Riven's gaze lingered on the pale dress for a moment longer.
Then his eyes passed over the small star-shaped birthmark.
She's Mirelle?
No wonder she had seemed almost annoyed when mentioning the duel.
He shifted his attention back to the arena.
The murmurs of the crowd gradually faded as Cassian and Lucian faced each other across the packed earth.
Lantern light flickered between them.
A faint evening breeze drifted across the arena, stirring loose dust and making the lantern flames waver softly.
Neither man moved immediately.
Cassian stood with relaxed confidence, rolling his shoulders slightly as if warming up before a casual training session.
Lucian remained still.
His stance was looser, almost lazy, but there was a sharp focus in his eyes that hadn't been present in the earlier fighters.
Someone near the edge of the field raised a hand.
"Begin!"
Lucian moved first.
His body surged forward across the arena with surprising speed, crimson robes trailing behind him as he closed the distance in a single breath. His fist shot straight toward Cassian's chest.
Cassian didn't retreat.
Instead, the air around his arm shifted slightly as he raised his hand.
Lucian's punch landed—
And slid aside.
The motion was so smooth it almost looked effortless, the redirected force brushing past Cassian's sleeve.
Riven's eyes narrowed.
The qi around Cassian's arm flowed in a smooth circular motion, like water guiding the force away instead of meeting it head-on.
Lucian noticed it too.
"Still playing with that river trick?"
Cassian smiled faintly.
"You're still charging straight in."
Lucian snorted.
Then his qi flared.
But unlike Cassian's flowing current, Lucian's energy gathered densely around his fists. It didn't move through his body in a smooth circulation. Instead it packed itself tightly into each strike, thick and heavy like iron.
Lucian stepped forward.
His fist came down toward Cassian's guard.
This time when Cassian redirected the blow—
The impact still shook his arm.
A dull crack echoed across the arena as the packed earth beneath their feet trembled slightly.
Several spectators murmured.
A few nobles leaned forward with interest while others exchanged quick whispers behind raised sleeves.
Riven's eyes sharpened.
Lucian's qi didn't improve speed or finesse. It simply reinforced the weight behind each attack, compressing power into every punch.
Brute force.
But refined brute force.
Lucian attacked again.
Another punch drove forward, qi swelling around his arm as the strike descended like a falling hammer.
Cassian tried to redirect it again—
But this time he was forced to step back.
The circular flow of qi around his arm distorted slightly under the pressure.
The crowd reacted immediately.
"Oh!"
"Did you see that?"
Lucian's grin widened.
"Keep defending."
Cassian exhaled quietly, adjusting his stance.
"I will."
Lucian didn't reply.
He simply stepped forward again.
Punch.
Punch.
Punch.
Each strike carried the same dense pressure behind it. Cassian's flowing defense continued to guide most of the force aside, but the sheer weight behind Lucian's attacks still pushed him backward across the field.
Riven watched carefully.
Every exchange burned itself into his memory as he analyzed the techniques being used.
Cassian's technique wasn't impenetrable.
Lucian's heavier blows were forcing small cracks into the defense.
For several exchanges Lucian controlled the momentum of the fight.
The crimson-robed cultivator pressed forward relentlessly, each strike landing like a heavy hammer against Cassian's flowing guard.
Dust scattered across the arena as their feet shifted across the packed earth.
But he never actually hit a proper punch.
And gradually—
Lucian's movements slowed.
Only slightly.
Yet Riven noticed it immediately.
His strikes still carried weight, but the density of qi behind them had begun to thin.
Lucian threw another punch.
Cassian redirected it again.
This time without stepping back.
Lucian paused.
The confident grin he had worn earlier faded slightly as doubt flickered across his face.
His brows furrowed slightly.
Then he launched forward again with a heavier strike.
Cassian caught the punch mid-motion and twisted his wrist aside with the same flowing motion as before.
Lucian stumbled half a step.
The crowd grew quiet.
Lucian stared at Cassian for a moment.
Then he frowned.
"…How do you still have qi?"
Cassian didn't answer immediately.
