As I sat at the back of my usual training spot, trying to show an especially uncooperative oak tree that it didn’t have to always grow vertically, I was suddenly interrupted by loud, excited voices from the main path.

  “Did you hear?”

  “...at the Outer Sect entrance!”

  “…there’s going to be a battle!”

  A number of Outer Disciples rushed by my hidden training area, their robes flowing behind them. And because I got distracted, the oak snapped back to its original position with what felt suspiciously like satisfaction.

  “Well,” Azure said, “looks like the disciples are excited about something violent once again.”

  I sighed, allowing my technique to fade away. “Do you think we should take a look?”

  “Given how these sorts of events usually turn out in cultivation novels… probably better to at least find out what is going on, at the very least.”

  I picked up my belongings and started heading towards the main path, where I spotted Wei Lin walking in the same direction as the crowd.

  “Wei Lin!” I called out. “What’s going on?”

  He turned, waiting for me to catch up. “You don’t know? Some servant challenged an Inner Disciple to mortal combat!”

  “Mortal combat?” I almost tripped. “Are you sure?”

  “That’s what everyone is saying,” Wei Lin said. “Come on, we don’t want to miss this!”

  As we hurried toward the Outer Sect entrance, I began to think about what mortal combat meant in this world. The Azure Peak Sect, like most righteous sects, had a number of rules concerning disciples killing each other. For example, disciples of the same cultivation level couldn’t kill each other without sufficient reason to do so. If they broke this rule, they would immediately be executed.

  Of course, that meant that most cultivators became creative with their methods of dealing with their rivals. Rather than killing, a cultivator might choose to intentionally cripple their rival’s cultivation abilities during a sparring match; or they might arrange for them to suffer an “unfortunate accident” while on a difficult mission.

  The one and only legal way for a cultivator to kill another cultivator was through an official mortal combat challenge. However, even then, there were rules. First, the challenger must have a legitimate grievance against the person they were challenging. Second, both individuals must be of roughly the same cultivation level. For instance, a Core Disciple couldn’t just challenge an Outer Disciple they didn’t like, that would be seen as bullying the weak, and would be beneath the dignity of a righteous sect.

  “A servant challenging an Inner Disciple,” I mused as we walked. “That sounds like someone is either extremely confident or extremely desperate.”

  “Or extremely stupid,” Wei Lin added. “Although I heard the servant used to be—”

  Wei Lin stopped speaking as soon as we reached the growing crowd at the Outer Sect entrance. People were creating a rough circle around two people, and as soon as I saw them, I knew exactly what was happening.

  Wu Kangming was standing opposite Zhou Ming, however, he didn’t look anything like the pale, sickly Outer Disciple that I’d previously known. His posture was straight and proud, his face had filled out, and there was an air of danger surrounding him that I was certain was not there before. And he wore simple white robes that appeared to be more elegant than Zhou’s elaborate water patterned blue robes.

  “Oh no,” I muttered. “Oh no no no…”

  “Master?” Azure asked. “Your heart rate just skyrocketed.”

  “Remember how I said that Wu Kangming had all the signs of a protagonist? Mysterious disappearance, cultivation crippled by an arrogant young master, lost love interest?” I watched Wu Kangming’s stance and observed how completely at ease he seemed to be despite facing someone who was supposed to be multiple cultivation levels above him. “This is the scene after his power-up, the revenge scene.”

  Zhou Ming was glaring at Wu Kangming with a mix of confusion and disdain. “You dare challenge me to mortal combat? A lowly servant who couldn’t even keep his position as an Outer Disciple?”

  If Zhou had any understanding of the genre, he would be on his hands and knees begging for mercy at this point. However, that wasn’t how these scenes usually played out. The arrogant young master never recognizes the threat until it was too late.

  “Are you even worthy of knowing my name?” Zhou sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “I for sure don’t remember yours, I’ve stepped on too many insects to remember them all.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The crowd reacted immediately:

  “Such arrogance!”

  “But he is an Inner Disciple… ”

  “The servant must have a death wish!”

  “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

  I noticed Wu Kangming’s gaze flicking to a darkened alcove near the sect gates. Inside the alcove, partially concealed behind a pillar, stood Wu Lihua. She had an unreadable expression, but I saw how her fingers were gripping the pillar a little too tightly. Wu Kangming’s small smile meant that he had also spotted her.

  “This is going to be bad,” I whispered to Wei Lin. “Really, really bad.”

  “What do you mean?” Wei Lin asked, “Zhou Ming has recently advanced to the 7th Stage of Qi Condensation. Wu Kangming was only at the 2nd Stage of Qi Condensation before his injury and now...” Wei Lin trailed off as he finally noticed what I had been staring at. “Is that a sword on his back?”

  Yes. It was a sword. A simple sword in a black scabbard. No fancy decorations, no obvious magical effects. Yet, something about it caused my spiritual senses to feel an unpleasant tingling sensation. It probably was related to how I knew that Wu Kangming had never shown any talent with a sword before.

  The crowd’s excited murmuring ceased as they began to separate and form a loose semi-circle revealing Senior Sister Liu, whose aura alone was capable of making weaker disciples involuntarily take a step back.

