On the other side of the arena, Fu Yin smiled:

“What control… I know that her Sensed Qi is so high quality and compatible that she can control even better that if she was moving her own body, but this is so freaky… I am pretty sure even brother Cheng Hao would be nodding in acknowledgement!”

Sou Rou sighed:

“I couldn’t understand back then, but if I couldn’t now as well would I still be worthy of my title as a Successor? Still, I must admit that girl makes me shake in terror! She is such a freak of nature!”

Xiao Wu chuckled as she twirled a strand of her purple and blue hair around her index finger:

“You shouldn’t worry about that… After all, how could one ever think that a person would be able to perfectly control thousands if not millions of extremely small mirrors and their reflections on such a large scale?”

Sou Rou smiled bitterly and then leaned back on her seat. Meanwhile, Fu Yin was staring deeply at Xiao Wu’s figure as a complex expression was showing on his face. A hint of some unknown emotion flashed by his eyes but soon disappeared as Xiao Wu returned the gaze:

“Oh… looks like the next match is about to start!”

Fu Yin’s eyes gleamed as he pulled the attention towards the stage: there, Lao Jianghu waved his sleeves, requesting for silence. Seeing that, every other person in the Golden Arena, whether they were Disciples or Elders of the Sect, immediately shut up.

Despite the male acting innocent, hiding his true thoughts deeply, Xiao Wu had still noticed that something was on the mind of the young boy. It was as if he had a thorn in his side, unable to be removed.

“The second match of this tournament’s round will begin in a short while! Would the contestants please step forward?” Lao Jianghu called. Behind him, the damage that Dan Yang’s strings had been able to inflict on the golden stage were rapidly healing. Soon, the surface turned as smooth as it had been before the other matches had began.

Xiao Wu frowned, but stood up nevertheless. Her hands were trembling slightly, but she was able to hide the fact below the long sleeves of her robes.

“Remember. In this fight, nobody fights to kill. Nervousness will only hamper your progress… a loss today is a victory tomorrow!”

Xiao Wu turned as she heard these words: Fu Yin was smiling at her gently, as if he was telling her that there was nothing she would have to worry about.

Fu Yin smiled as he removed his headband, letting his unkempt her fall on his forehead, hiding his expression:

“Then again, knowing you, I do not need to speak such words, do I?”

Hearing that, Xiao Wu returned the smile. Then, she coldly turned around without saying a word.

You are always like this… do you not understand!

As soon as Fu Yin couldn’t see her expression anymore, a fierce gleam passed by the girl’s eyes and she bit her lips, to the point that she could easily draw out blood if she applied any more pressure:

‘I do not need to speak such words?’, you say?

Below the sleeves, Xiao Wu’s hands began to tremble even more as they curled up in fists, her nails biting the flesh.

These… These are actually the words I need to hear the most!

She was just a child, how could she possibly not be nervous, scared? Knowing that in a short while she would be up against a person that could easily wipe the floor with her, if she was not terrified, would she still be human? Why then would she not need encoragement?

She clenched her curled fists, approaching the golden stage. Her steps were slightly wobbly, but only those with keen eyes would notice it… yet, to Xiao Wu, it was as if she was walking on the plank of a ship in the middle of a storm!

‘Knowing you?’ ...

Xiao Wu swallowed the tears as she called out her Black Dragon Aura Sword: the blade, more than three feet long, hovered by her side, emitting an incredibly sharp killing intent.

What did Fu Yin know! She was scared! She could conceal the fear in her eyes, however could not dispel the terror in her heart! She was not another fearless, invincible Fu Yin!

What’s more...

She was almost completely certain that she would not be able to defeat Fang Lu!

…

Back in the tent, just as the first round was about to start, Fu Yin had suddenly exclaimed:

"Alright, let's bring our minds to the matter at hand!"

