~~~

Xiao Fang does not miss the nod Wu Yan gives Yun Han, and he fights the urge to scoff at the smile that tugs at Yun Han’s lips.

They think they are being so clever.

The pill Liu Jin had given him rests comfortably under his tongue. Liu Jin had been of the idea that he take it before the match and had argued with him quite fiercely on the matter. The fool. Had he done that, this whole thing would have been pointless. Gifted in many ways, Liu Jin may be, but he still fails to grasp the importance of showmanship.

That isn’t to say Liu Jin is incapable of showmanship, just that he does it entirely by circumstance rather than by design.

Besides, Liu Jin is not in any position to argue with anyone about safety. His fight with Yun Han helped their goals, but it hadn’t been entirely necessary. They could have managed just fine without Liu Jin putting himself at such high risk.

“We have been rivals for a long time,” Yun Han says, shifting into a stance. “For as long as I can remember, you have always kept pace with me.”

A lie, clearly. Though perhaps it is one Yun Han has deluded himself into believing. The truth, after all, is usually a too heavy burden for those who are weak of mind and spirit.

“My, my,” Xiao Fang says, shaking his head. “To think you’d say such bold words to me.”

As far back as Xiao Fang can remember, he has always been one step ahead of Yun Han. In fact, saying he has only been one step ahead of Yun Han is being too kind. In matters of cultivation, Yun Han has never been his match. Just as the Xiao Sect has always been superior to the Yun Sect, so too has Xiao Fang been superior to Yun Han.

Yun Han, of course, has repeatedly tried to close the gap between them. However, regardless of how much he pushed himself, a time when the heir of the Yun Sect could be called Xiao Fang’s equal has simply never existed.

Until about a year ago, that is.

The thought almost pushes through the condescending smile on Xiao Fang’s face. Almost. Xiao Fang is too good to allow such a thing to happen. Just as he is too good to ever allow Yun Han to close the gap between them even though that is precisely what happened.

As far as those watching are concerned, they are equals. They are both in the Fifth Level of the Nascent Realm.

It is galling.

That someone like Yun Han can now be called his equal by those who do not know better is nothing other than shameful, and that he let it happen is even worse.

Why did he let it happen?

A tiny part of him blames Liu Jin. The rest of him knows better.

Certainly, Liu Jin’s presence had been a constant thorn on his side. That he was to marry his sister had left Xiao Fang rattled. It had thrown his mind and spirit into chaos, becoming an anchor around his neck, a source of disorder in his carefully balanced psyche. During that time, his cultivation had stalled, allowing Yun Han to finally catch up to him for the first time in his entire life.

It isn’t Liu Jin’s fault that happened. If anyone is to blame, it is Xiao Fang’s own weak mind that allowed Liu Jin’s existence to hold so much power over him. That is something Xiao Fang instinctively grasps without anyone needing to tell him.

He’s not about to admit it to anyone, though. Heaven and Earth will have to switch places before that happens.

“It seems you have forgotten our respective positions,” Xiao Fang continues, being careful not to show his anger. At that moment, it is not Yun Han he is angry at.

Xiao Fang is angry at himself.

“From the moment you were born, you were meant to stare at my back. For someone born into the second-best Sect in Eastern Port City, such a fate is only natural. The eternal number two should always follow the eternal number one. Anything else is a perversion of the natural order.”

Yun Han just happens to be a convenient outlet.

“Always so arrogant!” Predictably, Yun Han’s face is flushed with anger. He really is too easy. “Your Xiao Sect has always been looking down on our Yun Sect, but that changes today. In this ring, there is only the two of us. Neither your father nor your cousin is here to help you! We will fight, and only the strongest one will walk away!”

Xiao Fang cannot stop the tensing of his facial muscles that follows Yun Han’s words. He cannot control the way his teeth gnash against each other. Yun Han’s words just now were aimed at just the right spot.

For many years, it has been his cousin and father who have upheld the Xiao Sect’s reputation as the strongest in the city. His father has always been the strongest cultivator in the city, and his cousin has always been the strongest one among the younger generation. They shine so dazzlingly no one can ever question the Xiao Sect’s strength.

Xiao Fang could never equal them.

However, Xiao Nan is not the one representing the Xiao Sect right now. Xiao Fang is. The reputation of the sect will be upheld by his own merits. If he fails…

No, that type of thought is unneeded.

