~~~

Cai Chin is taken away on a stretcher.

Liu Jin makes his way out of the ring, his every step accompanied by cheers. His dominating performance has been well-received. It is not often that one sees someone in the Seventh Level of the Inner Realm defeat someone in the Nascent Realm. The crowd will undoubtedly be looking forward to Liu Jin’s next matches.

It is safe to say Liu Jin has more than made up for his underwhelming performance during the group stage. Indeed, even though Liu Jin can’t see him, he can almost feel Xiao Fang’s approving nod.

“Congratulations on a most wonderful match.”

Liu Jin stops as Wu Yan comes up to him. He supposes he should smile and pretend everything is fine, act as if he doesn’t suspect a thing.

He doesn’t.

“I was just lucky my opponent underestimated me.”

Liu Jin is neither lying nor being overly modest. Had Cai Chin taken him seriously, the fight would have been a lot harder. He would have won regardless but not without taking some damage.

Wu Yan laughs. “How modest. Your strikes were most wonderful. It is true what they say. The fists of those belonging to the Xiao Sect are like flaming arrows.”

“Is that so?”

Flaming arrows? No, Liu Jin wouldn’t say fire is his element.

Although Liu Jin has been trained in the Xiao Sect’s standard style, his body cannot help but make modifications to it every time he fights. Nine-Headed Snake God’s venom has left its mark on him, whether he likes it or not. Its influence goes beyond Nine-Headed Snake God’s Veins or the poison-attuned Qi he can now summon.

Sometimes, it feels like Nine-Headed Snake God imprinted an entire style on his being.

Liu Jin decides to put that matter aside for now. Rather than going to the wounded Cai Chin, Wu Yan still stands expectantly in front of him.

“Should you not go to him?” Liu Jin asks, his head nodding in the direction in which Cai Shin was taken.

Predictably, Wu Yan shakes his head.

“There is no need for it. He will be treated in the infirmary. My presence there would be redundant. You, however, have not been seen to yet.”

“How kind of you,” Liu Jin says tonelessly. “Your dedication to your duty is something that must be commended. To be so willing to check my health even though I did not take a single hit. Perhaps you are worried that some dirt got in my eyes?”

Wu Yan’s smile becomes somewhat stiff at his words.

“Please, surely you must understand this is a standard procedure. It would not do if we let you walk away with an injury that could have been easily treated. The world of cultivation is vast. One can never be sure of anything. Surely, you have seen how the others were treated. Even the ones who won without taking a hit like you were examined.”

Wu Yan is not lying. It is only natural to do a quick check of the health of the fighters after each match. It would not do if someone walked away the victor only to die of poison hours later. That is why the medical official is so important.

As the tournament advances, Wu Yan will not only examine the health of the participants after each match but before them as well. That way, people can be certain that no one has interfered with the health of the participants ahead of time.

Liu Jin is not being treated any differently from the other participants.

At least, that is how it looks like on the surface.

Liu Jin is certain he could delay this for at least ten minutes if he wanted to. He could probably make Wu Yan lose his temper by the fifth minute.

He decides against it.

“Very well,” Liu Jin says, holding his hands apart, allowing Wu Yan to get close to him.

Wu Yan goes through the standard procedure, his hands glowing with Qi as he examines him. Liu Jin is not worried about letting Wu Yan get this close to him. The days when Wu Yan was the stronger one of the two are long gone. He is not superior to him in cultivation, and he most certainly is not superior to him in medical skill. If Wu Yan tries anything, Liu Jin will know and put a stop to it.

However, he doesn’t. Wu Yan never once tries anything. Much like with everyone else he examined so far, Wu Yan behaves exactly as one can expect from a medical official.

“You seem to be in good health,” Wu Yan says, taking a step back. “You are free to go now.”

“How reassuring that is to hear. It is good we can all depend on your skills.”

“I am but a humble servant.”

~~~

“Boss!”

Su An greets him with a bright smile and waving arms as he enters the Xiao Sect’s private room. If she weren’t so mindful of their respective positions and the presence of the other disciples, Liu Jin is pretty sure she would have hugged him.

He’s glad she doesn’t. He’s not sure how to deal with hugs.

“That was an amazing fight, Boss!”

Liu Jin had expected her to say that. What he didn’t expect was for the other Inner Disciples to join in.

“Brother Liu’s movements were very precise. Perhaps we could exchange pointers sometime?”

“That Cai Chin got what he deserved. How stupid can one person be?”

“That’s the Yun Sect for you! Our Liu Jin put him in his place, didn’t he?”

A round of laughter follows. Even Big Nose Li joins in, and to Liu Jin’s surprise, it does not feel fake.

Ever since he became Xiao Zheng’s son-in-law, people have been trying to gain his favor. People have praised him so often and for such mundane things that Liu Jin has long grown tired of it.

However, the words of his fellow Inner Disciples don’t feel like mindless praise.

They feel genuine.

“It was a good fight,” Xiao Fang says, nodding at him. “You have done well, brother-in-law. It is safe to say no one will underestimate our Xiao Sect from now on.”

“I am pleased my efforts have not brought shame to our Sect,” Liu Jin says. His and Xiao Fang’s eyes meet as another nod is exchanged, an understanding passing between them. The moment lasts but a few seconds. Once it is over, the two go back to watching the matches.

It is probably the best they can do for now. Liu Jin is still not sure how to talk to Xiao Fang.

Luckily, the other disciples are more than willing to fill the void.

“The left! The left! Go for the left side! No! What are you doing?”

“I can’t bear to watch this. I feel as though my skills will dull just from watching them.”

“I can’t believe I put money on that fight!”

