Jin's spear was moving erratically in seemingly random ways yet they were all calculated and coordinated with the many spiritual spears made of elements that he controlled along. It was a quick battle of high complexity, forcing the opponent to defend, deflect and dodge many attacks. The entire cavern was being upturned as they collided against each other repeatedly. That being said, only the opponent was being injured. The precision and swift execution of the colorful spear technique enabled Jin to appear and disappear behind the many spears that moved in arcs according to his will.

The turning point of the battle was during a moment in which they clashed with their weapons. Jin used his own body to hide the arc of the spear containing the lightning element. It moved from under his own armpit, only millimeters away from piercing him, before rushing to its true target, the opponent's heart. The spear hit. It not only sent a powerful physical shock that took the breath out of the cultivator but also sent him a violent discharge of lightning. It stunned for a moment and that was all Jin needed to send his spear through the cultivator's brain, exploding his entire head. Jin didn't stop there though as he took back his stance and waited a few moments as he kept sensing the surroundings. He didn't want to be fucked by a random oriole that would have waited for its chance.

Only after making sure he was safe did he let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his muscles slightly. He began to heave deep breaths. The battle had been tough. He was lucky not to have suffered any injuries. This gave him a good idea of the level of the other champions.

They were strong.

It might have seemed like he had the upper hand throughout the fight but he knew. With a single mistake, he would have been the one lying in his own blood. He gave it his all. He made use of twelve additional spears, which was his maximum when it came to efficient fighting. Not only that but he had been forced to use a lot of spiritual energy throughout this fight. It was his first life and death battle on this stage and it had already been a close call.

Yet, he was smiling.

That's right. Jin was smiling. He was exhausted but happy. This feeling was what he had been searching for and craved since he returned to life. A true fight. One against another expert of similar ability as him.

Of course, he could have died instead of him.

Of course, he might not be as lucky next time.

But, so what?

The feeling of giving it one's all, of being so close to death, of triumphing over a worthy foe... It was worth him putting his own life on the line. This was the reason he lived for, to feel those things. He was addicted to battle.

Yet, he wasn't a fool. Only by being at his best could he truly enjoy this wicked crave of his. He didn't plan to find another opponent right away, no. He would rest first for as long as he could so he could enjoy another battle at his peak.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

...

Min-Su finally regained his breath and looked at the space where his left arm had previously been. He had many medicinal pills in his spatial ring. However, he had no pills that could help regrow a limb. The reason? Because they did not exist! Such miraculous cure did not exist. It was possible for an expert in the life element or such to help regrow a limb with the cost being his spiritual energy. But in the form of a pill? No. Well, they did exist but the effects weren't instantaneous. One would need hours even days and maybe weeks for the medicine to completely work. As such, he was going to have to tough it out with only one arm left until he left this trial.

He looked around and saw a cavern not too far on the side. He went towards it while staying on guard and saw that it had been a closed-off space. Someone broke out from that cavern.

Still, he remembered that Hae-Hyuk told him they would have to go inside the mountain in order to climb further up. He couldn't hesitate now after all this. He had to move. He entered the cavern and...it was empty. He walked inside and began to rest. Since he was given the opportunity to rest, he would take it.

...

Meanwhile, the greatest fight taking place was coming to an end. Two cultivators separated and glared at each other. On one side, a human and on the other, a sentient beast of the tiger race. The human had a limp right arm and held a sword in the left. His robe was torn and he bled from many places, his right eye in particular was no longer where it should have been and a long scar covered his cheek. The sentient beast was no better. It had its entire right arm cut off along with two of the fingers from the left hand. He had a giant gush at his stomach from which blood kept coming out.

While they both suffered greatly at the hands of the other, the tiger sentient was in the worse shape. His bleeding stomach was the true problem. Time couldn't be rewound, only forwarded. It was possible for him to accelerate his healing but, if he concentrated on that, would his opponent leave him alone? Of course not.

As such, he knew he was finished. He wouldn't give up though. He was readying himself for the final strike... And that's when, in the grand hall, the tiger elder spoke: "Saint Patron, I will pay the price, bring him back here"

Saint Patron Bôrakos acknowledged the wish of the contestant and disappeared from his spot. He appeared between both champions, using his own spiritual energy to paralyze them. He turned towards the sword user and told him: "Congratulations on your win" before he turned to the gold tiger: "You are lucky, your Master was willing to pay for your life in your stead"

He walked to the tiger sentient and grabbed his shoulder. Then, they both disappeared from the cavern, leaving the panting, exhausted and wounded sword master alone. He sat down instantly and began to meditate after gobbling down a few medicinal pills.

Meanwhile, Saint Patron Bôrakos reappeared in the grand hall and put down the golden tiger next to his contestant. The leader of the tiger tribe bowed to Bôrakos before hurriedly turning to his champion and using the light element to heal him. He wasn't glaring at him or angry, quite the opposite. He was proud and glad to see him still alive.

He said: "This loss shall be a stone to pave the road of your future success, son"

The golden tiger cupped his hands. While in a state that made him unable to speak, his thankfulness was shown through his eyes.

Once his health was stabilized, Saint Patron Bôrakos walked to the leader of the tiger clan who let him place a hand on his chest. The hand moved through his chest as Bôrakos grabbed something inside of it. A bright ball of light.

Then, the Saint Patron walked back up on stage while the leader of the tiger clan was left panting.