The next two fights were between Huǒ Yulie and Da Feiyun and Wu Jian and Zhuan Lin. Huǒ Yulie and Wu Jian won their battles. Between the two of them, she had the harder fight since Da Feiyun was a much more skilled combatant. Even so, she won with relative ease. The battle after hers was between Wu Jian and Huǒ Pànguó, though it would have been between Huǒ Yulie and Huǒ Schuchang if he hadn’t been injured so greatly.

“I’ve wanted to fight you ever since I first saw you in one of our VIP lounges in the auction house.”

“Is that so? I can’t imagine why.”

“To put you in your place, of course.” Huǒ Pànguó narrowed his eyes, the sneer on his face like something you’d expect from the villain of a story from yore. “You lack decorum. You audaciously trespassed into my family’s privately owned lounge like you own the place. You may have wormed your way into our auction house, but I’ll expose you for the worthless piece of trash I know you are--and my younger brother won’t be there to save you this time.”

Wu Jian tilted his head. The way this boy spoke was like every other arrogant young master he had come across.

“If I had a spirit coin for every arrogant fool who’s said something similar to me, I’d be rich.”

Huǒ Pànguó’s face turned red. “You dare mock me?!”

“Of course I dare. You sound like an idiot.” Wu Jian shrugged, which only served to further infuriate his opponent, but he wasn’t done. “Your lounge and your arrogance mean nothing to me. The only thing that matters to a cultivator is honor and power. The honor to uphold your beliefs in the face of adversity, and the power to make others understand it.”

“Honor? Hah!” Huǒ Pànguó’s cold laughter echoed around them. “You have no honor! You proved your lack of honor and respect when you disregarded the Phoenix Clan’s boundaries and traditions! You showed your distinct lack of honor when you started getting close to my sister! That girl is the pride of our clan! You’re lucky just to breathe the same air as her!”

“Is that what this is about? Are you jealous that I’m closer to your sister than you are?” Wu Jian wished he wasn’t wearing a mask then so Huǒ Pànguó could see the disgusted look on his face. “I didn’t realize you were into your own kin. And you say I lack honor? Go look in a mirror, wannabe sister fucker.”

Huh… That’s not something I would normally say to someone. I’m angrier than I thought I would be.

Wu Jian hadn’t been truly angry in a long time. The last time he had felt this anger was when he found Hou Jingshu being attacked by that arrogant fool from the Burning Hands Sect… uh… what was his name again? He hadn’t been very important. However, he had certainly upset Wu Jian. Seeing his friend get injured to such an extent in a tournament had upset him greatly.

Huǒ Pànguó’s face grew cold. “You are going to regret those words. By the end of this tournament, I’ll have you on your knees and calling me your honored father.”

“Talk is cheap. Go ahead and try if you think you have what it takes,” Wu Jian said.

“It seems you’re both more than ready,” Huǒ Yan said with a wry smile. “Will both fighters bow to their ancestors? Now bow to me. And now to each other.” When both Wu Jian and Huǒ Pànguó barely bowed to each other, the elder sighed and raised his hand. “The fight begins… now!”

[Swords of Space Rondo]

Wu Jian opened up with an immediate offense. Several dozen spatial swords appeared around Huǒ Pànguó and flew at him from all directions. This would have been enough to overwhelm a normal opponent, but Huǒ Pànguó unleashed his phoenix flames. A bird cry bellowed out as the flames spread around him in a ring and burned all of the spatial swords away.

So those flames are powerful enough to destroy space? I guess they don’t belong to a phoenix for nothing.

Phoenixes were mystical birds that many people often regarded as deities in their own right. It made sense that someone who utilized their blood would be able to burn away a spatial attack. Huǒ Pànguó also had a higher cultivation than him.

But that’s not the only thing I can do.

[Space Folding]

Wu Jian threw a punch despite not being near Huǒ Pànguó. His fist appeared before his opponent despite the distance. However, Huǒ Pànguó blocked with a sneer--then ate a boot to the face when Wu Jian released a kick. The young man staggered backward, but not before grabbing Wu Jian’s leg. A yelp escaped him as a burning sensation shot straight into his leg. He pulled his foot back through the spatial distortion, then glanced at his leg.

The pant bottom had been burned away, revealing an ugly blackish red third degree burn that oozed with charcoal-like blood. He glanced back at Huǒ Pànguó. The young man’s hands were glowing the color of molten metal.

“That technique of yours bends space in order to close the distance between you and your target. However, you can’t use any other technique during that time. It’s an interesting technique, but useless once someone figures out how it works,” Huǒ Pànguó sneered at him.

“You’re a bit smarter than I gave you credit for,” Wu Jian said. “Still dumb as a box of rocks, though.”

“Keep courting death. See where it gets you.”

No more words were spoken. Huǒ Pànguó summoned his spear and Wu Jian summoned Pale Moon. His blade was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, exuding an air of elegance and ferocity. Forged in such a way that it gleamed like ethereal ice, its blade stretched tall, nearly matching Wu Jian in height. It took the form of a grand dadao, with a substantial blade that shimmered with translucent white luminescence, akin to moonlight on a frosty night. The guard and hilt gleamed with a silvery brilliance, polished to perfection and free of ornamentation, symbolizing purity and a singularity of purpose.

