“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know?” Jin Hua said, blowing into his hands as he stood in the cold.

Yu Chen snorted in reply.

“This was my idea, Remember?”

Jin Hua shook his head in exasperation at Yu Chen’s stubbornness.

“This will only cause you more problems with Li Feng. You’re in the Inner Sect now, it’s time to bury the hatchet.”

“Good. I want problems with Li Feng.” Yu Chen said, shrugging off his embroidered outer robes to reveal his bronzed skin and the dangerous looking scar that marred his left-hand side. He raised a hand to his shoulder, holding it as he rotated his arm, loosening his muscles for the fight to come.

He tuned out Jin Hua’s words as the boy continued speaking, trying to persuade him to change his mind. Yu Chen found his words irksome. The other boy was a warrior, same as he, but he always sought peace as a first option. It was an admirable trait, but not one Yu Chen possessed. There could be no peace with those who disturbed it.

The two of them stood on the outside of one of the dueling circles which had been swept clean of snow, revealing the soft sand beneath. A small crowd was spread throughout the area, filling it with a low murmur of conversation. Some were friends of Yu Chen, and he nodded towards those he knew, but others were clearly here to support Wu Feng.

The majority of the crowd, however, were just here for the fights. Plenty of people enjoyed dueling, ensuring the dueling rings were always filled with disciples. They were a popular pastime, and there were more than a few taking place today.

Yu Chen looked across the sands, locking eyes with Wu Feng. The other boy was squatting, crouched down low on the edge of the arena. He was staring back at him, and a hungry gleam lurked within his eyes. He reminded Yu Chen of a wolf in the midst of the snow, one whose skin was pulled close to the ribs, and the more dangerous for it.

Another boy leaned down to whisper something in his ear, glancing towards Yu Chen as he did so, but Wu Feng ignored the boy, maintaining eye contact with his enemy. His lip curled into a snarl, causing the paralyzed half of his face to pull painfully.

Yu Chen stared back coldly.

He cracked his neck from side to side, standing tall as he stared down at the other boy. A chill breeze filled the air, caressing his bare flesh, but it didn’t bother him as he circulated his qi to stay warm. Lue She, who was resting on his shoulder, raised her head and hissed, taunting Wu Feng.

Yu Chen gave a bloodthirsty smile as he watched the boy’s complexion change.

“Jin Hua.” He said softly, not taking his eyes off the other boy.

“Yes, yes.” Jin Hua said as he approached, holding his arm out with a dubious look on his face.

Lue She flicked her tongue towards Wu Feng one last time before crawling down Yu Chen’s arm and across to Jin Hua’s. She made herself comfortable on his shoulder, settling down to watch the fight.

Yu Chen took the first step into the ring. His stride was domineering, his shoulders back, and each step pressed firmly into the sand as he strode forward. Wu Feng stood up as he entered, his eyes gleaming with repressed desire as he also stepped into the ring, approaching Yu Chen.

There were no words between them, only sudden violence.

Wu Feng started increasing his speed, crossing the sand in low loping bounds as he ran towards Yu Chen. He stayed close to the ground as he moved, undoubtedly channeling some movement technique.

Yu Chen didn’t wait for him. With a revolution of his qi he pushed, leaping off the ground and springing towards his opponent, closing the distance in two long steps. He smiled coldly at the look of surprise that crossed Wu Feng’s face as he closed in, before sending a powerful fist crashing towards the other boy.

It wasn’t that easy of course.

Sand sprayed as Wu Feng circulated his qi, spinning across the ground to escape the blow, but Yu Chen was already moving after him, flowing into his next attack. He landed on one foot before twisting at the waist, condensing qi into the heel of his other foot and sending it crashing into the other boy’s guard.

Wu Feng condensed his qi into his forearms to block the blow, but he was still sent tumbling backwards. It was evident that he’d trained in the Steel Forms as well and was fairly skilled in their use.

Yu Chen smiled coldly. He was worried it wouldn’t be an interesting fight, but apparently Wu Feng was more capable than he’d given the boy credit for. Yu Chen strode forward, relentlessly chasing after the boy as he scrambled to get to his feet.

He caught up to him and threw a heavy punch towards the boy, following it up with two more. Every movement flowed into the next, not giving Wu Feng time to recover, as Yu Chen continuously battered him. Every attack was heavy with condensed qi, but the other boy turned out to be rather skilled with the Steel Forms and blocked each one with qi of his own.

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They were evenly balanced as they fought, and Wu Feng was able to block every attack that came at him. Yu Chen had the stronger body, and they had both reached Qi Refinement, but he’d just stepped into it while the other boy was well established, giving him the stronger qi.

And then, one of Yu Chen’s attacks were diverted instead of blocked, and his own eyes widened as he hurriedly threw his head back, avoiding the sudden counterattack. Wu Feng pressed his advantage and moved into the opening, beginning to weave in attacks of his own.

The fight had reached a new balance, both of them striking out with punches and kicks while blocking incoming blows. However, Wu Feng was pressing him hard and Yu Chen felt more and more that his attacks were becoming stifled, as more of his time went towards blocking.

