They skidded to opposite ends of the battlefield once more, dust rising as both steadied themselves for another clash.
"Hhhmmpt." They both panted.
High above the fight, two figures floated lazily among the clouds, gazing down as if watching an amusing play.
"Hey, Bo, between these two brats, who do you think will win?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"Hmmmm…" Bo took a long swig from his gourd, eyes half-lidded. "Hard to say. Every brat who's survived this long has stumbled upon some extraordinary treasure. The final days really did weed out the useless ones." He chuckled softly.
"But if I had to choose… I'd say the brat with the dark blade. That sword has an ego."
Below, though Tianyu wasn't aware of it, his blade had begun to glow faintly, threads of crimson light crawling across its black surface, like veins awakening beneath skin.
"And you, Cài Lǐ?" Bo asked, tossing the gourd over. "Which of these brats catches your eye?"
Cài Lǐ caught it easily and took a measured drink.
"That Zhou Lung," he said calmly. "Cunning, patient, and talented. He could be polished into something useful."
Bo laughed. "Hah! Fair choice, he's a kendrin soul I see." Bo shot Cài Lǐ a dirty look, but Cài Lǐ didn't reach.
"Tch, well, looks like this match is about to end. Let's see how it plays out."
"Tianyu Xing!" Yang shouted from across the ruined ground.
"Let's finish this with our next exchange. We've wasted enough time."
"Fine," Tianyu replied, lowering his stance. "Let's end it."
"Kukuku…"
Yang's lips curled into a cruel smile.
'That fool… he should've been paying attention.'
His fingers moved in a swift, subtle pattern.
Snap.
Shadows beneath Tianyu's feet surged upward like living chains, wrapping around his legs and torso, locking his movement in place.
"Shadow-binding restraints…" Yang sneered. "You're finished."
Yang charged forward, blade in hand, bone armour gleaming, his killing intent flooded the battlefield as he closed the distance in an instant.
"So… this is how you caught Huǒ Yànhuā last time…"
….
Tingggggg!
A sharp resonance vibrated through the air.
"Huh," Tianyu murmured. "So, you're finally willing to work with me, huh?"
His grip tightened.
"Fine. Then show me."
Crack!
The outer layer of the blade shattered like glass, fragments dissolving into light as a deep crimson sheen swallowed the weapon whole. The sword sang with intent, flooding Tianyu's body.
In that same breath, Yang appeared in front of Tianyu
His blade raised a strike imminent, but then time slowed.
Tianyu felt the world crawl; every motion stretched to a tenth of its speed. Dust hung motionlessly in the air. Yang's killing intent froze mid-surge.
…
High above—
"Is that… Sword Unity?!" Bo exclaimed, finally intrigued by something; his eyes were wide with anticipation.
Below, Tianyu moved.
In one smooth, effortless motion, he cut.
The shadows binding him were severed cleanly, swallowed whole by the crimson blade as if they had never existed. Tianyu shifted his body by the smallest margin.
"Micro step." He murmured.
Yang's strike missed.
Tianyu raised his sword.
And let it fall.
"Astral Blade — Final Stance: Flowing River."
There was no explosion.
No shockwave.
No roar of Qi.
Just a single, silent arc.
Yang froze.
Then his head slid from his shoulders and struck the ground with a dull sound.
Thud.
His body followed a heartbeat later, crashing to the ground.
"What… was that just now?" Tianyu staggered back, staring at the blade in his hand, disbelief flooding his face.
"Hahaha, look at him, he doesn't even realise what he just did, Ahh, that brat, I want him for myself now." Bo thought, a wide grin stretching over his face.
"Ha, ha, ha, how strong has he become?" Hou heaved, clucking her chest. "I feel like I'm watching a hero from the old night stories my nanny used to read, ha? Doesn't that make me the jade princess?" she blushed, covering her face.
"How stupid, what am I thinking?"
"What was that just now …?" Tianyu murmured, lifting the blade to examine its shin.
"This is the first time the Astral Blade has unfolded so smoothly."
