had to happen to someone. He should thank the Heavens he got the chance to pass the group stage. I had never heard of the Seven Leaves School before.”

“I was not paying his group any attention, but didn’t he beat someone from the Xiao Sect? Perhaps he has a chance?”

“Please, it is obvious what happened now. Most likely, the person he was fighting threw the match out of fear of fighting Yun Han.”

Liu Jin’s eyebrows twitch at that last comment. It wasn’t fear that made him avoid fighting Yun Han. Avoiding Yun Han was just the sensible thing to do. Regardless, the audience seems to have made up its mind about the match.

There is no way Cui Tian can win.

“You can do it, brother!”

Most of the audience has made up its mind. Cui Tian, it seems, still has some people supporting him. The voice cheering for him is one Liu Jin recognizes. It is the disciple he defeated during the group stage. His arm still hangs limply at his side. The effect of the pressure point has not worn off yet. Beside him are people dressed in similar robes with the same shade of forest green, likely other disciples from the Seven Leaves School.

Liu Jin checked the list of participants after the group stage finished.

Out of the ten disciples the Seven Leaves School sent, only Cui Tian remains.

“Begin!”

The announcer yells the world, and Cui Tian wastes no time going into action. The crowd erupts in wild cheers as he comes at Yun Han with a flurry of fists and kicks, his Qi blazing all around him like a bonfire.

Yun Han blocks every single one of them.

He doesn’t bother dodging or deflecting. He doesn’t even take a single step back. He calmly meets each of Cui Tian’s strikes with bored ease, matching the full might of Cui Tian with a moderate amount of his.

Five seconds and five hundred blows go by, all of them thrown by Cui Tian.

During those five seconds, Yun Han does not step back even once.

It is almost sad watching the realization of his futile struggle dawn on Cui Tian. He probably never even considered the difference between them could be this big. After all, he is in the First Level of the Nascent while Yun Han is in the mid-stages of it. Why should there be such a large gap? Indeed, Liu Jin is pretty sure there are many people in the audience wondering the same thing.

The difference between Yun Han and Cui Tian is not just a matter of cultivation level.

Yun Han’s foundation is just incomparably larger than Cui Tian’s.

Yun Han is someone who has been trained since childhood by the Yun Sect. He has learned better breathing and meditation techniques. He has received better resources to purify his body and knows how to better channel his Qi throughout his body.

If you were to compare the purity and efficiency of their dantian, Cui Tian’s might as well be trash compared to Yun Han’s.

Though older than Yun Han, Cui Tian might as well be a child to him.

When Cui Tian jumps back to get some distance from his foe, Yun Han doesn’t even bother trying to chase after him, another sign of how not seriously he is taking this match. Some people in the audience laugh. Cui Tian’s face flushes with impotent rage.

If Yun Han wanted to end the match, he could have done it already. He’s just using Cui Tian to show his superiority to those watching.

It wouldn’t surprise Liu Jin if Yun Han were doing this only to show Xiao Fang how strong he is.

Someone like Cui Tian is not even reflected in his eyes.

“Don’t give up, Brother Tian!”

Chang Wei’s voice comes from the stands, loud and clear. He almost looks like he wants to jump into the arena.

“Remember! We promised we’d make the Seven Leaves School known throughout the city!”

Liu Jin truly wishes he hadn’t said anything. The grim resolve on Cui Tian’s face is not something he enjoys watching. Cui Tian assumes a combat stance once more, his Qi rising higher and higher. Cracks appear on the ground all around him. He says something to Yun Han, but Liu Jin is too far away to make out his words.

He does, however, understand what is happening.

Iron Skin.

Metal-attuned Qi surges all around Cui Tian, coalescing around his skin and merging with it. The ground breaks apart as Cui Tian rushes at Yun Han, his body now reinforced to the extreme.

One hit.

A single hit knocks Cui Tian out of the ring.

Liu Jin barely sees the movement. For most of the audience, Cui Tian is just suddenly launched out of the ring, his back crashing against the walls of the arena. The metal-attuned Qi he had summoned shatters and fades away.

Just like that, Cui Tian’s Eastern Port City Tournament is over. His body is put on a stretcher and taken away for treatment. The people from the Seven Leaves School go to him with worried looks on their faces.

If they only knew.

Yun Han didn’t just hit Cui Tian.

In that attack just now, he had struck Cui Tian’s lower dantian with merciless accuracy.

Liu Jin would be surprised if Cui Tian ever manages to cultivate again.

“I wonder. Why do you think he did that?”

Liu Jin blinks in a surprise. A cloaked figure had approached him without him noticing. The voice reveals her as female, and her height is not dissimilar from his, which probably puts them at similar ages.

“Why did he do what?”

The girl laughs. Under her hood, he can see bright green eyes.

“Please, do not tell me you didn’t notice. I’d be scared if you glare like that at just anyone.”

He was glaring?

“His dantian. I am, of course, talking about his dantian. That’s not something one can easily recover from. As I understand, the school he comes from is relatively new. They’re unlikely to have the resources to heal him. A pity. He could have risen to greater heights otherwise. Perhaps that was the reason the Young Master of the Yun Sect struck him like that?”

Of course that was the reason. To be able to use metal-attuned Qi like that was impressive considering his circumstances. Yun Han saw a chance to crush a potential problem and took it.

In one move, he crushed the Seven Leaves School’s strongest disciple and their chances of gaining notoriety. They will now have to rely on the pity of the stronger factions if they wish to get ahead.

“Does it matter?”

“No.” The girl smiles under her hood. “I suppose it doesn’t.”

As Liu Jin walks away, the girl calls out to him.

“Oh? Not going to ask who I am?”

“Not really.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. If you keep looking at all the matches with such intensity, you will know my name soon enough. Should you win your next match, we’ll have the chance to meet each other formally. I look forward to your guidance.”

~~~