He simply rolled his shoulder once.
The qi around his body thickened slightly.
Riven felt it immediately.
Dense.
Cassian finally smiled.
"I broke through last week."
The words spread through the crowd like a spark hitting dry grass.
"What?"
"Late Inner Condensation?"
Lucian stared at him for a moment.
Then he let out a short laugh.
"Well."
He cracked his knuckles lightly.
"That explains it."
But the moment he stepped forward again, the difference became obvious.
With him running out of qi and without dense qi reinforcing his strikes, Lucian's punches lost their crushing weight.
Cassian's flowing defense absorbed them easily now.
One exchange.
Two.
Three.
Cassian stepped inside Lucian's guard.
His palm struck Lucian's chest.
The force rolled through Lucian's body like a crashing wave.
Lucian staggered backward several meters before barely managing to stay on his feet.
The duel was effectively decided.
A few more brief exchanges followed, but the outcome was already clear.
Lucian's movements had grown noticeably slower.
His qi reserves were nearly gone.
Cassian's strikes, however, still carried steady strength.
Within a few breaths—
Lucian was forced back out of bounds.
Silence hung over the training ground for a moment.
Then the crowd erupted.
Excited murmurs spread through the gathered nobles as Cassian dusted off his sleeve calmly, as if the fight had been little more than a warm-up.
Lucian stood where he had stopped several meters away, chest rising slowly as he caught his breath.
For a moment he said nothing.
Then his gaze shifted.
Across the field.
Toward the front of the crowd.
Mirelle stood there quietly, her pale dress catching the lantern light as before.
She hadn't moved or said anything during the whole fight.
Lucian looked at her for a second.
Something unreadable passed through his expression.
Then he gave a small snort and shook his head before turning away from the field.
The crowd barely noticed.
Most of their attention was already fixed on Cassian.
Whispers spread rapidly through the spectators.
"Late Inner Condensation…"
"He actually broke through."
"That makes him the strongest among the heirs now, doesn't it?"
"I didn't think anyone in Greyford had reached that level yet."
Cassian clearly heard them.
The confident smile on his face only widened.
He turned toward the spectators, brushing a bit of dust from his sleeve before raising his voice slightly.
"Well," he said lightly, glancing toward Lucian's retreating figure, "I suppose that settles it."
Then his gaze moved to the front of the crowd.
"Mirelle."
He gestured casually toward the arena.
"No one will be getting in our way now."
Several nobles chuckled.
Cassian smiled confidently.
"I'll be taking you on that date."
The crowd shifted slightly as everyone waited for her response.
Mirelle nodded a little.
Her expression remained calm.
"I did promise."
Her voice was quiet but clear enough to carry across the field.
Cassian beamed.
He either didn't notice—or chose not to notice—the lack of excitement in her tone.
"Excellent!" he said, clapping his hands together once.
Then he turned back toward the crowd.
"Come on, friends!"
His voice rose again, full of energy.
"Let's drink!"
A servant nearby immediately bowed.
"The wine hall is prepared."
Cassian grinned.
"Perfect."
He gestured broadly.
"Tonight we celebrate!"
Many of the young masters cheered lightly at that.
Within moments the crowd began shifting again as people followed Cassian back toward the manor.
Clusters of nobles laughed and spoke excitedly about the fight as they moved away from the training grounds.
Riven watched quietly from the edge of the crowd.
Lucian was gone.
He had disappeared sometime during the celebration.
Probably slipped away when everyone's attention moved elsewhere.
Riven exhaled slowly.
The entire ridiculous event had ended.
He turned away from the training grounds.
He had no interest in joining the drinking.
It was time to return to the manor and get some rest.
Or better yet—
Practice.
A fire seemed to burn within him.
Cassian was strong.
Yes he could beat him if he transformed.
But could he do so without that?
He wasn't sure.
And he didn't like that.
He began walking toward the garden path again—
Then something moved behind him.
A hand shot toward his shoulder.
Riven reacted instantly.
His body shifted sideways.
The hand grabbed empty air.
He turned sharply.
"Who—"