Admitting Defeat

Zhou Li showed no fear, his Vajra staff whistling through the air with the force of a tiger’s roar, while the flying sword ceaselessly spat crimson sword-light, yet it failed to harm him in the slightest. After exchanging over a dozen moves, Zhou Li chuckled, “Heh, young lady, if you continue to fight so gently, I’m afraid victory will elude you.” He made no effort to attack, simply standing firm and defending. No matter what stratagems Consort Qi employed, she could not move him an inch.

The difference between the two was immediately apparent.

Moments later, Consort Qi, discouraged, withdrew her flying sword and said helplessly, “I concede.”

Thus ended the third match of the first round.

A master on the high platform announced Zhou Li’s victory, and the next contest began.

Consort Qi returned to Li Miao and Liu Xuanfeng’s side, forcing a bitter smile. “Uncle Master, I did my best…”

Liu Xuanfeng offered comfort, “It’s all right. Now it’s up to me and Brother Li.”

The dueling resumed in the arena. Zhao Quan of Tiger Roar Sect and Luo Jing of the Fire Refining Hall were both favored experts in this round. The former had tamed a young demon wolf of the Crimson Blood breed, and their coordination was flawless. The latter, meanwhile, had mastered a technique of controlling fire; with every gesture, fierce flames surged, making for a truly spectacular battle.

This contest lasted a full half-hour before Fire Refining Hall’s Luo Jing pulled ahead. Zhao Quan’s blood wolf was scorched, its fur singed, and he suffered a regretful defeat.

As the victor was decided, many sighed, “It looks like all three from Fire Refining Hall stand a good chance of reaching the top eight.”

“After this battle, Fire Refining Hall might well become the next Sun Family. As for Lu Yan… he may soon break through and become the next Sun He.”

“Indeed. At this point, aside from those few old monsters, Lu Yan is virtually unmatched.”

While the crowd speculated, another match began.

Master Kaize of Azure Cloud Temple had been at the mid-Condensation realm for quite some time. He was far stronger than Yang Yuansong of the Black Mountain Sect and soon claimed an easy victory, ending the fifth bout.

“For the sixth match of the first round, Xu Xiaofeng and Li Miao, please enter the arena,” announced Daoist Songshi from the high platform.

“Brother Li, it’s your turn,” Liu Xuanfeng reminded him.

Li Miao had been waiting for this. Without hesitation, he said, “Watch me,” and strode into the arena.

His opponent, Xu Xiaofeng, was Tiger Roar Sect’s chief beast tamer, at the mid-Condensation stage, who had trained a young demon Ironbone Monkey. Together, their combat strength exceeded that of the average mid-Condensation cultivator.

As the two entered, whispers swept the crowd. “Who is this Li Miao? Why have I never heard of him?”

Someone speculated, “He’s a guest cultivator for Shaoyin Sect. I’d wager Consort Qi traded her charms for his services.”

“So young yet already at early Condensation—good potential, but in these matches, potential alone is useless. He’ll need another ten years before he makes a name for himself.”

“Elder Xu Xiaofeng has been renowned for thirty years. This Li Miao looks utterly ordinary—I doubt he’ll last three exchanges.”

“Losing is nothing to be ashamed of. If I could sleep with someone like Consort Qi just for entering the tournament, I’d do it too!”

Such remarks echoed from all sides, repeated countless times among the onlookers.

No one believed in Li Miao; many even expressed scorn.

Hearing all this clearly, Li Miao curled his lip and silently resolved to open their eyes.

“Young friend Li Miao, please make the first move,” said Xu Xiaofeng, now middle-aged, as he entered with his beast, the Ironbone Monkey. He was calm and unhurried.

Li Miao clasped his fists politely. “Elder Xu, please instruct me.” He drew his battle blade from the cosmic ring, channeling his internal gene energy.

This would be the first time he demonstrated his skills before so many in this world. His previous exchanges with Liu Xuanfeng in Wu’an Town had been witnessed only by common folk, few of whom could gauge his strength. In other battles, those who had seen him fight were now all dead.

