Shin saw Linji armour up, eager to start the battle as soon as he could. Shin was certain that the man would attack the moment he cast his Spiritual Body Enhancement, hoping to tear him limb from limb.

Shin had prepared for every Luminary he was facing, and Longyu Linji was no exception. The young man was a martial artist that used his combination of Water and Darkness elements to confuse and deter his foes. Prime weapon? Using his two fists to knock as many idiots down as quickly as he could. Against martial artists, particularly ones that could move using the Light or Darkness elements, it wouldn’t be wise for Shin to ignite the Shard or bombard him with Shape-Style Techniques as they could easily dodge them. Unfortunately for Linji, Shin was now the sweetheart of the Longyu Clan.

Among all of the Luminaries, Shin had the most information about Linji. Each time he asked someone in the clan what were the young man’s abilities, Shin would get information so comprehensive that he would wonder if they did an analysis prior to him asking. Either way, it helped in Shin crafting the most efficient method of taking down Linji. Firstly, the young man relied solely on his ‘Darkness Water,’ a hybrid that mixed his two elements together. All of Linji’s attacks that weren’t martial arts used this ‘Darkness Water,’ either to confuse his opponent or buff himself exponentially.

The fist techniques that the Luminary favoured were also detailed down to Shin, and he had been practising with Longyu Qiangshe, the Spirit Lord that specialised in martial arts. Essentially, Linji was the Luminary that Shin had prepared the most for, and so…

‘Let’s start it off with this!’ Shin cast his Spiritual Body Enhancement as well as bringing out the new set of Acupuncture Needles that were made specifically for his Divine Needle Binding technique. It had a silver tip, laced with some of the most potent neurotoxins that Shin could concoct. The golden dragon head as a base helped with Shin’s grip, particularly when moving around at rapid speeds which he frequently did with his Lightning Swallow Steps.

Mychael’s teaching hadn’t been flushed down the toilet. Shin made sure to practice at least a few repetitions a day to keep his body warm to the techniques, and when he was training over the past few months, Shin had a quick refresher by sparring desperately with Kanari or Longyu Qiangshe.

Shin’s two feet turned illusory as the Lightning Swallow Steps were executed to its finest degree. That sudden burst ahead took Longyu Linji by surprise. The Luminary had always envisioned the match, to begin with him being the aggressor. Shin was the ‘weaker’ cultivator, so it would be logical for him to leap back and attack Linji, who was a close-combat specialist, from afar using his array of long-ranged techniques.

However, perhaps it was a mixture of shock and unpreparedness, Linji was a little slow to react. Furthermore, Shin had used his fastest foot technique that had surprised even Spirit Lords and Kings. In just a fraction of a second, Shin’s Golden Dragon Needles had left his fingers and flew straight for the Luminary’s meridians.

SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!! SLLIICKKK!!

Linji reflexes were quick, so half the needles missed their mark. Alas, his miscalculation had cost him. The remaining six needles attacked six of Linji’s Prime Meridians, locking the young Luminary in place. Although the Divine Needle Binding wasn’t complete, it had still done enough to bind Linji. Each time he tried to move, Linji’s limbs would clench up in agony, and his veins would show.

Naturally, the audience were shell shocked. Was the great Longyu Linji, just defeated? Just like that? It hadn’t even been ten seconds since the match began and the young man had been caught by Shin’s technique?

Before anyone could call foul, Shin charged straight at Linji, his expression as ashen as stone. The Golden Dragon Needles that missed their mark all oscillated in the air, controlled by Shin’s own remote water manipulation. They rapidly charged down, hoping to lock down the remaining of Linji’s meridians and giving him the record knockout time. Many thought that it was a little overkill. Going for a follow up when his opponent was already down. But… Oh, how wrong they were.

BBBBBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

Shin was just inches away from locking Linji down before the young Luminary turned into a pile of Darkness Water, completely disappearing from the view of the audience. It was as if Linji that was sealed was never the real Linji in the first place.

“Tsk...” Annoyed, Shin clicked his tongue. He leapt up into the air, and an azure nebula burst out from his body, rapidly increasing the humidity of the arena. Shin also created two gigantic water spheres, each one more vast than the last. After charging them both with mana, the youth split them up, one to take the floor, the other to reign the skies. At the same time, the Spear of Aiglos reappeared in Shin’s hands, while the numerous Golden Dragon Needles whizzed about Shin’s immediate vicinity.

“He really understands Linji’s abilities well...” Qilong Hu, the leader of the five Luminaries, had his right hand under his nose, covering his entire mouth. He couldn’t believe how much Shin had planned for the first five seconds of the match.

Longyu Linji’s entire spiritual ability kit revolves around using a mixture of top-tier martial arts and his Darkness Water. The ability he used to escape Shin’s Divine Needle Binding was called Substitute. A simple concept. If Linji flesh was being compromised, he could transfer his Spectre Soul into a different place where his Darkness Water was. It was a mana heavy spiritual ability, and the Luminary could only use it a few times before he completely runs out of gas. Shin knew of this, so he decided to take advantage of the time where Linji was reforging his body to prepare two massive attacks. So wherever he reappeared, be it in the skies or the ground, the Luminary would be bombarded with two deadly strikes, hopefully forcing him to use Substitute once more. And five seconds had barely passed…

As anticipated, Linji was unable to keep hiding, and a puddle of Darkness Water began to reforge at the corner of the arena.

