Yvonne quietly left as I made ready to begin cultivating in earnest. The room I had been assigned came with a Qi collection array. Dragon Spire Sect had invested an insane amount of spirit stones for this event. The number needed to power temporary housing, view screens, spatial instances to host events, and spirit stones to adapt by enlarging or shrinking to meet audience numbers was staggering.

There would be no way that Flowing Water could host something like this, even with the increased influx of stones my recent claim might generate. and had been accumulating ambient energy. The spirit stone seams that could be found within the mountain Dragon Spire was built over allowed them access to wealth that few others could match.

Once Yvonne had left, I retrieved a healing pill from my spatial ring. I had not come out entirely unscathed from the previous bout, my injuries related to the trident wielding cultivator. Braun had managed a few blows, but most of my injuries from that fight were self-inflicted. My knuckles bloodied, one even cracked. He had managed to give me a black eye, but I felt that a fair exchange.

Once I had swallowed the healing pill, I sat in the lotus position and began cultivating. I spent the first few moments directing the medicinal ingredients of the healing pill, making sure to explore and examine myself for any injuries I might not have been aware of. Satisfied that healing medicines had stimulated all injuries; I turned my focus on restoring my Qi reserves.

The room I was using had a gathering array that was powered by a mid-tier spirit stone. More proof of how much Dragon Spire was willing to invest in this event. The potency of this gathering array eclipsed anything I could find at Flowing Water, and that included the rooms that had been constructed for closed-door cultivation.

It didn't contain any of the elemental affinities I resonated with, but the density and purity of Qi was at least on another level. How this Sect could create something like this on a temporary basis had more to do with location than talent. Dragon Spire Sect had been built in an area of high Qi concentration, further, it had been built on top of a source of spirit stones that were continuously being renewed as quickly as they were mined.

It was hard not to lose myself in the euphoria of cultivation, especially because my path required such an absolute obsession with perfection. But I maintained enough awareness of the world around me to hear the knocking at the door. Time acted strangely when fully invested in cultivation, it could seem to take an eternity to process one revolution when everything seemed to conspire to go wrong, or you could be so lost that hours had passed almost instantly.

A check of my Sect token informed me that I had spent about fifty minutes in meditation, about the amount of time Yvonne had informed me we would be given between bouts. I had spent the time trying to advance my understanding of my stealth technique. I had reached the second stage for [Flux Capacitor] before the recent bout and was hoping the last fight would give me enough insight to take at least a tentative step into the third stage. There had been gains, but my understanding of the nature of flux and movement had only incremental progress.

Still, I was still pleased with the technique and sent a swift prayer of thanks towards Elder Cix for his suggestion. I had been able to determine how and when I would engage, something I doubt would have happened without [Stealth] masking my Qi actions.

"The next round is about to begin," Tibes informed me once I'd opened the door, the second time he tried to gain my attention by knocking. "If you would follow, I will show you to the dueling ring where you will be competing."

"Do you know who I will be fighting?" I asked. The secrecy surrounding the event, so far, suggested that they might not announce names or Sects involved in a bout until the duel was actually starting. It would be hard to influence the outcome when there were just two nameless people until the lights came up and each person was revealed.

"His name is Daniel, a member of Cobra Ki Sect," Tibes replied. I was surprised he was willing to share even this amount of information until I recognized there was no point in hiding information at this stage, there was nothing I could do to change my strategy, so there was no harm for Tibes to supply me with basic information.

"He has an earth affinity and has a bonded pet. A venomous Viper," he continued. "The sect he belongs to encourages and supplies their members with reptiles of all types, requiring that outer sect members form a bond early in their cultivation. He was fortunate enough to survive the bonding process.

"The bite from his pet is powerful enough to kill within minutes if not treated. If you have no way to heal or neutralize the venom, you may want to consider forfeiting the duel if you are bitten. The viper's venom is easy to ignore the first time or two you take damage; it is hard to recognize that you have been poisoned.

"The problem occurs as a buildup of toxins. The longer you go without imbibing an anti-venom tincture, the more the venom destroys your organs. The snake has a habit of biting early and often," he warned.

I suspected that Daniel had nurtured the snake long enough that he could tap into some of the animal's abilities. If I had to guess, I thought it probable he had gained at least a beginning mastery over venom. I would have to watch for attacks that punctured my skin, or feints that gave him an opportunity to blind me by spraying the caustic agent in my eyes.

I was deep in thought when we arrived at the venue this round of competition would be using. I was once again amazed at what Dragon Spire Sect was able to do with illusion and spatial arrays. If I hadn't already gotten in the habit of extending my Qi perception, I wouldn't have noticed the boundary that existed between reality and illusion. The array had been so expertly created that it appeared as if I was walking down a hall that opened onto a dueling platform.

In the free-for-all round, we had been isolated from the audience, placed in locations and environments that didn't allow those of us fighting to see or notice the spectators. This time around, the dueling platform was created to resemble a mixed-martial fight arena.

The ring was much larger; it needed to be to allow for Qi attacks and techniques we would be using. The floor was created using sand, and the feeling that I had stepped into the lion's den immediately sent my endorphins and hormones into overdrive. There were no ropes to define the boundaries, and although a ceiling existed, it was high enough that I could take full advantage of my techniques that depended on aerial attacks.

I think the cheering crowd and the booming voice of an announcer, would have sewn confusion and uncertainty for those of us that were competing for the first time. It was engendered to create fear and uncertainty in those competing. Another variable to test those of us competing with. How we responded to the chaos that swarmed around us would influence how we fought. For me, even though I had never participated in one of these types of public spectacles, my husband had been an avid wrestling fan, and I had been forced to endure his obsession for decades.

I was used to the pageantry, the attempt to work the crowd into a frenzy before the bout began by the announcer, and as I turned my attention to my opponent, I thought he was able to ignore the antics of the host and crowd as well.

Daniel was dressed in a modified Hanfu. A white top with flowing sleeves, the crossing collar, and the wide lapel were standard, draped and held closed by a cloth belt. Where the costume differed was with the lower section. Instead of a pleated skirt, Daniel had chosen a pair of loose pants. The outfit was stark white, except for the lapel and belt that were black.

Although not popular, his gi was functional. I understood the reasoning behind wearing pants instead of a pleated skirt; it was the same reason I had Yvonne create a new set of leathers. Still, with his dark hair, and light skin, his name was well chosen. He really did bear a striking resemblance to the Karate Kid.

And when he performed the Takushu rei, he only cemented that resemblance.