There was something about official matches that reassured Adrian.

Unlike fights, there were strict rules about losing and winning. That wasn’t present out in the streets when you were fighting for your life. You could be backstabbed or ganged up on during a fight but during a match, everything was fairer.

He loved matches but hated fights.

But still, his opponent was a powerhouse: Diana Alcott, the Titan’s daughter.

While first generations were known for the purity of their Cultivation base, which wasn’t present within Adrian, courtesy to his source of Cultivation being artificial, those of the second generation used that purity to increase their Cultivation speed.

As the Titan was a first-generation, Diana, his daughter, was a second-generation.

But that meant nothing right now, for they’d be fighting rather than racing to the top.

She stood on the other edge of the stage. It could fit twenty people effortlessly so it was far too large for two combatants. Winning via ring out was difficult but still manageable.

Adrian had no intention to lose during the first match and it seemed that Diana shared that sentiment.

While he had almost godlike techniques compared to everyone else in the tournament, he couldn’t use them for long. He could only use both of them in a minute and none were sure-fire wins.

Just means to an end.

The judge was one of Lord Beaumont’s people. It was an event that was being held by his house, after all. The old Cultivator that had gray hair and gleaming armor was meant to stop the fight if things turned sour rather than announce when the fight began and ended.

Unlike the spectators, he stood within the barrier, for nothing that those of the Body Refinement Stage could faze someone at the peak of the Mind Refinement Stage.

Almost leisurely, both of them walked to near the center until they were merely five meters from each other.

“Don’t go easy on me just because I’m a woman,” said Diana and gave him a bow, a palm, and a fist joined together.

It was better to not bow at all than accidentally offend others by doing it wrong. It was easier to defeat someone that wasn’t angry. They tended to hit softer.

She said not to go easy on her, but if anything, it was Adrian who warranted easy-going. She was a giant that had an abundance of muscles whereas he had little to none of that.

Being the son of a merchant, who was groomed from youth, didn’t pay when you were trying to fight.

But that only applied to mortals, for there was little to no difference in one’s frame and build if it was Qi that did the heavy lifting. Even in that regard, though, Adrian was at least a stage below her.

He was the last Cartilage Refinement Layer contestant to survive, for most of them were knocked out by the clash of Martial Intents during the Qualifier.

While Tristan’s was oppressive, it was nothing compared to the Shadow’s and that was the only reason that he managed to survive.

In one step, Diana managed to close the distance until there were only inches between them: the Far Step Technique. It let them elongate their legs using the enhanced flexibility from the Cartilage Refinement Layer and push it to its literal limits, then use that leg to step forward and retract it within a short timeframe.

It was a simple one but one that eluded Adrian, for he didn’t have a convenient Jade Slip to learn it from and it was a technique that was learned through repetition rather than comprehension.

Her fist landed on his abdomen and Adrian coughed up all the air within his lungs. Contrary to expectation, he wasn’t sent flying or pushed away, but instead, remained where he was all the while the vibrations from the strike reverberated through his body, causing him to feel nausea.

Being hit by her was bad news.

Before her next strike hit him, he activate the Cloud Body Technique and fluttered aside like a piece of paper in the wind. Right after dodging, he stopped using it and launched his own fist toward her nose.

He had to be efficient or he couldn’t win. He was the underdog so there was no room for playing fair nor honor.

The punch was easily dodged by a sidestep and before Adrian could react, a heel struck his forehead and sent him tumbling to the ground.

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Right before he fell, he used the Cloud Body Technique and instead of falling hard, he was blown aside by the wind and managed to regain his footing by the time another kick landed near his liver.

That, though, didn’t do much damage as there was nothing holding him in place, letting him sway with the attack.

It hurt, though.

That was when Adrian realized that the kicks didn’t have the same rattling effect as the punches.

“You’re sloppy,” she stated before her next flurry of attacks that included several punches, all of which Adrian tried his best to dodge and there were dozens of kicks that he took thanks to the Cloud Body Technique.

Right after the flurry, Adrian felt that the Qi within him was near the halfway point.

And he hadn’t even attacked properly yet.

To find some room to breathe, Adrian hopped back several times and the distance between them was around ten meters.

The Far Step couldn’t close the distance faster than Adrian could realize this way.

“Her foundation is good. Yours, on the other hand, is flimsy. Fancy techniques aren’t all there are to fights, brat,” said the Shadow inside his head.

“I know that,” Adrian thought back.

He didn’t need lectures right now.

“Try to get above her. She’s used to combat between mortals, not Cultivators,” suggested the Shadow and Adrian knew full well that it was the only way he could win.