His eyes lit up with fighting intent:

"A total of three one-on-one battles and then one final showdown between the three finalists! There are a total of twelve contestants including us. If we all win, we will meet each other in the finals!"

Sou Rou nodded:

"Be sure not to underestimate your opponents! Especially that Fang Lu. Ever since he broke through the Superior stage he has been defeating mid level and high level Superior stage cultivators one after the other!"

Fu Yin rested his chin on his palm and pondered:

"If I remember well, the one to face off with him first will be..."

He looked to his right:

"Sister Xiao Wu, on her second match. What do you think? Can you handle him?"

The little girl frowned and didn't say anything. However, she clenched her fists and her eyes trembled.

Fu Yin sighed:

"Thought as much. Be sure to forfeit once you feel like you are about to lose... Don't do anything stupid! There is no thing such as shame when you lose against an opponent that is much older than you!"

Sou Rou stretched:

"What’s with those unforgiving words, lil bro'? After all, this girl may be just a kitten, however a tiger cub is still a tiger nevertheless!"

Fu Yin looked up and the shook his head:

"Personally, I doubt she is going to last more than ten moves, and all that would be while Fang Lu is still using non-lethal attacks. From my point of view..."

His lifeless blue eyes lit up and his gaze turned sharp:

"Your only chance to grab victory will be... to take him by surprise and attacking just as the fight begins! If you fail at this initial attack… you will be defeated."

…

This thought of certain defeat had been instilled in her mind ever since the beginning of the tournament and had been tormenting her ever since: the power Fang Lu had demonstrated was something she knew was way beyond her, just like her strength had been far beyond her previous opponent’s, Ku Xong’s!

Such difference between our strength… such desparity, was it truly as such?

Xiao Wu looked down at her hand: she had easily defeated Ku Xong, but… was it truly not a fluke? Did she truly own the strength that she had shown back then?

What had she been thinking? Attacking right off the bat, without taking into consideration that the opponent might have had some hidden trump card to blow her away in a single move?

Xiao Wu gulped and felt cold sweat trickling down her back: genius? Was she truly strong? Her cultivation base was astonishing, but it was no different than her opponent’s! Would she have the necessary skills to defeat Fang Lu?

…

Lao Jianghu frowned as he looked at the girl. Noticing the fear lingering in her heart, the old man couldn’t help but sigh:

Pressure… this amount of pressure is indeed just too much for her to bear!

He switched his focus to Fu Yin: the white-haired child also had an extremely concerned look in his eyes. His expression was hidden by his long bangs, however his two blue eyes, usually lifeless and as peaceful as a pond, were currently extremely deep.

Suddenly, the young man’s lips parted as he whispered, allowing the wind to carry his words for Xiao Wu to hear:

“As soon as you feel like you are about to lose… give up!"

Although he could not hear what had just been said, Lao Jianghu’s eyes gleamed with killing intent as he noticed the young girl freezing up. The old man screamed in his head:

This young one, what is he planning? This old man isn’t following you! If it keeps going, won’t the child break?

He moved his gaze at Xiao Wu and worry appeared deep within his eyes as he reluctantly erected the golden barrier.

Xiao Wu was trembling, her expression hidden below her long, purplish-blue hair.

Give up? GIVE UP?!?

Xiao Wu's mouth twitched as killing intent swirled around the black sword like a hurricane...

I'll show you exactly who is going to give up!

On the other side of the battlefield, Fang Lu had also noticed that something was wrong, however his thoughts were a lot different from those of the golden-eyed, white-haired, old man.

He sent a glance in Fu Yin’s way and could vaguely see the other’s thin lips arching up into a knowing smile…

A vein popped on Fang Lu’s forehead as his left eye twitched:

You bastard, is this how you plan to deal with me? You demon! Do you have any idea how scary an hysterical woman can be! You actually dare to take out her anger on me! Damn it, as soon as I get off this stage, I’m going to punch you so hard you’ll see the stars despite the sun still being up!