The sect elders were taken aback, unaware of the feud Xin had with the person in front of them. Lo Shen, standing to the side, sighed… He knew this was a possibility and with his brother's attitude, he even somewhat expected it.
But, as the future elder of the family and head of the sect admissions, he had a role to play as he stepped forth.
“While Tyler has already completed the combat trial, he cannot undergo another combat trial here.” Lo Shen said before continuing, “But, seeing as my foolish younger brother issued a formal duel, as the next head of the family and sect’s admissions and disciplinary branches, I must respect the sect's rule and oversee this formal duel.”
Pausing, Lo Shen looked into the skies as he stared at the elders who were hiding atop the cliff within the outer sect’s grounds. “I call Martial Elder Lao! Seeing as one of the challengers is my brother, I cannot officiate this match. But let me be clear to Tyler here. Whether you win or lose, you still have a challenge to undergo. Is that clear?”
Unperturbed by the unfolding events, Tyler glanced at Lo Shen and responded, "I understand. Don't worry too much, I'll hold back a bit." Seeing Tyler's firm confidence in his victory, Lo Shen retreated to the sidelines.
Tyler's audacious statement sparked shock amongst the spectators and many of them looked down on Tyler as he clearly had a method to hide his cultivation and usually, those that did so were weaklings and charlatans.
Keeping his divine sense spread out he effortlessly deflected all of their detection techniques.
A moment later, a streak of sword light descended from the high sky, landing in the courtyard between Tyler and Xin.
The individual revealed his cultivation level for all to see, a Sea Formation expert! Then, with a bow, greeted Lo Shen with respect. "Young Master Shen, I'm honored to oversee such a duel. Thank you for this opportunity." He then looked to Tyler and Xin to assess the situation, leading to a frown on his face.
"Young Master Xin! I'm surprised to see a member of the Lo family resorting to bullying commoners! What's the reason behind this?" he demanded an explanation from Lo Shen while turning back to look at him. But it was Tyler who provided an answer.
"Elder Lao. There are some... tensions between Xin and myself. I'm unsure of the reason, but I refuse to back down from someone looking for a fight and I'll gladly teach him how to properly act in front of strangers." Tyler addressed the first part of his statement to Elder Lao, but the final part was directed at Xin.
"Presumptuous! A mere..." Xin started to grandstand but was abruptly interrupted by a direct message from Lo Shen, causing him to swallow his words.
Expanding on the sect’s rules, Elder Lao explained. "Alright then. As per the Sword Sect's rules, formal duels are designed to resolve disputes among cultivators. Both the challenger and the one challenged are permitted to engage in non-lethal battle but are disallowed the use of formation disks, talismans and rune armaments'. The victor of the exchange is declared the winner, and the loser must comply with the winner's demand. I will not intervene in the duel unless one party is facing potential death or crippling harm. At which point, I will stop the duel and the loser will be determined. Am I clear?" the man finished, directing his question at Tyler and Xin.
Tyler nodded, seeming extremely calm at this whole situation which bothered Elder Lao greatly but seeing that young master Shen had told him to let this play out, he waved it off.
Xin on the other hand, seemed nervous all of a sudden which deepened the elder’s confusion. What the elder didn’t know was that a few months back he had suffered an unfair defeat at the hand of this man and still held a deep grudge mixed in with a bit of fear.
Despite all of this, Xin replied, “Of course! I only wish to teach this trash a lesson for offending this young master!” Unaware and unbothered by the reasons behind the youth’s words, Elder Lao clapped his hands and a few disks appeared. Following this, he erected a formation around the two before he declared the start of the duel.
“Begin!”
The moment those words were said, a repeat of a months old scene unfolded in front of over 100 people as Lo Xin unsheathed his sword and summoned his family’s secret technique, The Trial of the Blade and 9 different colored swords emerged before barrelling towards Tyler.
Elder Lao remained cautious as he was ready to stop the attack to save this poor mortal that had offended young master Xin and he honestly was about to the moment he felt the Qi contained within that attack.
But, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how composed Tyler was in his response.
The young man on the other side of young master Xin was calmer than the seas but the moment his Qi started to circulate, Elder Lao knew that it wasn’t all a facade.
At this juncture, he couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t the least bit curious to see what this mortal had in store for them.
Standing tall, his back straighter than a spear, Tyler stepped forward and with a single practiced movement, Master Tanaka’s Iron Fist appeared and he punched forward, his fist shrouded in a thin layer of extremely dense Qi.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Almost instantly, three of the nine swords were destroyed from the shockwave of the clash and the minimal amount of Qi contained within Tyler’s attack ran out as the remaining six swords followed closely behind.
However, the hidden threat of the soul attack remained.