That purpose…

… Was to cut.

Wu Jian held Pale Moon with a steady grip, poised and centered. The ethereal sword, glistening like a sharp of night, hummed in resonance with his chi. He narrowed his eyes and, in a deliberate motion, raised Pale Moon above his head, its blade catching the light in a gleam of silvery frost.

The world around him seemed frozen in time.

Then he swung.

Wu Jian released a cry that resonated with the very essence of his being as he cleaved the blade downward in a graceful arc. The motion was flawless, a perfect blend of strength and control, speed and precision. The air itself shivered as the blade cut through space. A single line was born from his cut. It didn’t look like much at first, but then, as if to disprove this first thought, reality itself was torn asunder and a rift opened up, traveling along the cut’s path--straight toward Huǒ Pànguó.

The eldest son of the Phoenix Clan looked utterly gobsmacked. His face was pale as he flew into the air, avoiding the cut, which tore a huge gash straight through the atmosphere and arena floor. The ground continued to open until it reached the stand, where a massive golden barrier sprang into existence. A crackling sound was heard as the barrier flickered against the onslaught. Then, as if to prove that Wu Jian’s attack wasn’t enough, the barrier flared to life and the tear in space quickly restored itself.

None of the onlookers looked like they could comprehend what had just happened, but everyone seemed to realize something had happened. They stared in awe at Wu Jian and the sword he wielded. This was not an attack he had unleashed before.

Still needs work, he thought to himself.

Wu Jian turned his head and looked into the sky, at Huǒ Pànguó, who remained floating several chih above the arena, gawking at the split ground.

Their eyes met.

“Are you going to cower up there all day?”

“Shut up!”

[Empyrion Dance]

Flames exploded around Huǒ Pànguó, a heat so intense that Wu Jian could feel it from on the ground, but those flames quickly retracted and transformed into multiple fiery strands that danced around him like serpents. He sent them at Wu jian, one after the other. He had seen this technique and already knew how to counter it, which meant this was just a distraction. The real attack would be…

There!

Wu Jian sliced through the tendrils after creating several dozen spatial blades, even as he leapt backward seconds before a tiny golden sphere appeared before him. It didn’t look like much. Looks, however, could be deceiving, and Wu Jian’s instincts proved his movement sound when the sphere exploded into a brilliant ball of flame so intense the arena floor melted. Wu Jian glanced at the perfectly smooth, perfectly round indent on the floor. That attack might have killed him if it hit.

[Phoenix Domain]

I see. So this was his real attack.

It seemed Huǒ Pànguó also desired a quick conclusion to this fight. The air became thick with intense heat, and flames danced and flickered in every direction. These flames were anything but ordinary. The cry of a bird echoed within them, and the feeling of mysticism filled them. Even the ground became scorching hot--to hot for Wu Jian to stand on. He was forced into the sky, and yet, the skies above had already been set ablaze with fiery colors, evoking the grandeur of the Phoenix’s wings in flight. Sounds also filled the domain, carrying a haunting melody reminiscent of the phoenix’s song.

So this is what it feels like to be inside this domain.

Wu Jian had seen it when Huǒ Yulie used hers, but seeing it and feeling it were two very different things. He could already feel how the heat was sapping his strength. It was similar to how Mei Xilan’s Ice Phoenix Domain sapped his strength with the cold.

I still don’t have a domain of my own, so how should I deal with this…?

Wu Jian was unable to think of a strategy because a molten phoenix leapt from the ground straight at him. He swung Pale Moon, cutting the phoenix in twain, but then the two halves became two phoenixes, which curved around and attacked him again.

[Nihility]

The phoenixes passed through him after he became intangible and crashed into the ground. That wasn’t the end, however, as multiple fireballs appeared around him. Huǒ Pànguó sneered from high above.

“You have some interesting gimmicks, but that’s all they are! You’re petty parlor tricks mean nothing in the face of true power! Take this!”

[Phoenix Barrage]

[Spatial Severing]

As the fireballs flew toward him, Wu Jian spun Pale Moon around, creating a thin line through the fabrics of space--and the flames, which were snuffed out after being cut apart. He didn’t waste this chance and made another cut at Huǒ Pànguó, who flew to the side. Wu Jian cataloged which direction he flew in, then prepared another technique.

[Phoenix Feather Rain]

But Huǒ Pànguó was a touch faster. It seemed he was more than just an arrogant young master. He had real skill. Dozens of feathers fell from the sky. Wu Jian already knew what would happen if he let those touch him.

So he didn’t let them come close.

[Swords of Space Rondo]

The feathers were all cut apart and disappeared--or so he thought.

“Gya?!”

Wu Jian screamed in shock when a feather somehow landed on his back. How had he missed it?! The explosion pushed him forward as his back received a burn quite similar to the one on his leg.

“Did you think these feathers could only fall from the sky? Fool. I can control these however I want,” Huǒ Pànguó said with a cold laugh.

I see. He figured out I can only cut in a single direction when I use my sword, so he manipulated a single feather to attack me from below and used the rest as a distraction. Damn… he’s actually kind of smart.

Would he actually have to bring out his more powerful techniques for this fight? He’d been hoping to conserve them for his battle with Huǒ Yulie.

Even though he knew the situation had turned slightly against him, Wu Jian began to smile.

This is getting fun.