I'd always thought the saying "fire beats wood" was a bit too simplistic. After all, nature is full of plants that thrive after forest fires, seeds that only germinate in ash, trees whose bark evolved specifically to withstand flas.
The relationship between wood and fire is complex, nuanced.
But as I watched Zhang Ruiyang's burning sword cleave through another cluster of my razor leaves like they were made of paper, I had to admit – in a straight-up fight, fire definitely had so advantages.
"Your technique is impressive," he comnted, his blade leaving trails of orange light as he settled into a ready stance. "But fire will always consu wood. That's the natural order."
I could feel Han Renyi's anxiety spiking in the back of my mind. "He's right! Fire rouqi users have always been especially effective against wood tech—"
"Natural order?" I interrupted both of them, carefully gauging the distance between us. "Nature's a lot more complicated than that. Besides..." I allowed myself a small smile. "Who said anything about playing fair?"
Zhang Ruiyang's eyes narrowed slightly at that, but his stance remained perfect – the mark of a true professional.
"You know," he said, "I've trained most of the guards in this compound. Taught them everything they know about proper rouqi control and combat techniques." His eyes hardened. "Which ans I know exactly how difficult it would have been to eliminate them so quickly. You're no ordinary Tier 1 Rouqin..."
"You're right," I agreed, matching his casual tone while using my connection to the surrounding plants to get a better feel for the battlefield. The garden offered plenty of cover, but most of it was decorative – expensive imported plants that had never been ant for combat. "I'm definitely not ordinary. But then again..." I gestured to his burning sword. "Neither are you."
He acknowledged that with a slight nod. "In my younger days, they called the Crimson Duelist. Back when there was still enough rouqi in the world for proper dueling circuits." A touch of bitterness crept into his voice. "Now I teach spoiled rchants' sons how to not stab themselves with their own swords."
"Quite a career change," I comnted, noting how the heat from his blade was affecting the nearby plants. The temperature increase wasn't uniform – he was sohow focusing the heat into specific patterns. Interesting.
"Why work for soone like Zhou Shentong?"
"Because he pays well and I don't ask stupid questions." Zhang Ruiyang's sword traced a casual arc through the air, leaving a faint trail of flas. "Like how a young master from a rchant family can manipulate plants quite so... directly."
Ah. So he had noticed sothing off about my abilities. I supposed it was inevitable – soone with his experience would recognize that my techniques didn't quite match the local style. Ti to change the subject.
"And I don't recall the Three-Leaf Clover Sect being known for fire techniques," I countered. "Yet here we are."
He actually smiled at that. "Not everything is as it appears, young master Han. Sotis the best way to survive in a dying world is to adapt... to beco sothing new."
There was wisdom there, though probably not in the way he ant it. I filed away his words for later consideration. Right now, I needed to focus on the fight that was clearly about to begin.
"Azure," I thought, keeping my focus on Zhang Ruiyang, "what do you think of him?"
"His rouqi control is exceptional," my inner world spirit replied. "Despite the world's limitations, he's learned to maximize every bit of energy he has. Be careful, Master – we can't afford to waste power in this fight."
He was right. I needed to conserve energy for the eventual confrontation with Zhou Shentong. Which ant this fight needed to end quickly. As for whether I would be able to accomplish that, I wasn't certain.
The garden around us had gone eerily quiet, the plants themselves were holding their breath as we stood opposite each other. Neither of us moved. Two predators, each waiting for the perfect mont to strike.
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A single leaf detached from a nearby tree, floating lazily between us.
The mont it touched the ground, everything exploded into motion.
One mont he was standing there, the next his burning blade was screaming toward my throat. The speed was impressive – if I hadn't already been ready to dodge, that first strike would have ended things right there.
I Blink Stepped backward, putting so distance between us, but Zhang Ruiyang had already anticipated that. His free hand made a sharp gesture and the air around erupted into flas.
The Aegis Mark's barrier flared as it absorbed most of the heat, but I could still feel the intensity of the attack. This wasn't just regular fire – there was sothing almost predatory about how it moved, seeking out any gaps in my defense.
