[QUICK AUTHOR NOTICE! 26th of July, 2025]
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Hello everyone, Scripted here! Before you continue reading, I want to take a moment to talk about something important.
Let me be upfront. If you've had this story in your collection since the early days and have been following along, you probably noticed that I've struggled to stay motivated to keep writing it. There are a few reasons why, so I'll lay them out in bullet points to keep it short.
• I think I made Shi Xingyun a bit too overpowered right from the start. Or maybe not exactly overpowered, but way too lucky. Finding something that valuable early on felt like too much. On top of that, I don't feel like I've done enough world-building or introduced enough characters. It's starting to feel a little too generic.
• My writing has been pretty inconsistent. Since I release chapters almost a month apart, and because I'm constantly trying to improve, I often go back and read old chapters and feel the urge to start over completely. But that's a huge task, especially when each chapter is around 1,200 words and takes me around 1-2 hours to make.
(Don't forget, I have to write it, read it, revise and edit it, read it again, and then publish it!)
• It takes a lot of time and energy to write. That becomes even harder when I'm feeling unmotivated, lacking discipline, or just don't have any ideas. By ideas, I mean what exactly to write. How to write certain things, what to put in the chapter, etc.
• I kind of regret sticking to only a first-person perspective. I think it would've been better as a hybrid between first and third person. That would've allowed me to explore more parts of the story. Sure, I could start doing that now, but it ties back into the whole motivation issue.
That being said, I'm not going to ask for donations, power stones, or anything like that. All I really ask is that you add this to your collection. That support alone helps a lot. Share it with friends, talk about it online, anything like that is genuinely appreciated.
Also, I'd love it if you checked out my other novels. Honestly, I enjoy writing those even more than this one. I spent more time planning them, building their worlds, and outlining their storylines. But for some reason, they haven't gained nearly as much attention. It's not a bad thing, just something I wish were different.
Still, for those of you who enjoy this series, I'll keep going. Maybe I'll find that spark again. Until then, thank you for sticking around. Enjoy the chapter!
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[CHAPTER START BELOW]
As the day progressed, my matches continued. None of the opponents were of any high standard whatsoever.
Second round? Thirty seconds.
Third round? Twelve seconds.
Fourth round? Not even five seconds.
Besides Xu Lingchuan, my fifth opponent somewhat caught my eye. Nothing about him was too notable, but he fought with a burning passion. He kept going until he blacked out and lasted much longer than the rest—three minutes.
Tomorrow is the day I fight Xu Lingchuan. I watched the first few of his matches, and it was complete and utter domination. He didn't seem ruthless—contrary to the rest of his clan or sect—but rather focused, calm, and gentle. Blissful might be the right word to use.
Perhaps that could all change tomorrow, but regardless, it was still domination. I've tried my best to analyze his attack patterns, and I'm fairly confident I can escape if I need to. The only problem is if he learns Spatial Locking... then I won't be able to win. I'm sure of it.
I'm merely at the second level of the Sword Dao—Unity of Body and Sword. Until I reach the third level, where I can manifest my sword intent, I won't even be able to make a small cut into space.
(A/N: Reached it during his training with the body tempering)
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, with barely an ounce of sleep thanks to my excitement, the time for the match had come.
The announcer called out both our names, and we headed to the arena.
Up close, he was much skinnier than he had appeared. His dominance gave off an illusion of immense strength, and I was hoping to meet someone on my level.
Xu Lingchuan spoke. "So you're Shi Xingyun, right?"
"Yes... I am."
He responded, "Good. I can finally go all out. Don't hold back on me either."
"I hadn't planned on it."
We bowed and walked to opposite ends of the arena. Shortly after, the referee slammed the flag into the ground.
Immediately, we bolted toward each other. While we had seen each other's fights, seeing something is entirely different from experiencing it.
He hadn't drawn his weapon yet, and I complied, following his lead.
