“Now then, once again.” Zihan was standing with his arms folded across his chest, watching Daiyu practice in the training hall.

“This is amazing!” Daiyu exclaimed as she jumped up thirty feet in the air with ease. She was still using the Crimson Butterfly Footwork Technique but she had finally reached the intermediary level known as Weightless Step. It was crucial for her to achieve this before she could begin the Seven Star Sword Technique.

She could tell that her speed had increased manifolds now that she had reached the next level and even her sword felt more agile in her hands.

“That is all for today, Princess. Keep practicing your sword techniques to integrate them with your newly found agility. If you are fast on foot but your sword techniques lag behind, it can be very fatal. It is necessary for your swordsmanship to reach that level of agility as well.” Zihan explained with a stern expression but ended up smiling in the end. As a Dragon Guardian, he was not supposed to pledge his allegiance to anyone except the Heavenly Demon. That was the sacred rule that every Dragon Guardian in the past and present followed. However, for the first time in his life, he wished that the youngest princess would rise up to take the seat. Maybe she was the catalyst that could bring changes to the Cult after all these years. He flinched a little, feeling guilty for thinking that way.

‘Maybe my loyalty is faltering after all these years.’

“I shall take my leave now. Please remember to practice in moderation, Princess.” Zihan bowed and walked away from the training ground. The lingering feelings of regret, guilt and hope continued to burden him throughout the day.

***********************************************************************

“Did you see?” Tang Bo’s eyes glistened with pride. He had his match during the first day of the third round and achieved an overwhelming victory against the young boy from the Qingcheng Sect. The Tang Family and the Qingcheng Sect were not exactly enemies but their proximity to each other was a source of friction every now and then. It made sense why Tang Bo was feeling proud of himself.

“Congratulations! That was splendid. I have never seen such a dagger technique before.” Daiyu recalled the fine silver and black daggers he had used during his match. Tang Bo smiled and took out one of the daggers to show it to Daiyu. It was a beautiful weapon that was thin and sharp, and it was shaped like a bamboo leaf.

“This is called the Bamboo Leaf dagger and the technique… well.” Tang Bo hesitated a little before speaking again in a lowered voice. “The technique is called the Soul Piercing Dagger Technique. It is a very confidential technique that only few learn within the Tang Family.”

Daiyu nodded her head at his words. The name was befitting of the technique that Tang Bo had displayed earlier. Although the dagger throws might have looked random on the surface, Daiyu could tell that each and every throw was supposed to corner the opponent and make them move in a predictable way. When one would dodge a dagger, another one would come firing down in their direction almost immediately. The young disciple of the Qingcheng Sect couldn’t stand even three attacks from Tang Bo.

“People often underestimate us and even say that we would fit more in the unorthodox sect since we use poison. However, the real power of the Tang Family lies in our dagger techniques. People often overlook that, being wary of the poisons but end up being defeated because of their own negligence.” Tang Xia spoke with an expressionless face.

After having spent some time with the Tang Family, she could tell that they were much stronger and fiercer than people imagined, and they had a lot of hidden cards up their sleeve. Daiyu wondered if it was okay for the two of them to share that information with her.

“Looks like it’s your turn now!” Tang Xia exclaimed and Daiyu stood up from her seat and walked over to the arena. Zihan was sitting with Tang Elders that day and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Ah, we finally meet today, Sword Butterfly Maiden. My name is Jin Hyun, a third-class disciple from the Wudang Sect. I was looking forward to sparring with you after watching you defeat my junior brother during the preliminaries.” Jin Hyun had a soft smile on his face but Daiyu couldn’t see the serenity of softness that Jin Wan had possessed.

“I’m Daiyu, also known as the Butterfly Sword Maiden. I request the disciple Jin Hyun of the Wudang Sect for a duel.” Daiyu took out her sword and she was already feeling on edge under the sharp and unreadable gaze of her opponent. Jin Hyun used the same tai chi sword as Jin Wan but somehow, his aura felt more formidable in comparison.

As soon as the match started, Daiyu used her new footwork technique to appear in front of Jin Hyun and swung her sword with terrifying speed. Jin Hyun could barely react and he ended up dodging the attack in an extremely disgraceful manner. It was shameful for him, as the disciple of the prestigious Wudang Sect, to use the donkey roll to evade that attack.

As if the humiliation Wudang had suffered during the preliminaries wasn't enough, Jin Hyun was now being pushed into a corner by a no-name girl and he was even forced to use disgraceful techniques. He gritted his teeth and stood up, with anger tainting his heart.

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“Woah.” Daiyu whispered when she felt the killing intent that Jin Hyun was giving off. Without wasting any time, she closed the distance between them but Jin Hyun was prepared to show off his technique. It was similar to what Jin Wan had used, however, it was way more powerful. The pressure that the river of qi was putting on Daiyu made her falter back a little.

She used her sword technique and a wall of butterflies appeared in front of her, in an attempt to block it. However, Jin Hyun was already ready to make his second move and Daiyu found herself being surrounded by qi that was slowly closing in on her.

