The fourth round started a day later. It was the first round that would take less than a full day, and would be fought together with the fifth round today. Which the previous tactic of simply outlasting their opponents wouldn't work for those that used it anymore - a cultivator would have to keep a careful look on the qi they used if they wanted to succeed in the next round, as the tournament only sped up from now on.

Only the final would have a day of rest before it, to see the finalists at their peak form. Which made the next two days all the more interesting for me. Who won or even fought in the finals themselves mattered not, they were unlikely to accept my offer anyways, as even getting into the top ten offered enough prices that I could not compete easily.

I still could compete of course, but it would ruin me for little gain.

---

Lion smiled. The rumors about the tournament happening in this backwater town had been true. And the rewards were great, just thinking about the glowing robe had her salivating a little. None of the other participants had shown much promise to her, a disciple of the Great Savanna Sect. She couldn't wait to return with stories of great victories, her ring filled with treasure.

Perhaps the creator of the robe could be persuaded to make her an over robe? One with a lion head on it? After all the signature animal of her sect had to be proudly worn, for all to see.

Well, first she had to win, and the real powerhouses of the tournament had yet to show their head, having chosen to ignore her early challenge. Well, they’d need to step up their game in the next rounds, qi exhaustion was a serious concern for most.

Not her, she had plenty of spirit stones, a rarity in these backwater, and savage lands, to replenish her stock for an occasion just like this. While some would surely grumble at her use of the precious resources she didn't care about their opinion. Wealth was a different kind of power after all. Yet all the wealth in the world couldn't buy something that wasn't there, meaning she had eat bland meals ever since she left the city.

Even using her intent to enhance her nose didn't produce any results, not even the mayor used salt! A third realm elder, who didn't even bother to use any spices! This place truly was the worst.

For now, she focused on her new opponent, he, like several of the cultivators, wore a qi enhanced robe. She really couldn't understand how such a backwater place produced a spirit craftswoman, even if the young woman wasn't producing the best work.

It was passable, especially considering she probably learnt her craft from a mortal, but not comparable to any real sect craftsman. Well, her prices weren't comparable too, so that evened out.

Still, one so gifted shouldn't waste in a town like this, and the sect always needed new craftsmen or women. She’d offer after the tournament, though she had to be careful, even her powerful intent stood no chance against a third realm expert, no matter how backwater.

“I will finish this with one attack." He stated.

"I am waiting." She answered.

Lion grinned. Now this was going to be interesting. Just in case she started using one of her sect's techniques 'skin of the lion king'.

Her enemy exploded, with flames flying off his form. He dashed forwards, and started roaring.

"Dragonfire!"

That sounded serious. Immediately Lion send more lion qi into her skin, before dashing forwards herself. The fire around her opponent changed into a dragon head, reared back, and shot forwards. Right at her face.

Mistake.

She executed her movement technique, Speed of the Lion, and dashed from the area the fire was going to hit, appearing right in front of her enemy.

His eyes became wide, even as her claws raked across his form. As always she held back, not forming any life threatening injuries.

Well, not always. That strange cultivator in the wooden robes had taken her all, but his robe had been made for defense. She had thought about commissioning something like that, but the heat she saw in there made her stop. Lions got lazy when things got too warm.

Anyways, that fight had been fun, a little like the fights back home, instead of all those out here. Well, her enemy was panicking, and fire formed on his skin again. She executed her next technique, paw of the lion, and boxed him in the head.

Her opponent was too concentrated on his own technique, so he didn't block, and immediately collapsed as her qi shot forth, miniscule displacing some if the qi in his head.

Her opponent dropped like a sack of potatoes, and she sighed. She wanted a real challenge! Now this. One weakling after another.

Perhaps the next fight would be more interesting. In the meantime she should ask people about having a friendly spar or two. You couldn't ever fight enough!

First, she checked on her qi.

Still more than enough left. The fight had been easy.

Lion returned to her place on the arena, having just watched the rest of the fights in the last round. Things didn't look promising. Sure, the giant looked promising, but the sand cultivator from the first round already lost to another cultivator. Again one that cultivated fire. What was it with backwater places and fire cultivators? No self respecting cultivator in the heartlands cultivated fire!

Well. About ten of the fighters managed to avoid revealing their most powerful techniques yet. Which made them dangerous.

Like the woman in front of her. She had yet to use any powerful technique, and didn't seem all that concerned to face her. That was concerning.

The woman would get her full attention.

"Start!" The mayor yelled.