To anyone with divine sense, they’d detect a slight ripple of soul power emanating from Tyler’s fist as it crashed sequentially into the remaining six swords, causing them to also explode in a mist of multicolored Qi.
Crack!
A single, seemingly weak punch, had destroyed the attack of a prominent member of the younger generation at the 13th level!
Having gained much better control over his abilities, Tyler severed his link to the soul attack when it had finished taking care of the Trial of the Blade. This attack, had it actually touched Xin, would undoubtedly kill the youngman.
Tyler wasn’t inclined to bully others, so he chose not to cause more problems than necessary. He knew this current level of power would suffice and taking a play out of Master Tanaka’s book, he used exactly as much power as he needed to nullify the opponent’s attack.
Outraged that his attack was undone as if nothing had been there, Xin yelled out.
“Elder! Don’t tell me this trash hasn’t used some sort of treasure to counter me.”
Without even letting the Elder to answer, Tyler responded. “I don’t need anything to teach you a lesson. Come and attack me with everything you’ve got, otherwise you’re going to fall the moment I attack.” Tauntingly, Tyler gestured forward, just like in the many martial arts movies he had seen in the past.
Angered by this response, Xin lunged at Tyler with a fierce determination. He brandished his sword, his movements filled with fury, as he sought to land a devastating blow on his opponent and put his entire cultivation into that one blow.
Tyler, calm and composed, stood his ground, his fists at the ready. His Divine Sense on full alert allowed him to see the impending attack with perfect clarity. As Xin's sword arced toward him, Tyler moved with fluid grace, countering the strike effortlessly.
With a swift and precise maneuver, Tyler slapped the side of the blade as he executed the Flowing Tides Blow. It was a technique that harnessed the power of Xin's own attack, redirecting its force and sending him staggering to the side. The sudden reversal caught Xin off guard, and he struggled to regain his balance in time.
But Tyler wasn't finished.
In one continuous motion, he launched a counterattack, striking Xin with the Dam-Breaking Strike. The knee technique connected with unerring accuracy, driving directly into Xin's chest. The impact sent shockwaves through Xin's body, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious and defeated.
Tyler had done his best to limit the inclusion of any soul power into the attack, but he couldn’t completely prevent that and the knee strike had momentarily severed Xin’s body and mind connection, putting him in a coma.
In just two moves, the battle came to an abrupt end, with Tyler emerging victorious, his mastery of martial techniques and Divine Sense proving to be an insurmountable advantage over an overly emotional youth.
Elder Lao found himself in a quandary. While he wouldn't mind protecting a mortal from Young Master Xin's assault, the prospect of shielding the same young master from a mortal seemed ludicrous and therefore he had hesitated to act, resulting in the current situation.
Although Tyler's attack wouldn't directly result in the young master's death, Elder Lao was fairly confident that it would secure the 30 year old man the victory and incur serious injuries to young master Xin.
Surrounded by numerous observing elders and Lo Shen, he had no option for bias. He had declared that he wouldn't interfere unless death or crippling injuries were imminent.
His hands were tied.
Without waiting for the official declaration of the duel's outcome, Lo Shen promptly dispelled the formation and approached his brother to assess his injuries.
He then sighed, whispering to himself, "You're lucky... he even showed restraint." This statement was heard only by Elder Lao, causing him profound astonishment. Lo Shen had foreseen his brother's defeat at the hands of this stranger!
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Without wasting any time, Lo Shen made an announcement. "The winner is Tyler! Whatever you want from my brother, name it now, and it shall be granted to you if it’s within his means," he stated, without any trace of anger or astonishment.
Tyler dismissively waved his hand. "What could I possibly ask from the brother of one of the few friends I have left? As you know, this incident is a misunderstanding on your brother's part. I’m the adult in this situation and I truly do not give a shit. So, I'm letting bygones be bygones. I think the lesson he's learned here will serve as punishment enough, right?"
With a nod of agreement, Lo Shen turned his attention to Elder Lao. "Elder Lao, I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you please take my brother to our family estate in Permanence City? He requires immediate medical care, and I still have duties to perform here."
Taken aback by the events transpiring before him, Elder Lao was jolted out of his contemplation by Lo Shen's request.
He simply nodded, giving Tyler a shocked glance, before proceeding to carry the unconscious young master Xin away. Never in a million years would he have expected that a member of the Lo family would lose to a mere charlatan hiding his cultivation that had struggled to finish the Mountain Ascension Trial.
As the crowd gradually emerged from the shock of the duel, many of the outer sect disciples looked at Tyler with apprehension in their eyes.
With the duel finished, Shen took center stage once more. “Now, seeing as Tyler just went through a battle we’ll leave your challenge for last. Anyone else, step up now or I’ll pick one of you at random.”
