The spiritual pressure rolling off Wu Kangming was qualitatively different from what I'd sensed earlier. Previously, when he'd unlocked that mysterious seal, his power had increased significantly but remained within the bounds of the Qi Condensation Realm. This was sothing else entirely.
This was genuine Pseudo Elental Realm cultivation, the sa level I'd recently achieved myself. Whatever he'd done to save ng Haoran, it had pushed his power to an entirely new stage.
"Azure," I thought grimly, "this just got a lot more complicated."
"Indeed," Azure replied, his voice tight with concern. "His spiritual signature is now comparable to yours. And given his superior combat techniques..."
I frowned, running quick calculations in my head. Things had definitely gone from bad to worse. Now that we were both at the sa cultivation stage, and Wu Kangming had observed several of my runes in action, this battle would beco exponentially more difficult.
I wasn't sure I could get past a full-power Wu Kangming to reach ng Haoran anymore. And who even knew if this was final form Wu Kangming. His mysterious ntor had probably loaded him up with enough secret techniques to make a Civilization Realm cultivator jealous.
My eyes narrowed as I studied the standoff.
Ti was running out.
Every second we spent in this confrontation was another second closer to both teams being eliminated. Other cultivators were probably reaching exits right now, claiming the final advancent slots while we were busy trying to murder each other.
It was ti to use the Overclock rune and end this quickly, regardless of the consequences.
I was just reaching for the energy required to activate my most dangerous enhancent when Lin i's voice cut through the tension like a knife.
"Stop fighting!"
Both Wu Kangming and I froze, our gazes locked on each other but our peripheral vision shifting toward the sound. Lin i stood between Wei Lin and the edge of the clearing, her hands raised in a placating gesture.
"This isn't working," she continued, her voice carrying across the battlefield with surprising authority. "Our teams are too evenly matched. If we continue like this, both groups will be eliminated while we're busy trying to kill each other."
She took a step forward, and I could see the determination in her eyes despite the fear that had to be coursing through her veins. At sixth stage Qi Condensation, she was the most vulnerable person in this clearing, surrounded by cultivators who could eliminate her with a casual gesture.
"I'm only a sixth stage cultivator," Lin i said, her voice steady despite the circumstances. "Even if I made it through to the individual battles, it wouldn't matter. I'd be eliminated in my first match against any of the inner sect disciples." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveIＦire
"Lin i, that's not necessarily true," Wei Lin protested, taking a step toward her. "Your water techniques are incredibly refined, and your formation knowledge—"
"Wei Lin, stop," she interrupted gently, holding up a hand. "We both know what my chances would be in single combat against cultivators two or three stages above ."
She looked around the clearing, taking in the destruction we'd caused in just a few minutes of fighting. Craters marked where my explosive seeds had detonated, the bone-white tree Wu Kangming had crashed into was split nearly in half, and the rocky ground was carved with furrows from our various techniques.
"I'm grateful I could make it this far," Lin i continued, a small smile crossing her face. "Honestly, I didn't have high expectations when we entered this tournant. Making it through the first stage is already more than I hoped for."
She turned toward Wu Kangming's team, bowing formally. "Wu Kangming, Luo Yichen, ng Haoran – your team should enter the portal first. Wei Lin and Ke Yin, you should follow them in."
A part of wanted to argue, to protest that we weren't giving up on her, that there had to be another way. But as I looked at the situation objectively, I realized she was absolutely right.
Her logic was flawless. Any second now, both remaining slots could be taken while we were busy trying to eliminate each other. And while death wasn't permanent in the Fallen Realm thanks to the Mark of Return, we had no guarantee that the sa protection would apply to the individual battles back at the sect.
With her cultivation level, surviving even the first round of one-on-one combat would be nearly impossible. She'd be alone facing seventh stage cultivators, eighth stage cultivators. And these weren’t just regular disciples, they were outer disciples who have been training for years longer than any one of us.
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It would be safer for her to pullout now.
I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of the decision settle on my shoulders. "Okay," I said quietly, my voice rougher than I'd intended. "Lin i... thank you. I know this isn't easy."
"It's the right choice," Lin i replied, though I could see her hands trembling slightly. "We all know it is."
Wei Lin's face was a mask of conflicting emotions – pride in her selfless decision warring with obvious reluctance to leave her behind. His jaw worked silently for several monts before he finally spoke.
"Lin i, I can't just... we've been through so much together. The three of us, as a team." His voice cracked slightly. "This feels like abandoning you."
"You're not abandoning ," she said firmly, stepping closer to him. "You're honoring my choice. There's a difference." She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently.
"We thank you as well," Wu Kangming said, his enhanced aura already beginning to fade as he released whatever technique he'd used to reach the Pseudo Elental Realm. His voice carried a note of genuine respect that I'd never heard from him before.
Luo Yichen stepped forward, bowing formally to Lin i. "I misjudged you earlier. I thought you were just the weak link in a strong team. But what you're doing now... it takes real strength."
ng Haoran was practically weeping with relief, though I suspected it had less to do with gratitude and more to do with the fact that he wouldn't be getting attacked for the next thirty seconds.
Still, he managed to speak through his tears. "I'll never forget this. If there's ever anything I can do to repay this debt—"
"Just make it count," Lin i said simply. "All of you. Don't waste the opportunity."
Wu Kangming looked back at , and for the first ti since I'd known him, his lips curved into what looked like a genuine smile.
"I'm looking forward to finishing this battle later," he said. "In proper conditions, without distractions or ti pressure. You fight... differently than I expected."
"Likewise," I returned his smile with one of my own, though mine felt bittersweet given the circumstances. "It should be interesting."
"Try not to lose before then," Wu Kangming added with what might have been a hint of dry humor. "I'd hate for the finals to be anticlimactic."
"Sa to you," I replied. "Though given what I just saw, I'm not sure who should be more worried."
With a final nod to our team, Wu Kangming gathered his teammates, all three of them joining hands to satisfy the portal's entry requirents. As they approached the shimring distortion in the air, Luo Yichen called back over his shoulder.
"We'll see you two in the arena!"
I watched as they stepped through the portal together, their forms dissolving into light. The mont they disappeared completely, the crimson number floating overhead shifted from 2 to 1.
One slot remaining.
Wei Lin moved to stand beside , placing his hand on my shoulder in preparation for our own transit. We both turned toward Lin i, who stood at the edge of the clearing with tears in her eyes but her chin held high.
"Take care of yourself," I called out to her. "And don't let anyone tell you that you're not strong enough. What you just did took more courage than any technique I know."
"Ke Yin, I want to see you fight Wu Kangming properly," she replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"And Wei Lin?" she added, fixing her boyfriend with a stern look that was undermined by her tear-streaked face. "Don't you dare do anything stupid in the individual matches just to avenge my elimination. I'll never forgive you if you get yourself killed over a simple tournant."
"I won't, but I will win" he promised quietly. "For both of us. And when this is all over, we're going to celebrate together. All three of us."
She nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now go, before so other team claims that last slot while we're all standing here crying."
Wei Lin squeezed my shoulder, and together we approached the portal. The shimring distortion grew larger as we neared it, reality warping around the edges in ways that would make a mortal’s eyes water.
I took one last look back at Lin i, morizing her brave smile, then stepped forward into the portal with Wei Lin beside .
The world dissolved into white light, and I felt the familiar sensation of dinsional transition wash over .
"We made it," I whispered as the light began to fade, though the words felt hollow without the third mber of our team beside us.
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