---
The air over the forest clearing still shimmered faintly from the remnants of the previous duel.
Yoru sat cross-legged on a smooth stone, the last of Tianzun's healing pill dissolving in her mouth. Her breathing was calm, but her gaze held a stubborn fire. The duel against her master had exposed layers of weakness she hadn't noticed before—and Tianzun had fought her without even using Dou Qi.
As she leaned back, sighing quietly, Tianzun approached and handed her a waterskin.
"Recover well," he said. "I'll need you ready for round two soon."
Yoru blinked at him, then narrowed her eyes. "So sure I'd survive the first?"
"Of course. I trained you."
Behind them, Xun'er stood silently, watching the exchange with measured curiosity. Her gaze lingered on Tianzun—particularly on how casually he moved, how deeply calculated his words were.
"Your control is fascinating," she said.
Tianzun turned, his eyes glinting. "Care to test it firsthand?"
Xun'er raised an eyebrow. "You're inviting me to duel?"
"You came here to train, didn't you? I'm merely helping."
She hesitated, the wind brushing strands of her hair across her face.
"This won't be like the match with Yoru," she warned.
Tianzun nodded. "Good. I'd be disappointed if it was."
Xun'er stepped forward, adjusting the belt at her waist. Her expression changed—no longer the soft, poised heir of the Gu Clan, but a sharpened version. Cool. Intent.
"Then I won't hold back."
Tianzun tilted his head slightly, smiling. "And I wouldn't dream of asking you to."
---
They made their way back into the clearing, the tall grass shifting beneath their feet like whispers.
Yoru, now seated at the edge of the battleground, watched with crossed arms.
Xun'er pulled her sleeves back slowly, her fingers crackling faintly with the golden shimmer of her clan's secret Dou Qi.
Tianzun merely rolled his neck, then stretched his arms.
No armor. No stance. No visible activation of Dou Qi.
"You're not... powering up?" Xun'er asked.
Tianzun smiled. "Physics is enough."
Her eyes narrowed.
---
🌌 The Duel Begins
Xun'er vanished from her place with a burst of speed, appearing behind Tianzun in a flash. Her palm was already glowing with concentrated force—a Gu Clan piercing strike meant to paralyze the shoulder.
But Tianzun had moved before she struck.
Not vanished.
Just... shifted.
He had angled his body sideways and dropped low, catching her arm with his wrist and redirecting her force into the air behind them.
"What?"
She landed cleanly but frowned.
Tianzun stood still, hands relaxed at his sides.
"You rely on trajectory more than energy," he said. "That makes your strikes predictable if your opponent knows the geometry."
Xun'er said nothing, but she moved again, faster.
Five strikes. Each from a different angle.
Each was nullified—not with counters, but redirection.
He used subtle angles, levers of her momentum, weight distribution—as if her attacks were raindrops sliding off a roof.
Yoru muttered from the sidelines. "What is this fighting style...?"
---
🔥 The Revelation (Partial)
Xun'er jumped back, panting lightly.
Tianzun hadn't even broken a sweat.
"You're reading my body like a book," she said.
"Not your body. Your decisions."
He tapped his temple.
"Combat is language. You speak with muscles. I listen with math."
A pause.
Xun'er laughed softly. "You're a very arrogant man."
"Only when I'm right."
---
She responded with a real technique this time.
🔥 Gu Clan Technique: Ember Veil Blooming!
A spinning disc of flame-wrapped petals exploded from her hands, slicing through the air like a chakra wheel.
Tianzun didn't dodge.
He stepped directly into its path.
And crouched.
With his foot, he kicked a single stone upward—right into the air path of the disc.
The timing was obscene.
The disc bent. Twisted. Missed.
The stone had tilted its trajectory by less than two degrees.
But it was enough.
Xun'er's breath caught in her throat.
"That... should have taken your head."
"Only if it flew straight."
---
💥 The Final Clash
Xun'er narrowed her eyes and leapt forward again, fists blazing with golden fire.
She didn't use techniques now.
Only speed.
Tianzun allowed her to close the distance.
Their bodies danced between strikes and counters, each move a test of reflexes, intelligence, and control.
Finally, she overextended—a sweep that went too wide.
Tianzun stepped inside the arc.
And with a single finger, tapped her center of gravity.
She stumbled.
Tianzun turned her momentum against her and pinned her shoulder softly.
"You left your hip exposed."
Xun'er froze.
Then exhaled.
And stepped back, bowing slightly.
"I concede."
Tianzun returned the bow. "Thank you."
Yoru clapped from the sidelines. "Gods above. You made that look like a physics lecture."
Tianzun chuckled. "That's because it was."
---
Xun'er walked beside him as they exited the clearing.
"What kind of person trains to fight like that?"
"Someone who had no magic for a very long time."
Her eyes flicked to him. "You speak of your past as if it's a myth."
"Maybe it is. Or maybe I just don't want to remember the ending yet."
Yoru joined them, stretching her arms.
"My turn again tomorrow. I'll beat you yet."
Tianzun smiled faintly. "Without Dou Qi, you might."
---
End of Chapter 24