They were close enough that Yu Chen could see the whites of his eyes and the hungry gleam that filled them, a sort of desperate desire tinged with a hint of insanity. Yu Chen snorted in frustration, His brows furrowing as he took another heavy blow.

A slow realization dawned on him. Wu Feng was the better fighter. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He was more practiced, more experienced. The Feng brothers had been in the sect years before Yu Chen showed up, and Wu Feng had trained longer and seen more battles than he had.

That was fine. Wu Feng might be more experienced, but Yu Chen could be more savage.

His heart began thumping as the battle heated up, filling him with energy. They exchanged blows in the center of the ring, attacking and blocking in turn as each strove to get an advantage over the other. Yu Chen attempted to incorporate the principles of the Crashing Wave Palm into his fighting style, but he found it too difficult to do so, unable to replicate what he had done in practice.

It wasn’t that the technique was hard to grasp. Yu Chen’s understanding of the Concept of water actually made it rather easy for him, as he’d found he possessed an intuitive sense of the underlying laws that defined the movement of water. No, the issue was that the technique was fundamentally incompatible with his fighting style.

His heart was beating furiously, and he found his emotions were being washed away, replaced by a sharp focus and a ruthless desire to crush his opponent. In this state he was unstoppable and relentless, his body demanding to strike in an unyielding manner, refusing to retreat or give up half a step.

It was directly at odds with the Crashing Wave Palm whose principles of redirection turned a foe's force against them. It would give up two steps, retreating, so it could advance three more.

Yu Chen wouldn’t retreat when he could simply advance.

With a roar he kicked off of the ground, slamming a shoulder into Wu Feng and taking him to the ground. If techniques wouldn’t work, perhaps pure, unadulterated savagery would. He stuck close to the boy, using his superior size and weight to his advantage as he brought his tempered body into play.

Using his formidable force he slowly overpowered Wu Feng, holding his wrists steady and pressing them into the cold sand. A bestial smile filled Yu Chen’s face as he flooded his forehead with condensed qi, before ruthlessly slamming it into Wu Feng’s face.

The boy shouted in agony as blood spurted from his face, and an audible crack filled the air. Yu Chen raised his forehead, blood slowly dripping from it, to reveal Wu Feng’s broken nose smushed to one side. Yu Chen grinned in delight and slammed his forehead down once more. The other boy managed to turn his head at the last second, causing Yu Chen to miss his mark, sliding off the side of Wu Feng’s head instead.

Letting go of one arm he raised a fist and brought it smashing down into his face. He was about to do it again, when a sudden blow to his side brought his attack to a sudden halt. Wu Feng had managed to twist his body, pushing off of the ground and driving a knee into Yu Chen, forcing the bigger boy off.

Wu Feng rolled to his feet, barely able to see through the blood smeared across his face and let out an angry shout as he lashed a kick into Yu Chen’s side, sending him rolling across the sand. He followed up on the attack, kicking the boy again and again.

To the outside observers, the fight had turned ugly, and a low murmur began building in the crowd. This was no clean fight between cultivators and no talented display of martial arts. This was pure violence, two beasts fighting as though their lives depended on it.

Yu Chen caught the next foot that came his way and yanked it, pulling Wu Feng off balance. The boy landed awkwardly, and tried to scramble away, but Yu Chen had his claws in him now. Slowly, terrifyingly, he pulled himself up Wu Feng’s body, refusing to let go as the other boy showered him with kicks and curses.

Raising a hand, Yu Chen slammed it into the kneecap of the leg he was holding, feeling pleased as Wu Feng let out a howl of pain. He repeated the action, and was rewarded with a sharp crack, as something gave way in the boy's knee.

Yu Chen let go of the boy, scrambling up as Wu Feng bent in pain, clutching at his ruined knee, the fight between them forgotten. Yu Chen summoned his full force and struck him across the face, knocking him to the floor, senseless.

He stepped on the boy's knee and ground his foot, eliciting another cry of pain as he raised his arm preparing to-

“Yu Chen is the victor!” A firm voice shouted out from the sidelines. Yu Chen looked up to see the Inner Sect disciple who was overseeing the duels watching him with a stern eye, a hint of disapproval lurking within.

“Tch.” Yu Chen stepped away from the beaten boy, before striding across the sand to claim his reward. True to his word Wu Feng had brought a large bag containing the various treasures and wealth he’d accumulated over his time in the sect.

Yu Chen didn’t bother looking in the bag, carelessly slinging it over his shoulder as he walked back towards Jin Hua, who was eyeing him with concern.

“That was quite brutal.” He said softly, looking towards Yu Chen.

Yu Chen eyed the other boy in disinterest as he shrugged his embroidered robes back on before lashing them at the waist. He retrieved Lue She without saying anything, grabbing his bag and walking away.

Perhaps Jin Hua was right, and he’d been too ruthless. Yu Chen pondered the idea for a moment before rejecting it. No, the truth was that Jin Hua was soft. When it came to one’s enemies the only path forward was to be merciless and unyielding.

For some reason, he felt hollow inside as he headed home, despite his overwhelming victory. What should have been joyous turned into a long, lonely walk through the snow.