I’ll examine what he has in store for me.

Despite the fury spilling out of Ji Nan, Grisla could tell that his judgement was in control. Evident after when he feinted a charge, Ji Nan didn’t flinch and instead, sneered at him as if he’d already seen through it. In a swift motion, an array of knives was readied in his hand; and thrown at will. His target was as fleetfooted as he’d expect. Not even one managed to touch him, let alone graze his clothing.

Ji Nan was, assuredly, the most skilled opponent he’d faced since Xinrei back then. And though the outcome of the battle would change his fate forever, Grisla couldn’t deny it—deep down, past some entanglements and through a clearing… he was having fun.

In the world of cultivators, it is said when two equally skilled opponents come into contact, the encounter is not by chance, by coincidence or randomness; instead, it’s heaven’s work. A test delivered to its warriors. The climb to power is fraught with dangers both necessary and inevitable, but there is also an additional part of that, to prove oneself worthy to follow the Path two destinies must clash, and only one—must prove they’re superior.

“Let’s begin,” Ji Nan released the talismans, and at the same time slammed his hands together whilst they floated to the ground. These said talismans were possessed upon his action, and they scrambled to place themselves at each position designated for them. Intense light billowed through their script’s ink. The caster himself did nothing afterward, instead flashing his mocking face.

Grisla’s attention shot outward, looking for the changes in the air. Nothing. The enemy stood still as if nothing were the matter afterwards. That unnerved him more than anything. If he were a halfwit, he’d assume Ji Nan’s formation failed. But…

There’s no way that’s possible. Not here.

He doesn’t have the luxury to underestimate. Grisla exercised caution and threw another set of daggers at Ji Nan’s person. Unsurprisingly, they missed.

Ji Nan put a hand to his hip, “Is that it?”

Grisla was slightly annoyed. He’s obviously baiting me. From what I know, he prefers the close range. So why the caution?

Grisla’s Spiritual Sense scanned the area again. He found no visible changes to the environment, save for the obvious Juva powering the scripts. With Ji Nan hiding the writing before, he can’t exactly read the purpose they serve. There’s no way at his disposal to find out, unless he were to discover the intent personally…

He smiled. Then again, what does it even matter? He’s not faster than me. No one is. Can’t get hit if there isn’t a method to catch me. I can expect he has something planned however…

Ji Nan was taken by surprise as he watched Grisla. The boy lowered himself to the ground. Hands spread; legs bent to an angle. His breathing? Calm. Stiller than an empty grave. Grisla’s body was bent like a feline predator.

Juva flooded his muscles, his core was being wrung dry with Grisla at the helm. And he didn’t care a whit for it. There was the pill in his care, and the water back in the caves. So, for the first time—there’s nothing holding him back.

If I push myself to the limit? What then can he do?! Now… Steps of the Alpha: Godspeed!

During Grisla’s familiar vanishing trick, the stone below him imitated a spiderweb as they collapsed underneath his force. Ji Nan wasn’t in his focus anymore, not exactly—the world was moving at such a blur he couldn’t lock on to Ji Nan with his eyes even if he wanted to. The only way he could maintain some direction was by locking onto his presence and be drawn to it like a moth.

Ji Nan was startled. Grisla was a runaway cannonball ricocheting off the walls and the floor. There wasn’t a thing he could do to track him himself—he was still just a mere sixth cycle within the Solidification realm, with his eyes not much better than any other mortals’, he was at the mercy of Grisla’s assault. His feet that crushed stone sounded like an invasion from hell.

“Impossible…! Brother Mo was right about you…” he blurted.

“But, in the end,” Ji Nan sneered. “It changes nothing!”

Ji Nan’s fingers stabbed empty space. There was nothing from his fingertips, or a great beast commanded by his will. Just a certain estimation on Grisla’s trajectory. His enemy was three steps away—which changed to sixteen—then back to three. Ji Nan’s hair stood on end. The elastic blur before him decided on a vector—straight ahead.

His preparations did not go to waste. Grisla’s foot had a symbol below it; when translated, it meant “explode,” Certainly what his opponent discovered at the last second. The detonation was fierce; Ji Nan’s eardrums buckled from the shockwave, but that was minor compared to the primary victim. The billowing of smoke at the epicenter was momentarily camouflaging his enemy’s disfigurement.

Ji Nan searched out, but there was no presence within his field. Did he die?

