“Brother!!”

Huǒ Yulie ran over to the edge of the competitor’s booth and looked ten seconds away from leaping off, but Wu Jian stopped her, grabbing her hand. She looked back, veil swishing as she eyed him like he had betrayed her.

“If you go onto that arena, Huǒ Schuchang will have no choice but to forfeit,” Wu Jian said calmly.

“I know that, but--”

“If I was in his position, and my sister interrupted my battle, I would be very upset,” Wu Jian continued.

Huǒ Yulie remained silent. She looked back at the massive explosion of flames that had engulfed her brother, fists silently clenched. Slowly, reluctantly, she took a step away from the edge and came back to Wu Jian’s side.

“I understand what thee art saying… and I know thou art right. I will not interfere with the match for now. However, I shall step in should it becometh clear that mine kin is attempting to cripple my brother.”

“That’s fine. If Huǒ Pànguó attempts to cripple Huǒ Schuchang, I’ll help you deal with him.”

“You have mine gratitude.”

They turned back to the battle. The fire had cleared but smoke continued to rise. As the smoke cleared, everyone could see a figure concealing themselves behind flaming orange wings. Huǒ Schuchang had many burn marks on his body. His arms, in particular, had suffered a lot because he had crossed them to shield his face. Smoke wafted off his body as he glared through his arms at his older brother.

“I’m surprised you survived that,” Huǒ Pànguó said with a sneer.

“You don’t hold back, do you?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been holding back this whole time. You’re not worth putting in the effort to beat.”

“I will make you eat those words.”

“Oh yeah? Just try then.”

“I will. Try not to blink.”

[Phoenix Domain]

Flames erupted all around the pair as Huǒ Schuchang unleashed his domain. Wu Jian didn’t understand why he would do that. Domains were great, but they would always be overpowered by the stronger domain, and Huǒ Pànguó was obviously stronger than him. What was to stop him from activating his own domain?

“Are you serious? Do you really think you can beat me if you use your domain? You clearly haven’t--”

“That’s not it,” Huǒ Schuchang interrupted. “Pay attention because I’m about to show you what all of my training has yielded.”

[Domain Shrink]

Huǒ Schuchang clasped his hands together, the loud sound of his palms meeting echoing around them. All the flames suddenly changed course. They gathered around Huǒ Schuchang, swirling around his body before covering it like a second skin.

Gasps of surprise echoed from Huǒ Yulie as she stared in shock at what was happening in the arena. Wu Jian was also surprised, but he didn’t understand it like she did.

“What is this?”

"That... thou mayest consider it a forbidden technique. 'Tis named Phoenix Domain - Domain Armor. 'Tis a technique that taketh a phoenix clansman's domain and doth shrink it until it covereth their body like armor. Doing this bestoweth the person using it an incredible boost of power. However..."

It comes with a cost,” he said.

“Correct. The human body was not meant to handle such stress. Using this technique causeth the body to break down after a while. Only someone at Father's level can safely use a technique like this without consequence.”

Wu Jian crossed his arms and nodded. He had already assumed it would be something like that.

It wasn’t just Huǒ Yulie who was shocked. Huǒ Pànguó’s eyes had gone wide. They looked like dinner plates now.

“Are you mad?! Using that technique at your cultivation is suicidal! Do you have a death wish?!”

“Heh. Maybe I am courting death… but so what? If it means I can get the better of you, I don’t mind. Now… HERE I COME!!!”

Huǒ Schuchang burst forward so fast Wu Jian couldn’t even see it. He just disappeared, and in the next second, Huǒ Pànguó was sent flying backward as something struck him across the face. Blood spurt from his nose. He flipped end over end in midair, then struck the ground. He somehow managed to right himself, but that was all he could do before Huǒ Schuchang appeared behind him and struck again. The man went sailing forward, face etched in shock and pain, but he was unable to so much as fix his uncontrolled flight as he his opponent once more appeared before him and landed a kick to his chin.

Before long, Huǒ Pànguó was floating in the air, not of his own volition, but trapped within a never ending stream of punches and kicks from his opponent.

“I see what you mean now,” Wu Jian mumbled. He cupped a hand to his chin and analyzed Huǒ Schuchang’s movements. “His strength and speed have increased exponentially, but it’s not as if he’s actually become stronger. It’s an artificial strength. His body is unable to keep up with the power he now possesses.”

“Tis more than just that,” Huǒ Yulie countered. “The strength he hath obtained cometh from layering his body with flames and letting them seep into his skin. We of the phoenix clan have a certain measure of resistance toward fire, but we are not truly immune. Using a technique like this without having the strength and proper training to resist its effects is akin to quaffing a potent poison without possessing an antidote. Brother will fall... sooner rather than later.”

As if her words were prophetic, the flames surrounding Huǒ Schuchang went out, snuffed like a candle, and revealed the tender pink flesh underneath. Multiple third-degree burns lined his arms, legs, and chest. His clothing had also been burned away. Even his hair looked like it was going to turn into cinders. As the flames went out, both he and Huǒ Pànguó fell to the ground.

Huǒ Yulie sighed. “Haaah. This battle is over.”

True to her words, Huǒ Schuchang was unable to get back up, but Huǒ Pànguó slowly climbed to his feet. He was covered in bruises and blood, and he looked down at his unconscious younger brother with rage.

Huǒ Yan raised a hand. “Due to his injuries, Huǒ Schuchang will no longer participate in this tournament. The winner of this round is Huǒ Pànguó!”

