As the second round neared its end, the instructor stepped forward, holding the bracket scroll.
The duels had grown more intense. No one fought for sport now. Every clash was about placement.
"Based on victories, spiritual control, and battlefield conduct, here are the current rankings."
The instructor unrolled the scroll.
---
Current Top 10 Rankings – After Round Two
1st – Dawn
Stage unknown.
2nd – Wei Feng
Qi Refining Stage 5. Molten Serpent Physique.
3rd – Yue Shanshan
Qi Refining Stage 4. Saber cultivator. Controlled footwork.
4th – Li Heng
Qi Refining Stage 3. Sound-based combat. Subtle and disorienting techniques.
5th – Zhao Ren
Qi Refining Stage 3. Spear user. Strong fundamentals, counter-technique expert.
6th – Mei Lin
Qi Refining Stage 2. Bow cultivator. Accurate and patient. Excellent field reading.
7th – Jin Taohua
Qi Refining Stage 4. Chain and sword hybrid. Jade Marked Veins physique. From Emerald Lotus Pavilion.
8th – Rong Jie
Qi Refining Stage 3. Axe-user. Heavy-force style. Relied on overpowering opponents.
9th – Luo Yan
Qi Refining Stage 2. Dual dagger user. Fast and unpredictable, but inconsistent in long battles.
10th – Chen Hai
Qi Refining Stage 3. Talisman specialist. Showed skill in setup, but lacked finishing power.
---
The instructor rolled the scroll halfway, then raised his voice again.
"Next match: Wei Feng versus Jin Taohua."
A few sharp glances passed through the outer disciples.
This wasn't a simple match.
---
Jin Taohua came from a strong background.
She wasn't part of the Azure Dragon Sect by default.
She was the daughter of a vassal elder from the Emerald Lotus Pavilion, a sect known for their spiritual weapon arts and internal refinement.
Her body was marked by the Jade Marked Veins, a rare physique that gave her sharp sensitivity to spiritual flow—perfect for weapons like the chain blade and short sword she carried.
She doesn't speak much and has a calm aura.
But everyone knew she is very strong.
---
Wei Feng stood at the opposite end.
His robes were patched from his last match. A thin cut ran across his right arm, but his grip was solid. His breathing steady.
The air around him shimmered faintly—heat waves rising off his skin.
The Molten Serpent Physique was rare among outer disciples. It gave him burst speed and coiling power—techniques that struck in arcs, then spiraled inward with increased momentum.
He hadn't needed it yet.
But against Jin… he might.
---
The instructor looked between them.
"Begin."
Jin taohua moved first.
Not fast—precise.
Her chain flicked forward in an arc, not to strike, but to bind. Her sword followed close behind, angled low to the side.
Wei Feng sidestepped the first pass and let the blade scrape his shoulder intentionally, drawing a line of blood—but allowing him inside her guard.
His elbow hit her shoulder, but not cleanly.
She spun with the blow, and her chain caught his heel mid-turn.
He fell back to break the line.
---
It was clean combat.
No wasted strikes.
But there was pressure.
Real pressure...
Jin's chain moved like a flowing script never the same path twice. Her feet shifted in the rhythm of four-step breathing, linked to her internal meridians.
Wei Feng's attacks were different—his body burst with coiled force, each strike faster than the last, his footwork always circling, dragging air and dust with it.
The ground cracked from the heat as his spiritual pressure rose.
He wasn't holding back.
He slipped past her sword and hooked his knee behind hers—forcing a stumble.
As her chain came up to counter, he burst forward with a palm strike.
Boom
The hit landed.
She flew back across the platform—sliding into the suppression field.
She stood, panting.
Her right arm trembled slightly. She lowered her sword.
"I yield."
Thinking in her mind
"After all my physique isn't fully awakened if it was I wouldn't be defeated"
---
Silence.
Then a single breath from the instructor.
"Winner: Wei Feng."
---
From the crowd, whispers spread:
"She lasted longer than anyone so far."
"He had to push for that one."
"She's from the Pavilion… and he still won."
---
Wei Feng didn't speak.
He just turned away, sweat clinging to his jawline.
He walked back across the stage.
But his gaze flicked once—toward the boy under the pine tree.
---
Dawn was standing now.
Not preparing. Not stretching.
Just standing.
His hands at his sides. No weapon.
His shadow stretched across the stone floor, long and still.
The instructor glanced at the scroll one last time.
"The final match will take place tomorrow at first light.
Wei Feng versus Dawn."
---
The crowd didn't cheer.
They just stood quietly, each with their own thoughts.
Some expected power. Others expected blood.
But no one expected calm.
And yet that was all they saw.
Two cultivators.
One forged by ambition.
The other… shaped by silence.
---
Above, in the elder pavilion, Lanyue turned from the arena.
"The match tomorrow will change something," she said.
Elder Qin furrowed his brow.
"You mean in the rankings?"
She didn't answer.
---
End of Chapter Fifteen