It was the morning of the final day of the tournament. The arena was packed with people who had come to watch the battles. Wu Jian stood with Huǒ Schuchang and Huǒ Yulie. The brother sister duo were quite a bit different from each other, and yet, he could see the similarities between them.

“Tis an exciting day. I cannot wait for the battles to taketh lodging.”

“I’m pretty excited to prove myself. Hey, Wu. If I show off how strong I am, do you think Hua Xue will become interested in me?”

“The yellow river will freeze over before she ever shows interest in you.”

“Wow, man. Harsh. Very harsh.”

Wu Jian wondered if Huǒ Schuchang was really interested in Hua Xue. He didn’t think so. The phoenix clansman showed the same vested interest in other women he’d met randomly at bars and auction houses. It did seem like he thought about her more often than he did those other women, but he didn’t know if that meant his friend actually wanted to enter a relationship with the Ice Phoenix Sect’s head elder.

What is this irritation I feel?

“Something wrong?” asked Huǒ Schuchang as Wu Jian clutched a hand to his chest.

“… No.”

“Thee two should fall silent. The tournament shall beginneth nigh.”

Wu Jian and Huǒ Schuchang went quiet and looked to the stands as Huǒ Huangdi gave his speech regarding how this was the last day of the tournament. Since he’d heard this spiel before, Wu Jian no longer paid attention. This round was going to be a round robin, which meant they were all going to fight each other at least once. First, second, and third place would be determined by the contestants who had achieved the most victories. It was all very straightforward and Wu Jian was eager to begin.

“The first battle is between Huǒ Schuchang and… Huǒ Pànguó!”

“Oh ho ho! Looks like I’m up first, and I get to fight my dear older brother. What a treat!” Huǒ Schuchang grinned like he was excited, but his fists were shaking.

Wu Jian did not know much about Huǒ Schuchang’s family situation, but he could infer enough through his own experience. The relationship between the two felt similar to his relationship with Wu Yong when they were little. He imagined the relationship between them was even worse than his relationship with his brother.

Power and ability were paramount no matter the clan you came from. This was far more pronounced in a clan like the Phoenix Clan, which controlled an entire nation. Huǒ Schuchang had always been the weakest of his siblings. He never said anything, but Wu Jian had gleaned through their conversations that his father saw him as a failure, and thus, all his siblings except Huǒ Yulie--his full-blood sister--bullied him excessively. The worst perpetrator of this was Huǒ Pànguó.

Wu Jian was sure there were many small incidents that had snowballed into something much larger, instilling the fear Huǒ Schuchang felt toward his older brother. He had very likely only scratched the surface of their relationship problems.

“Hey, Schuchang.”

Huǒ Schuchang turned back just as he was about to drop off the contestant booth.

“Kick his ass.”

Huǒ Schuchang grinned. “Count on it.”

Huǒ Shuchang lept off the platform, wings spread from his back as he descended to the ground. Huǒ Pànguó snorted as he followed suit. He cast one glare at Wu Jian and a completely different look at Huǒ Yulie, an expression that greatly disturbed Wu Jian on his face.

Does he… lust after his sister?

Wu Jian glanced at Huǒ Yulie. Her otherworldly beauty was captivating. The allure she exuded seemed almost ethereal. Her long, flame-like hair cascaded down her petite frame like a fiery waterfall, shimmering in shades of red, orange, and gold that danced and flickered with life. Her golden eyes were as vibrant as a phoenix’s and sparkled with an insatiable curiosity. Even with her face covered in a veil, it was impossible to fully hide her enthralling appearance.

Her small, doll-like figure was exquisitely proportioned, with snow-white skin that contrasted starkly with her fiery hair. Her features were delicate and perfectly aligned, with a softness that belied her vibrant and unconventional personality. Wu Jian had already seen what lay underneath that veil, so he knew her lips were full and kissable. Even he had trouble resisting her allure.

There was an inexplicable magic to hear appearance that transcended mere physical beauty. It was as if she embodied the very essence of the mythical phoenix, with grace and elegance that could enrapture even the most hardened heart. Her beauty was not just an aesthetic delight but a complex tapestry of her unique personality.

Men and women alike found it almost impossible to look away from her, drawn to her enchanting presence like moths to a flame. Wu Jian still remembered when the hood she’d worn to hide herself during their first meeting had come off. Not a single person present had been able to turn their gaze from her. Even the women in the crowd had looked seconds away from drooling.

Yet her beauty was not just superficial; it was a reflection of her soul, her unique view of the world, and her insatiable thirst for something beyond the mundane. The allure of Huǒ Yulie was not merely in how she looked, but in who she was--a vibrant, whimsical, and somewhat odd young woman who spoke in an ancient tongue that was no longer in use. Her appearance was just a poignant reminder of something lost and something yearned for, a beauty that transcended mere mortals as it reached for the stars.

“Is something amiss, Jian Wu? Thou dost appear as though thou art wrestling with something perplexing.”

Upon realizing he’d been staring at Huǒ Yulie to the point where even she had noticed, Wu Jian looked away.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered.

“If thee says so.”

While Wu Jian tried to shake the cobwebs from his head, high above him, a pair of eyes narrowed in consternation.

***

Huǒ Shuchang took several calming breaths, though that did little to quell his nerves. On the opposite side of the arena, Huǒ Pànguó smirked.