It was a troublesome opponent.

Against someone that used weapons, the condition for victory was disarming them but against someone that didn’t use weapons, like him, it was either a ring out or a knockout. That was far more difficult to achieve when he wasn’t even decent at hand-to-hand combat in the first place.

She used two Far Steps to close the distance, which let Adrian anticipate her and hop several meters back again.

The Far Step was a Martial Technique that fully relied on the body and that meant it was innately straining on the body. Using it carelessly would render one unable to walk. Qi Techniques, on the other hand, did not strain the body in the least but required a large amount of Qi, which was why most who broke through to the Soul Refinement Stage abandoned Martial Techniques altogether and started practicing Qi Techniques.

Maybe he could tire her out like this.

“You won’t get anywhere if you just keep dodging, you know?” shouted Diana as she started to sprint at him rather than use the Far Step.

She had a brain.

“No, but I might find a weak spot if I buy time,” said Adrian.

Dodging was definitely easier than landing a blow but at some point, he’d have to hit her. While jumping up was definitely an option, as the Shadow offered, he had to get to her blind spot for that to work.

“Words of a weak man,” said Diana as she pulled knuckle dusters from her pockets and slowly put them on. She didn’t have a Spatial Ring as they were expensive and the Titan was neither a merchant nor a noble.

There were absolutely no openings to take advantage of even as she put on the weapons.

“There’s nothing wrong about being weak, is there?” asked Adrian as the first visages of a plan started to form inside his head.

He just had to get to her blind spot without setting off alarms.

Adrian pulled off his red silk shirt that most peasants wouldn’t even dream of wearing, but here he was, ready to sacrifice it to win a match.

Then again, the money with which it was bought came from selling his own soul so he felt that it was earned.

“I won’t go easy on you. Since you’re a coward,” said Diana and she started cracking her neck, pulling it from side-to-side.

That was the chance!

“Well, I’ll try fighting seriously as well,” said Adrian with a shrug and casually grabbed the shirt. Then, while she was slightly distracted, he threw the shirt at her as he made his way toward her.

It created a blind spot which let Adrian jump up as he used the Cloud Body Technique to make himself lighter.

While fluttering in the wind like paper was what happened if he didn’t force his body to move, if he did do that, it’d be as if he had no weight at all. That meant he could jump up to the tops of buildings with casual ease.

This time, he wasn’t jumping that high, instead of managing to hover around three meters above Diana.

“It’s useless!” she roared and pulled aside the shirt with one hand and her eyes widened.

That’s when Adrian deactivated the Cloud Body Technique and took advantage of both his weight and gravity.

If he’d been of the Bone Refinement Layer, this blow would be far more devastating but this was the best he could manage.

As he fell, Adrian slammed his right fist to the back of her head, taking advantage of the increased flexibility to spin around as he fell to add to the damage.

Upon impact, Diana tumbled to the ground, unaware that Adrian was above and a sharp pain surged through Adrian’s body as the impact from the blow shattered his right fist and forearms.

“You coward!” she growled after she fell.

There was no time for rest.

Adrian pounced at her as she struggled to climb back to her feet to place his palm on her back.

Within an instant, he activated the Mystifying Palm Technique and dragged her over to the edge of the arena, which was closer thanks to his constant retreat from before all the while she helplessly struggled to strike him.

Forcing all of his strength into his arms and legs, he pushed forward with his feet and spun while the palm was glued to Diana’s back and mid-spin, he deactivated the Mystifying Palm so she’d be thrown outside the ring.

Victory by ring out.

The judge only gave a nod of approval and that was the end of it from his side, but there came an abundance of boos and curses from the spectators. There were a few claps but they were far outnumbered by those that were not impressed by his method of victory.

But no matter.

He won and that was all that mattered.

“You fucking coward!” screamed Diana as she made her way back to the stage but she tumbled down, unable to jump over the raised pedestal of the stage as her body did not do what she wanted it to.

A hit to the back of the head scrambled the mind’s control over the body.

“I did what I had to do,” said Adrian and let out a long sigh.

Was he not allowed to do that?

How was he supposed to beat a monster like this without using cheap shots?

Even if he hit her with his hardest, the only chance he had was to damage or disrupt her organs temporarily to gain an edge, which was exactly what he’d done with her brain.

If she was of the Internal Refinement Layer, the one after Muscle Refinement Layer, then it wouldn’t be an issue for her as the organs, too, would benefit from enhanced durability but that wasn’t so yet.

If she was at that stage, she would have no equal.

But that reminded him.

If he couldn’t even manage Diana, how would he even stand a chance against Tristan?

To think he was actually excited about a fight with him…