The last battle was between Wu Jian and Huǒ Yulie. There was a one hour rest period so Wu Jian could recover at least a little bit from his battle against Huǒ Pànguó. He was sitting in the competitors stand, a hand against his chest. Huǒ Yulie sat by his side.
Huǒ Yulie was a vision of grace and poise. The delicate folds of her vibrant hanfu cascaded around her like a tapestry of silk and petals, framing her form with a touch of regal allure. Her posture was a study in refined composure, her spine straight and her chin held gently aloft, portraying an air of quiet confidence that matched the fire gleaming in her golden eyes.
Ba-dump!
BA-DUMP~!
“Art thee well? Thine face looks pale.”
“I’m fine…”
“Thine neck is mired in sweat. Here. Allow me to help thee.”
“Oh… thank you.”
Her veil fluttering as she leaned over, Huǒ Yulie’s fingertips came into contact with the dampness of his neck, a fleeting touch that seemed to hold many complicated feelings. This girl acted a lot closer to him than he felt she should. She had no reason to be so kind when they had only met last week, and yet, he also didn’t feel any urge to push her away, so maybe there was something wrong with them both.
As she withdrew her hand, her fingers ghosted softly across his skin, carrying with them a sense of reassurance. Her gaze lingered on him. He wondered what she was seeing with those vibrant golden eyes.
“I see… thou hath been holding back thine cultivation.”
“So you noticed.”
“Hath thee been fighting like that this whole time?”
“Well… yeah…”
He could have broken through to the Deva Realm days ago, but he was holding back, waiting until the chi inside of him swelled like water breaking through a dam. Wu Meiying had told him this was the best way to break through this realm.
The Deva Realm was known by many as the Trial of Heaven. It was one of the most important realms within the Nine Mortal Realms. Those who reached this realm underwent the Heavenly Tribulations, in which lightning from the heavens would attempt to strike cultivators down. Those who survived were lauded and revered because they attained strength beyond normal mortals.
“Will thee be able to fight me like that? I’m quite strong, you know.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you a good fight.”
“I am looking forward to you proving yourself. The phoenix has… no. Nevermind.”
“Did the phoenix say something to you?”
“He said that our destiny’s were connected, and that you would be able to help me attain my dream.”
“Your dream…? Which is?”
“Something I cannot share just yet.”
Huǒ Yulie glanced around, and Wu Jian realized why she couldn’t say. There were people everywhere. Of course, it wasn’t the normal people inside this booth that she was wary of.
There are ears behind the walls.
While architecture across the continent differed, traditional houses found within any nation of the Xaio Continent were constructed with wooden partitions, paper-thin walls, or open courtyards that allowed sound to travel easily. Given this architectural design, it was common for sounds and conversations to carry across walls and into neighboring rooms or outdoor spaces. This practical reality led to the saying as a cautionary expression to remind people that even seemingly private spaces might not be as confidential as they seem.
“Got it. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
“Thou hath my gratitude.”
Huǒ Yulie was an odd girl with a strangely ancient manner of speech, but she was easy to get along with and didn’t cramp his style. It was fun to speak with her. Wu Jian would admit that he found her ancient dialect cute and funny, though he would never tell her that.
The hour passed and Huǒ Yan called them down to the arena floor. Wu Jian took a deep breath as he pressed a hand to his still hammering heart as he stood before his opponent. The pain was starting to mount. It hadn’t been noticeable at first, but the longer he refused to break through, the more painful it became. This was supposedly normal. All that chi was building inside of him, creating an intense pressure that had nowhere to go. Wu Jian would have to get the timing of his breakthrough down perfectly or he might wind up a cripple.
However, with great risks came greater rewards.
“Are you both ready?” asked Huǒ Yan.
“I am ready,” said Huǒ Yulie.
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“Same,” added Wu Jian.
“Very well. Bow to your ancestors. Now to me. Now to each other.”
They did exactly what was requested of them. Huǒ Yan nodded, then raised his hand.
“Now… fight!”
[Phoenix Fire Dance]
Huǒ Yulie’s lithe form became a living canvas of flames moments after the battle began, as if the very essence of fire had taken physical shape around her. With a mesmerizing grace, she moved, and the flames responded with an enchanted dance, flickering and swaying in synchrony with her every step. The air itself shimmered with the intense heat radiating from her fiery display.
As Huǒ Yulie twirled, her outstretched arms guided the flames in a fluid choreography, painting the air with streaks of red, orange, and gold. Each movement sent fiery tendrils cascading outward, transforming into roaring serpents of flame that lashed out and licked the surrounding space. Sparks flew like stars, leaving trails of ephemera brilliance in their wake.
Her eyes usually brimmed with curiosity. Now, however, they gleamed with an intense focus as she harnessed the power of her technique. The flames obeyed her unspoken commands, rising higher and higher with her leaps and twirls, or twisting into tight spirals that shot out like flaming arrows. The intensity of the fire was both captivating and terrifying.
[Swords of Space Rondo]
Sweat beaded on Wu Jian’s forehead. As Huǒ Yulie’s vibrant flames twirled and danced, creating a breathtaking spectacle, Wu Jian remained completely focused. With a swift and decisive motion, he unleashed his own technique, foregoing the use of Pale moon and instead relying on pure manipulation of space.