He threw the first punch, which I blocked and swiftly countered with a high kick. He hadn't expected my speed but dodged just enough that I barely grazed his hair.
The technique I've been learning is for body tempering. It didn't teach me any martial arts. On the other hand, Lingchuan clearly learned martial arts from a master. If it weren't for my overwhelming speed and physical strength, I would've already lost.
(A/N: What was seen in Chapter 8 IS NOT martial arts that he learned nor can do of his own will yet.)
Every time I tried to attack—kicking, punching, headbutting, sweeping his feet—I only barely grazed him. In contrast, every one of his attacks connected with some part of my body. He landed a few solid body shots, and I couldn't take the beating anymore.
I dashed backward and pulled out my sword. My eyes locked onto him, searching for a weak point. There were a few, but they all seemed too good to be true. Whoever his master was must be at least Emperor-level...
Suddenly, a punch struck me in the ribs. I looked to my right. He had made a small tear in space and linked it to the area beside me—then hurled a punch through it.
I was strong, yes, but my body was still incomplete. His punch made a small fracture in my rib, and it ached badly.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened them, I refocused. With every breath, I honed my senses on the surroundings. Spreading thin qi strands across the arena, I could detect the slightest movement—from the blowing wind to his clothes shifting as he moved. It felt as if everything was under my control and time had slowed down.
Next to my head on the left, I sensed a strong disturbance and immediately intercepted it. He had tried to punch me again, this time aiming for my head.
I reached for his hand, grabbed it, pulled him through the space, and threw him aside.
He got up and wiped the dirt off his robes. "I'm not sure how you detected that, but I must say—it was quite impressive. But you know... I'm better at defending than I am at attacking. Yet, I've been the one on the offensive this entire time."
I laughed. "But I'm not the one who was on the ground?"
He gritted his teeth. "Then attack me. Properly this time. Let's see who ends up on the ground."
"I'll happily oblige your request. But is that okay though? I don't want to emba-"
He tried to cheap-shot me again, but I swiftly dodged the attack. "That's not nice."
The truth is, I'm not sure how to attack. I've only been able to take advantage of his mistakes so far. Other than that, anywhere I choose to strike feels like a trap.
The referee shouted, "Get a move on, you two! We have another match coming up. You need to fight now!"
I gripped my sword and slid into a stance. What form should I use? What's the most appropriate attack here? Think, think, think!
Although risky, an idea popped into my head. When I was learning the attack styles, one of the moves stood out that was perfect for this situation. The 13th move, Rebound Draw Slash. To perform it, one must intentionally become bait in the opponent's trap, making them lower their guard. Then, at the last second as they're attacking, you draw your sword at near-lightning speed and slash as hard as possible.
I wasn't fully confident in using this move. I had never practiced it before—only read about it and memorized it. It was extremely risky, especially considering the situation, and the probability of failure was very high.
But my sheer power wasn't working, and I had to find a way to break through his defenses. I could tell that the moment I got even remotely close, he would cheap-shot me the second I stopped focusing on the surroundings. Furthermore, he clearly had something else up his sleeve. I wasn't sure how he did it, but this wasn't the same fighting method he used in his previous matches to dominate.
I bolted toward him and he grinned. Suddenly, a sword appeared beneath me. I slammed the ground with my own sword and propelled myself away to the side.
It all made sense now. It wasn't just sneak attacks with his fists. He had genuine sneak attacks with swords scattered across the arena as he moved. I was even more certain now that he'd made hidden space tears across the arena that would slice me up the moment I touched them.
What am I even supposed to do now? "You... this is just a pathetic and cowardly way of fighting!"
He shrugged and gave a sinister grin. "Oh, what do you mean? Don't speak like a fool. It's obvious I'm not strong enough to confront you face to face, so I must resort to extra measures…"
He kept trying to sneak attack me with his fists. I had no choice but to dance for him like a puppet. He was clearly luring me into a specific area. I needed to think. What must I do to win this battle?