"Roar of the Lion." She roared.

Immediately she felt invigorated, but her qi was draining rapidly. She executed all her techniques, and dashed forwards, all thoughts but the hunting of her prey vanishing into a cold, calculated stare.

Qi? Ninety Percent.

Distance to her enemy? Ten metres and shrinking rapidly.

Her enemy? Moving towards her.

Her aura? Concentrated half a metre around her.

All good.

They clashed, but her enemies attacks couldn't put a scratch in her skin. But that didn't matter, as she also couldn't land a single blow on the slippery enemy.

Stage two then.

She roared loudly, enhancing the sound with qi. Dodge that. Her enemy flinched for a moment, and that moment was all she needed to lash out with all her might.

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Her hit connected to the woman's robe, but was absorbed by the qi within. That was a lot of qi in that part. But also much less in some others. She'd have to ain for those.

Time for another check.

Qi? Eighty three percent.

Distance to the enemy? Melee.

They clashed again, with her enemy enhancing her blows with simple qi this time. Not enough. Good. Lion intentionally stepped into an attack, to deliver her own, into the nearly unprotected side of her adversary.

The robe ripped, but only a small scratch appeared on her opponent's skin.

Lion grinned savagely, looking down at her opponent. First blood!

They clashed again, her enemy's hand filled with ice this time. Lion got another hit on the plate of qi on her opponent's chest, but several icy scratches appeared on her skin in return.

They seperated for a short breather again, which Lion took as a chance to channel her Recovery of the Lion technique.

Her qi was draining even more rapidly than before, but it would be enough. When they met again she roared right in her opponent's face, mixing a little blood into the air.

Her opponent flinched again, this time less from the sound and more from the blood splattering her face.

Lion jumped to the opportunity, attacking the weak spot she had created earlier, leaving a savage wound behind.

Her opponent's face grimaced in pain, but she didn't waver, her eyes solely focused on Lion. Well, that was to be expected. Now she just had to press the advantage, not give her opponent time to use qi to stem the bleeding.

The fight was over the moment she hit that blow, and both knew that fact. Her opponent put up a good fight nonetheless, wounding her several more times.

By the time the woman collapsed from blood loss Lion was running on fumes herself, several long bloody gashes lining her body.

Lion skin wasn't made to block ice.

But she won. Without revealing her trump card too, though revealing two of her techniques hurt a little. Compared to  ost fighters here her bag of tricks was quite small, though each of her tricks were far more powerful than normal.

Lion returned to her quarters in the arena, and spend most of the night forcefully energizing her qi with several spirit stones.

It felt like a waste - the stones would need a long time to recover all that energy, and a time she couldn't put them in her spatial ring. But being at the top of her game was going to be important for the three rounds today.

"I am RHINO of the Waid Clan. And I am going to show you just how my clan fights."

The boy didn't look older than twenty. So his cultivation was quite impressive. His name wasn't though, it spoke of arrogance, of reaching higher than you should.

And he did not feel like he cultivated Rhinoceros intent.

So she laughed at him.

"You need to cultivate for another decade before you can challenge me. Boy." She said.

Yeah, just like she thought. A hotblood. Just this single, tame insult and his head looked ready to explode.

"I do have to wonder though, how did someone like you get so far? Perhaps rising on the coattails of your clan? Not that they can be all that important, I have never heard of them after all."

Reason left the boy's eyes, as he started glowing red, and running at her. A berserker then. How stupid. Berserkers, or cultivators who cultivated anger intent qi, were the weakest if emotion cultivators.

Well, at least those that went the path of unbridled anger. A short flex of qi had her at the edge of the arena, as she wondered how he managed to get this far. Fear perhaps? No reason to mention his clan otherwise.

Well, no backwater clan, no matter how powerful here, would dare threaten a disciple of the Great Savanna Sect.

Her victim had arrived at her previous spot by now, and was raving madly at her, before moving again.

Yup.

Berserker.

She laughed again, loudly, to stroke the flames a little more.

"Come on. Are you too weak to even catch me?" She asked.

Moving to her previous spot, she watched with growing amusement as the incompetent madman turned around madly, finding her.

"Now now. How did you end up there? I haven't even moved." She said with a big yawn.

Her plaything roared again, and dashed towards her once again. Berserkers were too predictable, this fight was boring, time to end it. The trick about fighting people like this was easy. Don't get hit. They hit like a rhino, but were easier to predict the more angry they were.

And this one was just about ready to explode. Just a little more.

