Fa Guan said nothing as he stared at his disciple: Dan Yang looked completely calm, like the still water of a pond in a windless day. However, below the still surface, a few ripples could be seen as the boy’s hands, hidden by his long sleeves, were curled into fists.

“Little Yang… relax. It is not a matter of life and death, it is a competition.” Fa Guan’s eyes gleamed sharply as he spoke: “You shouldn’t worry about winning or losing. Instead, focus on gathering experience!”

“In this tournament, where the path towards victory has been cut off, what is left is to turn utter defeat into a shallow victory. To turn pain into gain.” Fa Guan smiled and patted the younger man’s back.

“My disciple, this will be a very important lesson for you. There are times when it is best to accept defeat and understand your opponent, so as to defeat him next time. This is a loss, yet, at the same time, it is your victory...”

Dan Yang listened to his master’s teachings without speaking a word. Finally, he asked:

“Master… are Fu Yin and Fang Lu truly such terrifying entities? I know that they are stronger, but they don’t seem so far away that they cannot be reached…”

Fa Guan’s eyes gleamed then he nodded: “Yes, they are much, much more terrifying than you might think. The proof is exactly that feeling you have. Think about it, your cultivations are about the same, yet, the difference between your techniques is so massive!”

“They do not seem so far away… however, that is only while looking at their cultivation base. Think about it: in a few months, would you be able to accomplish the same feats as them now? What about in a few years?”

Fa Guan nodded: “Unless some kind of divine blessing comes your way, I highly doubt it. Why, you might ask?”

Dan Yang’s eyes widened as he seemed to understand something: “I… I think I get it! It’s because, even if I could match them in a few years, it wouldn’t be in the Superior stage! To have such power in the Superior stage, that is unthinkable for me!

What’s more, after such a long time has passed, they would have also rose in rank and increased their strength even further!”

“Correct!” Fa Guan beamed as he revealed a delightful smile to his disciple: “I think of geniuses and monsters such as those two as completely different things. Geniuses are people who defy common sense by having an higher cultivation base than those in the same generation. Zhao Bu was one with such a trait: enormous talent when it came to cultivation! However…”

Dan Yang gave voice to his master’s thoughts: “...Monsters such as Fu Yin don’t have such a heaven-defying cultivation. On the other hand, they hold much higher power than they are supposed to hold in their current stage!”

“If this was to be carried on in their breakthroughs, they would possess much greater strength, no matter which stage they found themselves in!”

Fa Guan’s eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise. He smiled and nodded: “It looks like you understand. Te Rin might not be a monster on such a level, but she has quite good talent as well as the ability to defeat Sou Rou whilst on the same stage: she is definitely above average...-”

“I understand that I might not be able to defeat her, Master!” Dan Yang interrupted. He smiled apologetically: “However, if I did not fight her while trying my best and lost, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, not knowing how exactly I rank in between ‘normal’ geniuses!”

Fa Guan’s lips arranged into a complicated smile:

My dear disciple, this will be a nice lesson for you: that Te Rin is in no way a ‘normal’ genius… however, she has an unyielding will that has led her here!

A few months ago, she was that girl who had fallen to her knees and cried due to her powerlessness. Now, she stands on the same ground as true geniuses, yet, she is not a genius...

Compared to Sou Rou, her talent is worse, and yet she beat her. Where she lacked in talent, she would make up with hard work!

Fa Guan looked up at the figure of Lao Jianghu: the old man floated in the air, his golden eyes brimming with respect and excitement as they focused upon the approaching Te Rin.

Fa Guan smiled as he recalled the words of the Sect’s strongest Protector, the golden-robed Lao Jianghu:

“For three months she has meditated, resting was not in her vocabulary. When her body was tired, she would read cultivation manuals. When her mind was dizzy, she would train her body incessantly. When she was about to pass out from the fatigue, she would start to cultivate!

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This has led her from her peak Advanced stage cultivation to break into the Superior stage!

Only stopping to eat and drink for a period of three months... all of that to advance a single level and you still dare call her a Genius? She is no genius. She is a monster… a monster of hard work and dedication!”

…

“Is everyone ready?” Lao Jianghu looked at the two contestants and asked as he lifted his arms.

The old-looking Dan Yang nodded, his robes fluttering as he lowered his center of gravity slightly. His face was a mask of uneasiness and concentration as he spoke:

“Sir, I am ready!”