He didn’t believe that. “Where’re you, Grisla Orlith?” he spat. Ji Nan was just as cautious as he, from being raised in an environment where it was necessary to always assess and revise plans depending on the enemy. He wouldn’t have made it thus far without that trait, that Grisla would name “cowardice.”

A jolt of lightning went through him. Without hesitation, he turned and pointed again somewhere else. Igniting another explosion. Afterwards, a cry of pain came through the smoke. Grisla took two steps out of it, collapsing with his strings cut.

The boy looked as if he lost a battle and went back in for seconds. Highways of blood littered his body; his agony was evident, and Ji Nan was wondering whether it was the trauma from the explosion, or the severe burns across his body that caused the most suffering. With just two fingers, he transformed Grisla into a decrepit beggar; his robe was a couple strings away from falling off his back.

Grisla’s eyes widened as he looked at the floor, following an invisible string all the way up to Ji Nan’s feet, “This’s—”

Ji Nan nodded. “You guessed it. A Deathseeker Formation. One of the few things that the mortal world has access to from cultivators. It’s a great tool used amongst warring kingdoms to deny calvary charges by cordoning an area off with the threat of sending themselves off on a personal trip to reach heaven,” he chuckled.

“I don’t understand.”

“It wouldn’t be a good countermeasure if you were,” Ji Nan nodded. He raised a stack of talismans in hand, “This here? Just bait. Take a good look, I’ll let you.” his fingers snapped, and every piece of paper stationed beneath them lit up as if a star were pulled to their feet.

Watching Grisla’s shocked face brought Ji Nan more joy than he’d ever thought possible in a day.

“While you were busy dealing with the other two, I had more than enough time to prepare. The stuff before? Me flipping the switch. Because you’re a very proactive person, ‘course you’d be obligated to stop whatever I had planned. Too bad.”

Grisla spat out a notable amount of blood. “That—doesn’t make sense! Even if I were fighting two, there’s no way you could just plant them under my awareness.”

“You’ve been flipping, dodging, and kicking up dirt all the while. ‘there’s no way you could just plant them under my awareness,’ he says.”

Hands behind his back, “I’ve been a step ahead of you the whole time,” Ji Nan said. “There’s more to a battle than just a contest of strength, you know. Turns out I didn’t need to try much at all.”

Ji Nan was right. There’re many instances of cultivators beating out raw power with ingenuity, and subterfuge. Grisla himself is a prime example of that, leveraging his lower cultivation base as a lure to his enemies. But, falling for his own tactic dealt a blow more severe than anything Ji Nan could muster.

“Speed is your true trump card against your enemies. Outmatched in relative experience, cultivation or numbers it could be surmounted by your explosive bursts of speed. When it’s gone, you’re worth less than the average cultivator. How sad.”

“Let us call an end to our feud here. Seeing that broken face of yours does enough for me. I’ll let you return home as a complete corpse, if you’re willing, that is.”

Grisla fell silent as he stared at Ji Nan’s outstretched hand. While true, objectively speaking there would be no way to survive this battle unless he were to retreat, but retreat? Should he? That was tossed without hesitation. If he were to run now—he’d only be delaying the inevitable. He swore on his martial heart that Ji Nan will die, and so, with heaven as both witness and judge he must do as sworn. Even without that binding him… he already “retreated” once, with Jadestone bailing him out. Not again.

He gritted his teeth. Only one soul is escaping this chamber; and if I fall, so be it.

“…Seri.” he whispered. “I know you can’t say anything now, but, if I am to die, then please, find a way out of here.”

Whether or not she heard wasn’t his concern.

“Honestly,” Grisla sighed. “I didn’t think I’d have to use this so early. Fine, you win Ji Nan.”

Ji Nan perked up, “You’ve come to see reason then, good. Surrender to me by—”

“Huh?!” Grisla pinched the Earth Restorative Pill, “when did I ever say anything about that? Dumbass. You’re so certain of victory when my fun’s just beginning! Let’s play a little more.”

Ji Nan’s face slowly lowered from being high on life, to as sullen as a fresh widow could be. “Pretend my offer didn’t happen, then. Even when underneath the guillotine, you still persist with your stupid mentality.”

“It’s my way of keeping things lighthearted," swallowing, Grisla said: "I find it most soothing to the tension.”

Ji Nan sneered. “Agreed.”