As the two girls went through the motions before the match began, He Yu looked to Zhang Lifen. Her features were unreadable. Was this another of her concessions? Rather than obsess, he turned his attention back to the arena.
“S’pose I should thank you,” Sha Xiang said. “Always knew Qiao Xia was weak. Now I don’t have to put up with her until next year.”
“You shouldn’t be so mean to people, Sect Sister Sha,” Chen Fei said. It was something anyone who knew her well would have expected her to say, but He Yu could detect the uncertainty in her tone and posture.
It was a bit jarring, to see them like that, He Yu thought. Chen Fei was easily twice Sha Xiang’s size, standing more than a full head taller than her. Where Sha Xiang was all lean muscle and quick, snappy movements, Chen Fei was bulk and power. He Yu knew better than to underestimate Sha Xiang though—she could hit nearly as hard as anything he’d taken from Chen Fei and had a cruelty to her that the larger girl simply couldn’t match.
“Tell you what,” Sha Xiang began, “I’ll give you the same out that desert rat did with all her matches. Surrender. It’ll be easier for us both that way.”
Chen Fei frowned, seeming to find her fire. “I’m not going to let you simply walk into the next round,” she said. “I don’t know why you hate everyone so much. But a lady of the Way should conduct herself better.”
Sha Xiang laughed. “You sound like that dumb-ass He Yu with his talk of legends and heroes.”
“Don’t talk about him like that,” Chen Fei snapped. That had clearly gotten under her skin. She looked like she was about to say something more, and He Yu desperately wanted to hear what it was—he’d never expected that she’d come to his defense like that. But the gong sounded, and the match began before she could.
The arena exploded into a storm of qi. Earth, metal, mountain, and fire all battled one another, combining and overcoming as the initial exchange of techniques sent released cracks as they clashed. Immediately He Yu could tell this would be different than the fights that had come before—both girls seemed to be on fairly even footing for the time being, and the aspects they cultivated made both of them incredibly durable.
He Yu would probably have to give Chen Fei the edge in sheer endurance, given her cultivation of three aspects that all enhanced strength and endurance, but Sha Xiang wouldn’t be far behind. Then there was the matter of that technique she’d used during her duel with He Yu, something she hadn’t yet repeated during the tournament.
Sha Xiang advanced, launching a fist at Chen Fei that dripped gobs of molten rock. A circle of formation characters bloomed into being, intercepting the punch. The characters flared brilliant silver under the strain, but they held, temporarily stopping Sha Xiang’s momentum.
Chen Fei lashed out with a swift kick aimed at Sha Xiang’s midsection. The very air around her foot seemed to warp under the weight of the qi she’d poured into her leg meridian. Sha Xiang, taking the kick on her forearm. The impact sounded like a boulder cracking and sent a wave of qi blasting out. The formation pillars at the four corners of the arena briefly flared as the arena’s barrier absorbed the shockwave.
He Yu gaped at the amount of power released from that single clash. That had been the first time the entire formation had activated.
“Little Sister Chen is far stronger than she gives herself credit for,” Tan Xiaoling said from next to him.
“Xiang isn’t a pushover either,” Cui Bao said with a laugh.
The three of them were alone in the competitors’ area, now that most of the contestants had been eliminated. He Yu desperately hoped that after this fight he’d be sharing it with Chen Fei.
The two girls went back and forth for some time, each launching attacks that contained explosive amounts of power. Neither of them managed to crack the other’s defenses. Sha Xiang’s earth-infused skin was more than capable of weathering Chen Fei’s powerful kicks and explosive punches. She was more than fast enough to solidly block Chen Fei’s attacks, and whatever body enforcement technique she used did the rest.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Chen Fei had her family art to fall back on—using formation barriers that acted as instant shields to absorb Sha Xiang’s relentless barrage of punches. As far as He Yu could tell, she hadn’t yet taken a single hit. That seemed like good news, as she also had her expanded mastery of the White Mountain Body Art.
As the fight dragged on, He Yu became increasingly convinced that Chen Fei would be able to outlast Sha Xiang. From what he’d been able to gather using the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment, they both had vast reserves of qi, but the formation barriers Chen Fei formed with her family art were essentially free. It took only a trickle of qi to activate a formation, so by his measure, Chen Fei came out ahead in any exchange where she defended.