Today’s fight, then, might well be the battle that made his name in this world.

Xu Xiaofeng, confident in his seniority and cultivation, had no intention of attacking first, content to wait and respond.

Seeing this, Li Miao wasted no words. He poured gene energy into his blade, and the simple steel edge immediately shimmered with a faint blue light.

“Forgive me!”

With a sharp shout, he surged forward, crossing fifteen feet in a single stride, and brought his blade down with his full strength.

The blade flared with a yard-long light, its sharpness as if to split the sky. The crowd was stunned.

“So strong!”

This was not the power of an early Condensation cultivator!

Xu Xiaofeng’s heart skipped a beat; his easy confidence vanished. Not daring to be careless, he directed the Ironbone Monkey to meet the blade light, while he pressed his palms together, activating the middle-grade treasure, Myriad Spirit Seed, which glowed with blue light. With a spell, he summoned several magical vines to bind Li Miao’s limbs.

“Awk! Awk!” The monkey shrieked, a yellowish demon force rising from its body as it swung its fists at Li Miao.

In the center of the arena, man and monkey met—one a physical cultivator, the other a demon beast of matching strength.

A flash of blood.

The young demon monkey was no match for Li Miao; his blade cut through its demon force, shearing off half its hand, and the creature shrieked in agony.

Li Miao’s physical strength alone exceeded a normal man’s by fortyfold; with gene energy, each strike packed over ten thousand pounds of force. Not to mention a young demon, even a major demon at the same stage would think twice before facing him!

Had he not held back at the last instant, the Ironbone Monkey would have died from that blow.

Xu Xiaofeng’s vine spell arrived too late.

Li Miao stomped heavily, shaking off the vines, then blurred forward, thrusting his blade at his opponent.

Such speed!

Xu Xiaofeng was horrified, hastily calling out, “Heaven-Mirror!” In his rush, he barely managed to activate his protective treasure.

With a clang, the blade struck the silver mirror, smashing it back into Xu Xiaofeng’s chest.

“Ugh…” Xu Xiaofeng grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth—he was injured.

Li Miao withdrew his blade.

He had no intention of taking advantage of a wounded foe. Having defeated both the man and his beast in two moves, he stopped.

“Elder, do you wish to continue?” he asked with a faint smile.

Xu Xiaofeng’s face was grim.

Li Miao’s attacks had been too swift—from the first step to the strike that wounded him, only three breaths had passed.

He hadn’t even managed a second spell, only summoning vines and the Heaven-Mirror, and was defeated.

He had thought his monkey alone would suffice against this junior, never imagining his opponent would be so strong.

It wasn’t just Xu Xiaofeng; nearly everyone present, except Liu Xuanfeng, wore expressions of disbelief—even Consort Qi.

A duel ended in three breaths—this was the quickest fight since the battle between Lu Yan and Chu Qingyue!

Thousands in the audience fell silent, unable to believe such power could come from an early Condensation cultivator.

No one replied; Li Miao had to ask again, “Elder, do you wish to continue?”

Xu Xiaofeng’s face was ashen. He glared, then forced out through clenched teeth, “I… concede.”

Though brief, the fight had shown him Li Miao’s terrifying power. His demon beast hadn’t survived a single exchange; he had no hope of victory. To persist would only bring humiliation.

With a heavy grunt, he called his wounded beast, turned on his heel, and left in disgrace—a far cry from his confident entrance.

The cultivators erupted in uproar.

“Xu Xiaofeng conceded! How can this Li Miao be so strong?”

“This is unbelievable! An early Condensation cultivator defeating a mid-stage expert and his beast in two moves—impossible!”

“Even Hallmaster Lu Yan would have needed some effort to beat Elder Xu Xiaofeng. This Li Miao…”

“There must be deception here—no one at that level could be so powerful!”

Some suspected Xu Xiaofeng of throwing the match to rig the gambling.

The crowd’s clamor grew deafening.

At that moment, Daoist Songshi announced from the high platform, “The victor in this match is Li Miao of Shaoyin Sect. Young friend, please rest for now. Next is the seventh bout of the first round.”

