I sat cross-legged on the stone platform, watching the formation screens display the final battles of the quarter-finals. Most fights had already concluded, with cultivators either erging victorious or being carried off by dical teams due to backlash caused by the destruction of their spiritual manifestation. My eyes kept drifting to Wei Lin's screen, and I couldn't help frowning at what I saw.
Wei Lin had his opponent pinned against a wall, draining the poor guy's spiritual manifestation through those dark tendrils from his black market stall. The other cultivator was screaming, begging for rcy, but Wei Lin just kept pulling energy with this satisfied expression on his face. His eyes had that red tint again, stronger than before.
"Your friend continues down a concerning path," Azure comnted. "The demonic qi influence grows stronger with each use of that black market technique."
I didn't respond out loud, just watched as the last screen flickered to show my own battle concluding. My spiritual manifestation stepped out of the portal, that familiar sensation of my consciousness snapping back together hitting all at once. The mories of the Mortal Martial Realm flooded in properly now: the sensation of pure martial energy, the weight of those Heaven-Breaking techniques, and most importantly, Jinghui's mories and emotions.
Poor kid. I'd given him the power to finally get revenge on his brother, to break free from that temple that had kept him weak for so long. But power without wisdom often led to tragedy. All I could do was hope he'd make better choices than seeking bloody vengeance. Maybe Master Huang could guide him, help him find a better path. The old monk had shown real love for his adopted son, even when duty demanded otherwise.
"Master, the Xuan Yi energy you encountered in the Realm of the Chosen still requires significant adaptation before practical use," Azure explained. "The belief-based system operates on fundantally different principles than standard qi manipulation. However, I've analyzed potential synergies with your newly acquired martial qi."
"What kind of synergies?" I asked ntally, genuinely curious.
"The martial qi emphasizes physical law manipulation through absolute conviction - believing you can break reality's rules and then doing so. Xuan Yi operates on pure belief becoming reality. Combined, you could potentially create techniques where martial prowess is enhanced by conviction strength. Imagine a palm strike that grows stronger based on your certainty of victory."
That sounded both powerful and dangerous. The Realm of the Chosen had shown what happened when belief systems went unchecked. Still, if I could control it properly...
Movent in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Earth Fist Liu approached, his massive fra moving slower than usual. His face had that pale, drained look that ca from having your spiritual manifestation forcibly destroyed. He stopped a respectful distance away and bowed deeply.
"Ke Yin," he said, voice steady despite his obvious exhaustion. "I thank you for the battle. When I am stronger, I will return to test myself against you again. This loss... it is rely another stone in the foundation of my endurance."
I nodded respectfully. Liu followed the Dao of Endurance; every defeat was just another test to overco, another weight to bear until he grew strong enough to carry it. It was admirable in its own way, but looking at him, I felt a twinge of guilt. The gap between us would only grow wider. By the ti he reached Pseudo-Elental Realm, I'd probably be at Elental or beyond. So mountains were simply too high to climb.
"I look forward to it," I said anyway, because what else could I say? Crushing soone's dao with harsh reality wouldn't help anyone.
Liu seed satisfied with that, bowing once more before heading toward the dical pavilion. His teammates rushed to support him, and I turned my attention back to the arena as Elder Wan's voice bood across the space.
"Disciples of the Azure Peak Sect, we congratulate the four cultivators who have advanced to the semi-finals of this tournant. Luo Yichen, Wu Kangming, Wei Lin, and Ke Yin have each demonstrated exceptional skill, adaptability, and determination."
The crowd erupted in cheers. I glanced at my three fellow semi-finalists, trying to gauge who I'd prefer to face. Wu Kangming stood with perfect posture, that ancient sword ring glinting on his finger. He'd want our promised duel, and honestly, that match deserved to be the finals. We'd both grown so much since that first encounter in the Fallen Realm.
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Luo Yichen looked nervous but determined, his hand resting on the Mirrorwater Blade's hilt. Fighting him would be the easiest path forward, not because he was weak, but because I wouldn't have to hold back. No emotional complications, no risk of corrupting a friend with dangerous energies.
Then there was Wei Lin, grinning at empty air with those red-tinged eyes, probably already calculating odds and exchange rates in his spiritual marketplace. Fighting him would be a nightmare. I couldn't use my sun energies without risking him absorbing them into his stalls. That corruption would spread through his entire cultivation base, and unlike his 'controlled' demonic qi trades, he'd have no frawork for managing energies from another world entirely.
