~~~

Left.

Right.

Left.

Thrust. Thrust. Slash.

The rhythm of a spear is different.

That is the thought that drifts through Liu Jin’s mind while fighting an Inner Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan.

Taking up the spear had been a decision made without much thought put into it. Lei Kong knew how to use swords and spears, and it seemed foolish not to take advantage of that. Somewhere along the way, Liu Jin developed a preference for spears over swords, and before they realized it, the spear had become part of his “Qing Jin” disguise.

Qing was his father’s former last name, but it is not such an uncommon family name. The risks of using it are minor. At most, someone may think he had been named or had named himself after the previous emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire. Such things are not uncommon.

Meanwhile, Liu Jin is... a potentially troublesome identity. His name is not one that is known throughout the lands. However, the possibility of it being linked to Xiao Shuang and, by extension, to the Divine Frozen Palace is not zero. That is why, for the purposes of joining the Eternal Flame Clan, Qing Jin is a safer identity.

And Qing Jin uses a spear.

It is a relatively simple weapon. Bladed end. Blunt end. Slash. Thrust. Block. Even a complete novice would be able to grasp that much after a few minutes of swinging it around. Yet, there is an art to it. Thrusts are not punches. Slashes are not kicks. Blocks... are still blocks, but they carry different risks.

The intervals are different. The range is different. The timing is different. It is not the first bladed weapon Liu Jin uses, yet keeping track of the blade of a knife is not the same as keeping track of the bladed end of a spear. The extra reach provided by the weapon is a definite advantage, but that’s precisely why he needs to be careful with it.

Each short thrust of Liu Jin’s spear forces his opponent to back away. The Inner Disciple wields a sword yet can barely fend off his attacks. The difference in reach between their weapons is proving to be a too big disadvantage. Liu Jin’s quick and constant attacks successfully keep his foe on the defensive.

However, Liu Jin can only maintain that rhythm for so long.

The tip of his spear dips down. It is the smallest of pauses, barely a fleeting instant. However, his opponent doesn’t miss it. His eyes shine when the opening presents itself, sidestepping and lunging, extending his body as far as he can, doing his best to make up for the difference in reach.

It is exactly what Liu Jin has been waiting for.

A twist of his wrist makes the blade of his spear draw a sharp circle, easily batting the sword out of the way, leaving his opponent wide open.

Liu Jin pushes.

His grip on the spear shifts, so he’s holding the weapon with both hands close to the blunt end instead of having one hand wrapped around the center. From his opponent’s perspective, it is as if the weapon magically grew in length. There is no time to dodge. The strike lands perfectly on the Inner Disciple’s shoulder. Had he not been in the Spirit Realm, the weapon would have pierced right through his shoulder. Such is the strength Liu Jin is using. The Inner Disciple is sent flying out of the ring and lands harshly on his back.

It is Liu Jin’s victory.

The Inner Disciple grits his teeth as he struggles to get up, one hand gripping his shoulder. He’ll need to visit the Medical Pavilion soon.

“I thank you for your guidance, senior brother.” Liu Jin bows his head in respect. “This one was doubtlessly lucky just now.”

The Inner Disciple says nothing. He scowls and walks away, pushing his way through the crowd. Liu Jin may have tried to appease him, but that won’t change what just happened. He, an Inner Disciple, just lost to an Outer Disciple.

Putting aside matters of pride, the points he lost will not come back just because Liu Jin is trying to be polite.

Whenever a disciple loses a spar, he’ll lose points. The amount varies depending on the ranks of the disciples involved. Losing against a higher-ranked disciple is only natural, so not many points will be lost due to such an outcome. However, if one were to lose to a lower-ranked disciple, the point deduction will be quite hefty.

In other words, accepting challenges from Outer Disciples is extremely disadvantageous for Inner Disciples. At best, they are a waste of time. At worst, they are a waste of points.

That is why an Inner Disciple would normally reject an Outer Disciple’s challenge.

That is why guaranteed challenges exist.

All disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan have the right to make three guaranteed challenges per day. The person who receives the challenge cannot turn it down. Thanks to this rule, even a Core Disciple can be challenged by someone who just joined the Sect. There are just a few limits to this rule. For example, a person cannot accept more than three guaranteed challenges on the same day. Similarly, one cannot challenge the same person more than once per day.