‘The Thirteenth Movement, Butterfly Arrow’

She slashed the walls of qi surrounding her and the illusionary butterflies shot out like an arrow, breaking it down completely. Daiyu used basic sword techniques and parried with Jin Hyun who was getting pushed into the corner because of her swordsmanship. Her agile movements and the heavy swings of her sword overwhelmed him and his attempt at creating a distance wasn’t working either.

“Eugh!” He spit out in anger and moved his leg to kick her in the stomach. Daiyu was surprised by the attack and fell back a little, doubling over with pain. The kick was quite strong and she had definitely broken something inside.

“You…” Jin Hyun spoke through gritted teeth. He felt humiliated that he couldn’t even defeat a tiny girl. Martial Arts wasn’t exclusive to men but the road to learning it was hard and arduous. There were not a lot of women that pursued martial arts outside of Eimi and even then, not a lot of them were strong either. He could tell that Daiyu was someone who would shake up the Jianghu just within a matter of a few years at best. Her graceful and agile swordsmanship looked as if she was dancing and her peculiar martial arts was something that no one had seen before. For the sake of his Sect’s honor, he couldn’t let himself be defeated here.

Daiyu could see the anger and hate in Jin Hyun’s eyes. She had always thought that disciples from the Taoist sects were kind with a calm mind. However, she could tell that she was sorely mistaken judging by the look on Jin Hyun’s face. Was he angry that he was losing or was he angry that he was losing to a younger girl? Daiyu wondered what made him act that way.

Daiyu raised her sword and began displaying the beautiful and mesmerizing sword technique and her sword gleamed with a violet hue. It was one of the most powerful attacks, the Twenty Sixth Movement called the Butterfly Rain. Hundreds of butterflies gathered in a sky like an ominous cloud and one by one, they began hurtling down on Jin Hyun in multiple streams.

Jin Hyun’s sword didn’t stop moving as he performed one of the Wudang’s signature sword techniques, which was called the Flowing Dragon Sword Technique. A vortex of formidable qi spun out from Jin Hyun’s sword, threatening to disassemble the cloud of butterflies that was hovering over him.

At first, it looked like the cloud was being dispersed by Jin Hyun’s sword but then, something odd happened. The illusion made by Daiyu’s sword completely vanished and Jin Hyuk felt a chill descend down his spine. Daiyu changed her stance and moved with a terrifying speed, avoiding all of Jin Hyun’s attack in a precise manner.

‘Seven Star Steps!’

Zihan’s eyes widened as he looked at Daiyu perform the technique he had been trying to teach her for the past week. It was not complete or refined, but it was still astonishing to see his disciple perform the technique at this level already.

The Seven Star Steps was useful when trying to evade continuous attacks from the opponent and close in on them. Daiyu moved gracefully and dug her heels in the ground to propel herself up in the sky.

‘Seven Star Sword Technique, the Falling Star.’

Her sword came down at Jin Hyun, who looked up with a startled expression on his face. He barely managed to respond on time and raised his sword to block Daiyu’s incoming attack. However, even he did not predict the tremendous force behind her sword and he fell down, while his sword was flung to the side.

“Ugh, you dare…” Jin Hyun struggled to speak. He had his wind knocked out by Daiyu’s attack and the pain in his shoulder clouded his mind. How could he have been humiliated by a girl? Wasn’t he the best of the best, among the third-class disciples of the Wudang Sect?

“Tsk, petty fool. It is a tournament where you fight opponents. Why are you so surprised because of one defeat? Everyone gets defeated at some point. Agh, are you really a taoist?” Daiyu clicked her tongue and turned back to get off the podium.

“You.. bitch.” Jin Hyun gnashed his teeth together as he watched Daiyu’s retreating figure. No. He was not going to let that girl walk away from him unscathed after humiliating him this way. He was going to teach her a lesson. What is the worst that could happen? Disciplinary actions didn’t scare him. And it wasn’t like anyone could stand up to the great Wudang Sect, no matter what they decided anyway.

Jin Hyun took out a small knife that was hidden in his sleeve discreetly and infused qi into it. With a sudden jerk of his arms, he threw the knife at Daiyu’s back.

“Watch out!” Zihan screamed and got down from his seat instantly. Daiyu paused, confused about the sudden commotion, when she felt something embed itself into her back.

“Wha…?” Daiyu looked around in shock and touched the spot that was beginning to hurt, only to realize that she had been stabbed with a knife.

“You filthy thing!” Tang Zhan yelled out in anger and several people from the Wudang Sect immediately got up from their seats. The audience looked at the situation with anxious eyes. A fight was sure to break out between the Sects now.

“That bastard.” Daiyu clenched her jaw but she could tell that she was starting to get light-headed from the blood loss.

“Princess! Young Lord Tang Woe, ask the physician…” Zihan took Daiyu in his arms while barking orders at people frantically.

“Oh dear. The moment I leave…” Daiyu heard Haoran’s whimsical voice and she turned her head to the side to see him standing nearby with a weird look on his face. That was how the first day of the third round ended in an abrupt manner.