Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
123. What Did She Ask? (Start of Round 2)

Over the course of the hour, disciples with lower cultivation—those not eligible for the main tournament—began engaging in small duels of their own. Most of them were likely hoping to catch the eye of an elder and be taken in as a personal disciple.

And for some, it seemed to work. A few girls were accepted by inner elders, and one or two were even summoned by core elders.

Most of the matches failed to capture Jin Shu’s interest—until a young girl stepped onto the stage, a bow and quiver of arrows strapped across her back.

A bow was an unconventional choice among cultivators. Lacking in both the diversity of techniques and close-range versatility wielded by melee weapons, archery was often dismissed as impractical.

The girl couldn’t fully utilize her bow’s range in the confined space of the arena and lost quickly. Still, it sparked something in Jin Shu.

A memory surfaced from Gold’s past life—a weapon called a compound bow. Gold had never personally used one, but he recalled some of the mechanics. It didn’t seem overly complex; Jin Shu figured he could recreate something similar if he tried.

It wouldn’t match the power of a firearm, but it opened up some interesting possibilities.

That would be a project for later, though. For now, the tournament was about to resume.

Di Ti strode back onto the stage, her energy infectious.

“Wonderful! Thank you all for keeping us entertained during the break,” she beamed. “And congratulations to those of you who were recognized for your efforts! To the rest—don’t give up. Strive forward. You are the finest cultivators in the Eastern Region and beyond!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, their fighting spirit reignited.

“For the next matches, we’ll proceed in order—beginning with the first seed, Liu Hua, and ending with the last seed.”

A low murmur spread through the audience at the announcement.

Di Ti grinned. “Better yet, why don’t I just show you?”

She raised her hand, and an illusion formation flickered to life in the air, revealing a glowing match-up board:

Round 2:

1st Match: Liu Hua vs. Tian Li

2nd Match: Ling Shi vs. Fan Biyu

3rd Match: Jin Shu vs. Zhu Ren

4th Match: Li Xue vs. Bing Hou

“Now, let’s begin the first match!”

Liu Hua didn’t even stand. One moment she was seated; the next, she was on the stage in a flash of movement too fast for most eyes to follow.

Tian Li rose from her seat and headed to join her.

“Are you sure it’s safe to fight her?” Jin Shu asked, an involuntary shiver crawling up his spine. The memory of Liu Hua’s previous match still burned vividly in his mind.

He didn’t want to fear her. He wanted to confront her—for the time she choked him, for trying to kill him. But the inhuman display of power she had shown made that easier said than done.

“Don’t worry,” Tian Li said. “I might lose, but Liu Hua won’t hurt me… well, not badly.”

“But she will hurt you, won’t she?”

“Probably,” she admitted with a shrug. “But that doesn’t mean I should back down without trying.”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond. With a casual wave, she turned and walked to the stage.

When both combatants were in position, the judge stepped between them.

“Weapons?”

Both shook their heads.

“No.”

“Nope!”

The judge stepped back.

“Then—begin!”

Tian Li immediately began forming hand seals as the arena barriers rose. There was no time to hold back—she had to use her strongest technique if she wanted even a chance.

Across from her, Liu Hua looked utterly unimpressed. She took a single casual step forward—then vanished.

In the blink of an eye, she was behind Tian Li, one arm draped loosely over her shoulder.

Tian Li tried to break free, but Liu Hua’s grip was unshakable, like being caught in a noose made of steel.

“Don’t worry,” Liu Hua said sweetly. “I just want to ask something.”

Giving her a baffled look, Tian Li completed her final seal and held it, ready to unleash her technique at a moment’s notice.

“…What?” she asked warily.

Liu Hua leaned in and whispered something into her ear.

Tian Li’s face flushed a deep red. “What!? I—I’ve never done anything like that!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm… Then what about the other two? Fan Biyu and… the other one?”

“They haven’t either!”

“Then… what about him? Otherwise, how would he know about that kind of thing?”

“Of course he has—well… actually… I don’t know… maybe?”

“Oh. Then I guess I’ll just have to ask him.” Liu Hua gave a satisfied nod. “So, should I beat you now, or would you prefer to forfeit?”