“You finally said something good,” Xiao Fang says, settling into a stance. “The strongest one will win, but do not be afraid. I will try to leave you with the ability to walk.”

He finishes with a taunting smirk, which is just enough to push Yun Han into action. There is no point in pretending for this match. Yun Han will be coming at Xiao Fang with his full power from the very first moment of the fight.

Yun Han dashes with speed that Liu Jin would have barely been able to react to. Against any other contestant in the tournament, a full-power blow from Yun Han would most assuredly grant him victory.

Xiao Fang is the exception.

His speed matches Yun Han, one arm moving to block, the other one hones in on Yun Han’s unprotected left. In a fraction of a second, Yun Han’s eyes narrow. He twists, pivoting on his heel, his long leg suddenly comes down on Xiao Fang.

A shockwave rings across the arena. Those who are in the lower seats use their arms to shield themselves from the sudden wave of force that is generated by the two fighters. All the dust and dirt lying on the ring is blown away instantly.

One blow.

That is all it took to create that shockwave. Just one blow. Yun Han and Xiao Fang’s eyes meet. The latter managed to raise his hands in time to block Yun Han’s attack.

A pause. A lull in the action that lasts no more than a heartbeat.

The storm hits next.

The ring becomes alive with motion as Yun Han and Xiao Fang’s bodies blur all over its surface, dozens of shockwaves left in their wake as fists and kicks fly. It is a fight on a completely different level from all the other fights so far.

For the first time in the tournament, the two have found an equal.

Yun Han moves to the side to avoid Xiao Fang’s strike, his punch whistling through the air. He is not so lucky with the next one. His brain is sent rattling against his skull, his body almost lifted off his feet by a textbook uppercut.

A twist. A feint. Xiao Fang leaps back as Yun Han comes crashing down, his fists tearing the ring to pieces, sending the rubble flying in all directions. Xiao Fang flinches when Yun Han kicks the largest one towards him, and he fails to dodge in time.

Yun Han’s eyes widen as Xiao Fang catches him by his sleeve before he can use a movement technique and yanks him close. A flurry of quick strikes come his way almost immediately, all of them perfectly aimed at vital spots. His mind subconsciously recognizes how pointless trying to retreat would be, so he closes in instead.

At such a close range, Yun Han is not the only one who is in no position to block.

A punch lands on Xiao Fang’s throat

A stomp stops Yun Han from moving in time to block a blow to his liver.

A crack echoes across the arena as Xiao Fang’s arm is twisted. Then another one, as Xiao Fang twists it again in time to punch Yun Han in the face.

It is a vicious war that mesmerizes everyone in the audience. The heirs of the two strongest Sects in Eastern Port City are fighting with everything they have. It is fast. It is brutal, and they cannot look away.

For a moment, it looks as if neither is going to back down until someone falls.

Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, the two fighters leap back at the same time.

They are both a mess. Far from the dignified fighters that entered the ring. Their formerly immaculate robes are now dirty with blood, sweat, and dirt. Yun Han has a cut lip, and his right cheek is starting to swell. Meanwhile, Xiao Fang already has a black eye, and he is bleeding from his forehead.

Though they both look wounded, the one who is unmistakably better off is Yun Han.

Though Xiao Fang is still standing, it is clear that it will not be that way for much longer. His skin is pale, and his breathing has become quite heavy. Most damming of all is his Qi. While Yun Han’s Qi is still blazing around him, Xiao Fang’s aura has become almost faint.

In this battle of equals, it seems Yun Han has the upper hand.

It is almost enough to make Xiao Fang want to laugh. To think, it’d be this bad this quickly. It is annoying, but it is just as Liu Jin predicted. For a moment there, he almost thought he could win without using the pill. A pity. The humiliation Yun Han would have suffered then would have been priceless.

Oh, well.

“I see you are starting to understand,” Yun Han said, misunderstanding his silence. He points his finger at him in what he probably thinks is a dramatic fashion. “Xiao Fang, you are no longer my match!”

Yun Han’s Qi rises as he prepares his next attack. Xiao Fang uses the opportunity to swallow the pill.

“With this next attack, I’ll change everything! The Xiao Sect will no longer be number one! It is time for Heaven and Earth to switch places!”

The angry red glow of Yun Han’s Severing Palm shines brightly. It is, without a doubt, an attack in which Yun Han has put all his power. He is not leaving things to chance.

Xiao Fang laughs.