Liu Jin has been using his guaranteed challenges to get Inner Disciples to spar with him. In fact, he has already used all three of them, yet he is still managing to find sparring partners. The reason for that is… well...

“Weak! Far too weak!” Bei Hong cries out as he dispatches yet another Inner Disciple, one in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm this time. Annoying though it may be, Bei Hong’s arrogance is not entirely unmerited.

It is also not entirely without upsides.

Bei Hong, Lu Mei, Huang Shing, and Liu Jin. They are challenging Inner Disciples to quickly gain the necessary points for their promotion. Like Liu Jin, the other three have already used all their guaranteed challenges. That means they need other ways to convince the Inner Disciples to fight them.

Indignation works.

No one likes losing, especially to a group of cocky newcomers, which Bei Hong’s boasting successfully paints them as.

“Ha! Even when hunting rabbits, a lion should use his full strength! You were foolish to take me lightly!”

Huang Shing helps.

The two are not afraid of angering the Inner Disciples around them, causing more than one to step up to their challenges. Whether it is to avenge their brethren or put the unruly newcomers in their place, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they provide them with foes.

Bei Hong laughs from his ring. “Not bad. It seems you’re not as weak as I thought.”

“Just watch! I plan on winning more times than you!”

“I’ll gladly show you the difference between us!”

Curiously enough, it seems the two are bonding over the whole thing. Liu Jin is not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

What he does know is that this method is not sustainable.

Eventually, anger and shock will pass. That is when things will become difficult. Right now they’re being underestimated. That is why they have been winning so easily. Furthermore, they have only been fighting disciples close to their age. The older Inner Disciples have no reason to involve themselves in this matter, but that may change if Bei Hong and Huang Shing keep opening their mouths.

This situation is not what Liu Jin had intended.

Certainly, he came here to challenge the Inner Disciples, but he had hoped to be more discreet about it. He and Huang Shing had so many points, it would have been fine if they had relied only on their guaranteed challenges. It would have taken a couple of days instead of one, but that would’ve barely counted as a problem.

However, Lu Mei and Bei Hong had clearly come with the intention of acquiring all the necessary points in just one day. Now that Liu Jin and Huang Shing have been wrapped in this, they have little choice but to go along with it. The number of glares Liu Jin has become a target of has only increased in the past several minutes. The Outer Disciples may be cheering him on, but the Inner Disciples are not happy with how things are going.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Noticing this, Liu Jin steps out of the ring and tries to fade into the crowd. At the rate things are going, it is going to be dangerous to show his face here tomorrow.

"Ah, senior brother looks really strong! Please, go easy on me."

The alluring voice directs his attention towards one of the sparring rings. He rolls his eyes when he sees what is happening there. Unlike Bei Hong, who shouts insults, Lu Mei favors a different approach for attracting partners. She's all sweet words and distracting movements. Many are those who fall prey to them.

The person she's fighting right now is merely one more. The look on his face makes it clear fighting is the last thing on his mind. He just wants to show off for the pretty girl.

It costs him the match.

He’s not the first person who lets himself be distracted by Lu Mei today. He’ll not be the last. The girl feigns weakness and admiration, attracting opponents one after another. The ones who go to her, outraged by Bei Hong’s words, soon find themselves disarmed by her smile. Already, she has gathered a crowd of admirers, most of them Outer Disciples.

To his surprise, she spots him in the crowd and walks up to him.

“You are the one from the Selection Exam, right?” She asks with a charming smile. “What did you think of my match?”

She is not ignoring him.

That instantly puts him on alert, yet he struggles to think what she could want with him. All he knows is that suddenly all the eyes that were on Lu Mei are now on him as well.

“It was a good match.” Liu Jin decides to reply honestly. “But I have to wonder, why is it that they keep falling for it?”

Maybe too honestly.

Far from looking offended, Lu Mei’s smile widens into a smirk that looks more at home on her face.

“Should you really be the one to ask me that question?”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow as she moves closer to him, far closer than a conversation requires. Her perfume smells of Night Flower and Golden Peach Petals. The mix is not an overpowering one. Its effects are subtle, but no less effective because of it.

