As her senses finally caught up with reality, Lily came to the conclusion that there would be no finishing blow aimed in her direction. She finally heaved a breath of air, her hands still trembling from the aftermath of that bizarre attack.

She felt a kind of fear she had never experienced before in her life, not even when facing opponents of higher cultivation than her. It was such a stifling sensation, she could only describe it as being stuck in a quagmire of slowly sinking quicksand, and any efforts to extricate herself from that situation only seemed to worsen it.

There was something odd about his footwork, but nothing that she found threatening. There were many fascinating movement techniques that she had personally experienced, and while she was no expert it was obvious that he was trying to build up speed and catch her off guard

He exploded in a burst of speed in accordance with her expectations and prepared to repel him with the staff. However, when she had only made the slightest indication of committing to the attack, the rapier's trajectory shifted. She tried again, but this time she found that the trajectory of the accursed blade adjusted, pointing right at her heart. No matter what combat stance or maneuver she utilized, her death seemed to be a fact set in stone. It was as if she was not fighting a mortal, but the Supreme Edicts themselves.

And before she realized it, there was no longer any time left to decide. The overpowering sensation of death engulfed her in its eternal darkness, and the next thing she knew she was lying on the ground, completely defenseless. Her terror was only magnified when she realized that the man had not pushed her to the ground, but she had crumpled to the ground out of her own indecision.

Trying to calm herself, she decided to sum up the gains and analyze the losses the way her father had taught her, because she could not afford to lose her composure in front of this man after her loss. It would only lead to him placing a lesser value on her skills, and perhaps even backing out from their earlier deal because of her lacking mental strength.

'Stay calm, Shuren. Perhaps he is testing you, considering if you are a suitable ally or not. Focus' she almost pleaded with herself. Gradually, found her consciousness sinking into a comfortable realm, slowly playing back scenes from the battle in her mind.

The first win could be chalked up to the element of surprise and slight trickery, but that did not change the fact that she would already be dead if there was killing intent behind those attacks. She would have to do a much more careful re-examination of her combat readiness and strategies, the whole experience only making her realize how naive she had been in considering herself ready for a true life and death battle.

The multiverse did not judge your true combat potential by how you performed in the most optimal conditions, for such a judgment had no value. A cultivator's potential was judged by how they performed at their worst, faced with enemies ready to exploit each and every one of your known weaknesses. It was only a matter of practicality, for the first situation was as rare as receiving an item from the random drop table, while the latter was almost a common occurrence in any major clan or sect.

However, she didn't berate herself too harshly. If it had been only after the first exchange, she would have been left with a bitter taste in her mouth and unwilling to accept defeat. Trickery was more than a viable means of combat in the multiverse, but it was ultimately disdained. Cultivating a path of cowardice would only lead to death when faced with an absolute superiority in strength and skill.

The second exchange, however, made it clear that the man could have easily defeated her from the beginning. She did not know why, and she'd be damned if she knew how the man had amassed such power after cultivating for such a short period of time. However, he seemed to bear no animosity towards her for the suffering his kind had no doubt gone through. One that would not be unjust if directed towards her, either. The chance to cultivate on a future Domain Controller level planet..... she would have seized it regardless of the circumstances she found herself in.

A fact that the man seemed to understand, from what little inferences she had time to make. Well, the reason mattered little to her. What really mattered was that this native powerhouse looked upon favorably for her, and it wasn't because of her body. Well.... she hoped so.

She finally felt confident enough to face the man, not wanting to keep her gaze fixated onto the marble flooring for too long, lest it be taken as a sign of weakness.

"Do you surrender?" he asked, though his voice seemed slightly weary from the battle.

"Yes," she replied, without any outward bitterness discernable in her reply.

In all honesty, she knew that while this may be a future domain controller level planet, that didn't guarantee her ascension at all. While her clan did not have extensive knowledge about cycles of trials the system threw at a newly integrated planet, she had an inkling of what was to come. At the very least, she knew she was only part of the first wave of Invaders sent to Earth.

She was ready to fight for benefits, but the likelihood of coming on top among such fierce competition..... well, her optimism could only carry her so far. Her father had invested a great deal of resources into her growth, and the minor dao of the shockwave was a Dao fruit he had acquired in a mystic realm after a close brush with death. Had he not concealed it from the clan, it was much likely to have been used by a patriarch instead of her. She warmly remembered how her father had tricked the Clan higher-ups, claiming he had received the help of the Bulai clan in bringing forth her natural talent.

There were definitely some eyebrows raised at the time, but with an expert from the Bulai clan verifying their claims, there was little more that could be done. After all, if a Dao fruit had existed, it was already consumed. There were no benefits in engaging in meaningless disputes within the clan, it only lead to needless discord.

The man extended a hand to her, and she could not help but make eye contact as she was hoisted to the ground. Those eyes of his still did not hold any lust or greed, despite now being in a position of power over her. Instead, they seemed to be almost apathetic to the situation, as if he were simply going through the motions instead of actually having a burning desire to liberate earth.

If not for the small glimmer of hope she had caught a flash of in his otherwise lifeless eyes, she would find herself worried about her safety. It meant that he still had something to live for.