The courtyard air was thick with expectation. The earlier matches had stripped away pretenses, familar faces like Yao Lin and Mei Yun had also been eliminated. Now only four remained, each carrying the weight of their academy, their kingdom, or themselves.
Li Wei stood calm, though beneath his steady breath his late-stage qi pulsed like a river pressing against a dam. He had revealed it already; there was no hiding it now. Whispers followed him wherever he walked, admiration mixing with unease.
The attendant's staff struck stone. "First bout—Li Wei versus Jian Tao."
A murmur swept the stands.
The crown prince stepped forward, crimson and gold robes flowing like flame. His qi radiated late-stage refinement, denser than Li Wei's, sharpened by years of guidance and resources. To those watching, the difference was palpable.
"Nearly peak…" one elder whispered. "The crown prince has not wasted his birthright."
Li Wei met his gaze without flinching. Where Jian Tao's qi pressed outward like a mantle of authority, Li Wei's was tighter, honed inward, more blade than crown.
They bowed—barely—and the battle began.
Jian Tao moved first, metallic qi sheathing his sword in a gleam that turned the sun itself into an ally. His opening strike cut wide and fast, enough to cleave through three men if they stood in line. Li Wei stepped just outside the arc, his own blade humming as wind gathered along the edge.
The collision rang like struck bronze. Jian Tao pressed forward relentlessly, his strikes flowing in precise sequences drilled into him since childhood. Every angle, every pivot of the wrist carried training from masters paid in gold.
Li Wei bent, yielded, redirected. His Whirlwind Slashes did not clash head-on but skimmed Jian Tao's power away, bleeding momentum from killing blows. Yet each parry carried cost—the weight of Jian Tao's cultivation pressed against his guard like a mountain against a stream.
From the crowd came sharp whispers."Both late-stage…""…but the crown prince's qi is thicker.""Li Wei fights uphill."
The duel quickened. Jian Tao drove his sword downward, qi exploding like thunder. The platform cracked beneath the blow. Dust rose—then split as Li Wei surged through it, his blade flickering once, twice, forcing Jian Tao to pivot back. A shallow cut marked his sleeve.
The crowd gasped. It was proof: Li Wei could match him, not merely defend.
Jian Tao's jaw tightened. He unleashed a storm of metallic arcs, qi ringing like a chorus of steel. Li Wei answered with flowing steps, his blade rising and falling with the rhythm of wind, guiding every clash to harmless angles. Then—at the perfect instant—he struck, a thrust like lightning, precise and unhesitating.
The point stopped at Jian Tao's chest, tip resting against the fabric of his robe.
Silence fell.
The elder's hand rose. "Victory—Li Wei."
Shock rippled outward. Jian Tao stood frozen for a breath before stepping back, face calm though his aura churned. He turned without protest, crimson robes trailing as he left the platform.
"Second bout—Liang Fei versus Shen Mu."
Liang Fei strode forward, broad-shouldered, his fists wrapped in worn cloth. His qi burned steady, at the very peak of mid-stage refinement, his body like a mountain tempered through collision. Across from him, Shen Mu drew his blade in silence. His qi too pressed at the peak of mid-stage, but where Liang Fei was earth, Shen Mu was steel—razor intent humming faintly around him.
"Two peak mid-stages…" someone whispered. "But both strike like late-stage monsters."
They bowed once. Then the clash began.
Shen Mu's blade flashed, every strike carrying surgical precision, each swing meant to end the fight in one clean motion. Liang Fei met them not with elegance but with force—fists wrapped in qi slamming against steel, the sound of impact shaking the stands.
Sparks scattered like falling stars. The platform cracked beneath their feet.
Liang Fei surged in close, fists pounding like war drums. Shen Mu pivoted, his blade carving arcs that sliced across Liang Fei's arms and chest. Shallow lines of blood appeared, but the brawler ignored them, grin flashing as he drove forward.
"He's letting himself be cut," Mei muttered, horror and awe mixing in her voice. "Trading flesh for victory…"
Shen Mu tried to widen distance, his footwork weaving patterns that split space. But mountains do not retreat. Liang Fei pressed, fists weaving into combinations honed not by tutors but by endless combat. One blow crashed against Shen Mu's guard, another hammered his ribs, the third shattered his stance.
The sword arm faltered.
Liang Fei's final strike drove Shen Mu to his knee, blood spilling at the corner of his mouth. Yet even then Shen Mu's blade did not fall. He tapped it once against the stone in salute before lowering his head.
"Victory—Liang Fei."
The courtyard roared, half in awe, half in disbelief. The brawler had toppled the prodigy swordsman.
The two victors returned to the waiting area, sweat darkening their robes. Attendants moved between them with trays of water and light medicine, though neither man showed interest in rest.
The crowd buzzed, voices overlapping:"Li Wei—he beat the crown prince!""Liang Fei—he crushed Shen Mu head-on!""Finals between them… who can say?"
From the higher seats, Mei leaned forward, eyes fixed on Li Wei, relief warring with worry. Xu Feng's brow furrowed, his arms crossed as if weighing fates. Jian Tao sat apart, face unreadable, though the faint tightening of his jaw betrayed the sting of defeat.
The elder of the Heavenly Dragon Sect lifted his sleeve. "A short recess."
The announcement eased the tension slightly, allowing whispers to swell. Some disciples closed their eyes to meditate. Others pressed together, debating the outcome of the final bout.
Li Wei sat cross-legged, qi coursing steady through his meridians, his wounds already knitting under the flow. His eyes were calm, but inside a fire burned—this was the battle he had been moving toward from the start.
Across the courtyard, Liang Fei rolled his shoulders, flexing hands still raw with blood. He sat like a mountain at rest, but his eyes never left Li Wei.
The air between them was heavy, two storms waiting to break.
Above them, the elder's gaze flicked from one to the other. His expression gave nothing away, yet for the first time his fingers tapped lightly against his staff, as though even he was curious what would come.
The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching across the arena. The final bout drew near.
And when it began, the outcome would shake more than just the stage.