The second day of the Azure Sky Cloud Sect's Annual Tournament began beneath golden morning skies. Sunlight spilled over the cloud-shaped eaves of the arena pavilions. The air was cool, fresh, and scented with plum blossoms.
Though the pain still throbbed in his ribs, Lan Wu had arrived early. His robes were clean but simple, his arm wrapped tightly beneath the sleeve. He moved a little stiffly, yet his expression was calm. He had brought a notepad, something Mei Lian had once given him for reflection.
Mei Lian sat beside him, sipping a warm ginseng broth. Her eyes, though half-lidded, remained watchful of her student. She had noticed it: no bitterness, no sulking. His loss the day before hadn't changed his gaze. But she knew better—quiet pain was still pain.
He must feel something, she thought. Why hide it so well?
Lan Wu turned to her and gave a light smile.
"Elder Sister Mei… today's match is between two Path Rooting cultivators, right?"
She nodded.
"Mhm. The two strongest among the outer disciples. Don't blink, or you'll miss something important."
Lan Wu's eyes gleamed with boyish eagerness.
"I won't. I want to learn."
The Combatants Step Forward
In the center of the jade-tiled arena, two figures walked toward one another, quiet ripples of Qi pressing out with each step.
Xu Long.
Age 15.
A tall, steady youth with a calm demeanor and sun-tanned skin. He wore dark blue robes and carried a wide-handled saber with a gourd strapped to his hip. His cultivation style leaned into spiritual endurance and raw momentum. His Path Rooting foundation was built on iron-hard meridians and solid footing.
Yue Xinya.
Age 15.
Shorter than her opponent, but graceful—slender like a reed in the wind. Her white robe had elegant cloud markings stitched with silver thread. She used needle-thin daggers hidden in her sleeves, and her Qi manipulation was renowned. She specialized in speed, grace, and technique precision.
The Grand Elder signaled from her lofty pavilion.
"Begin."
Opening Exchange: Silence, Then Sparks
For a breath, nothing happened.
Then—
"Twin Reed Dance."
Yue Xinya launched forward, gliding low across the marble tiles, her sleeves flicking forward like unfurling lotus petals.
Fwish— fwish—
Tiny flashes of light danced through the air—her needles, cast from within her sleeves, aiming not for damage but to test Xu Long's movement.
Xu Long exhaled slowly.
"Stone Branch Step."
He stepped to the left, then twisted into a full-bodied swing with his saber—not directly at her, but at the falling needles. His Qi surged—dense, heavy like falling gravel—and deflected the daggers with a blunt wave of force.
Lan Wu leaned forward.
"She's not aiming to hit… she's mapping his defense."
Mei Lian's lip curled slightly.
"Correct. Smart."
Tempo Shift: Shadow and Strength
Yue Xinya's eyes sparkled. She twisted mid-air and landed atop the ring's central pillar before pushing off.
"Drifting Cloud Slash."
Her Qi coiled around her legs as she vanished, reappearing behind Xu Long in a spiral of petals and wind—a mirage, faster than the eye could follow.
Xu Long responded.
"Saber Root: Iron Wall."
He turned on one foot, lifting his saber vertically just in time—her dagger scraped it with a sharp tsssk, the air hissing from the spiritual friction.
She retreated, but he advanced.
"Second Form—Uproot the Stone."
His saber arced low and wide, dragging force through the floor, aiming to sweep her legs with a rippling quake. She leapt—
But he twisted, uppercutting the flat of his blade toward her abdomen.
Boom!
Yue Xinya's defensive Qi flared. She blocked with a burst of inner wind—but the sheer force sent her skidding across the ring.
Lan Wu's jaw slackened slightly.
"That power... how did she block that?"
Mei Lian smiled faintly.
"Footwork, boy. She used her Qi like wind through bamboo—she bent, not broke."
Techniques Unleashed: The Storm Gathers
Yue Xinya raised her hands, circling her fingers in the air.
"Sighing Wind: Crescent Arc Formation."
A spiraling array of light-blue symbols glowed around her in a circle, then shattered into dozens of shimmering threads of wind.
Each needle she had thrown earlier began to spin and float, guided by spiritual wind.
She moved.
Flick.
Slash.
Dash.
The needles struck from every angle, like threads of destiny tightening around a tree.
Xu Long narrowed his eyes.
"...Then I'll break through."
"Saber Root: Third Form—Heaven Pierces Stone!"
He drew the saber high, his body still, then thrust it downward in one controlled, explosive strike.
A glowing fissure of golden Qi tore through the arena floor—breaking the needle array as a wave of earth-force spiraled out.
Crashhhh!
The shockwave shattered some of the formation. Yue Xinya tumbled away, panting, sweat beading her brow.
Final Moves: Harmony or Collapse
Both cultivators stood facing one another.
Yue Xinya drew two final daggers from her belt.
"Flickering Willow—Twilight Bloom."
She blurred forward, a dozen afterimages appearing, each one attacking from a slightly different angle—her signature move.
Xu Long crouched slightly, eyes closing.
His Qi pooled around his feet, his blade held still.
Lan Wu leaned in.
"He's… not moving?"
Mei Lian folded her arms.
"He's waiting."
Yue Xinya struck.
The moment her true form was within reach—
"Saber Root: Fifth Form—Mountain Breathes."
A pulse of Qi surged from Xu Long's center, not an attack but a stillness, like the air before a storm.
His saber moved once.
CLANG.
Yue Xinya's dagger flew from her hand, knocked away by a single, precise strike. She froze in place.
Her Qi scattered.
She dropped to one knee, chest rising and falling.
The match ended.
"Victory: Xu Long."
Aftermath — Observations and Resolve
Lan Wu stood and bowed slightly as the two fighters returned to their seats.
His eyes were full—not of envy, but of awe.
"So that's the level I must reach... not just power—but awareness. Flow. Purpose."
He looked down at his hands, flexing them slightly.
Mei Lian glanced at him.
"Well?"
Lan Wu looked up.
"It was beautiful." His voice was soft. "They weren't fighting... they were speaking. Their styles. Their hearts. It was like a story."
Mei Lian blinked once.
Then, a small smile.
In the Soulscape — Watching in Shadows
Far below, in the chained place beneath the sea of the soul—
Wuxie sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed.
"So… these are the 'geniuses' of this continent."
He smirked.
"Interesting."
Then he mimicked Xu Long's movement in slow repetition—perfecting the edge of the saber stance.
"Soon, Lan Wu. Soon, I'll show you what a real story looks like."
He gazed into the swirling storm of black Qi before him.
"Not a tale of clouds and virtue…"
"But one written in blood."