The blade tuned back into blackened steel, and Tianyu Xing slid the weapon back into the Spirit Book, sealing its restless intent. He then turned toward Huǒ Yànhuā, who had already forced herself upright.
She rushed toward him.
"Hey, you—"
The moment her hand touched his sleeve, Qi surged violently between them.
Tianyu felt his Flame Qi swell within his dantian, responding instinctively, drawn toward the cold, piercing purity of her Ice Qi. The clash was brief but sharp, like sparks striking flint.
Before either of them could react.
"Enough, little rabbits."
The voice boomed; it carried no anger nor malice, but an invisible commanding force that made the entire battlefield freeze.
Cài Lǐ had spoken.
"No more fighting," he continued calmly. "Time is up."
No one dared to move, or rather, you could say they couldn't; every word he spoke carried his martial intent.
"Well then," he said lightly, extending his martial will through the entire space, "it's time to sort out the weeds."
His hands lifted, fingers dancing through the air with casual precision. Blue lines of Qi formed beneath his movements, and as his fingertips traced ancient patterns.
Rumble!
The ground trembled.
Brilliant blue sigils erupted from beneath the earth, layer upon layer of glowing arrays unfolding across the battlefield like a vast chessboard.
High above, Bo let out a low whistle, still drinking from his gourd.
"You know, no matter how many times I see it, it's always impressive," he said. "The way you form and control arrays just using your Qi without any tools."
Cài Lǐ chuckled.
"Oh? Want me to teach you?" he teased. "I might consider it, if you give me that Silver Silk Wine of yours."
"No, no, absolutely not," Bo waved him off immediately. "Even if you taught me, I wouldn't learn it properly. I have no talent for that kind of thing."
He shrugged.
"The only thing I understand is the blade."
"Mm—hmph, fine then." Cài Lǐ smiled faintly. "Suit yourself, you cheapskate. I'm certain that if I offered to teach you for free, you'd leap at the opportunity."
"It's always one thing after another with these people," Tianyu muttered.
His eyes darted around instinctively as his Will Qi spread outward in every direction, thin, probing threads searching the space around him.
Nothing, no presence or Qi fluctuation, yet his instincts still screamed.
"You even mimicked a martial will…" Bo's eyes locked on Tianyu. "Just what kind of talent am I dealing with here…? I should warn him."
"Stop prying, or you will get yourself into trouble."
The voice boomed directly inside his mind.
Tianyu stiffened.
"What?" He snapped his head around, eyes scanning the skies, the battlefield, the empty air. "Who said that?"
There was no one.
"Withdraw your Qi," the voice continued calmly, yet with unmistakable menace.
"If you don't want to lose your life."
Then silence.
The pressure vanished.
Tianyu didn't hesitate.
He retracted his Will Qi instantly, drawing it back into himself as fast as he could. His heart slammed violently against his ribs, pounding twice as fast as before.
"Who the hell was that…?" he whispered, eyes wide.
"He would kill me if I didn't pull it back…?"
High above, hidden among the clouds, Bo glanced downward.
"Mmm… seems Cài Lǐ didn't sense it," he mused softly.
Below, Tianyu was still turning in place, his gaze sweeping the air—his Qi subtly reinforcing his eyes, trying to see the unseen.
Bo burst into laughter.
"Would you look at this kid," he said, amused. "Anyone else would've curled up by now, too scared to even look around."
He grinned.
"But this one he is still searching for me, by concentrating all his Qi on his eyes."
"Hahaha… I think we're going to get along just fine." He Chuckled.
"Array complete."
Cài Lǐ's voice rang out across the battlefield.
The glowing sigils beneath their feet pulsed, now laced with crimson and gold, incredible Qi humming through every line.
"Transport."
He placed two fingers in front of him and commanded.
In an instant, all the children who had managed to gather five jade tokens vanished, space folding as they were swept away from the battlefield.
"Mm. Those of you who failed to gather enough jades…" Cài Lǐ said calmly, his voice carrying without effort,
"…shall now become fodder for my Spirit-Devouring Array."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Before anyone could scream, plead, or run, the array activated.
He and Bo vanished, their figures dissolving into the air as if they had never been there at all.