"Even a toddler could run from you. You are a shame on your clan." She stated.

She could practically see as something snapped in him, his speed exploded, and his hands forming into the imitation of a claw.

"Ohh, scary." She said sarcastically.

It was all about position, and the right moment. So she stepped out of his way the moment he wouldn't be able to stop anymore. Watching an enraged berserker break through the railing of the fighting ring, and land in the sand, face first, was always amusing.

They just had an air around them 'bully me please'. Well, to be honest if an anger cultivator managed to control their rage they were terrifying.

But this one had a long way to go. Well, he was hopeless to be honest.

The next round started about an hour later, and she finally faced the opponent she had been waiting for since the first round.

The giant.

The way he used other cultivators as a club had spoken to something deep inside her.

"I,Lion, am looking forwards to this fight." She stated.

"I will allow you to know the name of the man that defeated you. I am Tiger." He stated.

Well. If this was back in the sect she'd be concerned. After all tigers, unlike lions, were loners. But here? Every second cultivator had an animal name, without having earned it. And this one didn't seem different, though he had been deceptively fast, and had yet to reveal his intent.

Time to start then. She had watched his fights, and knew he relied on his superior reach to go for grapples and throws, somewhat negating superior cultivation. The fight would be interesting for sure, it was time to test that fighting style of his against a real predator.

She didn't know how hard his last fight was, seeing as she had a little fun with the berserker, and the giant thus finished his fight before she did, but he didn't seem all that exhausted. Just like her. Good.

Now, should she use Lion's Roar from the start or not? That technique burned qi at a ridiculous rate, so better not.

The giant was fast, but not fast enough for her normal speed. Well, a little roar wouldn't hurt, just without qi. She dashed forwards, her clawed hands already swiping towards her enemy.

He moved to grapple her, but she was waiting for it.

A little use of her qi later, and she appeared inside his guard. Fighting someone who relied on range at their terms was a was that only lead to ruin after all.

Her swipes continued, one towards his throat and the other towards his stomach. The giant dodged as predicted, leaning his head to the side and taking a step back. Good.

The hand that originally went towards the stomach severed downwards, ripping a wound in his thigh. The wound was shallow, as he noticed her attack a second too early, but it would still restrict him.

Now she only had to press her advantage, score a hit above his eyes, and blind him to win that fight. She smiled savagely, and had to suppress the lion for for a moment. It wanted to taste blood. Later.

Lion roared loudly, but her enemy already knew that trick, and didn't even flinch. She shrugged, it was worth a try.

Suddenly her enemy took an unexpected step forwards, his leg appearing behind hers, as he stepped back again, and his elbow hit her chest.

That hurt.

Lion stumbled, the maneuver so unexpected she didn't react in time. Instead of trying to correct her position, and move into her enemies waiting hands, she threw herself into the fall, cursing she'd have to use that now.

A spectral lion appeared behind her again, as the claws on her forearms grew into lion's legs. She caught her fall with her arms, and leaped at her enemy with a loud roar, claws poised to rip him apart.

He took a step back, but was too slow due to the wound in his leg. Her claws cut his face, right over both eyes. Her feet came moments later, still human, and landed on the giant's stomach.

She jumped, and landed a few metres from him, a savage snarl on her face. The lion tasted blood, and suppressing again it would need a moment. She started circling, taking care to stay on the side of his injured leg.

The giant didn't want to give her time though, he knew his eyes would soon be blinded by his own blood, so he charged.

Lion snarled again, he could have could have used the time to heal the wound. Which meant he either knew of her predicament, or thought to end this in one last attack. So she let the lion loose a little more instead.

Familiar instincts entered her mind, the desire to hunt, to eat, to mate, to rip into her prey. She had trained with the lion for nearly a decade though, so these instincts didn't overwhelm her, no they empowered her. She would win!

Lion roared loudly, and the world slowed down. She fell on all fours, a lion made of qi forming around her as she pounced on her prey. Her head opened, and bit down on his, eating it whole.

Or that would've happened if she didn't stop in time. Not even a new wound appeared. Well, perhaps a small nibble, as was her right.

She stood up, and looked around. Everyone was staring at her, cultivators and mortals alike. She shrugged. That happened when the lion came out, especially if she was pushed in a fight like right now.

Lion marched towards the giant.

"Good fight." She told him.

Lion turned around, and left the fighting ring. She had won, and only needed to win one more fight to two more fights to reach the final. A five way free for all, and another one versus one.

Both today. She couldn't wait. This was life!