"During the break, semi-finalists may rest and recover," Elder Wan continued. "We will reconvene in thirty minutes for the matches that will determine our finalists!"
I stood and stretched, deciding to visit my parents during the break. The path to the Core Disciple viewing area was usually empty, but this ti I found myself constantly stopped by other Outer Disciples.
"Senior Brother Ke Yin!" A girl I'd never spoken to before bowed deeply. "Your mastery of those spiritual constructs was incredible! Could you perhaps provide guidance on manifestation techniques when the tournant concludes?"
"Ah, thank you," I said politely. "I'll be pretty busy after the tournant, but I'll see what I can do."
Two more disciples approached as soon as she left, eager to discuss my battles and hint at forming connections. I responded courteously but kept moving. These sa people had ignored for months when I was just another Outer Disciple. Now that I'd shown myself as a tournant favorite, suddenly everyone wanted to be friends.
The Core Disciple area was rcifully less crowded. My parents sat with Liu Chen, my mother clutching my father's arm whenever sothing exciting happened on the remaining display formations. They spotted imdiately.
"Ke Yin!" My mother practically glowed with pride. "You were amazing! The way you created that dragon; I've never seen anything so beautiful and terrifying at the sa ti!"
My father stood and clasped my shoulder firmly. "Son, we're so proud of you. Win or lose, you've already exceeded anything we could have imagined. But..." He squeezed gently. "Give it everything you have. Show them the strength of will that got you here in the first place. Rember, you wanted to be like a mountain for others to lean on. Mountains don't fall easily."
The reference to the original's childhood dream made my throat tight. "I'll do my best, Father."
Liu Chen punched my arm lightly. "You better not lose before facing Wu Kangming! Rocky and I have a bet going on who wins between you two. He thinks Wu Kangming's sword skills are unbeatable, but I told him you've got tricks that guy's never seen."
"Where is Rocky anyway?" I asked, looking around.
"ditation grounds. He's been working on that compression technique that master taught him. He can get down to about seven feet now without losing combat effectiveness." Liu Chen grinned proudly. "He's determined to master it before the finals so he can sit with us without blocking everyone's view."
That's considerate of him. Rocky has always had a gentle nature despite his intimidating appearance.
"Elder Wan calls for semi-finalists to return!" The announcent echoed across the arena.
I hugged my parents quickly and made my way back to the staging area. The other three semi-finalists had already returned. I exchanged respectful nods with each of them. Wu Kangming's expression remained neutral, though I caught his fingers unconsciously moving through sword positions. Luo Yichen looked pale, probably realizing he'd have to fight either his sworn brother or one of us.
Wei Lin, though... Wei Lin practically vibrated with eagerness, a manic grin stretching across his face. I'd never seen him this excited about anything that wasn't profit-related. But then I guess there was lots to gain by winning this tournant, especially for soone cultivating the rchant's Path.
"Now then," Elder Wan began, "the semi-final round will operate differently than previous matches. Due to the specific nature of the inner world we'll be using, both matches will occur sequentially rather than simultaneously. Furthermore, you will enter with your physical bodies rather than spiritual projections."
Interesting. I leaned forward slightly. Running out of inner worlds seed unlikely; the Azure Peak Sect had existed for thousands of years and collected countless inner worlds from fallen enemies. So why the change?
"The world you'll enter is known as the Proving Sanctum," Elder Wan continued. "It was created specifically for testing disciples at the highest levels. Spiritual projections cannot withstand its pressure, hence the requirent for physical entry. The standard rules apply: victory through surrender, incapacitation, or forcing your opponent from the designated battlefield. Killing or permanent maiming remains strictly forbidden."
He raised his hand, and the formation screens shifted to display the matchups. My heart sank a little as I read them.
First Match: Wu Kangming versus Luo Yichen
Second Match: Ke Yin versus Wei Lin
Wu Kangming's expression didn't change at all, though his hand did settle more firmly on his sword ring. Beside him, Luo Yichen went even paler, swallowing hard. Fighting his sworn brother and superior in front of thousands of spectators; that had to be rough.
Wei Lin turned to with that too-wide grin, eyes glinting red in the light. "Don't you dare hold back on , Ke Yin. I want to test everything I've gained against everything you've hidden."
I forced myself to smile back, though inside my stomach churned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
But I was already calculating what I could and couldn't use. No offensive uses of the sun energies, obviously. The runes would have to be carefully selected; nothing that might feed his market stalls in unexpected ways. Formations and plant-based techniques powered by qi should be safe enough.
Damn. Of all the possible matchups, this was the one I'd hoped to avoid.
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