Wu Jian leaned against the wall, arms crossed, brow furrowed, thinking about his current dilemma.

Several days had passed since the tournament began. He and Huǒ Shuchang had won all of their matches so far. Not all of them had been easy, but none of them had pushed Wu Jian to the point where his bottleneck loosened.

Pills also wouldn’t help. They might be able to gather a lot of chi, but using them while trying to break through a minor subrealm could be detrimental to his cultivation.

They had already reached the top fifty, meaning their entrance into the White Tiger Ruins was guaranteed. That didn’t mean either of them planned to forfeit. Cultivators who entered first had the greatest chance of discovering whatever rewards were hidden inside. Wu Jian also hoped that the people he fought would be strong enough to really push him.

“You look like you’re thinking a little too deeply about something,” Huǒ Shuchang said. Wu Jian looked up, then went back to studying the ground. “Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

“I’m not ignoring you. I just don’t have anything to say right now,” Wu Jian said.

“You could ask me for advice. I am older than you, you know? I can help with your cultivation.”

Wu Jian was about to say he didn’t need help, but then he paused. Huǒ Shuchang did seem to know more about cultivation than he did. Maybe he could help.

“I can’t seem to loosen my bottleneck. It’s just a minor subrealm, so it shouldn’t be giving me this much trouble. I’m at a complete loss on how to solve this,” Wu Jian explained.

“That’s because you’re abnormal,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Wu Jian raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“These bottlenecks are things most people go through. It’s abnormal that you haven’t struggled to break through as much as most cultivators. I’m pretty sure I’ve told you all this before. You need to just relax and let nature take its course. You’ll break through when you’re ready.”

“I’m pretty sure you have.”

“Then stop worrying.” Huǒ Shuchang slapped Wu Jian’s shoulder. “You’ll break through whenever you’re meant to.”

That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have a time limit and people after you.

While everyone thought Wu Jian was dead, that might not always be the case. Once it got out that he was alive, the people who had gone after Wu Meiying would return to silence him. The faster he could increase his strength, the better off he would be when that inevitable confrontation happened.

Wu Jian had no idea how strong the people after Wu Meiying were. According to her, the ones who annihilated his clan was just a small branch of a much larger, more powerful group. How powerful was the person at the top? Wu Jian had no idea, but he wouldn’t be surprised to find they were one of the most powerful people on the Xiao Continent.

Several people emerged from the arena. One walked on his own two people, but the other was being carried in on a stretcher, body covered in bruises and blood.

“Huǒ Shuchang and Shā Ying Yue! Get up there on the stage!”

“Looks like it’s my turn to battle… and to think I’d fight her of all people. This battle won’t be easy.” Huǒ Shuchang grinned at Wu Jian. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.”

“Hehe. Thanks!”

Huǒ Shuchang and Shā Ying Yue left through the door that would lead to the arena. Wu Jian felt regret that he was unable to see the matches take place. He knew nothing of Shā Ying Yue’s fighting style.

Fighting someone much stronger than you was hard. The best way to fight against an opponent you knew was stronger was to research their fighting style and create countermeasures. By having a solid plan of action, a weaker cultivator could fight and defeat a stronger cultivator.

Wu Jian normally wasn’t too worried. He could fight people a whole realm above him and win, but Shā Ying Yue was at the peak of the Asura Realm. Wu Jian was only confident in his ability to beat someone up to the seventh subrealm. How was he going to deal with Shā Ying Yue?

The door to the arena opened and two people walked in. Shā Ying Yue looked right as rain. She only had a few burn marks on her arms, shoulders, and forehead. Huǒ Shuchang looked like he got trampled by a stampede of magical beasts. He was bleeding from numerous wounds and his face was covered in black bruises. It was almost impossible to see the actual color of his skin.

“I see you lost,” Wu Jian said.

“Yeah. Yeah. I lost. Go ahead and rub it in. You knew I was gonna lose, didn’t you?”

Wu Jian shrugged. “You were fighting someone much stronger than you. But I still felt like you might be able to pull off a victory.”

“Not against a woman like that,” Huǒ Shuchang said with a sigh. He summoned a pill from his storage ring and swallowed it, then sat down. “Anyway, I’m gonna heal these wounds.”

“Go ahead. I’ll make sure no one bothers you,” Wu Jian said.

Huǒ Shuchang closed his eyes and began meditating. Wu Jian kept an eye out for anyone coming up. Some participants didn’t mind fighting dirty. They would see an injured man trying to heal himself and come up to further injure them so they would be unable to participate in the next round. Fortunately, no one tried that this time.

“Jian Wu and Jia Song! You two are up next!”

“I’m heading out,” said Wu Jian.

Huǒ Shuchang’s injuries had mostly healed by this point, though his face still looked like a giant bruise. He waved Wu Jian off as though to say he’d be fine now.

Wu Jian walked onto the arena alongside a man with dark skin, a body full of scars, and a pair of scimitars on his back. His hair was a sandy blond color, and his eyes looked crimson in the light, though he suspected they were just an unusual shade of brown. Wu Jian checked his cultivation base. This man was at the seven subrealm of the Asura Realm.