Tyler went back outside the octagon and joined the other 11 testees to watch the challenges unfold.
Nervous, one of the higher leveled teenagers stepped forth and called out.
“I challenge Jillian Blake in combat!”
Given that the young man also bore the name Blake, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that they were siblings, and it was evident that the younger sibling was confident he could match any technique his sister might employ against him.
A young girl, approximately 17 or 18 years old, stepped forward from among the level 11 outer sect members. With long brown hair and dark green eyes that matched her brother's, she was clad in the outer sect's red uniform.
Her captivating beauty was enough to set the hearts of all teenage onlookers aflutter.
As the siblings moved to the courtyard's center, two elders raised a formation around them, with a third elder stepping between the duo to officiate.
With a respectful bow to her brother, Jillian said in a warm tone, "Younger Brother, it brings me joy to see you again. Let's see how much you've grown since our last encounter!"
Trent, her brother, responded, "Likewise, it's a pleasure to finally reunite with you! Even though we're both pursuing Alchemy, let's test how far our martial abilities have progressed!"
The referee, after a quick glance at the congenial brother-sister pair, stated, "This is a test, so avoid fatal injuries, but don't hold back either. If one side seems to be in danger, I'll step in."
Thus, eight tests were conducted, with Trent Blake eventually outmatching his sister in combat using techniques he'd specifically prepared for her, well aware she devoted almost all her time to practicing alchemy.
Following that, two more combat tests took place with the youths who had passed the refiner's tests in the plaza below. However, both lost and were directed to wait until the fourth trial.
Those three combat trials were really underwhelming under the gaze of Tyler’s divine sense. Both parties had glaring flaws in his eyes and would probably lose to the much younger Sakura had she been here so he stopped paying them any attention.
The subsequent tests however greatly intrigued Tyler, who hadn't paid much attention to other aspects of cultivation. The remaining youths all chose the combat simulation test and faced off against outer sect disciples in a variety of ways.
Out of these, three decided to engage in a disk formation challenge.
Each participant was provided with a set of materials to design either a defensive or offensive formation that would then be assessed by the referee. The formation with superior protective or attacking capability would be declared the winner.
Two of these battles saw the outer sect disciples being defeated, resulting in the sect accepting two new proud and excited members.
Intrigued by the formation disk crafting process, Tyler observed the participants with keen interest. He had a unique opportunity to witness the intricate art of formation crafting up close.
Formation crafting, he soon realized, was a meticulous procedure that blended Qi manipulation with carefully chosen materials into a scalpel like tool as the medium.
The core concept was to create a network of channels, intricately designed to serve specific purposes, whether offensive, defensive or even for utility. These channels were meticulously drawn and infused with Qi, transforming them into a powerful tool that would shift and modify the flow of Qi, creating their functions.
It was truly a magical item.
As the disciples worked diligently, their hands moved with precision and purpose, weaving dense amounts of Qi into the materials. Each stroke and gesture held the potential to shape the destiny of their formation disk. Tyler watched in fascination as they brought their designs to life, combining their knowledge of formation techniques to achieve various effects.
It was a process that required skill, creativity, and deep knowledge that Tyler couldn't help but admire the dedication and expertise of these young cultivators. The stakes were high, with the sect accepting new members based on the results of these challenges, making the crafting of formation disks a truly significant endeavor.
Following that challenge, the last two youths decided on a treasure refinement duel.
Unfortunately, as they weren't acquainted with anyone and unintentionally selected extremely strong refining disciples, they too were sent to wait for the fourth and final trial.
This didn’t take away from the intrigue of the challenge for Tyler however. He observed the contestants as they prepared for a unique form of crafting using their Qi, tempered with exotic materials and the sweat of their brows.
As he watched with growing curiosity, Tyler saw the elders from the Sword Sect establish a complete blacksmithing setup. The station included a robust anvil, tempering troughs, a selection of finely crafted hammers, and everything needed for the intricate process. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation.
The challenge set before them was given by the Elder in charge: "Craft the highest quality battle axe."
With this proclamation, the elders presented an array of rare minerals, exotic plants, precious gems, and a purse filled with Copper coins. These materials were essential for the tempering and enchanting processes that would transform an ordinary weapon into a truly formidable treasure.
Considering the goal was a battle axe and not some leather armor, the blacksmithing setup made sense to Tyler as he assumed those could also be refined into treasures along with various jewelry.
The contestants embarked on a journey of artistry and craftsmanship, combining their refining skills with the magical properties of the provided materials. Sparks flew, and the clang of hammers echoed in the air as they poured their expertise into forging battle axes that would transcend the level of a mortal’s weapon.