Then, Sha Xiang got a hold of her.
It happened so fast that He Yu almost missed it. Sha Xiang feinted a quick punch aimed at Chen Fei’s jaw. When she brought up her formation barrier, Sha Xiang had already adjusted. The real attack came in from the opposite side—a strike to the ribs. Chen Fei was wholly unprepared for it, and although she took it well, she was still unbalanced for a moment. It was all Sha Xiang needed.
Her hand closed around Chen Fei’s throat, while the other slammed into her gut. Instinctively Chen Fei latched onto Sha Xiang’s forearm in an attempt to wrench it away. Sha Xiang landed several more body shots on Chen Fei, but the larger girl seemed to take them well enough. Still, Sha Xiang kept a death grip on Chen Fei’s throat. He Yu was afraid that she’d run out of air soon, but the fight shifted again.
Chen Fei’s spirit surged. An explosion of mountain qi filled the arena. It was a testament to Sha Xiang’s strength that she managed to maintain her grip in the face of such an overwhelming blast. Had it been better directed, it probably would have knocked her off as it had clearly been intended to. Still, it bought Chen Fei a momentary reprieve, and she activated another technique.
Metal-aspected qi gathered around Chen Fei, forming a suit of heavy armor that was halfway a physical presence. She let go of Sha Xiang’s arm and pulled back a fist. Finally, that caused Sha Xiang to release her grip. As she raised her arms to block the incoming strike, earth qi formed a protective shell around Sha Xiang’s arms.
Earth and metal qi crashed against one another and a second massive shockwave shook the arena, causing the formation barrier to flicker once more. The impact blasted Sha Xiang back, and even caused the stones beneath where they’d stood to crack.
Next to He Yu, Tan Xiaoling’s normally confident demeanor had given way to visible worry. “I’m not sure how long she can maintain that technique,” she said. She clearly hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Chen Fei advanced on Sha Xiang, and He Yu immediately saw what Tan Xiaoling had meant. Already her armor seemed less real than it had a moment ago, and the spiritual weight of the technique had noticeably diminished. If he were to venture a guess, it was likely an advanced technique from the White Mountain Body Art that she had only just begun to cultivate—such that it was usable, but only for a short time. Still, it was impressive, and it would become more powerful as she advanced.
As Chen Fei’s armor rapidly faded and the metal qi she’d put into it dispersed, Sha Xiang appeared to have recovered. “Neat trick,” she said, “but not enough. Not even close.”
The faint coppery scent that He Yu had noticed during Sha Xiang’s last fight returned. Now, it was distinct enough that it practically matched the sulfurous scent of her magmatic blend of earth and fire. She leaped at Chen Fei, fists blazing with molten power.
Another formation barrier appeared, and Sha Xiang slammed a fist into it, this time attacking it directly. The cracks formed in the barrier as the characters flared, but it held. Chen Fei ducked underneath her barrier once again and unleashed a savage series of blows.
Her fist slammed into Sha Xiang’s ribs, followed by a knee, another punch, and then a kick. It was a burst of speed He Yu knew full well that Chen Fei was capable of from sparring with her, but it was still always surprising to see given her bulk. Sha Xiang managed to weather the barrage and then retaliated in kind.
The two exchanged explosive attacks with one another until Sha Xiang managed to once again get another grip on Chen Fei. This time, she caught her by the wrist. Sha Xiang pulled, sending Chen Fei stumbling forward toward her. Caught off balance, she wasn’t able to get one of her formation barriers up when Sha Xiang lashed out with her free hand.
The blow struck home, crashing into Chen Fei’s face with a sickening crunch. Sha Xiang released her grip on Chen Fei’s wrist, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her into the arena floor. Stone cracked beneath her, and she struggled to push herself up, but to no avail.
From there, Sha Xiang was relentless. With each consecutive blow, she seemed to only grow more furious, slamming punch after punch into the back of Chen Fei’s head. It took a disturbingly long amount of time before, at last, Chen Fei puffed into mist and Sha Xiang’s fist shattered the flagstones beneath her.
Sha Xiang pushed herself to her feet. With the fight over, it was now apparent just how badly battered she was. She took two steps toward the contestants’ seating before stumbling. She took a moment to steady herself and then left the arena. He Yu couldn’t say for sure, but he’d bet his last spirit stone that she was headed to the medicine hall herself.