“You seem to be having problems, little brother. Are you feeling unwell? Perhaps you should throw in the towel? There is no shame in surrendering when you know how futile your situation is.”

Clenching his fists hard enough that his nails dug into his skin, Huǒ Schuchang forced a smile on his face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve wanted to put you in your place for so long now. Why would I deny myself that opportunity?”

The words were arrogant bravado, and they both knew it.

Huǒ Pànguó shook his head. “You understand well the difference in strength between us. It’s more than just cultivation. You’re not only an entire realm below me, but two circles as well.”

Flames of the Phoenix Cultivation Method was a unique method passed down in their family for generations. There were nine circles to this cultivation method. Everyone started out on the first circle and worked their way up. The more circles they obtained, the more techniques they were able to use. Huǒ Schuchang was still at the first circle. He had been unable to progress beyond this point. His older brother was at the third circle, which meant he had several more techniques at his disposal, and they were much more powerful than the ones Huǒ Schuchang could use.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll give up,” Huǒ Schuchang said.

Huǒ Pànguó shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“It seems both fighters are ready,” Huǒ Yan said dryly. “Bow to your ancestors, now to me, and now to each other. On my mark… fight!”

[Phoenix Wings]

Huǒ Schuchang manifested a pair of ethereal, fiery wings from his back moments after the battle began. He alighted into the sky and summoned his sword from his storage ring.

It’s name was Fènghuáng Huǒ Yàn in the olden tongue. It translated to Phoenix Flames. It was a sword of beauty and power, a weapon forged from rare materials infused with the essence of phoenix fire. The blade gleamed with fiery red and orange hues. Contained within was a shimmering light that danced like flames. This weapon had been a gift he earned after reaching the Deva Realm. All Phoenix Clansmen who reach this realm are gifted a weapon forged by the great phoenix itself.

[Flame Shot]

He condensed his chi into a sphere-shaped flame and launched it at his brother with a swing of his sword. The sphere traveled at speeds that made it look like a comet streaking through the sky. Huǒ Pànguó merely snorted as he batted the flame away with a backhand like it wasn’t worth his time, but Huǒ Schuchang continued launching more attacks at him. He didn’t just attack willy nilly, however. He was carefully controlling each flame that his brother struck.

It wasn’t long before nearly three dozen spherical flames surrounded Huǒ Pànguó. The older brother looked around and scoffed.

“Do you really think this will be enough to defeat me?”

“Maybe not. We won’t know until I try. Crush him!”

Huǒ Schuchang clapped his hands together, interlacing his fingers, and all the flames quickly converged on Huǒ Pànguó. Yet just before the flames could explode, wings exploded from Huǒ Pànguó’s back, blasting Huǒ Schuachang’s attack away. They were vastly different from his wings. These were vibrant and multi-hued. Red, orange, and gold mixed together in a beautiful display of brilliance.

Huǒ Schuchang bit his lip. Then he gripped his sword tightly and swung it in a wide, sweeping gesture that sent forth a wave of blazing flames.

[Phoenix Wave]

The wave of fire changed shape in mid air, transforming into a phoenix that scorched everything in its path. Huǒ Pànguó stared at the massive bird coming toward him. He raised his hand without concern, and, just as the attack reached him, swung his hand down. The phoenix was split in half.

“Give up, brother. There’s no way you can win.”

“I’m not done yet!!”

[Empyrion Dance]

The Empyrion Dance was the greatest technique in his arsenal. It required great control over his chi and fire. Huǒ Schuchang grunted as he manipulated the chi to create fiery strands that danced around him like serpents. He sent out four strands toward Huǒ Pànguó, who narrowed his eyes as he finally summoned his weapon.

Unlike Huǒ Schuchang, Huǒ Pànguó used a spear. Yánzhòu Fènghuáng - Inferno Phoenix Spear. It was a majestic weapon that commanded both fear and awe, a long spear that towered above ordinary weapons, with a shaft made from an extraordinary alloy that was black as night but glimmered with an inner fire. The spear’s shaft was decorated with intricate gold inlays that resembled the flames of a phoenix and was wrapped with rare, fire-resistant dragon scales to enhance its grip. Like his Phoenix Flames, the Inferno Phoenix Spear had been a gift from the phoenix.

Huǒ Pànguó spun the spear in his grip and knocked aside Huǒ Schuchang’s attacks with ease. Flames ignited along the edge of his weapon as he swung it forward.

[Phoenix Wave]

What erupted from his spear was a wave of fire so vast it engulfed the sky. The flames transformed into a phoenix that overtook Huǒ Schuchang’s fire. The young man quickly soared out of the way, but that was not the end of his troubles.

[Phoenix Feather Rain]

A rain of flaming phoenix feathers began falling from the sky. Huǒ Schuchang’s eyes bulged and he gritted his teeth as he struggled to soar around them. However, one of the feathers touched his shoulder--and exploded. He screamed in pain and surprise as the explosion sent him reeling through the sky, right into another feather. It, too, exploded, and that set off a chain reaction. Multiple explosions rocked his body. Burns appeared on his skin. As a phoenix clansman, his skin was quite fire resistance, but that was a testament to how hot these flames were. More and more explosions struck him.

His body was soon entirely engulfed in flames.