He laughs long and hard. His sudden laughter is so unexpected that it even quiets down most of the audience who wonder if maybe the heir of the Xiao Sect has lost it.

“Is that what you truly think? What a pity it must be. To have eyes but not be able to see. Do you really think you are stronger than me?”

Xiao Fang takes a deep breath.

“Let me show you how wrong you are.”

It is an explosion. There is no other way to describe it. Xiao Fang’s Qi explodes all around him, forcing even Yun Han to take a step back, the light of the Severing Palm still on his arm. Xiao Fang’s Qi, which seemed to have grown weaker throughout the fight with Yun Han, now seemingly burns with renewed energy.

No, it’s more than that.

At that moment, everyone in the stadium feels it. The truth of Xiao Fang’s power.

Nascent Realm, Level Six.

“H-How?!”

It is a pity there is no painter nearby to record Yun Han’s face for posterity. Those are Xiao Fang’s most sincere thoughts at that moment.

“Why are you so surprised that my cultivation level would rise?” Xiao Fang asks him. “For it to rise, isn’t that just the most natural thing?”

And rise it had. In some ways, his loss against Liu Jin had cleared his mind, removing the obstacles that were impeding his way to the next level.

“You deluded yourself into thinking we were equals, never bothering to consider my growth. That is why you are going to lose.”

The panic and fear in Yun Han are quickly pushed back by anger.

“Lose? Because you are just one level above me? Do not be so arrogant, Xiao Fang!”

Xiao Fang sighs.

Does he not realize it yet? That he allowed the fight to become a slugfest to drain Yun Han’s stamina? That as he is now, Yun Han has taken too much damage to continue fighting for much longer?

No, he probably does. At least on some level.

The truth just happens to be a burden too heavy for Yun Han to bear.

“Your Severing Palm will never defeat my Void Fist.” Before Yun Han can retort, Xiao Fang pushes on. “You understand this as well, don’t you? That is why you didn’t open with it. In a battle between my Void Fist and your Severing Palm, my Void Fist will win every time.”

Because Yun Han’s Severing Palm is a close-range technique.

“Certainly, it is possible to use Severing Palm from a distance,” Xiao Fang notes. “But Yun Han, that’s not the case for you, is it? You have not mastered that skill yet.”

Because if he had, he’d have used it on Liu Jin.

During that fight, Xiao Fang had been able to see Yun Han’s Severing Palm with complete clarity. Furious as Yun Han was, there is no way he would have wasted time getting close to Liu Jin to use the technique unless he absolutely needed to.

“So, that’s why... !” Yun Han’s anger soars to new heights. “You two tricked me!”

“The only person who tricked you, Yun Han, is yourself.”

Yun Han roars as he moves to attack. His form blurs as he uses the Yun Sect’s movement technique to blur around the ring. His body zigs and zags all around Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang sighs.

“Are you thinking that if you keep moving around, you will be able to hit me with your Severing Palm?” Xiao Fang asks. He has already summoned the required Qi to use a full power Void Fist on Yun Han. “Not a bad strategy, but you are going to need to stop if you want to hit me.”

As if prompted by his words, Yun Han blurs into view, his body directly behind him, the light of the Severing Palm moving closer to Xiao Fang’s unprotected back.

“Useless.”

Yun Han screams as the distortion created by Void Fist envelops his body. The light of his Qi fades away before it can ever reach Xiao Fang. The ground beneath him craters as Void Fist engulfs all.

Void Fist is not a technique that requires a line of sight, nor does it require the user to move to cast it. It is an invisible strike that mercilessly punishes those who dare oppose the Xiao Sect.

Yun Han’s Severing Palm was never a match for it.

“Yun Han of the Yun Sect is unable to continue fighting!” The announcer shouts after Yun Han’s unconscious body hits the ground. “The winner and champion of the Eastern Port City Tournament is Xiao Fang of the Xiao Sect!”

Xiao Fang closes his eyes, taking a moment to bask in the cheers of the crowd.

“Wait a moment! Stop! Everyone stop!”

Everyone looks in bewilderment as Wu Yan steps into the ring. Things grow even more confusing when Wu Yan points an accusing finger at Xiao Fang.

“Participant Xiao Fang is guilty of cheating! He does not deserve to be crowned champion!”

As the cheers slowly fade and the murmurs start, Xiao Fang allows himself a smile.

It is good when things go according to plan.

~~~