***

Huǒ Schuchang wasn’t even conscious, so Huǒ Yan had several medics perform healing techniques, then carry him out on a stretcher. Wu Jian could tell from the way Huǒ Yulie’s eyes trailed after him that she wanted to go see her brother.

“The next round is between Day Feiyu and Zhuan Lin! Will you two come down to the arena!”

“Let’s go see how Huǒ Schuchang is doing,” Wu Jian said.

Huǒ Yulie’s eyes widened, but she sent him a grateful smile. “Yes! Let’s!”

Huǒ Schuchang would be in the hospital wing, which was located in the lower levels. There was a basement level they had to reach via a series of stairs. After entering a long hallway with numerous doors, they stopped in front of one where they heard really loud swearing.

“Fuck! That hurts! Dammit! Why does it hurt so much?!”

“Please calm down, young master. You have burns all over your body. Squirming around like that will only exacerbate them.”

“Aaaaah! Dammit! I hate this!”

“Looks like Huǒ Schuchang is awake,” Wu Jian murmured.

“Indeed. Let us see how he is doing.”

Huǒ Yulie opened the door and marched right in. Wu Jian closed the door behind him as he entered. The first thing he saw was Huǒ Schuchang, laid out on bed, covered in green leaves.

The leaves were called Qingye Healing Leaves. They were a prized medicinal herb known for their soft, jade-green foliage. Native to hidden valleys and remote mountainous regions of the Xia Dynasty, these leaves possessed extraordinary healing qualities. When applied to burn wounds, the Qingye Healing Leaves formed a natural remedy, imbuing the damaged skin with cooling, regenerative energy. Rich in mystical healing chi, the leaves rapidly soothed inflammation and accelerated tissue repair, leaving no trace of scarring. These were a prized plant of the Xia Dynasty. Other nations had to pay premium just to get their hands on a few fronds, but this man was wrapped in them like a mummified corpse.

“I’m glad to see you are doing well, brother.”

“Oooh. Yulie and Wu! How are you--ack! Ow! Ow! Ow!”

“Haaaah. I told you not to move.”

The nurse who was attending to him looked like a branch member of the phoenix clan. Her hair was a burnt orange bordering on brown. She obviously did not have the talent of a cultivator, seeing how she was only at the fourth subrealm of the Anima Realm. She bowed to them.

“Greetings, Young Miss Yulie.”

“Greetings. Thank you for taking care of my brother.”

“Oh, no. I am merely doing my duty.” The woman seemed shocked that someone of Huǒ Yulie’s status was being so polite. “In either event, I imagine you wish to speak with Young Master Schuchang. I will leave you three alone.”

“Thee hath my gratitude.”

The young nurse left, the door closing behind her, sealing them away. An awkward silence followed, but it was soon broken when Huǒ Schuchang released a self-deprecating chuckle.

“Sorry you two had to watch me disgrace myself like that.”

Huǒ Yulie furrowed her brow. “I do not think thee hath disgraced yourself…”

“I lost even after giving it everything I had. What’s worse is that Huǒ Pànguó didn’t take me seriously at all. If that isn’t a disgrace, then I don’t know what is.”

“That’s!! That is… it isn’t…” Huǒ Yulie seemed to be at a loss for words.

This was the first time Wu Jian had seen Huǒ Schuchang look so defeated, but he could understand where the young man was coming from. The disappointment and frustration Wu Jian used to feel whenever he failed to live up to his own expectations were still fresh in his mind. Huǒ Schuchang was even more competitive than him. His current relationship with Huǒ Pànguó also reminded Wu Jian of his relationship with Wu Yong when they were younger, so he could well imagine what kind of feelings were welling up inside of Huǒ Schuchang so far.

“What are you going to do now? Are you giving up?” asked Wu Jian.

“What? Fuck no! I have no intention of giving up!” Huǒ Schuchang clenched his fists, winced as though he’d been struck by lightning, then grinned through the pain. “This isn’t the first time I fought him. Last time Huǒ Pànguó and I had a bout, I couldn’t even touch him, but I was able to get several good licks in before I lost. If I keep training hard, I know I’ll be able to beat him next time!”

“Good. I’m glad you feel that way. I don’t think I could be friends with someone who gave up after a single defeat.”

“Hah! Just who the hell do you think I am?! I’m not the kind of guy who gives up after a single defeat! Just watch me! I’m gonna come back stronger than ever!”

It was good to see that his friend hadn’t given up; he wouldn’t lie and say he hadn’t been worried. Defeat like this could make or break a cultivator. There were many cultivators who, after suffering a major defeat, would lose all will to continue growing. He shouldn’t have underestimated Huǒ Schuchang. This man had not grown with a silver spoon in his mouth despite belonging to a famous clan. Every ounce of strength he had was something he worked hard for. A single setback wouldn’t be enough to make him stop.

Huǒ Schuchang grunted in pain as he stuck out his fist. Since he had gone to the trouble, it would have been remiss of Wu Jian not to reciprocate, so he stuck out his hand and bumped fists with the older man. He briefly wondered if this relationship he had with Huǒ Schuchang could have been the kind he had with Wu Yong, but he soon shook those thoughts off. Maybe someday. When Wu Jian’s enemies were laid to waste and he no longer had to hide his identity, perhaps he could rekindle his relationship with his older brother, but that couldn’t happen while his enemies lived.

Huǒ Yulie looked back and forth between Wu Jian and Huǒ Schuchang with a consternated frown.

“Why doth it feel like I have been left out of something very important?”