“Haaah… haaah…”

Yu Qian breathed heavily as he leapt onto the nearest platform, taking him out of Húndàn Wang’s reach--or so he thought.

“Having the high ground isn’t necessarily an advantage,” said his opponent.

Húndàn Wang placed a hand on his sword, now in its sheath, spread his feet wide, then unsheathed the weapon blindingly fast. A crescent arc of sword ki blitzed from the weapon and flew toward him.

“Hup!”

Yu Qian leapt from the platform and onto the next one, then the next one, and the next. Húndàn Wang continued to fire charged sword ki projectiles at Yu Qian. Each one was shaped like a crescent moon. The silvery color made the attacks appear majestic. Yu Qian knew that he could not allow himself to get hit by one of those.

After reaching the last platform, Yu Qian dropped down behind it. This obscured Húndàn Wang’s view of him. It also meant he couldn’t see his opponent. He darted from the platform to the next one. During his brief run, he caught a glimpse of Húndàn Wang looking in his direction. The man hadn’t moved from his spot and he didn’t attack.

He’s confident he can beat me no matter what I do…

“Tch!”

Yu Qian wouldn’t lie. It annoyed him that Húndàn Wang didn’t seem to be taking this fight seriously. Up until now, the two of them had always fought with everything they had, so to see someone he thought of as a rival acting like he was just a bug beneath their feet bothered him immensely.

He raced out from behind the pillar and dashed toward Húndàn Wang. He channeled chi into his feet to increase his speed as he detached the two swords from each other, wielding one in each hand.

“I see you’ve finally decided to stop hiding,” Húndàn Wang said with a smile.

Yu Qian didn’t say anything as he reached the man and swung the sword in his left hand. A loud sound rang out. Steel ground against steel and sparks flew. Yu Qian was forced to back off when he realized Húndàn Wang wasn’t phased by his attack. He hadn’t even budged from the place where he had been standing.

Clicking his tongue, he attacked again, this time with the sword in his right hand. It was also blocked, but he used the timing to swing his other sword. Then the blade in his left hand carved an arc upward through the air. With his sword preoccupied, there was no way Húndàn Wang could block this attack.

Clang!

Except he did.

“You used your sheathe?!” Yu Qian exclaimed in shock as Húndàn Wang held up his sheathe.

Using one’s sheathe to block an attack was an uncommon strategy since sheathes were often not strong enough to withstand the rigors of combat. They were meant to simply carry a weapon.

However, Húndàn Wang’s sheathe was obviously special. The material was durable enough that, even after blocking Yu Qian’s attack, there wasn’t a scratch on it.

“I know your tactics too well, Yu Qian. Did you think I wouldn’t know how to counter your attacks?” asked Húndàn Wang with a smirk.

“Let’s see if you can counter this!”

Yu Qian slid his blade along the sheathe as he pulled it back, then thrust it forward. His attack was so fast that it was just a blur. Yet Húndàn Wang blocked it. He took a step back, raised his sheathe, and let it take the attack. Yu Qian’s sword quivered as he pulled both weapons back and launched a series of swift and powerful thrusts.

While it looked like Yu Qian was pushing Húndàn Wang back, he knew better. This man was at the Human Limit Realm. He was at the very least two times stronger than Yu Qian. If he was backing away from him, it wasn’t because Yu Qian’s strength was overwhelming him. It was because he had a plan.

Just like Yu Qian had expected, the man had maneuvered himself before a pillar, and he moved out of the way just as Yu Qian thrust his left sword forward. Yu Qian had expected it, however, and quickly spun around to launch an attack with his right sword.

“Peirce!”

A ray of chi was launched from Yu Qian’s sword, shaped like a blade with a sharp tip. It was not sword ki like what Húndàn Wang could release. Yu Qian’s understanding in the Dao of the Sword was not that comprehensive. This was just a regular attack that infused chi into a weapon to extend his reach.

Húndàn Wang dodged it, of course. There was no way an attack of this caliber would harm him. However, Yu Qian raised his left hand and channeled chi into that sword. The blade glowed a bright yellow and lightning crackled along the surface before gathering and causing the sword to elongate. It became nearly two dozen chih longer, giving him a lot more reach.

