The transformed Zhou was easily four meters tall, his body a perfect fusion of flesh and stone. Patterns of mountain-attributed qi swirled across his rocky skin, and his aura had reached what Azure identified as the peak of 7th Stage Qi Condensation.

When he moved, the arena floor cracked under his weight. Each step sent tremors through the entire structure, and his stone fists left visible distortions in the air as they swung.

For the first time since the battle began, Wu Kangming's expression turned serious. He raised his plain sword, holding it in a stance that looked deceptively simple.

"Nine Heavens Astral Blade Art," he whispered, his voice could somehow still be heard clearly despite Zhou's thunderous approach, "Azure Edge."

Qi rushed into his sword with such intensity that the blade began to glow with a soft blue light. The energy was completely contained, completely controlled – not a single unit wasted on display or intimidation.

Zhou's transformed body was less than two meters away when Wu Kangming moved. It was a single slash, so pure and perfect that it seemed to cut the air itself. A massive blade of blue energy extended from his sword, stretching across the entire arena in a perfect arc.

The energy blade passed through Zhou's stone body as if it were made of paper. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. The transformed Zhou continued his charge, one massive fist already swinging down toward Wu Kangming's position.

Then the stone giant began to crack.

It started at the point where the energy blade had passed through, a single line appearing in the rocky surface. That line spread, branching into dozens, then hundreds of fractures that raced across Zhou's transformed body.

Zhou managed one final step before his transformation literally fell apart. The stone giant crumbled like a statue struck by lightning, chunks of rock falling away to reveal... nothing. Zhou's physical body had been bisected so cleanly that there wasn't even any blood.

The arena was absolutely silent as the last pieces of Zhou's stone form crashed to the ground. Wu Kangming stood exactly where he had made that final strike, his sword still glowing faintly blue.

Senior Sister Liu stepped forward. "The winner of this mortal combat," she declared, "is Wu Kangming."

The crowd erupted in a chaos of shocked whispers and excited exclamations. Inner Disciples were already arguing about the sword technique they'd witnessed, while Outer Disciples seemed torn between celebration and terror at seeing one of their former tormentors so thoroughly destroyed.

I noticed Wu Lihua had vanished from her watching spot, though whether she left before or after that final strike, I couldn't tell.

Wu Kangming sheathed his sword with the same casual grace he'd shown throughout the entire battle. As he turned to leave the arena, his eyes met mine for just a moment.

There was something ancient in that gaze, something that didn't belong in the eyes of a young cultivator. Then he smiled – not the cold expression he'd shown Zhou, but something else, something I couldn’t quite recognise – and walked away.

"Well," Wei Lin said into the continuing chaos, "I guess we know where he disappeared to for those three months."

"And who he was learning from," I added, though I kept that thought private.

Whether it was a Sword Saint's ghost or some other inheritance, Wu Kangming had definitely found something during his absence. Something that had turned a failed Outer Disciple into the kind of swordsman that appeared in ancient legends.

"The sect is going to be interesting for a while," Lin Mei observed. "An Inner Disciple killed by a servant? Using lost sword arts? Every young master in the sect will be..."

She trailed off, and I followed her gaze to where a group of blue-robed disciples were already gathering, their faces dark with anger. Of course – Zhou Ming might have been arrogant, but he was still one of them. His death at the hands of a former Outer Disciple, someone they considered beneath them, would be seen as an insult to all Inner Disciples.

"We should go," I said quietly. "Things are about to get complicated, and I'd rather not be around when they do."

As we left the arena, I couldn't help but think about how this would play out. Wu Kangming had just announced his protagonist status in the most dramatic way possible, complete with mysterious power-up and public humiliation of an arrogant young master.

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Which meant the sect was about to become a lot more dangerous for everyone else.

"Azure," I thought as we walked, "remember those escape routes you were calculating?"

"Already updating them, Master. Though I note that your Primordial Wood Arts might be quite effective against sword techniques..."

"Let's focus on staying alive first," I replied. "We can worry about measuring up to protagonist-level sword arts later."

Still, I couldn't help but smile a little. The look on Zhou's face when his "ultimate technique" crumbled... that had been pretty satisfying to watch.

I just hoped whoever challenged Wu Kangming next would think twice about it. Though knowing how these stories usually went, that was unlikely.

An Inner Disciple had been killed by someone they considered beneath them - pride would demand retribution, regardless of the obvious gap in skill.

The real question was whether they'd challenge him openly like Zhou, or resort to the kind of shadowy schemes that cultivators were so fond of. Well, it doesn’t really matter which one they pick, they’ll only end up on his list of victims.

As I arrived back at my quarters, Wei Lin's words from earlier echoed in my mind - the Outer Disciple tournament was only three months away. I had been confident about participating, especially with my progress in the Primordial Wood Arts, but now...

If Wu Kangming entered the tournament, it wouldn't matter how well I could control plants or how efficiently I used my qi. What I'd just witnessed wasn't just skill - it was the kind of power that turned cultivation tournaments into one-sided massacres.

"Perhaps," I thought to Azure, "we should focus on private cultivation for the next few months."

"A wise decision, Master," Azure replied. "Even though I said your Primordial Wood Arts could potentially counter sword techniques, testing that theory in a tournament against someone who just bisected an Inner Disciple..."

"Would be suicide," I finished. "I know how these stories go. The mysterious returner who defeats an Inner Disciple? He's definitely going to be forced to enter that tournament to become an Inner Disciple. And as someone who's probably also a protagonist..." I sighed. "Well, you know how these things work."

"The narrative conventions would suggest a confrontation between two hidden talents is practically inevitable."

"Exactly. Between my world-hopping ability, the Genesis Seed, and that whole 'mastering an impossible cultivation technique' thing, I'm definitely not a normal character in this story." I grimaced. "Which means no matter how hard I try to avoid this tournament, something is going to force me to participate."

"Though at the rate you're progressing, I think you might have a real chance against him in three months’ time," Azure continued. "The World Tree Sutra is considered beyond Heaven-rank for a reason. And your ability to control multiple plants simultaneously could theoretically counter even perfect sword techniques."

"You really think so?" I asked, then I tilted my head. "Hmm, if we're going to be forced into this anyway, we might as well start preparing now. Start analyzing every movement Wu Kangming made in that fight. His sword techniques, his footwork, his qi usage – everything. If he's got a Sword Saint teaching him, we need to figure out ways to counter perfect sword arts."

"An interesting approach, Master. Using genre awareness as a tactical advantage?"

"If we're stuck in a cultivation novel, we might as well use it to our advantage. He may have ancient sword techniques, but we have something just as rare – a World Tree growing in our dantian. Let's see how his Sword Saint techniques handle fighting an entire forest."

"Beginning analysis now," Azure replied, just from the sound of his voice, I could tell he was excited for the showdown. "Though I should note that attempting to counter sword arts with animated plants is not a common strategy in the cultivation novels I've analyzed..."

"Good," I smiled. "That means he won't see it coming either. And if three months of training still isn't enough..." I paused, thinking of the strange world with two suns. "Well, I do have some unfinished business in another realm. If Wu Kangming can get a power-up during his disappearance, who says we can't do the same?"

After all, what better use of a time loop than a training arc?