  “A challenge has been issued,” she announced. “Wu Kangming, formerly an Outer Disciple and now a servant of the Azure Peak Sect, has challenged Inner Disciple Zhou Ming to mortal combat. State your grievance.”

  Wu Kangming spoke calmly and slowly. “Five weeks ago, during a spar, Zhou Ming deliberately attacked me with the intention to cripple rather than to test. He destroyed my cultivation base.” A short pause. “I have come to return the favor ten-fold.”

  The crowd erupted into murmurings:

  “He admits that he wants revenge!”

  “But he’s just a servant now… ”

  “However, his eyes …”

  “I think he has lost his mind…”

  “Zhou Ming should just refuse…”

  But I knew that Zhou wouldn’t refuse. Arrogant young masters never do. Already his face was red with rage. Even if he sensed that something was wrong, his own arrogance would prevent him from backing down.

  “Since you’re courting death,” Zhou spat, “I’ll grant your wish!”

  “The challenge has been accepted,” Senior Sister Liu nodded. “Everyone, please proceed to the Combat Arena. This matter will be resolved fairly and squarely.”

  As the crowd began to move toward the Combat Arena, I fell in line with Wei Lin and Lin Mei, who had just joined us.

  “This is wrong,” Lin Mei whispered softly. “Zhou Ming might be arrogant, but he is an Inner Disciple. Wu Kangming was barely holding his own with other Outer Disciples before his injury. Now he’s challenging someone that is several cultivation realms above him?”

  “Unless,” Wei Lin mused, “he’s not as weak as he seems.”

  “He’s definitely not,” I said, continuing to observe Wu Kangming’s sword. “Look at how he moves. That’s not the gait of a cripple who has suffered serious injuries. That’s the gait of a person that is extremely comfortable with their own strength.”

  When we arrived at the Combat Arena, I had to admit it was a magnificent sight.

  I had never been here before – Outer Disciples normally trained in the smaller practice fields.

  This was where the real battles happened, where tournaments determined advancement and challenges were settled permanently.

  The arena itself was a raised platform approximately 50 meters in diameter and enclosed by a series of protective array formations. The tiered seating encircled the arena and was currently filling with excited disciples. The afternoon sunlight illuminated the stone floor of the arena, showing signs of countless previous battles.

  “The Outer Sect tournament will be held in the Combat Arena in around three months,” Wei Lin mentioned, as he noted my interest in the arena. “Are you going to participate?”

  I hadn’t put much thought into it if I was being honest.

  But with the Primordial Wood Arts, I actually had a reasonable chance… unless some other unknown protagonist emerged from the shadows. “Maybe. Though after today, I’m starting to think that tournaments might become much more interesting than normal.”

  We managed to find a few empty seats in the middle section, close enough to view everything clearly but far enough to avoid any stray energy blasts that might result from the fight.

  The protective formations would likely manage any stray energy blasts anyway, but I had read enough cultivation novels to know how rapidly and easily these battles could escalate.

  Zhou Ming was standing at one end of the arena going through a lengthy stretching routine that produced ripples of water-attributed qi throughout his blue robes. He retrieved a blue-colored sword that seemed to emit a humming noise with qi – clearly a high-quality spirit tool.

  At the other end of the arena, Wu Kangming remained motionless, his sword still sheathed on his back. His white robes gently swayed in the breeze that seemed to affect nothing else.

  “You know,” Azure mused, “from that bully, Zhou Ming's, qi signature, I can sense that his spiritual essence is approximately 85 units — that matches his 7th Stage Qi Condensation. His physical essence is 52 units, which is 7 units higher than I'd expect for his cultivation realm… His Mountain Maker technique appears to favor sheer brute force.”

  “And Wu Kangming?”

  A brief pause.

  “I can’t get a clear reading. His qi signature is… unusual. Almost as if… ”

  I winced. “Let me guess – his spiritual fluctuations match patterns typically associated with possessed cultivators?”

  “Not quite possessed, but certainly not typical. There is a secondary energy signature interwoven with his own centered on that sword.”

  That was some luck.

  Not only had Wu Kangming apparently discovered some sort of ancient legacy during his convenient disappearance, he might also have a literal sword ghost helping him. That moved him from “most likely the protagonist of this plot” to “absolutely the main character.”

  “This is a mortal combat challenge,” Senior Sister Liu declared from the edge of the arena. “The only way you can win is by killing your opponent.”

  She paused for a moment, looking at the two cultivators. “Wu Kangming, as the challenger, you have waived any possible protections afforded to you as a former disciple. Should you lose, your death will be documented as a direct consequence of your decision to issue this challenge. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Wu Kangming responded calmly.

  “Zhou Ming, as the challenged party, you have accepted combat with someone below your rank. Should you lose, the sect will document that you chose to engage in this duel of your own free will. Your clan will receive no compensation. Do you understand?”

  “Just get on with the match,” Zhou growled. “I’ll finish this quickly.”

  Senior Sister Liu’s demeanor remained unchanged, although I detected a faint sense of disapproval emanating from her qi.

  “Very well. Start!”