Tyler's fascination with this distinctive facet of the cultivation world grew even more profound as he witnessed the intricate treasure refinement process unfold, guided by his divine sense once again.
While he had a basic understanding of how blade crafting occurred in the pre-shattering era, this experience was an entirely different revelation. He perceived every nuance of their craftsmanship as though he were physically immersed in it.
With each resounding strike of the hammer, he sensed the youths' Qi being meticulously channeled to temper the axe-blade, to manipulate the inherent properties of the minerals, and to uphold the forge's temperature at an impressively stable level and before long, the youth’s works were completed and the challenge was over.
With all these done, it was time for Tyler to step up once more as he approached the center stage. Taking a moment to ponder, he talked to everyone in the last, untouched octagon.
With a smile, he said, "I'm afraid I don’t know anything other than combat, so all that remains for me is Law Confirmation. But, I should warn you all. I am unsure if I can or cannot contain my soul attacks while integrating my wind laws into my techniques so I’ll leave it up to Shen here and the elders as to the proper proceedings."
Seeing that Tyler was his friend, Shen refrained from taking the decision himself and left it up to the others present. "Tyler is a friend and I won’t be making that decision for you all, please advise, Elders."
A nearby elder who had assisted in the previous challenges raised an eyebrow and responded. “My name is Shaw, if you do possess soul attacks that would indeed be troublesome for some of the youths here and would pose a significant threat. So let me offer a potential solution.”
With that Shaw stepped forth into the middle of the arena and he continued. “Attack me with everything you have and I will be the judge of your laws and confirm whether or not your soul attacks would prove.. Problematic for others.”
"Sure, let's go with that," Tyler responded.
Shen, also satisfied with this arrangement, nodded and stepped back before erecting another defensive formation, leaving Shaw and Tyler alone.
Tyler, wanting to make sure that the other party would indeed survive his attack, He probed the man with his divine sense and was satisfied to find that Shaw was in the Sea Formation stage and should be completely fine.
Without further delay, he readied his most potent strike: the One Finger, One Sword technique. With focused determination, Tyler assumed his familiar stance, extending his fingers forward and softly uttering, "One Finger, One Sword."
In an instant, a sword of vibrant yellow Qi materialized at Tyler's fingertips, surrounded by wisps of swirling clouds that he summoned with practiced precision. As he felt the fiery energies coursing through his veins, he channeled a significant portion of his fire-infused Qi into the attack.
The result was a dazzling display of colors, with the one-meter-long sword's edge gleaming with fiery hues while enveloped in thick white clouds. To complete the attack, Tyler seamlessly executed the movements of the Thunder Winds and Sword Cloud Methods, fusing all elements into a single devastating swing. As he pressed forward, the sword's edge transformed once more, radiating a scorching orange glow.
Elder Shaw found himself facing an unexpectedly potent attack, though he had encouraged the young man to unleash his full power. He couldn't help but estimate that this attack could easily prove fatal to an ordinary level 18 cultivator, not to mention the potential inclusion of an unseen soul attack.
Impressed by the young man's remarkable control over the winds, Elder Shaw discerned that he was at the initial stage of mastering and understanding the law of winds namely, Zephyr Awareness.
Upon closer examination, he also noted the advanced application of these laws within that initial stage as the strike seemed to be pushed forward by the winds alone, unaided by any external force other than the wind.
Since this was not a duel but rather an assessment, Elder Shaw reached into his storage bag and summoned a single blade. His sole intention was to intercept the attack and gauge its strength.
Considering Tyler's substantial cultivation disadvantage, his One Finger, One Sword technique unraveled almost instantly upon impact with the blade. As feared, the hidden soul attack became manifest, and its inexorable force almost overwhelmed Elder Shaw.
Both men were instantly appreciative of Tyler’s warnings beforehand. This attack would’ve definitely killed any of the youths standing behind him had they fought with him.
He had prepared his soul defenses, fully aware of the potentially impending soul attack, but the sensation of the barrage breached his defenses and forced him to circulate his full cultivation to nullify its effects.
It was undeniable that the young man before him possessed significant strength, as evidenced by his fiery Qi, implying that he had tempered at least one organ, likely reaching at least level 11. However, soul attacks were an entirely different challenge that put his firepower on par with level 19 cultivators!
After unleashing his cultivation and settling his soul, everything returned to normal.
This entire exchange had only lasted for ten seconds, but so many things had happened in such a small exchange that to Tyler’s enhanced senses it felt like entire minutes had come and gone.
Satisfied with the result of this exchange, Elder Shaw put his weapon away and nodded at Tyler. “That attack contained enough power to easily kill any of the young disciples present. Well done. Your comprehension into the laws of wind and its manipulation are also fairly advanced. You pass.”
With that, the third trial drew to an end.