The air distorted around Wu Jian, birthing multiple translucent blades that materialized as if out of thin air. Each blade held a subtle glint of power, their edges composed of the very boundaries between dimensions. As the swords materialized, they circled Wu jian, orbiting him like planets around a sun, creating an impenetrable barrier of ethereal weaponry.
With calculated precision, Wu Jian directed the spatial swords toward the heart of Huǒ Yulie’s fiery display. The blades moved as an extension of his will, their trajectories unpredictable yet perfectly coordinated. They wove through the air, sliced through the radiant flames like a scythe through wheat, and left trails of distorted space in their wake.
The clash between the two techniques was a dance of elements--the all-consuming fire against the razor-sharp edges of space itself. The spatial swords moved with a fluidity that belied their inherent danger, each one a potential harbinger of destruction. As they connected with the dancing flames, a series of resounding clashes filled the air. The collusion of forces produced a chorus of crackling energy.
The spatial blades cut through the fiery onslaught, creating pathways of void within the inferno. Pockets of smoldering flames gave way to pristine pockets of empty space as the swords cleaved through the heat. Wu Jian’s concentration never wavered as he guided his arsenal, expertly maneuvering the blades to disperse the flames and reveal the figure of Huǒ Yulie amidst the dissipating blaze.
The last remnants of fiery brilliance succumbed to the onslaught of spatial blades, leaving behind a scorched aftermath and the imprint of their clash. Wu Jian stood at the ready, his swords having deftly cut through the firestorm to unveil his opponent. As the spatial blades gradually dissolved into the surrounding air, the battlefield was transformed into a testament to the intricate interplay of elements and the indomitable will of those who wielded them.
“This is the first time I have seen someone cut through my techniques like that,” Huǒ Yulie said, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“You’re technique was pretty powerful. Had this been a few days ago, I don’t think I would have had the strength to do this,” Wu Jian admitted.
“I’m curious to see if you can cut through my other techniques. Come! I wish to see you display your prowess!”
Amidst the backdrop of swirling energies and crackling tension, remnants of their last clash, Wu Jian and Huǒ Yulie faced each other in a fierce clash that seemed to bend the very fabric of reality itself. The air crackled with a mixture of anticipation and danger.
With a determined expression, Huǒ Yulie’s body flickered and transformed into a luminous embodiment of celestial flames. Her eyes blazed with an otherworldly fervor as she tapped into the depths of her technique. As her energy surged, a colossal figure emerged from the heart of the flames--a majestic phoenix of pure fire, its wings outstretched in a display of unparalleled grandeur.
[Phoenix’s Fury]
The enormous bird’s scorching feathers glowed with an intense brilliance, casting a warm and fiery light across the battlefield. With a resonant cry that echoed through the air, the phoenix launched itself forward, a manifestation of infernal power that would have sent most people running.
Wu Jian did not run.
He stood his ground, focus unwavering. Feet spread, hands clasped, Wu Jian channeled his energy into the creation of a miniature black hole, a concentrated point of spatial distortion that seemed ready to defy the laws of reality. The very air bent and warped around this singularity of power, and a swirling vortex of darkness emerged as if to challenge the radiant phoenix’s approach.
[Black Hole]
As the colossal bird of flames soared toward him, Wu Jian unleashed his technique in all its glory. The singularity expanded, its gravitational pull tugging at everything within its vicinity. The radiance of the phoenix’s fiery form wavered and distorted. The flames themselves were drawn irresistibly toward the dark void. Huǒ Yulie’s creation, a symbol of her strength and heritage, found itself inexorably drawn toward the spatial anomaly.
The clash of elemental forces was a spectacle unlike anything else. A brilliant phoenix, its flaming body ablaze with an intensity that made everyone break out in sweat, defied the very vacuum of space created by the black hole. The resulting collision was a chaotic maelstrom of fire and spatial distortions. Each power struggled to assert their dominance over the other.
“Break!”
Wu Jian clapped his hands once. The loud noise echoed around them, heard despite the ferocious elemental clash. Another cracking sound soon echoed, but this time, it came from the black hole, which shattered into hundreds of pieces. Like dark projectiles, each fragment of glittering void tore through the phoenix, perforating it. The creature lamented with a furious cry as it was extinguished.
“Haaaah… Haaaah… haaah…”
Silence settled upon the arena, with not a single soul daring to speak, which meant the only sound Wu Jian could hear was that of his own heavy breathing. The amount of chi he’d been forced to pump into his techniques was nothing to scoff at. Huǒ Yulie had far more power than he did. Just looking at the young woman told him this. She stood where she had been this whole time, not a single bead of sweat to be found on her pretty face.
“Thou art really amazing,” she praised. “Even though you are far weaker than me, you have managed to defeat two of my most powerful techniques. I dare say you’ll be unstoppable once you reach the Deva Realm.”
“Thank you. That’s pretty high praise. I--”
Ba-dump!
Wu Jian lurched forward and clutched a hand to his chest as the chi within his dantian writhed. It felt like his chi sea had swelled like a tidal wave. He slammed his left foot against the ground to steady himself, but he was unable to do much else. His breathing grew labored, his body became hot, and his knees shook. Meanwhile, in the skies above, dark storm clouds gathered.