Tian Li stared at her like she was insane.

Her qi surged in response, and a blazing phoenix materialized above her—but before she could release the technique, Liu Hua’s hand tapped the back of her neck.

Tian Li didn’t black out, but her body collapsed to her knees. She trembled, unable to stand.

“Winner, Liu Hua!” the judge declared once it was clear Tian Li could no longer continue.

The crowd buzzed with confusion.

“What just happened?”

“They barely fought…”

“Was anyone able to hear what they were talking about?”

“No clue…”

Jin Shu felt a pang of disappointment that Tian Li didn’t get to fight back—but he was more relieved that she hadn’t been seriously hurt.

Still, judging by the smirk on Liu Hua’s face as she reappeared in her seat, he had a feeling the topic of conversation had something to do with him.

Tian Li returned to the platform moments later, cheeks still flushed. As she sat down, Jin Shu leaned in.

“What did she ask you?”

Her ears turned bright red, and she glared at him.

“What exactly did you teach her?!”

“…Nothing? Why? What did she say?”

“Nothing! Figure it out yourself!” she huffed, turning away and folding her arms.

He opened his mouth to press her further, but Di Ti’s voice echoed through the arena.

“For our second match—Ling Shi versus Fan Biyu!”

To Jin Shu’s right, Biyu stood and began heading for the arena. Further down the row, Ling Shi rose as well, her expression hard and focused. The large, purpling handprint on her cheek from her last match was still visible.

“Be careful,” Jin Shu called out to Biyu.

He hadn’t seen Ling Shi fight yet, but something about her gave him pause—an edge that spoke of grit and danger.

Biyu smiled over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve never lost to Ling Shi in a fight… though this’ll be the first since she reached the Spirit Realm.”

With a shrug, she turned, stepping off the platform and descended toward the stage, as Ling Shi leaped down to meet her—her landing hard enough to shake the ground.

“If that insolent girl—Li Xue or whatever her name is—kneels and begs for my master's forgiveness, I promise not to hurt you... too badly,” Ling Shi said as she steadied herself from her landing. Her voice was like ice over steel. “Otherwise, you just might die on this stage.”

Biyu tilted her head, a bright smile spreading across her face. “Sure, we can talk about that—after I beat you.”

“Fine. Death it is.” Ling Shi dropped into a fighting stance, saying no more.

Biyu’s expression sharpened as she mirrored the stance.

The judge’s gaze swept over both. “Both fighters ready?”

“Yes,” Biyu said.

Ling Shi simply nodded.

“Begin!”

The moment the word left the judge’s lips, the two surged forward, clashing in the center of the stage. Unlike her previous match against Tian Li, Biyu didn’t wait—she activated her techniques from the start.

Her first: Phoenix Steps.

Light gathered at her feet as her movement turned weightless, her speed multiplying several times over. Yet even with her body enhanced, Ling Shi was able to keep up through sheer, brutal strength alone.

But Biyu wasn’t fazed. As they collided, she triggered her second technique—Phoenix Plumage.

Three years ago, when she’d used it against the demonic cultivators, it had only coated her hands in flame. Now, the fire bloomed up her arms, spread across her shoulders, down her back, and over her chest—forming a half-armor of blazing feathers that shimmered with phoenix radiance.

Phoenix Plumage was both shield and sword: its flames empowered her strikes while absorbing the force of enemy attacks.

If she’d had this much control during her last match, she might have withstood Tian Li’s phoenix construct—if her own hadn’t been destroyed first, draining her qi reserves to nearly nothing.

Just as the flames fully took shape, she and Ling Shi met again.

Bam!

The force of their palm clash echoed through the arena like a thunderclap.

Biyu staggered back under the sheer weight of Ling Shi’s blow—but not without impact. Ling Shi herself stepped back, teeth clenched, her arm trembling from the force of Biyu’s flame-enhanced strike.

Biyu shook out her wrist. “Not as strong as I expected. Have you been slacking since we last fought?”

Ling Shi’s expression twisted into a scowl. “It’s been eight years. I couldn’t beat you back then… but now? Now I’ll repay the humiliation your master inflicted on mine.”

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