"Interesting barrier technique," Zhang Ruiyang noted, already flowing into his next attack. "But how long can it last against sustained fire?"
He had a point. The Aegis Mark was designed for short, intense bursts of combat, not prolonged exposure to elental attacks. I needed to change the pace of this fight.
I triggered Leaf Storm, sending a wave of razor-sharp leaves toward him from multiple angles. As expected, he countered with a spinning slash that surrounded him in a sphere of flas, incinerating my attack before it could reach him.
But that had just been a distraction.
While he was focused on the leaves, I'd used Blink Step to appear directly above him, Vine Whip already activated. Multiple vines shot from my right hand, aiming to entangle his sword arm.
Zhang Ruiyang's response was... educational.
Instead of trying to dodge or burn through the vines directly, he actually caught one with his free hand, using my own montum to pull himself into a spin. Fire rouqi surged through his body as he moved, and suddenly my vines weren't grabbing him – he was using them as leverage to launch himself toward , his burning sword leading the way.
I managed to sever the vines before he could completely turn my technique against , but it was a near thing. The tip of his blade scored a line of fire across my chest as I Blink Stepped away.
"Creative," he comnted, landing gracefully. "But predictable. Wood users always try to bind their opponents. It's practically instinct."
I pressed my hand against the burn on my chest. "Speaking from experience?"
"I've fought my share of wood cultivators over the years." He began circling slowly, his blade leaving a trail of flas that hung in the air like a glowing fence. "They all make the sa mistake – trying to overwhelm fire with quantity. But it doesn't matter how many leaves or vines you throw at . Fire will always burn through."
He punctuated that statent with another blast of flas, this one more focused than the last. I dove behind a boulder, but the fire curved around it, forcing to Blink Step again.
This wasn't working. Every exchange was costing energy, while Zhang Ruiyang seed to be getting more efficient with each attack. If this turned into a battle of attrition, I'd be at a serious disadvantage.
"Master, he's been forcing you to move. Each dodge puts you slightly closer to being cornered."
He was right. I'd been so focused on individual exchanges that I hadn't noticed the larger pattern. Zhang Ruiyang wasn't just attacking randomly – he was gradually reducing my maneuvering space, using his flas to cut off escape routes.
"Any suggestions?"
"His efficiency is both a strength and a weakness," Azure observed. "He's so focused on perfect energy control that he might be vulnerable to sothing completely unexpected."
Before I could reply, Zhang Ruiyang extinguished his burning sword and dropped into a low stance I didn't recognize. "Let's see how you handle sothing more... traditional."
With that, he shot forward, and the next mont his fist was inches from my face. I managed to get my arm up to block, but the impact still sent stumbling backward. The man hit like a charging bull.
"A hundred years of combat experience," he lectured while thodically taking apart, not giving the opportunity to execute any of my techniques. "You have power, I'll grant you that. But power without proper foundation and experience is just—"
He cut off mid-sentence as his next punch connected solidly with my jaw. It was a perfect strike, the kind that should have laid out flat. Instead, I took the hit and stayed standing.
The look of surprise on his face was almost worth the pain. Almost.
"Interesting," he muttered, shaking out his hand. "Your body's durability is... unusual."
As the fight continued, I was starting to read his rhythm. He favored quick combinations - three or four hits strung together, each one setting up the next. The individual techniques weren't particularly complex, but the way he chained them together was devastating.
I took more hits than I landed, but each exchange taught sothing new. How he shifted his weight before a kick. The way he used subtle angles to maximize impact. The precise timing of his breathing with each combination.
"Your technique is familiar," he said during a brief respite, both of us circling each other warily. "But not quite like anything I've seen before. Almost like..." He trailed off, studying with narrowed eyes.
I used the mont to assess the damage. Multiple bruises, possibly a cracked rib, and my left arm was going numb from blocking his strikes. But my qi-reinforced body was holding up better than it should have. Each hit that landed seed to surprise him more than the last.
But I had to admit, this wasn't working, his experience was overwhelming my raw power.
Now that I had so space, it was ti to change it up.
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