He was about to announce the next contestants when a voice called out, “Daoist Songshi, I believe there was trickery in this last match—something is amiss!”

All eyes turned to the speaker—a short, burly, bearded man standing among the Fire Refining Hall. He radiated early Condensation energy.

“It’s Situ Zhong from Fire Refining Hall—this should be interesting,” many thought.

Though not among the three fighters representing his hall—those were Lu Yan, Luo Jing, and Jiang Zitong, all mid-Condensation or above—Situ Zhong was a formidable cultivator himself, his scarlet flame inner force refined to the highest degree, equal to any mid-Condensation expert.

Li Miao glanced over, catching Hallmaster Lu Yan’s ambiguous smile and the defiant look in little Lu Yingshuang’s eyes.

He had no intention of letting others use him as a stepping stone.

Without waiting for Daoist Songshi to respond, Li Miao declared, “If this friend is unconvinced, by all means step forward and test your skills against me.”

He was well aware that Situ Zhong only wanted to probe his strength for the benefit of the Fire Refining Hall’s representatives in future matches.

But he didn’t care; he had no regard for early Condensation opponents.

Li Miao’s confidence stunned the crowd.

To challenge Fire Refining Hall so openly was not the move of a cautious man.

Situ Zhong could hardly have hoped for more. He immediately saluted Daoist Songshi, “Daoist, you heard him—the request to test his strength came from him. I beg your permission to enter the arena!”

Daoist Songshi hesitated. Never before had such a situation arisen—this was against the rules. Yet the clamor from below grew, many believing Li Miao’s victory dubious, and now, with Situ Zhong’s words, an uproar began.

“Add an extra bout!”

“Yes, an extra match—let’s see if he’s really that strong!”

“Situ Zhong’s cultivation is below Xu Xiaofeng’s. If he loses, then the last match was a sham!”

Amid the tumult, Li Miao remained impassive, waiting for Daoist Songshi’s decision.

Xu Xiaofeng, having just left the arena, looked mortified. Losing to a junior of a lower realm was humiliating enough—now people accused him of throwing the match! It was an intolerable disgrace.

But he had no intention of explaining. Since no one believed him, let them suffer the same lesson.

“Quiet, everyone,” Daoist Songshi called, raising his hand. The uproar died down.

He turned to Li Miao, “It seems everyone wishes for an extra bout. What say you, young friend?”

He left the choice to Li Miao.

Relying on his formidable gene energy, Li Miao showed no humility, his voice ringing out, “As you wish! If anyone doubts my strength, they’re welcome to challenge me—I’ll accept every one!”

His words instantly provoked glares from all around.

“What arrogance!”

“How insolent.”

“One win and he thinks himself invincible.”

Daoist Songshi frowned at his tone, visibly displeased. “In that case, let the challenger, Situ Zhong, enter.”

With permission granted, Situ Zhong leapt forward, snorting, “You impudent brat, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of all our fellow cultivators!”

As he spoke, he activated his cultivation. Flames surged around him, his aura approaching mid-Condensation as he unleashed a wave of scorching heat across the arena.

Li Miao merely shrugged. “I look forward to your lesson.”

His indifference enraged Situ Zhong, who roared, “Take this!” Flames exploded around him as he punched the air.

His punch, forged from forty years of cultivation, became a massive ball of fire, reducing the wild grasses in its path to ashes.

Feeling the heat, Li Miao sneered, springing forward to meet it head on.

Bang!

No fancy techniques—just a straight punch at the fireball, scattering it with ruthless force into a cloud of embers.

With a flicker, he appeared two yards in front of Situ Zhong, standing calmly. “I’ll let you use your best move, so you can’t complain I was too quick and others might doubt the result.”

Situ Zhong’s heart pounded—Li Miao’s speed had startled him.

But he had no time to dwell on his opponent’s contempt. Gathering all his energy, he recited a spell, then growled, “Heavenly Flame Incantation—Break!” determined to show his foe no mercy.

A mass of blood-red flame burst from his palm, streaking toward Li Miao.