Because he had already analysed Zhou Lihua’s fighting style, Wu Jian did not allow the girl to hold the initiative. He raced forward the moment the battle began. The distance between him and Zhou Lihua closed within seconds.

A normal person would have probably attacked the moment they were within range. Wu Jian did not. Leaping high into the air, he jumped clear over Zhou Lihua’s head, allowing him to avoid the powerful kick she delivered, which would have crushed his ribcage if he had kept running. He landed on the arena floor behind her and threw a straight jab at the back of her head.

While still at the Body Forging Realm, Zhou Lihua possessed incredible reflexes and flexibility. She lowered her body before his attack could hit. His fist sailed past her torso. With the same speed and reflexes, she latched onto his hand, spread her feet wide, and used her body as a fulcrum to toss him over her shoulder. The wind whistled around him. He thought he caught a whiff of her perfume as he was tossed. As he sailed through the air, Wu Jian twisted his body and landed on his feet, bending his legs to absorb the impact.

Zhou Lihua had kept her hand around his wrist, but she let go and leapt back as though she was possessed of sharp instincts. Wu Jian stood back up as the girl warily eyed him like he was a wild animal.

“You have incredible reflexes,” she said at last.

“And you have a sharp intuition,” Wu Jian replied.

He couldn’t see past her veil, but he thought she might be smiling. “You’re also very strong. Hard to believe you’re only twelve years-old.”

Wu Jian shrugged. “Thank you. But you realize we’re here to fight each other, right? Let’s save the compliments for after one of us wins.”

“Of course.”

Wu Jian darted forward and started things off with a simple one-two jab aimed at her solar plexus. His attacks were swept aside by Zhou Lihua just like he expected, and she countered with a low kick, high kick combination that forced him back. Her attacks were so blisteringly fast that it felt like she was cutting the air with her foot.

Stomping on the ground, Wu Jian generated a powerful kinetic force in his leg that he used to propel himself forward. He jumped into the air before reaching Zhou Lihua and threw out his leg. His kick missed when his opponent ducked, but he landed on the ground, lowered his body, and mule kicked at the girl before she could attack him.

She backed off before his feet could land.

She’s smart. She knows blocking would injure her arms, which she uses for throws, so she has trained herself to dodge anything she can’t redirect.

Zhou Lihua’s style was similar to but different from Wu Meiying’s. The one thing they shared in common was neither relied on outright blocking attacks. They redirected them with gentle movements designed to minimize the force of any impact. This young woman had honed her instincts to perfection, allowing her to recognize when she could and couldn’t redirect someone’s attack.

The two continued to trade blows and counterattacks. Zhou Lihua was an incredible fighter with swift reflexes and more strength in her legs than the average Body Forging Realm cultivator. He couldn’t even imagine how hard she must have trained.

Wu Jian prided himself on his strength, which he acquired from six years of back-breaking training, so he understood her power couldn’t all come from alchemy pills, though he assumed she must have taken some of those as well.

Even his body had been enhanced with natural treasures and alchemy pills.

He blocked a kick that he was too slow to dodge, crossing his arms above his head, and grimaced when the dull thud of her leg reverberated through his entire body. The attack was powerful enough to nearly break his guard. It might have been his imagination, but he was certain he could feel hairline fractures spreading through the bones in his arms.

“That’s… quite the kick,” he grunted, voice strained.

“Thanks. I train. My legs. Every day!” Zhou Lihua said as she lifted her leg and brought it down again. By that point, Wu Jian had already distanced herself from her, so her foot struck the ground instead, cracking the tiles like they were made of glass.

She kicks hard. That last attack would have broken my arms if I hadn’t forged my body with all those natural treasures Mei and I found.

He shook out his arms to make sure they were still usable before wading back into battle.

***

Wu Meiying’s eyes contained a bright glimmer as she watched the fight between Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua. She was disappointed that it was not her fighting against Wu Jian, but watching him fight against someone so strong was exhilarating in its own way.

Her heart was pounding in her chest.

A vibrant staccato rhythm timed to the beating of fists and feet.

She felt like she was star-struck all over again.

Wait. All over again? What does that mean?

“Zhou Lihua is so strong. Is Wu Jian going to be okay?” asked Hou Jingshu, snapping Wu Meiying out of her stupor.

“He will be fine,” Wu Meiying assured her, snapping out of her confused daze. “Look at him. Does he look like he’s troubled?”

Hou Jingshu didn’t say anything at first, opting to squint as she stared at Wu Jian with pursed lips. The boy in question had just received a powerful kick to the ribs. Even she couldn’t keep from wincing a little, but Wu Jian had caught the foot and began spinning Zhou Lihua around. As he tossed her, Hou Jingshu got a good look at his face.

She shook her head. “No. In fact, he’s smiling like he’s having fun.”

“That’s right.” Wu Meiying smiled broadly as she puffed out her chest. “Ever since we ran afoul of a Spotted Snow Lion when we were younger, he’s picked up the habit of enjoying spars against people who can force him to use all of his strength. This is the first time in a while that he’s been able to really let loose.”

“I guess… I see your point,” Hou Jingshu said after a moment.

“That said, I do get why you’d be worried about him. Jian is taking more hits than Zhou Lihua. He’s definitely at a disadvantage in this fight,” Wu Meiying admitted. “Zhou Lihua’s fighting style is very deceptive but also very powerful. She relies on swift and powerful kicks to attack, and she uses her hands to deflect incoming attacks. She also relies heavily on throws, but she is smart enough not to use them when she knows they won’t work. Judging by the way she moves, I’d hazard a guess and say she’s also trained in how to wield two daos or maybe even tessens.”

