Outer Sect Tournament (2)

The tournament had been ongoing for hours, and the arena buzzed with energy as disciples clashed in fierce battles. Xu Yan stood near the edge of the arena, his breathing steady but his body strained. His robe clung to his back from sweat, and his sword rested loosely in his grip.

At first, the matches had been a challenge. Using the Boundless Sword Technique in real combat for the first time felt awkward, each stance—Thrust, Sweep, and Cut—lacking fluidity. Every movement required conscious thought, and he often felt off-balance. Restricting his shadow qi only added to the difficulty, leaving him reliant on pure skill and experience.

Still, Xu Yan wasn't new to combat. Drawing on his time in the Qi Refining realm, he adapted quickly. His opponents, though eager and determined, were largely new to the realm, their lack of experience betraying them at crucial moments. Xu Yan capitalized on this, finding openings and refining his movements as the matches progressed.

One fight stood out in his mind. He had faced a tall, lanky disciple wielding a spear. The disciple was quick, using the spear's reach to keep Xu Yan at bay. With every thrust of the spear, Xu Yan was forced to step back, his attempts to close the distance thwarted by the weapon's range.

The disciple smirked, his confidence growing as Xu Yan was repeatedly forced on the defensive. "You won't get past me!" he shouted, lunging forward with a powerful strike aimed at Xu Yan's chest.

Xu Yan's eyes narrowed. The moment the spear tip darted forward, he sidestepped, his sword rising in a precise Thrust to deflect the shaft. The blade's tip grazed the spear just enough to redirect its momentum, throwing the disciple off balance. Xu Yan closed the distance in a single step, his movements sharper than before.

The disciple tried to recover, swinging the spear in a wide arc to keep Xu Yan away, but Xu Yan was already inside his guard. A fluid Sweep of his sword knocked the spear from the disciple's hands, sending it clattering to the ground. Without hesitation, Xu Yan followed up with a sharp Cut that stopped just short of the disciple's neck.

The crowd gasped as the disciple froze, his face pale. Slowly, he raised his hand in surrender, stepping back. Xu Yan lowered his sword without a word and left the stage.

With every match, his understanding of the Boundless Sword Technique deepened. Thrust, Sweep, and Cut—simple stances on the surface—began to reveal their hidden intricacies. His movements grew smoother, his transitions more instinctive. By the time he reached the top ten, Xu Yan felt his muscle memory solidifying.

But going any further in the tournament was out of the question. The only way to win at this stage would be to either use his shadow qi or rely on the techniques of the Azure Sky Sect—both impossible. Exposing his shadow qi would invite questions he couldn't afford to answer, and using the techniques of his former sect was even worse. It would draw the kind of attention that could end his life.

Leaning against the stone wall of the arena, Xu Yan exhaled deeply, his gaze distant. If this had been the past, he would have fought without hesitation, refusing to back down even against impossible odds. Back in the Azure Sky Sect, pride had driven him forward, no matter the cost. But now, he had no room for pride. Survival demanded patience, and patience required sacrifices.

"Next match!" Elder Rui's commanding voice echoed through the arena, silencing the crowd. "Xu Yan versus Yuan Mei!"

A ripple of excitement swept through the disciples. Yuan Mei was a name everyone recognized. Her strength was well-known in the outer sect, and it was said she was already on the cusp of Foundation Establishment. She was the favorite to win the tournament.

Xu Yan's lips curled into a faint smirk as he stepped forward. 'Perfect,' he thought. Losing to Yuan Mei wouldn't raise any suspicion. Everyone already expected her to win. For once, the circumstances worked in his favor.

...

Xu Yan and Yuan Mei stood across from each other on the wide stone stage, the air between them tense with anticipation. The crowd around the arena buzzed with murmurs and whispers, the disciples watching eagerly.

"Who is that standing against Yuan Mei?" one disciple asked, squinting at Xu Yan.

Another replied, "That's Xu Yan, one of Elder Mo Ying's disciples."

"Mo Ying? I've never heard of him before," the first said, sounding unimpressed.

"He only joined the sect recently," another chimed in. "Probably just another nobody trying to get lucky."

A fourth disciple snorted. "It doesn't matter who he is. Yuan Mei is destined to win this match. He doesn't stand a chance."

Xu Yan ignored the chatter, his gaze focused entirely on Yuan Mei. She stood confidently, her whip coiled loosely in her hand. A faint but oppressive aura of demonic qi radiated from the weapon, the air around it seeming to darken.

"Begin!" Elder Rui's commanding voice echoed through the arena, silencing the crowd.

Yuan Mei moved first, unfurling her whip with a sharp crack. The weapon lashed out like a serpent, the demonic qi surrounding it flickering ominously. Xu Yan sidestepped the attack with practiced ease, his grip tightening on his sword.

'If I'm going to lose, I still need to put up a convincing fight,' he thought, his eyes narrowing.

Yuan Mei's whip snapped through the air again, the tip glowing faintly with demonic qi. Xu Yan dodged to the side, his sword flashing as he deflected the strike. Sparks flew as the whip's energy collided with his blade, sending a faint tremor up his arm.

"Not bad," Yuan Mei said, her tone calm but laced with superiority. She flicked her wrist, the whip curling back before launching forward in another sharp strike.

Xu Yan shifted his stance, bringing his sword up in a precise Thrust to intercept the whip mid-air. The clash forced the whip to recoil, but Yuan Mei didn't hesitate. With a smooth motion, she spun the whip around, aiming a sweeping strike at Xu Yan's legs.

He leaped back, the whip carving into the ground where he had stood moments before. The sharp crack of the weapon echoed across the arena, drawing gasps from the watching disciples.

'Her control is incredible,' Xu Yan thought, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. Yuan Mei wasn't just strong—her movements were fluid, calculated, and unrelenting. She wasn't giving him any room to breathe.

Yuan Mei smirked, her whip coiling in her hand like a living creature. "You're quick, I'll give you that. But let's see how long you can keep dodging."

Xu Yan didn't respond, his focus razor-sharp. She lashed out again, the whip splitting into several strands mid-air, each one infused with demonic qi. The attack came from multiple angles, leaving him little room to maneuver.

Planting his feet, Xu Yan swung his sword in a wide arc, using a controlled Sweep to deflect as many strands as possible. Two strands still managed to graze him, leaving shallow cuts on his arm and leg. He hissed in pain but didn't falter, stepping forward to close the distance.

With a burst of speed, he launched himself toward Yuan Mei, his sword flashing in a precise Cut aimed at her midsection.

Yuan Mei's eyes narrowed as she stepped back, her whip snapping upward to intercept the strike. The blade and whip clashed in mid-air, demonic qi crackling as the two forces met. The impact forced both of them apart, the recoil pushing Xu Yan back several steps.

The crowd murmured, surprised at how long Xu Yan was holding out.

'Good,' Xu Yan thought, his breathing steady despite the strain. 'I just need to keep this up a little longer. Make it look real.'

Yuan Mei's expression darkened slightly, the faintest flicker of annoyance crossing her face. "You're more persistent than I expected," she said. The whip coiled around her arm as demonic qi surged along its length, the aura growing more oppressive.

Xu Yan tightened his grip on his sword, bracing himself. He could feel the fight reaching its peak. He would need to time his next moves carefully.