[Sword Extension]

It was another simple technique. The wielder covered his or her sword with a layer of chi and manipulated it to form a longer weapon. Skilled wielders of this technique didn’t even need a sword to use it. The advanced skill that didn’t rely on a sword was called Sword Creation.

Yu Qian brought the sword down, swinging it swiftly enough that even Húndàn Wang couldn’t dodge--not that he tried. Húndàn Wang planted his feet firmly on the ground, raised his sword in a guard, and accepted the attack head on. He diverted the attack to the side, then tried to close the distance.

Only to be met with Yu Qian’s other sword. Húndàn Wang was forced to contort his body to avoid being impaled. The blade that nearly stabbed him elongated to several chih.

“I see you haven’t been idling your time on tea ceremonies,” Húndàn Wang said. “You’ve definitely improved, but now it’s time to end this.”

“Do you think you can just end this battle on a whim?” asked Yu Qian.

“I do. Let me show you.”

Before Yu Qian even had time to question what his rival meant, Húndàn Wang was on him, launching attacks from a distance with sword ki. Every time he swung his blade, an incredible crescent arc of sword ki was released. He was attacking so fast that Yu Qian didn’t have time to dodge them all. He’d dodge one, only to find another in his way. His opponent had already memorized his timing and knew his habits.

Yu Qian soon lost the sword in his left hand when a crescent wave of sword ki overpowered him. He stumbled back but quickly stabilized himself and held his only remaining sword in both hands. Switching from his regular fighting stance to a basic one meant for a double-handed sword, he continued to attack the crescent sword ki bursts.

I have to time it just right…

He narrowed his eyes and concentrated, focusing everything he had into getting the timing of the projectiles down. With a shout, he swung his sword, enhanced with chi to increase its cutting power, and sliced one crescent in half. Then he paused before swinging it upward from his left thigh to right shoulder. Another crescent was cut through the middle.

Yu Qian thought he was doing well. He never saw Húndàn Wang drawing closer until the man kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Before Yu Qian could even recover, his rival had put the end of his blade against Yu Qian’s throat.

“This match is over,” Húndàn Wang declared.

The elder held up his hand. “Victory goes to Húndàn Wang!”

***

The matches proceeded apace.

Mei Xilan won her bout in a single blow, but that wasn’t so surprising. She fought against Tan Rong. While he wasn’t a slouch, compared to the other competitors who had entered the tournament, he wasn’t very good either.

Hou Jingshu fought and defeated Zhan Zheng. The young man had been adept at using a polearm much like Hou Chao, but he had neither been as strong nor as talented. It hadn’t taken that long for Hou Jingshu to defeat him with her overwhelming physical prowess. She didn’t even need to use her dragon techniques to win.

Xian Fei defeated Lup Zexi and Jia Xinyue had beaten Xiong Bo. Neither of those fights had been amazing, but Wu Jian had gained a better grasp on the type of fighters both were. Xian Fei was a mid to long-range cultivator who relied on blocking her opponents with ice walls and peppering them from a distance. Jia Xinyue wielded a greataxe. He could fire long-range attacks, but he mostly relied on normal attacks enhanced with chi.

Hou Gun had also defeated his opponent. His battle against Wei Yin hadn’t been too amazing. Hou Jingshu’s eldest brother was talented, but he wasn’t so talented that Wu Jian would consider him heaven-defying. Certainly, he lacked Húndàn Wang’s talent.

It was quite late by the time all the matches were finished. Hou Jingshu and Wu Jian had dinner together. Zhou Lihua and Yu Qian normally joined them, and sometimes Yu Mao would join them too. Today it was just them.

“I guess Zhou Lihua is still with her family,” Wu Jian muttered.

“You sound disappointed,” said Hou Jingshu.

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I kind of liked being able to eat with you both.”

Hou Jingshu said nothing at first, but when she did speak up, her words were soft. “I kind of like it just being the two of us. I like being able to have you all to myself. Um… I hope that doesn’t make me sound selfish.”

Wu Jian shook his head. “I don’t think that makes you sound selfish at all.”

“Oh, good.” Hou Jingshu breathed a sigh of relief. She grabbed her chopsticks and smiled. “Well, let’s dig in.”

“Let’s.”