“Ladies and gentlemen! It is time for the next match! And look at who is battle now! It’s the fan favorite dark horse, Jian Wu! He has shocked all of us with his ability to defeat opponents an entire realm above him. Can he do that here? His next opponent is Jia Song. This is a man who has made a name for himself in the Qing Province as a freelance mercenary. Most freelancers do not live long, but Jia Song’s skills with a blade are the real deal. He has survived countless battles and become reknown as the Blade Dancer of the Desert. Who among these two powerhouses will come out on top?! Let’s find out!”

***

Wu Jian won his battle against Jia Song. The man was indeed skilled with his swords, but he didn’t have that many techniques, and he was unable to attack at long range. Wu Jian had simply peppered him with long-range punches until he succumbed. It didn’t matter how durable the body was if you kept getting punched in the same place over and over.

Since he had won, Wu Jian would be going on to face Shā Ying Yue in the semi-finals. He was actually glad that Huǒ Shuchang had fought her. It meant he now had someone who could tell him what kind of techniques to expect.

“You want to know how Shā Ying Yue fights?” asked Huǒ Shuchang as they sat inside the tavern connected to the inn they were staying at.

“Yes,” Wu Jian said.

Huǒ Shuchang didn’t say anything at first and instead opted to drink the ale from his mug. It was flavored with mandrakes, olive oil, and dates, making it sweeter than the average ale. Wu Jian had his own, but he wasn’t much of a drinker. Instead, he picked at the food on his table. The roasted hog paired well with the cactus fruits and roasted yucca plant fruit.

“I don’t know what kind of cultivation method she uses, but all of her techniques are blood based,” Huǒ Shuchang said at last.

“I’ve never heard of techniques like that. So, what, she uses her own blood to attack?” asked Wu Jian.

“Yeah. She creates a small cut on her finger and draws out blood, which she can use to create any number of powerful attacks.” Huǒ Shuchang paused and stroked his jaw. “One thing she likes to do is create traps. She’ll hit you with a flashy attack, but it’s all a distraction. She can place her blood anywhere she wants. The moment you step within its range, her blood turns into a blade that cuts right through you. I almost lost both my arms and legs to her attacks. You’re fighting her next, so you’ll want to watch out for traps like that.”

Wu Jian nodded. That sounded like a troublesome ability. She could create attacks from anywhere and at any angle. The only way to know where she was attacking from was to find the attack first, but that meant taking your eyes off your opponent, which was a recipe for disaster.

He could see now why Huǒ Shuchang lost. Not only did Shā Ying Yue have an incredibly difficult ability to counter, but she was a peak Asura Realm cultivator.

“What else does she do?” he asked.

“She likes to make weapons out of her own blood,” Huǒ Shuchang said. “She seems to prefer swords over other weapons, but she also made chakram during our battle. Oh! You’ll definitely want to avoid being cut!”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the moment she cuts you, she sends her blood into your injury. I don’t know how it works, but she can injure you from the inside once her blood gets in you.”

Wu Jian cupped his chin. “It sounds like she can control her blood even when it gets inside of you. The moment she gets her blood in you, you’ve basically lost.”

“Pretty much.”

“What a troublesome ability.”

“You’re one to talk!”

It was true that Wu Jian’s powers were also very hard to deal with. He could create blades that cut through space, fold space around his limbs to extend the range of his attacks, and even phase through attacks. His powers might actually be pretty well matched with Shā Ying Yue’s. If their cultivation was closer, he might be able to counter many of her techniques, but he couldn’t forget that she was at the peak of the Asura Realm while he was still at the seventh subrealm of the Anima Realm. That cultivation difference might be the deciding factor in his defeat.

“Well, good luck in tomorrow’s matches, my friend. I have a feeling you’re going to need it,” Huǒ Shuchang said as he raised his mug.

Wu Jian lifted his own mug and clinked it against his friend’s.

“Thanks, I guess,” he muttered before the two of them took a deep swig.

***

“Ladies and gentleman! It is now time for the semi-finals to begin! These two combatants stand on opposite sides! Shā Ying Yue is a famous mercenary who has made quite a name for herself. She’s only twenty years of age and has already reached the peak of the Asura Realm, making her one of the most promising young cultivators of this new generation! Standing on the other side is Jian Wu! We know almost nothing about this masked young man, other than the fact that he is sixteen, at the seventh subrealm of the Anima Realm, and has defeated every opponent who has come his way! It’s rare to find a cultivator who can beat people an entire realm above him, but this young man is able to do it! Now, let’s hear it for our two contenders!”

The announcer had whipped the crowd into a frenzy. People were shouting, cheering, and stomping their feet. Wu Jian felt the ground reverberate. Everyone was excited for this match.

Wu Jian included.

Something that hadn’t changed since he first began his path to strength was the excitement he felt when fighting a strong opponent. It was a combination of exhilaration and fear. Yes, even now, he still felt fear when faced with someone stronger than himself. Wu Jian had long learned that courage was not feeling unafraid, but feeling fear and confronting the source of it anyway.

“Are both fighters ready?” asked the referee. Wu Jian and Shā Ying Yue nodded. The ref raised his hand. “In that case, on the count of three, two, one… fight!”