The tessen was a type of metal fan used in combat. They were exceedingly powerful and could not only be used as a cutting weapon but were also used to release powerful techniques. Legends told of a famous Deva Realm cultivator who had created a technique with a tessen that could cut through mountains and split oceans.

If they had been allowed to use weapons, there was no way Wu Jian could win. While they became less important later in one’s cultivation, at the Body Forging Realm and even the Hunger and Anima Realms, a good weapon could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Of course, that doesn’t include legendary weapons, Wu Meiying thought.

“Great. Now I’m worried again,” Hou Jingshu sighed.

“Sorry about that.”

“I somehow get the feeling you’re not actually sorry at all.”

***

Wu Jian could feel his body growing tired. He was covered in bruises, was pretty sure at least one of his ribs was cracked, and his left arm was definitely broken. He had been forced to block one of her kicks with it and suffered dearly. Now he was cradling the arm to his chest as he backed off, until he was standing close to the edge.

“I saw what you did when you fought that girl. I hope you don’t think I’ll fall for the same trick she did,” Zhou Lihua said.

“I’d never expect the same trick to work on you,” Wu Jian countered.

“That’s good, but now you’ve backed yourself into a corner.”

Wu Jian shrugged as Zhou Lihua darted forward and extended her leg for a kick. Her attack was so fast the air wooshed around her leg. Wu Jian gritted his teeth, then extended his broken arm and allowed it to receive the hit. He winced at the sound of bones crunching, but he suppressed the pain, redirected her arm like he had seen Wu Meiying do countless times, and lunged forward.

He would only have one second to accomplish his goal.

He needed to act fast!

Zhou Lihua was too stunned to do anything as he tackled her; the back of her head hit the arena floor as Wu Jian straddled her stomach, his broken arm hanging limply by his side, and his free hand pressed against her throat like it was a blade.

As they stared into each other’s eyes, the veil that she had been wearing slipped off and revealed her face. Wu Jian was stunned. The girl had beautiful features. Her skin was smooth like a peach and impeccably soft. Naturally red and full lips gave her a seductive air he wouldn’t have expected from someone their age. Now that she didn’t have her veil on, though, he could tell that she was quite young, though still older than him by a few years. She must have been on the cusp of turning sixteen.

“That manuver you pulled at the end isn’t a part of your fighting style,” Zhou Lihua said after some time.

“I spar with Mei every day and picked up a trick or two from her.” Wu Jian would have shrugged if one arm wasn’t broken and the other occupied.

“So I see,” Zhou Lihua murmured with a soft, enchanting smile.

“Anyway, I win,” Wu Jian said softly.

“That you do.” Zhou Lihua released all the air she’d been holding in a single sigh. “Sacrificing your arm like that was an awfully reckless move. You realize if I hadn’t reacted as you expected me to, you’d be without an arm, right? And you would have lost.”

“I know, but I was certain this tactic would work on you. I took your measure during our fight and realized you’re a very noble person. I was certain you would hesitate to attack me after I sacrificed my arm like that,” Wu Jian explained as he got off her. With his broken arm now dangling, he held out his only working hand to Zhou Lihua, who looked at it for a moment before taking it, allowing him to pull her up.

“I still say that was pretty reckless of you… but I have always been impressed by that kind of calculated recklessness—oh. Thank you.” Zhou Lihua blinked in surprise as Wu Jian picked up her veil and handed it to her. She recovered quickly and placed the veil over her face, once more hiding it from view. “In either event, this victory is yours. Congratulations. You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you,” Wu Jian said.

The elder hesitated for a moment, but when Zhou Lihua stared at him, he raised his hand and announced, “The victory goes to Wu Jian!”

The crowd went wild, though Wu Jian hardly paid attention to the cheering. His arm was throbbing. The dull pain caused his vision to go dim. It wasn’t just his arm that was injured either. He had a large number of bruises and scrapes littering his body.

“Jian!”

“Wu Jian!”

Two people leapt onto the stage and rushed over to him. Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu looked both exhilarated and worried for him.

“Congratulations on your victory!” Wu Meiying said with a grin. She didn’t jump on him like last time, perhaps aware that he wasn’t in the right state to catch her.

“Are you okay?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“I’m fine—hhssss!” Wu Jian hissed when Hou Jingshu touched his broken arm.

“S-sorry!” Hou Jingshu apologized.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Wu Jian offered a pained smile, though he imagined it did little to quell her worry.

“Zhou Lihua really did a number on you,” Wu Meiying observed. “You might have technically won, but I don’t know if I can consider this a victory.”

“A win is a win is a win,” Wu Jian declared.

As the three of them spoke, Zhou Lihua raised a hand to her mouth and giggled, causing them to look in her direction. They couldn’t see past her veil. However, Wu Jian could now tell that she was smiling by the way her eyes crinkled.

“You three are an interesting trio,” she said at last. “I would love it if we can get to know one another better. Ah, but for now, Wu Jian, you and your friends should come with me. There’s still one more match before the finals, but I don’t think you need to watch it.”

Wu Jian didn’t take much time to agree to follow her. He, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu left the stage as Ming Shen and Juishi Son replaced them. On the way past him, Ming Shen offered a dirty smirk like he was pleased by Wu Jian’s injuries, but Wu Jian didn’t pay attention to the other boy. Acknowledging Ming Shen was just playing into his hands.

Ignoring him like his existence didn’t matter never failed to piss the other boy off.