Smiling but not saying anything, Liu Jin walks over to Su An. The girl blinks in surprise before understanding flashes in her eyes. She quickly shows her back to him.

“Congratulations on winning,” Liu Jin says as his fingers touch her back through her clothing, following the path of her meridians.

“It was nothing, Boss! My opponent is not even worth talking about. Just trash that got lucky enough to make it out of the group stage.”

Liu Jin hums but says nothing, his fingers now trailing over her arms. As he recalls, the one Su An fought is considered to be a great talent within his clan. That Su An can speak of him like that only shows how strong she is. As expected of an Inner Disciple of the Xiao Sect.

It is at this point that Liu Jin becomes aware of a distinct lack of noise in the room. A quick glance to the side reveals the other disciples have stopped watching the fights in favor of watching him and Su An. Even Xiao Fang is looking at them, though he’s pretending he isn’t.

In the end, it is Big Nose Li who asks the question.

“What are you doing?”

Rather than looking embarrassed, Su An chuckles with a superior smile on her face.

“Oh? Are you curious? Boss is examining the state of my meridians!” She declares proudly. “Since I just had a match, Boss wants to be sure I have not suffered any damage. Isn’t Boss great?”

“He can sense your meridians?” A disciple to the side of Big Nose Li asks, suddenly interested. He looks at Liu Jin. “Can Brother Liu do that?”

“It is relatively simple.”

It is not the first time he does this for Su An. His medical studies didn’t suddenly stop while he was training for his fight with Xiao Fang. Wanting to gain his approval, Su An often volunteered to be his test subject. Like that, he got into the habit of doing this for her.

“When Boss analyzes your meridians, he’s even able to point out if one is doing anything wrong during cultivation. Isn’t that amazing!?”

It really isn’t as amazing as she’s making it out to be. Since he is able to sense the flow of her Qi, it is easy to point out if there are any irregularities in it and help her deal with them. That is all there is to it.

Right now, the reason he is examining her meridians is that he wants to make sure Wu Yan didn’t do anything. So far, it seems that he hasn’t. There are no irregularities to be found in Su An.

“Ah…” One disciple opens his mouth then closes it, a look of hesitation on his face. “Can Brother Liu… Can Brother Liu examine my meridians as well?”

“Me too!”

“Please, Brother Liu! Lately, I feel I’ve hit a bottleneck!”

“My match will begin soon, but can Brother Liu make sure I am okay when I return?”

Soon enough, they’re all asking for his help. All except Xiao Fang, who merely watches the proceedings with a neutral look on his face.

“Sure,” Liu Jin says after a while. “Why not?”

After all, this is what he was after.

~~~

He is almost done seeing the state of Big Nose Li’s meridians—who finally came forward after much hesitating—when he sees a familiar, green-eyed figure stepping into the ring.

“Mo Mu of the Yun Sect vs. Fu!”

“A single-entry?” One of the other disciples says, unknowingly echoing Liu Jin’s thoughts. “How rare.”

Those participating in the Eastern Port City Tournament are usually representing one of the many factions within the city, but that doesn’t mean single-entries are banned. Anyone is free to enter. However, without the support of an established faction, those who do usually don’t get far.

That a single-entry fighter managed to pass through the group stage is remarkable. Indeed, Fu’s level is nothing to scoff at. When she approached him after Yun Han’s match, Liu Jin was able to tell she was in the Eighth Level of the Inner Realm.

“She must have gotten lucky with the sorting. Still, that’ll end here. For an unknown to defeat a disciple of the Yun Sect is just not possible.”

“Begin!”

In an instant, the disciple of the Yun Sect attacks. Unlike Cai Chin, this person is not giving his opponent the chance to attack first. Though he doesn’t draw the sword at his side, he goes in at full speed.

“This will be over in an instant.”

However, the one who speaks is wrong.

Before Mo Mu can get close, a flash of steel comes from under Fu’s cloak. Mo Mu ducks to the side, letting the thrown dagger whistle past him.

Under her cloak, Fu smiles.

The dagger Mo Mu thought he dodged suddenly makes a turn. His eyes widen before he leaps out of the way, the dagger easily cutting the stone ring before once more flying towards Mo Mu with wild erratic movements.

“A flying dagger!”

The audience buzzes with commentary at the revelation, and with good reason. It is not often they get the opportunity to see a flying blade.

A flying blade is a weapon that can be controlled remotely by its master. Thus, it is good for long-range attacks. It is said that for a person in a high enough level of cultivation, any weapon can be a flying weapon. However, those in lower levels of cultivation require a blade made from special materials to achieve similar feats. As a result, flying blades are quite rare.

It is not something a single-entry fighter should have.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if she has a good weapon, her opponent is still stronger!”

It is Big Nose Li who speaks this time. He is not wrong. Mo Mu is in the Second Level of the Nascent Realm. His strength, speed, and skill should be superior.

As if thinking similar thoughts, Mo Mu dashes right for the flying weapon, unsheathing the sword at his side.

Even if his opponent has a high-quality weapon, his strength and speed are great. With one blow, he’ll shatter that dagger, then go for the girl. Those are most likely Mo Mu’s thoughts as he brings his sword down.

The moment the blades meet, Mo Mu’s sword shatters.

The smaller blade completely overpowers Mo Mu’s weapon. However, that is not all. Mo Mu is too shocked to dodge as the blade buries itself in his shoulder.

In less than one breath, the blade cuts a line from his shoulder to his stomach.

It bites into his legs next. The tendons are cut soon after. His hands follow. The dagger moves so quickly it becomes a whirlwind of metal all around him.

Five breaths.

That is all it takes. By the time five breaths go by, the dagger makes its way back to Fu’s hands as Mo Mu falls, his body a bleeding mess.

“Fu Wins!”

~~~