“It hurts,” grumbled Adrian as he lay on a comfy chair, unable to move too hard. While both Diana and he had similar power outputs, the difference in their durabilities showed when Adrian’s full-power strike damaged him rather than her.

At least it rattled her brain and gave him a brief opening to win by ring out.

He was waiting for the matches to end and was watching from one of the halfway-VIP seats where the participants were.

The ones that were still in the game, at least.

“How much does the Bone Mending Elixir hurt?” thought Adrian but the Shadow was nowhere to be found.

It was the simplest solution to his current dilemma but he’d heard that the elixir inflicted a pain far worse than the injury and he was rolling on the ground with just this.

“That was a good trick you used there,” said Tristan as he pat Adrian’s back far too hard, making him shout out in pain.

“That hurts!” he yelled.

“Man up, Adrian. On the Martial Path, such injuries are dime a dozen,” said Tristan.

Was that his idea of encouragement?

“Well, I don’t deal well with pain. What’s wrong with that?” he asked.

The current match was the one between Emma Beaumont and Cranford’s goon. It seemed that he was competent but the fight ended far too fast. Unlike a fight between bare-handed opponents, the match ended once caused an injury that was enough to hinder the opponent.

He’d heard that Emma used a saber but seeing it in action was slightly different.

The fighting style was violent as if she was trying to hack someone to pieces rather than hit them precisely.

That fact alone let her overpower Cranford’s male goon with a flurry of assaults until his arms fragmented from trying to block the strikes and he gave up, in which blocking was more practical than dodging due to her immense speed.

Speed was an unknown factor as their speed wasn’t magnified by becoming a Cultivator. It wouldn’t be increased until they reached the Mind Refinement Stage, which was too far away, meaning they had to increase it the same way they would have as mortals: by training.

“That technique you used against her was interesting. I don’t think any expert on the continent knows that,” said Tristan.

Only the ones that finished their matches were allowed in the booth so only Adrian and Tristan were there at the moment, for only two matches had ended.

Three, including Emma’s.

“Well, I guess my master isn’t from this continent, then,” said Adrian while chuckling lightly.

When he tried to shrug, only to wince in pain.

Once all the matches ended, he’d buy a Bone Mending Elixir on the way back and get this over with, even if it hurt a lot for a short period of time.

It’d take a week for it to properly heal without the elixir and the next match was in three days.

“That means it’ll be fresh,” said Tristan and gave him a grin, “I’ve never fought the disciple of someone that strong before. It’s two firsts at once with you.”

He was actually excited to fight Adrian?

How in the hell did he expect Adrian to even match his strength?

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“Please, don’t flatter me like that. I’m not that impressive,” mumbled Adrian.

That was when the door lightly creaked open and Emma Beaumont walked in.

“Beaumont!” exclaimed Tristan, “That was a magnificent style. I’ve never seen someone that used a style like that! Wanna spar before the next match?”

He really was a fighting addict.

“I’m aiming for the finals so we’ll probably meet there,” said Emma as she walked up to the seat next to Adrian and took a seat on it, “Why spoil the results before then?”

She was dressed in a tight black shirt and pants when fighting but now, she was adorned in a comfortable red dress, her arms bare. She’d even changed into high heels after the match.

Did she keep clothes in her Spatial Ring?

Maybe that was common practice and it was Adrian who was the oddball.

His shirt was ruined so he was in a dark green vest that was sewn with cloth: something only merchants and nobles could afford to wear casually.

Tristan was standing behind Adrian’s chair, one hand placed on its back.

“You look like you’re in pain,” said Emma, and Adrian suppressed the urge to shout out his response.

It was easy for him to do.

Before he became a Cultivator and found about the Shadow, he was at the mercy of his father and that meant he had to learn how to sound respectful.

It’d serve him well in the future when the people he ran into became more and more unreasonable.

“Would you fancy a Sense Severance Elixir? I happen to have one on hand,” she said and placed one leg over the other elegantly and turned her head to the side somewhat sharply, letting her puffy hair sway slightly as she did so.

Was she trying to show off her wealth?

That was likely.

“Whoah. You guys are rich,” said Tristan, eyes wide and mouth agape.

The Sense Severance Elixir had the effect of making the body unable to feel anything for half a day. That applied to pain so it’d help him get through this slog and bear the pain from the Bone Mending Elixir.

“It’s nothing. Two of our Elders are Alchemists so getting my hands on it was easy,” she said and Tristan nodded along.

Alchemists could easily create ten vials of elixir from a single herb and enhance its effectiveness. That meant they could make an immense amount of money if they wished to, but most of them belonged to the Noble Houses so it was rarely sold and often given.

The number of Alchemists in Blue Pavilion City was merely two and in the entire Empire, there were only ten of them.

Even House Ulrich, one of the greatest Noble Houses in the area, didn’t have one.

However, House Beaumont was on a completely different level in terms of resources and had two of them.

“But that’s even more impressive,” said Tristan.

Tristan didn’t know the Beaumonts had Alchemists?

Just how sheltered was he?

“Here,” she said and casually threw the vial filled with precious medicine at Adrian as if she didn’t care if it fell.

Adrian extended his hand and just when he realized he couldn’t grasp it fast enough, he activated the Mystifying Palm Technique and made it stick to his hand.

“There are no strings attached,” said Emma and gave him a wink.

“But I can practically see them,” said Adrian with a wry grin.

She was definitely trying to win him over.

“But you won’t bite so there’s no difference,” said Emma and shrugged, “Since your loyalty already belongs to someone.”

Her eyes said otherwise, peering at him as if he was prey and she was the predator. Rather, as if he was the fish and she was the fisher that could catch a fish just by swinging around her fishing rod.

Did she figure it out?

Perhaps he shouldn’t have used the Mystifying Palm but if she truly realized that he wasn’t under the protection of any Noble House, she’d probably start making moves.

Moves that wouldn’t harm him but still, they were moves.

Tristan just stared at them with a tilted head, seemingly unable to figure out what they were talking about.

“Just drink it,” she said and turned to the arena below, “If you really feel bad, feel free to pay me back with the ingredients. It wouldn’t be a hassle for you to find them.”

“I don’t keep such low-grade herbs in my rings,” said the Shadow, suddenly.

“Yes, but father provides them,” thought back Adrian.

“Hmph, that child couldn’t even tell apart a grass from herb. Yet you tell me that he sold anything other than what I’ve given him?” the Shadow asked.

Adrian mentally nodded, which was simply rolling his eyes.

The booth was directly opposite to the other VIP booth where the parents sat in so it had a great view.

“Well, if you insist,” said Adrian as he popped the wooden cap of the vial.

Within it was glowing blue liquid, extracted from the Moon Flower that only grew in places where the sunlight never reached but the moonlight did. He chugged it down and felt the chilly liquid enter his body and spread all around.

It was the refreshing kind of cold rather than the freezing kind, and within moments, he could move around without feeling the pain.

His body could be damaged, though, but he just wouldn’t feel anything.

“The fight hasn’t started yet,” said Tristan after Emma kept staring at the empty field for more than a minute.

“I know that,” said Emma almost the instant Tristan finished but she still kept on staring at the stage, as if she wanted to burn holes into them.

What was wrong with her?

After almost ten minutes of awkward silence, the next fight began.