“Harghh!!!” Shin grunted, transforming the entire bottom sphere into an Arcane River. The rapid torrents crashed violently on the puddle that Linji was reappearing from. Time continued to past as dirt and gravel began to arise. Shin observed, ready to launch yet another attack if Linji had escaped using Substitute once more.

WHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Then, an odd scene occurred. The Arcane River, which should have been continuously applying pressure onto Longyu Linji, had now turned into a whirlpool. Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem for Shin. All he needed to do was to spend a little bit of mana, and his Arcane River would get back on track. However, there was one complication.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

From the centre of the Arcane River, dark billowing essence corrupted Shin’s mana, forcing the youth to lose all control over his own ability. Linji’s chiselled body floated up to the surface, his face red with burning hate. The Arcane River that Shin had thrown onto the Luminary had changed into a new rapidly flowing sphere made entirely of the Darkness Water that Linji was renowned for. Like a giant meatball, Linji’s new control over the Darkness Water sphere continued to grow until eventually, he was able to raise it above his head.

With one punch, Linji sent the sphere flying at top speeds, ready to knock Shin down from his position. Snorting, Shin controlled the second orb of water and launched his most favoured Flow-Style technique. Under the influence of the domain, the morning blue skies turned into night for Linji as gorgeous starlight dripped down from the heavens, countering the Darkness Water Sphere that Linji had thrown.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

A rattling, similar to that of a fizzy drink being opened, dominated the ears of the spectators. The two abilities had cancelled each other out, leaving nothing but beautiful sparkles behind. Adding the Domain of Dreams to the mix, it really was an ethereal sight for the eyes. Children excitedly cheered without knowing what was going on while adults were amazed that such a scene was made by two Spirit Spectres.

However, the two foes weren’t able to enjoy the view. Linji never moved his eyes away from the skies, but somehow, he had managed to lose sight of Shin. The Luminary’s two brows were brought together, and his senses were heightened. He looked to the left, he looked to the right. He glanced above, he searched below. But Shin was still nowhere to be found. Which meant that there was only one place left that the Prince of Water could come from.

CLANK!!!

Linji shot his fist backwards, clashing against the sharp Spear of Aiglos, Shin’s weapon of choice. The young man clicked his tongue as if he was angered that someone had countered his ability. Still, Shin wasn’t deterred. The Golden Dragon Needles flew about like buzzing bees, aiding him with the assault on Linji’s body.

The Luminary pivoted his feet and prepared himself for a huge roundhouse kick. It was his most significant chance since the fight began. Shin had been in control of the battle thus far, and Linji had been dancing to his tune. If Linji could land a massive hit on Shin’s relatively weaker body, the Luminary could sway the tides of battle in his favour. Alas, just as his left thigh left the ground, his instincts all screamed out like crazy, forcing the martial artist to leap back ten steps with complete fear.

The Golden Dragon Needles bolted down, slicing the ground where Linji once stood. ‘Hah… Hah… That was close!!!’ The Luminary counted his lucky stars that his roundhouse kick didn’t connect. Yes, he would have damaged Shin severely with that one kick, but what would it have cost him?

TSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT!!!

Shin didn’t want to give Linji even a split second to recover. Knowing that his attack had failed, Shin launched yet another, this time executing the Infinite Tsunami Spear. Being a member of the Lantis Republic, not to mention a dominating Luminary, Linji knew the strengths and weaknesses of the Infinite Tsunami Spear. It was all in the momentum. If Linji could stop Shin from gaining any momentum, the technique would fall flat, and it would leave Shin wide open for an array of counters. He even thought that Shin was being too cocky, trying to use the Lantis Republic’s martial arts against one of its top martial artists.

Oh, how wrong Linji was. The Infinite Tsunami Spear continued to relentlessly attack the Luminary, all while the Golden Dragon Needle spun around in the air. Any gaps that Shin had left, the needles would bolt down to cover him. Linji tried to cover his entire arm with Darkness Water, but the domain that Shin had unleashed allowed him to create even more water to counter Linji’s own. Each exchange between the two black-haired youths ended up with Linji’s tragic loss as he was being pushed back slowly.

How bad was the Luminary losing? Each time he threw one fist, he had to retract ten. All of his martial arts, which had been serving him faithfully over the years, were all being countered before Linji could even throw them. Kicks? Taken down by the Golden Dragon Needles. Punches? Sealed by Shin’s water techniques. Worst still, Shin’s Infinite Tsunami Spear was gaining momentum throughout the exchanges, making each strike more terrifying than the last.

“Linji, he...” Qilong Hu couldn’t bear to watch. He wasn’t that chummy with the Longyu Clan’s Luminary, but he knew what it was like to be embarrassed on the national stage.

See, Shin had detailed all of Linji’s martial arts and came up with countless of counters for them. Like a chess grandmaster, Shin had already seen the final board before the first move had even begun. From the start to the end, Shin had been holding the upper hand, pushing the Luminary to the ropes each time. It was just a pity that all of Linji’s abilities and techniques were known to Shin. If they had entered the match blind, Linji might have surprised Shin with some of his techniques and god knows who would be reigning supreme now?

In the end, it was the result that mattered. Shin was on the verge of besting Linji, and that was without breaking a single sweat. In the eyes of the spectators, Linji’s value would begin to plummet, and he’ll forever remain in the shadow of the Longyu Clan’s new top dog.

It was now just a matter of time...