It has surely worked in her favor several times today.

On him, it is useless.

“I am not sure I understand.”

“Oh?” If she is in any way surprised neither her perfume nor her closeness affect him, she does not show it. “Was that not clear enough? I’ll just say it then. You seem to like pretending to be getting tired so people too intimidated to challenge Bei Hong will see you as an easy target. All your fights have taken twice as long as they should have because of it.”

Liu Jin forces his face to remain neutral, doing his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

“You have been watching me.”

“Only as much as the others.” She leans in closer, their noses almost touching. “You see my point now, don’t you? If your opponents keep falling for your poor acting, why be surprised when my wonderful self can do better?

“Fair enough,” Liu Jin admits while inwardly revising his opinion of Lu Mei.

He’d first heard of her while staying in Ember City, the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Red Sky Pavilion who’d come to join the Eternal Flame Clan. However, it is not as if her situation is unique. Many people from important Sects come to join the Eternal Flame Clan. In fact, while Liu Jin was in Ember City, it was Bei Hong who called the most attention to himself. Lu Mei just happened to be someone close to him.

The Selection Exam marked the first time he’d interacted with the two. He’d been able to tell right away both were strong cultivators, but that was all there was to them.

At least, those had been his thoughts back then.

“Now, now, don’t make such a serious face. Look, your friend and Bei Hong are getting along. Shouldn’t we try to get along as well?”

He most definitely doesn’t like the look in her eyes. Instinct tells him to retreat. Stubbornness compels him to stand his ground.

“They’re indeed getting along.” Liu Jin does not raise his voice to be heard over the disciples’ chatter, but they’re so close it doesn’t matter. “I just worry the way they’re getting along will cause trouble later.”

“If you think that, then you have more sense than Bei Hong.” Somehow, it doesn’t sound like she’s complimenting him. “However, do you really think this is the sort of place where you can climb to the top without attracting any hostility? That’s naive. Cute, but naive. If you want to climb, you need to make the people here angry at you. Just. Like. This.”

She kisses him.

Before Liu Jin can even ask what she has in mind, Lu Mei kisses him, placing her soft lips dangerously close to his. She pulls back before Liu Jin can do anything, a pleased smile on her face.

In an instant, Liu Jin can feel the anger aimed at him spike. From where they stood, many of Lu Mei’s new admirers had not been able to tell it had only been a kiss on the cheek.

Of course, for many of them, that wouldn’t matter one bit.

“That’s so sweet of you!” Lu Mei says in a loud, overly peppy voice. “Did you hear him? He says he wants to win his next match for me. Who wants to be his partner?” Lu Mei calls out, raising Liu Jin's hand.

As expected, those who immediately volunteer are plenty.

“See,” Lu Mei whispers into his ear, undoubtedly making her admirers even angrier at him. “Isn’t this easier?”

“It is something. I am too polite to call it by its name.”

Even as Liu Jin shakes off her grip and steps into the ring, he can feel the satisfaction oozing from Lu Mei. And why not? After such a brazen act, there is no way anyone would believe him if he says there is no relation between the two.

If he doesn’t do something about this later, it’ll become troublesome. Liu Jin is sure of that.

“It’s been quite some time since I’ve been this fired up!” His opponent jumps into the ring. He is an Inner Disciple in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm. “I warn you, friend of Lu Mei. I may not be able to hold back as much as I should,”

In other words, he wants to make an impression on Lu Mei by beating him. Liu Jin wants to roll his eyes. How much of this is the effect of her perfume and how much is it because of her looks?

Or perhaps… has she been using the Charm Technique she used on Huang Shing on members of the crowd?

Liu Jin sighs.

“Friend is not the word I’d use.” He assumes a fighting stance. “My name is Qing Jin, age fourteen. This junior humbly asks for guidance.”

“Pan Qiu, age sixteen. Watch me, Lu Mei!”

He isn’t even listening to him. Liu Jin would have sighed once more if Pan Qiu hadn’t immediately lunged at him. His body easily breaks the speed of sound, his aura blazing around him with the might of someone in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm.

Liu Jin’s Qi is that of someone in the Ninth Level of the Nascent Realm.

