“I’m sorry, Jingshu,” Wu Jian said after thoroughly studying the emperor’s body.

Hou Jingshu closed her eyes, took a deep, slow breath, then released it. She slowly relaxed the hands that had been clenched into fists.

“It’s okay.” She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “I knew the possibility that you would be able to cure him was a long shot. Don’t worry. So long as we get the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water from Hua Xue, we can have someone refine the Nirvana Soothing Pill.”

Wu Jian nodded as though to agree, but deep down, he was aggrieved that he could do nothing to help. His loved one’s father was suffering, yet he didn’t have the power to do anything about it. That kind of helplessness mirrored how he felt during the attack on his clan. He hadn’t been able to do anything back then either.

He revealed none of his inner thoughts on his face. Hou Jingshu must have been feeling even worse than him, but she remained strong. The brave front she displayed in the face of her father’s affliction was one he did not wish to belittle. He needed to be as brave as her, at the very least.

Since there was nothing more they could do, the pair left the emperor’s bedchamber. Wu Jian thought about their next moves as the sound of their footsteps echoed along the hall.

“I suppose all that’s left to do now is get ready for the tournament,” he said at last.

Hou Jingshu nodded. “Yes, we only have a few days left to prepare. We’ll be leaving for the Saintly Sword Sect soon.”

“Are we traveling by airship?” asked Wu Jian.

The princess shook her head. “No. We shall travel by land this time. I would have liked to travel by airship… but the space around the Saintly Sword Sect is considered territory of the Heavenly Sword Sect. You could think of it as their embassy.”

“I thought the Saintly Sword Sect was a separate entity,” Wu Jian pointed out.

“They are on paper, but as is the case with most matters, what’s written on paper isn’t necessarily the truth.”

They turned a corner. A pair of maids who had been cleaning bowed to Hou Jingshu as they walked by, though they giggled when they noticed how the pair were holding hands.

Hou Jingshu continued. “The Saintly Sword Sect has autonomy from the Heavenly Sword Sect, but they are still a branch sect of theirs, which means they share the same roof even if it’s on a technicality.”

“And because of that, the Heavenly Sword Sect is the one who creates the laws surrounding the Saintly Sword Sect,” Wu Jian concluded.

“Precisely,” Hou Jingshu nodded.

Politics between nations, sects, clans, and the like were always exceedingly complex. There were so many laws and loopholes to exploit those laws that it was enough to make Wu Jian’s head spin. This was never more clear than the relationship between the Shang Kingdom, Saintly Sword Sect, and Heavenly Sword Sect. It was like a tangled web in which they were allies that constantly tried to gain greater concessions from each other.

He wished the situation were simpler. If he were much stronger than he was now, perhaps it would be. The strength of a person’s fists were absolute. A cultivator who was strong enough to overturn fate could force everyone else into submission, though doing so may make many think him a tyrant.

“Then who is going with us?” asked Wu Jian.

“It hasn’t been announced yet, but the three people participating in this tournament are you, myself, and Yu Qiang,” said Hou Jingshu. “Us three will obviously be going. We are allowed to bring a contingent of guards, but we can have no more than three people. Yu Chenguang said he’ll be going, and he’s going to select two more to come along as well.”

Wu Jian wondered who the man would select to complete their bodyguard detail. There were very few people who could actually serve to protect them in the Shang Kingdom. Yu Qiang was the weakest among their group, but even he was at the Ninth Subrealm of the Asura Realm. Was there anyone who could serve as an able bodyguard for them?

“What about Zhou Lihua? I can’t imagine the Zhou Clan would allow her to leave unattended,” he said after a moment.

“True.” Hou Jingshu agreed. “I imagine they will give her an attendant. However, given the fact that Yu Chenguang himself will be coming with us, I doubt they will give her a bodyguard.”

“But Yu Chenguang will prioritize you over everyone else. Should a situation occur…”

“Zhou Lihua would be unaffected. Do not forget which clan she belongs to. The Zhou Clan wields more influence on this continent than any other clan. They have branches in almost every nation.”

“Almost?” Wu Jian raised an eyebrow.

Hou Jingshu smiled wryly. “The Xia Dynasty has not allowed the Zhou Clan to gain a foothold in their nation. Granted, they do have an embassy, but it lacks the power of the branch families in other nations. Of course, they can afford to deny the Zhou Clan since they are protected by the Phoenix.”

“Right. The phoenix.”

Wu Jian paused for a moment as he thought about Huǒ Shuchang. What was that man doing now? Was he back in the Xia Dynasty?

“What should we do in the meantime?” asked Wu Jian.

“Train, of course,” Hou Jingshu said as if it was obvious. “I doubt we’ll be able to take half a step into the Human Limit Realm, but I want to be as strong as possible before the tournament starts.”

“In other words, you want me to spar with you,” said Wu Jian.

“Correct.” Hou Jingshu gave him a smile that showed her teeth. It looked almost predatory. There was even a gleam in her eyes that made her look draconic. “And I don’t want you to go easy on me.”

So she said, but Wu Jian wondered if perhaps he should be the one asking her to go easy on him.

***

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu spent the next few days either sparring or cultivating. They both knew that attaining greater strength in a matter of days was impossible, but that wasn’t an excuse to stop. Wu Jian firmly believed that it was important to keep pushing no matter what. Even if they didn’t grow stronger now, by continuously pushing themselves day after day, they would eventually achieve the strength they desired.

