Having stocked her pantry with rice and fermented vegetables, Jun Li slowly made her way back to the Plaza, with an expression as grim as that of an inmate walking towards their execution.

  Jun Li tried to clear the image from her head, telling herself that she had a real chance.

  She had inherited the memories of a long-dead immortal Cultivator, and she felt she couldn’t waste such a blessing by falling behind in a small Sect like this.

  Now within sight of the Plaza, Jun Li realized she had too little experience to formulate any sort of plan for the duel, and her skill amounted to little more than knowing a single Martial Technique and a few theoretical methods for it.

  Despite her meager capabilities, Jun Li had faith in herself, just enough that she believed a victory was possible, that with enough perseverance, focus, and conviction, she could make it through.

  Looking up to the stage, Jun Li saw that a small crowd had gathered to view the duel.

  When Ren Liwei had appeared on one of the stages, an Elder of the sect with him, people realized what that meant. A duel, and not some friendly spar either, something with stakes.

  The noble disciples of the sect knew of Ren Liwei's family and of the fame of his father. To see someone of such a storied heritage fight was worthwhile, even for those disciples many years Ren Liwei's senior.

  Many had come to spectate, plenty of them actively conversing and spreading rumors about who would step up to duel with Ren Liwei. “I heard he might be fighting the princess?" "Well, I don't think any other Outer Sect disciple has a chance at winning against him.”

  Each new theory further confused the spectating Disciples. “Huh? I heard he was challenging one of the Inner Sect Disciples.” A disciple turned and shot a contemptuous glance at his peer. “Idiot. Even if he is the son of the Brass Lion, there’s no way he’d be able to fight one of the Inner Sect Disciples at the Qi Condensation Stage.”

  A sweeping gaze from Ren Liwei shut up a swathe of the rumormongering disciples. And he turned his eyes forward, seeing Jun Li slowly make her way up and onto the stage.

  Glancing to the side, Jun Li saw an older woman sitting still at the edge of the stage, quite obviously an Elder of the Sect, apparently here to preside over the duel, as Ren Liwei had mentioned earlier in the day.

  The moment Jun Li stood opposite Ren Liwei on the stage, the older woman opened her eyes and spoke. “I am Elder Yao; I will be serving as the adjudicator for today’s duel.”

  Sweeping her gaze over the two on stage with little interest, Elder Yao continued. “Now then, the terms of this duel. Ren Liwei, if you are to win this duel, you will receive nothing, is that correct?”

  Ren Liwei bowed his head and confirmed. “Yes, Elder Yao, that is correct.” “And you.” Elder Yao turned her gaze to Jun Li. “If you are to win this duel, you will receive this string of coins, correct?”

  As Elder Yao raised the coins into view, the crowd descended into whispers, some quietly laughing to themselves, realizing why this duel was happening and just who the unfamiliar disciple on the stage with Ren Liwei was.

  “Ah, yes, Elder Yao, that’s right.” Jun Li confirmed, mirroring the bow Ren Liwei had performed. “Very well then.” Elder Yao closed her eyes for a moment, concluding the preparations for the duel. “Begin.”

  Ren Liwei quickly approached Jun Li, who was somewhat taken off guard by how unceremoniously the duel had begun.

  As Jun Li looked to Ren Liwei, she saw that the polite face he had worn when speaking to Elder Yao had vanished; for Jun Li, all that remained was his utter revulsion.

  As Ren Liwei approached Jun Li, he raised his arms in a fighting stance Jun Li didn’t recognize, clearly it hadn’t come from the Glass Cloud Manual, and yet, before she could even consider that fact, she was pressured by Ren Liwei, who had already come into striking range.

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  Shocked at how quickly he had reached her, Jun Li tried to use the Billowing Glass Palm, but before it could fully manifest, Ren Liwei had already struck her.

  Jun Li didn’t even see the strike; she only felt her chin jerk downwards and realized she could no longer breathe, raising a hand to her throat.

  Jun Li lost focus on her technique, and it was cut short before it could even manifest.

  Looking up, Jun Li was barely able to perceive Ren Liwei pivot as he drove his leg into her gut like a spear.

  As the blow lifted Jun Li off her feet, Ren Liwei stepped in and grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from falling away.