The food they had been presented with today came from a city called Hunan, located in the Xia Dynasty. It was a little known city in a mountainous region. According to the person who served this meal, the small city of Hunan grew a type of very powerful chili, which was then dried, turned into a paste, or pickled. The chili was said to be so strong that fire would sprout from your mouth if you ate one raw.

Among the foods presented was dup jiao chopped fish head and hunan green pepper fried pork. Both were served with generous amounts. This type of cuisine appeared to be cooked with a generous amount of oil, salt, and chili. Spice seemed to be the name of this flavor game. The multi-layered spiciness mixed with the wide array of tongue-tangling flavors was something Wu Jian had yet to experience with any other dish.

They soon finished eating and decided to spend some time walking. It was a nice night. Wu Jian made sure his mask was in place as they walked through a garden hand-in-hand. Yet as they were walking, a sound reached their ears.

“Haaah!”

“Hah!”

“Hyah!”

Wu Jian cocked his head. “Sounds like someone is practicing.”

“I recognize that voice. It’s Yu Qian,” said Hou Jingshu.

They unanimously decided to go see what Yu Qian was up to. They found him in a private training field attached to their manor. The upper half of his torso was exposed as he swung both of his swords over and over again, sweat dripping down his bare skin. He didn’t have the muscles that a lot of others boasted. However, his lithe form was quite graceful and contained a deceptive strength.

He didn’t seem to notice them, busy as he was training. Hou Jingshu and Wu Jian looked at each other. They nodded and decided to leave. Yet as they turned around, the snapping of twigs finally alerted Yu Qian to their presence. He turned to the pair and smiled, though it was quite brittle.

“Hey, you two. Congratulations on your victories in the tournament,” he said.

“Thank you,” said Hou Jingshu softly.

“Thanks,” said Wu Jian.

An awkward silence spread between them. His congratulatory words made the pair feel guilty because they couldn’t say the same for him, since he had lost. This was something that had never happened before. It was normally quite easy for the three of them to talk.

“You two don’t need to walk on eggshells around me,” said Yu Qian, turning his head. “I don’t begrudge either of you your victories. You both deserved them.”

“What are you planning to do now?” asked Wu Jian.

Yu Qian held up his swords. His lips were pursed. Neither Wu Jian nor Hou Jingshu interrupted the man and merely waited for him to say something.

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it. I guess I’m still in shock. Húndàn Wang and I were always about equal in power, so it’s surprising that he beat me so easily. It felt like all the effort I had gone through to train had been wasted. It makes me wonder… whether I’m really cut out to be a cultivator.”

This isn’t good. He might form a sequela if he continues to think like this. Mental and emotional roadblocks are even harder to overcome than physical ones.

A cultivator’s mentality was of paramount importance. If their heart was in turmoil, they would not be able to properly cultivate and might find themselves stuck at a bottleneck. Many cultivators who suffered from some form of mental or emotional roadblocks were unable to move onto the next realm in their cultivation. He hoped that wouldn’t happen to Yu Qian.

“I understand how you feel a little bit,” Wu Jian said. “I used to always get compared to my older brother. He was older, stronger, and better than me. I would often wonder if I should even bother cultivating because it just seemed like there was no point.”

“How did you get over it?” asked Yu Qian.

Wu Jian shrugged. “I realized that if I kept thinking this way, I would never attain the strength needed to reach my goals.”

His goals back then had been to make his father proud and keep Wu Meiying from being taken away. He had obviously failed. Wu Jian understood that it wasn’t his fault. Whoever attacked them had done so before he activated his dantian. There was really nothing he could have done. Now that his family was gone and Wu Meiying missing, his current goal was to get strong enough to exact revenge on those who killed his clan and ensure that the few people he had remaining could never be harmed by anyone ever again. He understood better than most how precious bonds were. It was the kind of understanding only someone who had lost those bonds before could have.

“I see. Thank you for telling me. You have given me something to think about,” Yu Qian said softly. “Sorry, but could I ask that you two head back? I’d like to be left alone for a while.”

“Sure,” Wu Jian said.

“Try not to let what happened get to you,” added Hou Jingshu.

Yu Qian gave them a soft yet brittle smile that looked like it might break. The two of them said nothing more as they left the young man alone.