Naturally, the crowd doesn’t think he has any chance of winning. The difference between him and his opponent is simply too big. At worst, those watching probably think he is someone trying to impress Lu Mei, who is about to get what he deserves for overstepping his boundaries.

Those people are soon proven wrong.

Liu Jin not only reacts to Pan Qiu’s attack but also counters, forcing Pan Qiu back with a series of quick thrusts from his spear. Pan Qiu’s eyes widen in surprise, but only for a moment. He quickly adapts, weaving in between Liu Jin’s attacks, his fists striking at the spear to push it out of the way. Pan Qiu is strong, dangerously so. Liu Jin can clearly tell he intends to knock the spear out of his hands with pure strength.

He can't.

The people watch stunned as Liu Jin slowly pushes Pan Qiu back with quick, precise attacks. They cannot believe it. Someone in the Ninth Level of the Nascent Realm is fighting against someone in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm. The difference between them is basically half a cultivation realm. No, in fact, it may be even more than that.

Impressive does not begin to describe Liu Jin’s performance.

However, if Liu Jin looks impressive, that means his opponent ends up looking decidedly unimpressive. As someone so far above him in cultivation, Pan Qiu should have won by now. That is what common sense dictates. That such a simple expectation remains beyond his grasp can only reflect poorly on him.

Sure enough, frustration and irritation appear on his face.

“One Hundred Fiery Fists.”

Pan Qiu whispers it, his voice curt and irritated.

Flames erupt in his hands. In an instant, dozens, if not hundreds, of fireballs are suddenly launched towards Liu Jin. Each of Pan Qiu’s punches generates more. The disciples around them back away as many miss their mark. Liu Jin reinforces his spear with Qi, trying his best to bat away all fireballs coming his way. However, that soon proves to be a mistake as Pan Qiu keeps throwing more, pinning him in place. The light begins to blind him, the force starts pushing back.

Liu Jin takes a deep breath.

Art of the Roaming Thief.

In an instant, he disappears from Pan Qiu’s sight, only to suddenly appear behind him. It speaks well of Pan Qiu’s skill that he senses Liu Jin just as his spear is about to slam down on his shoulder. He turns and raises his arms, forming an x in front of him to block. The ring beneath them breaks from the force of the impact, yet Pan Qiu grits his teeth and bears it, yelling as he pushes Liu Jin back.

The flaming fists come for him again, but they’re slower this time. Blocking that hit had taken its toll on Pan Qiu.

And yet, if things continue like this, the fight could drag far too long for Liu Jin’s tastes. A person in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm is not one he can afford to take lightly.

Liu Jin clicks his tongue.

No choice then. He needs to end this quickly.

His Qi flares up as he changes its basic nature. Not to poison. He’d rather not reveal that yet.

His Qi changes to lightning.

Yet another thing he learned from Lei Kong. The lightning is red, angry, and crackles around his body. It only lasts for an instant, but that is all Liu Jin needs. Pan Qiu blocks his spear, but he cannot block the electricity. It courses through Pan Qiu’s body, stunning him.

It is all the opening he needs.

Two swings and one thrust delivered with full force ends the fight. Pan Qiu is launched out of the sparring ring and falls with a dull thud. Liu Jin waits motionless, his spear ready as if expecting Pan Qiu to jump back in. Once it becomes clear he’s knocked out, Liu Jin relaxes.

“This one thanks senior for his guidance.”

There is clapping. Unsurprisingly it comes from Lu Mei, though many of the Outer Disciples join soon after.

“Much better,” She tells him once he steps out of the ring. “And look, now you’re one step closer to Inner Disciple.”

“And what do you think will happen later? When we are Inner Disciples and have alienated so many of our own?”

Indeed, Liu Jin can see the number of Inner Disciples glaring at him has increased.

“It is adorable that you think anything else was ever an option. We were going to make people angry either way. This is simply about doing it properly. Of course, now that we have been seen together so publicly, it’s clear our fates are tied. Take care of me, won’t you?”

So, that’s it then.

The reason she did all this is because she wanted to tie him to their group. After what Lu Mei just did, disassociating himself from them will be almost impossible.

“If it is all the same to senior sister, I think I’d rather take care of myself.”

Lu Mei’s laugh is his only answer.

~~~