  Holding Jun Li off the ground, Ren Liwei swung his fist in an arc towards her head. Barely recovering enough lucidity to act, Jun Li forced her body down, barely avoiding the strike.

  The moment Jun Li avoided the strike, she pressed her foot into Ren Liwei’s hip, trying to force herself away from his grasp. After pushing for a moment and gaining no leverage, Jun Li began to panic.

  As Ren Liwei raised his fist again, Jun Li startled and forcefully used the Glass Cloud Art, a twisting cloud of Qi manifesting between her foot and Ren Liwei’s hip, forcing them further apart and causing Ren Liwei to release his grip in caution.

  Looking down at his robes, Ren Liwei saw where Jun Li had used her Technique, the outer layer of his robes being cut to shreds by the small vortex of Qi.

  Jun Li had also seen the damage her Technique had caused and felt a measure of confidence return to her, battered though she was.

  As Ren Liwei charged forward again, it was clear to everyone how infuriated he had become, especially so for Jun Li, the subject of his resentment.

  This time, as Ren Liwei charged towards her, Jun Li readied the Billowing Glass Palm in her hand for the moment he came into striking range.

  Even if he landed a blow faster than her, she was prepared to endure that damage and return the favor in full.

  Just as Ren Liwei was entering striking range, Jun Li lunged and thrust her hand forward, prepared to endure whatever strike came.

  Yet no strike came from Ren Liwei, nor did Jun Li’s strike land on him.

  Despite Ren Liwei having charged forward at a speed incomparable to anything Jun Li could have achieved, the moment Jun Li tried to strike, Ren Liwei had completely and instantly reversed his momentum and swayed slightly backwards, just far enough to completely dodge Jun Li’s Technique.

  Her body still lunging forward, Jun Li was unable to defend herself and could only reflect on her failure. ‘That was some kind of Movement Technique, you can’t move like that with just physical strength. I could never have known to avoid it; he had been using so many unknown techniques from the start…’

  Before Jun Li could fully lament how unfairly the odds were stacked against her, Ren Liwei stepped in, driving his fist forward once more.

  Propelled at unnatural speeds by some years-refined Martial Technique, the strike landed squarely into the side of Jun Li’s head, instantly severing her consciousness.

  After the blow, Jun Li’s body began to fall, only to be greeted not by the stones but by Ren Liwei’s fist. Driving blow after blow into Jun Li’s limp body, forbidding her even to fall, driven by some unnatural, visceral hatred.

  Even as he felt Jun Li’s bones begin to give way, he continued beating her body, which had quickly begun to resemble a corpse more than a person.

  Ren Liwei grabbed onto Jun Li’s robe, holding her body aloft as he raised his fist for a final, crushing blow. And yet before that blow landed, a hand had grasped him by his blood-slicked wrists.

  Ren Liwei didn’t even look to see who had stopped him and simply remained still, trembling lightly in unsatisfied rage as he stared down at Jun Li’s limp body.

  Behind Ren Liwei, Elder Guo stood, sharply glaring not at the disciple, but at Elder Yao, who was sitting placidly beside the stage.

  “Why would you let this go on for so long?” Elder Guo said, despite the calm tone, the Disciples who could hear it began to feel a nauseating pressure on them.

  “The fight was not over yet.” Elder Yao spoke impassively about the matter, with no discernible expression.

  “Not over?” Elder Guo’s mouth hung open. “How was this ‘not over?’ One of our Disciples is lying in a bloody heap on the ground!” Elder Guo’s voice betrayed both confusion and a tinge of horror.

  “More than a few Cultivators have gotten themselves killed, after having assumed a defeated opponent was unable to continue fighting.” Elder Yao explained calmly.

  “That is not a matter of concern in the context of a duel between peers!” Elder Guo protested, feeling at a loss, realizing just how differently he and his peer thought of these matters.

  “Even so…” Elder Yao smiled slightly. “We wouldn’t want to let our Disciples slip into any unfortunate habits, would we, Elder Guo?”

  Unable, or perhaps unwilling to formulate a reply, Elder Guo turned away and gently picked up Jun Li’s body and, after confirming she was still alive, vanished from the stage, hurrying his way to Jun Li’s home in the Outer Sect, to treat her in the privacy of her own home.

  Through all of this, Ren Liwei stood silently in the center of the stage, steadying his breath, the blood still dripping from his hands.