Hou Jingshu’s cultivation method allowed her to achieve greater strength at a quicker rate than Wu Jian. She was a vicious fighter with more tenacity than he had ever seen in a person before. Just like she had requested, he held nothing back, fighting her with every trick he had. This meant he won their spars almost every time. However, it also meant Hou Jingshu got just a little bit stronger, just a little bit better, after each spar.

And with strength came increasing amounts of destruction.

Their fights had become so volatile that, after nearly destroying the training hall, the head elder had requested they take their matches elsewhere. They were regulated to a clearing several lî away from any compound so as to avoid accidentally demolishing it--and there they decimated the surrounding landscape with their matches. Trees were uprooted, craters were formed, and boulders were smashed with impunity.

Their matches were fun. Wu Jian enjoyed seeing how much stronger Hou Jingshu was becoming, and it was clear from her grin that his princess was having a blast as well. She smiled like she was having the time of her life even though she lost every match. If anything, losing just seemed to motivate her even more, and during their next bout, she would fight twice as ferociously.

She really was like a dragon.

Wu Jian was also sharpening his control over the Dao of Space. He had several main abilities. Spatial Folding, Spatial Severing, Nihility, Space Lock, Spatial Awareness, and Tiger’s Strength.

His ability to fold space around itself and teleport objects to and away from him had increased greatly. He no longer needed to look at where he wanted to fold space, which increased the maneuvers he could pull off. Not only had he incorporated punches and kicks into his space folding, but he had begun teleporting objects into Hou Jingshu’s path that blocked her view of him. He still remembered the look on her face when a boulder the size of his torso had suddenly appeared in front of her just as she’d been going to attack.

He also remembered how she had sliced said boulder in half.

Spatial Severing was still an ability he had trouble using, but that was because he didn’t have a weapon anymore. He was certain he would have been much better at it if he had a profound spirit weapon that he could use in conjunction with this ability. As things stood, he had no choice but to create a spatial blade with his hand, but that was much harder.

He had refined his ability to use Nihility and Space Lock. He used Nihility in conjunction with Spatial Awareness to learn exactly where an attack would land and only phased that one part of his body. This allowed him to extend the time he could use Nihility. It was still the most chi-draining technique in his arsenal and therefore something he needed to learn how to use more efficiently.

Wu Jian had also played around with Byakko’s blood. Even without actively using it, Byakko’s blood granted him the passive ability of increasing all of his physical parameters at the cost of draining his stamina. However, if he focused, he could increase one of his physical abilities over the other. By channeling chi into his nose, he could enhance his sense of smell. By channeling it into his arms, he could increase the strength of his arms. If he channeled chi into his brain, he could stimulate the nerves to increase his reflex speed and reaction times. There were many possible applications that he could do.

Of course, he could also burn the blood with chi to greatly increase his physical prowess many times over. He called this overdrafting. Every time he used chi to burn the blood, it would go inactive and he would no longer have the strength he once boasted. That meant this ability was something to only be used as a last resort.

The morning they were set to leave found Hou Jingshu sitting on a chair as Wu Jian combed her hair. It was a relaxing activity that Wu Jian found he enjoyed. It was similar to how he used to massage Wu Meiying’s feet whenever they were together.

They were both already dressed. As the bristles of the comb gently glided through the young woman’s hair, the pair spoke of their plans.

“Zhou Lihua said she would meet us at the academy entrance.”

“She’s probably already there.”

“Hmmm. Most likely. I imagine she’s eager to see you.”

“I’m eager to see her too.”

“Is that really something you should say to me?”

“I don’t see why not. Would it be better if I lied?”

“Hmph.”

Wu Jian finished combing her hair, then braided it. He used a needle to pin her hair in place. The needle was a profound spirit weapon that could be used in the event of an emergency.

“I think we’re ready,” Wu Jian said as he stepped back.

Hou Jingshu looked at herself in the mirror. “You’re very good at doing a woman’s hair.”

He shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

Standing up, Hou Jingshu turned to Wu Jian and smiled. “All right. Let’s hook up with Yu Qiang and get going.”

“Right.”

Yu Qiang was waiting for them along with the other Core Disciples. It looked like everyone had come out to wish them a successful tournament. Each one had something to say, though they mostly spoke to Hou Jingshu and Yu Qiang. Wu Jian was still new to the Core Disciples. He was sure some of them would have protested his admittance had the head elder not informed them that he had killed the Hell Ape.

“Good luck in the tournament, princess!”

“Show them what you can do, Senior Qian!”

Hou Jingshu and Yu Qiang thanked everyone for their well-wishes before the three of them set off. More people gathered to wish them good luck in the tournament, though again, almost everyone only spoke with the princess and senior core disciple.

“Oh. Wu Jian. Princess Jingshu. Senior Qian.” Xia Lin eventually appeared before them. She offered a martial bow to the three of them. “Are you off to fight in the tournament?”

“We are,” Wu Jian said.

“Then I wish you luck. May you find fame and fortune,” said the elegant young woman.

“Thank you,” the three of them said.

Because they were in a hurry, they did their best to pass through the inner and outer courtyards quickly. Quite a few more people wished them good luck before they were able to leave the academy. Waiting for them at the bottom was a small group of people. Wu Jian recognized Yu Chenguang, Zhou Lihua, and Zhou Wen, but there were three other people he didn’t recognize, including a little girl whose vibrant eyes sparkled when she caught sight of them.

“Big Sis Jingshu!”