Dan Yang approached the stage, his fingers, hidden by the long sleeves, twitching slightly as extremely thin, silvery threads fell from the tip of his nails, down on the ground.

On the opposite side of the stage was his opponent: a beauty with phoenix eyes and with long, dark hair tied into two buns. Her robes were sleeveless, revealing a pair of exquisitely toned arms to the audience.

This, added together with the cold and determined expression on her face, made her look like a powerful warrioress from the tales, an invincible heroine.

On her right shoulder was a small bird, just a few inches tall: its body was completely made out of the purest of crystals, its azure eyes glinted menacingly as they noticed the approaching Dan Yang.

Like an emperor of the skies, the aura it emitted even seemed to surpass its master’s.

Te Rin straightened her body and stepped forward, bowing her head slightly:

“I am also prepared!”

Lao Jianghu grinned happily as he waved his hands: the glittery, golden shield appeared once more, separating the battlefield from the outside world.

“Then… may this fight begin!”

The shout awakened the dormant crowd: just as the echo disappeared and the two contestants on the stage moved, loud yells and even louder cheering silenced every other sound in comparison.

Dan Yang nodded to himself, took a deep breath and then kicked off the ground. Seeing her opponent approaching at astonishing speed, Te Rin opened her left hand and waved it: as soon as she did so, a thick mist emanated outwards…

Dan Yang’s pupils shrunk as he couldn’t avoid the mist at all. Soon, the dense fog had enveloped the whole stage! Te Rin pursued her lips and then waved her hand once again as she shouted:

“Senior, be careful!”

The crystal bird’s eyes gleamed and it suddenly cloned! In an instant, the countless, mysterious birds that had amazed the audience beforehand appeared once again!

Like a profound formation from the ancient records, every single clone moved in unison, as if they had practiced it countless times. As soon as the awe-inducing array was completed, Te Rin’s body flickered as she suddenly sat cross-legged, not moving at all.

As she did so, the girl’s presence suddenly disappeared, as if she hd merged with her surroundings… had Dan Yang not been aware of her location beforehand, it would have been incredibly difficult to pinpoint it accurately. Most likely, he would have already been defeated by a sneak attack then.

Ignoring the young girl, Dan Yang furrowed his brows as he examined his surroundings carefully, in search of any traps that might pose a direct threat to him. His mind was working at an astonishingly fast rate, even his thoughts processes were enhanced. His overall mind power had greatly improved due to the pinch he found himself in.

In the world, individuals could be divided in three big categories.

Firstly were those that, when in a pinch, would perform worse due to the pressure weighing them down. These were the kind of people who would mess up and lose their lives as soon as the situation got even slightly out of hand ;

Secondly were those that would not let themselves be affected by the situation they found themselves in. It could be said they were both always at their top as well as their worse condition at all times. These were reliable people in the case one found himself in a pinch, however it would be foolish to expect a stellar performance from this kind of people.

Why?

It was simply due to the fact that their usual performance was also them being at their very best. On the other hand, they would not crumble under the pressure and would be able to think about the situation more coolly from the very start, making them the perfect kind of leader;

Thirdly as well as lastly came those who, while in a pinch, would perform even better than normal, the pressure acting as a lubricant more than as an obstacle!

Of course, Dan Yang, having chosen strings instead of a sword or a lance as a weapon, could not possibly be the first option. Cooly examining the battlefield and controlling a whole net with a simple twist of his fingers… how could you possibly do that if you allowed panick to slow you down?

On the other hand, he also was not the second kind. It was simply how he was: emotional and thirsty for battle!

That’s right, Dan Yang, due to the pressure, could process the information he was given much faster and more efficiently than before! The pressure given by a seemingly unbeatable opponent was enormous.

Like adding oil to a fire, this only served to fuel Dan Yang’s mind! Finally, he noticed quite a few details that had previously escaped his notice!

This fog… I am pretty sure it had filled everything in the arena, yet why now isn’t there any fog where the birds are located?

Think! Think! Think! Her ability, she has shown it before! Her sensed Qi allowed her the ability to control crystals! However, those birds had appeared from nowhere! To make something out of nothing is impossible!

Thus, the only way she could have created those crystal birds… is if she had changed the conformation of crystals that had already existed beforehand, but there are clearly none here! In here, the only extraneous object is that fog! Wait… that’s it!

Dan Yang’s eyes shone as he finally came to a conclusion:

This fog... it is actually made up of countless small crystals!