The spectral maw of the azure dragon hung above the arena, a vortex of shimmering, deadly energy. It promised a swift, brutal, and extremely public demise. Every sane instinct, every fiber of my being, screamed at me to run, to burrow into the ground, to do anything but walk toward it.
But my body was not my own. The [Three Breaths of Shadowless Step] had another breath in its metaphorical lungs, and it was now being used not for a life-saving dodge, but for a suicidal advance.
This is a nightmare. I'm going to be remembered as the man who tried to pet a hurricane. They'll tell stories about my stupidity for generations. My ghost is going to be so embarrassed.
To the crowd, it was a moment of transcendent bravery.
Li Yao didn't even flinch. As the pressure from the Azure Dragon's Bite technique buckled the very flagstones around him, he took a calm, deliberate step forward. Then another. He walked toward Chen Wei, who was now a conduit of incandescent rage, with the serene air of a man strolling through a garden.
"What is he doing?!" a disciple shrieked.
"He's walking into the attack! Is he mad?"
"No…" Feng Qing breathed, her eyes glued to my form. "He's not walking into the attack. He's negating it. His presence, his sheer spiritual pressure, is calming the violent energy! He's proving that a perfected state of mind is superior to any martial technique!"
I have the spiritual pressure of a damp teabag! The only thing I'm negating is my own life expectancy!
My third and final "breath" of magic footwork was expended on the last step. I was now standing directly in front of Chen Wei, so close I could see the sweat on his brow and the broken blood vessels in his eyes. The immense energy of the Azure Dragon's Bite swirled around me, tugging at my robes, yet it felt strangely… distant. It was like standing in the eye of a storm.
The spectral dragon above us faltered, its form flickering. It wasn't my non-existent spiritual pressure. It was Chen Wei's own shock. His brain, already reeling from the impossible dodge, simply could not compute what was happening. His concentration wavered, and his control over the technique slipped.
The mandate was screaming in my head. My arm, heavy as lead, began to lift.
I am so sorry, Chen Wei. Please know that in my heart of hearts, I respect you. Well, I don't respect you, you're an arrogant bully, but I respect your right to not be condescendingly patted on the head while you're trying to murder someone. It's just common courtesy.
My hand, guided by an invisible force, moved with agonizing slowness.
And then, it happened.
Pat.
My palm made contact with the top of Chen Wei's head. It was a soft, gentle sound, yet in the ringing silence of the arena, it echoed like a thunderclap.
Chen Wei froze. The entire world froze. The swirling azure dragon overhead dissipated into nothing more than a few glittering motes of light. The oppressive pressure vanished.
Then, my voice, still cold and detached, spoke the words that would seal my fate.
"There, there," it said, the tone utterly devoid of sympathy, making it sound a thousand times more insulting. "It's alright to be weak. Admitting it is the first step."
I WANT TO DIE I WANT TO DIE I WANT TO DIIIIIE! JUST LET THE GROUND SWALLOW ME WHOLE! THIS IS WORSE THAN SPLEEN COMBUSTION! THIS IS SOUL COMBUSTION!
The silence that followed was a new kind of silence. It was dense, horrified, and beautiful.
Then came the thud.
Chen Wei's eyes rolled back into his head. The fury, the humiliation, the sheer psychological whiplash of it all was too much for his mind to bear. He collapsed, fainting dead away and landing in an ungraceful heap at my feet. His sword, Azure Wave, clattered to the flagstones beside him.
For a long moment, nobody moved. They just stared. At me. At the unconscious form of their sect's greatest prodigy lying at my feet. At my hand, still hovering in the air where his head used to be.
The scene was stark and unambiguous: The enigmatic master had not only defeated the prodigy, he had done so without a single attack, breaking his spirit with nothing more than a quiet word and a gentle pat. It was a humiliation so total, so absolute, that it looped back around to become a legendary act of dominance.
A notification, glowing with triumphant light, seared itself into my vision.
[Grandstanding Mandate complete. Pride of the Target: Annihilated.]
[Emotional State: Spirit-Crushing Humiliation -> Unconsciousness. Chaos conversion efficiency: 300%]
[Massive Chaos infusion detected. Granting Superior Reward.]
A warmth spread through my chest, far more potent than the gentle heat of the Marrow-Cleansing Liquid vial. This was different. This wasn't a material object.
[Reward: Spiritual Infusion - Qi Refining Realm, Stage 2]
A torrent of pure, refined spiritual energy, born from the ashes of Chen Wei's pride, surged through my meridians. My dantian, a barren wasteland for sixteen years, was flash-flooded with power. The bottleneck that had kept this body at the first stage of Qi Refining—the absolute bottom of the cultivation ladder—was shattered instantly.
I had advanced. Not through hard work. Not through talent. But through weaponized condescension.
Simultaneously, the cold weight around my soul intensified.
[Widespread Acclaim detected. Misinterpretation Level: Legendary.]
[The Chains of Acclaim have been greatly strengthened.]
[Inherent Cultivation Speed: -15%]
It was a cruel joke. The System gave me a burst of cultivation, only to immediately cripple my ability to ever do it myself. It was feeding me with one hand while shackling me with the other.
Finally, the dam of silence broke.
"He… he made him faint?"
"He defeated Chen Wei with a single touch…"
"That wasn't a touch! That was a spiritual attack that targeted the mind! A soul technique!"
Feng Qing was trembling, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Guidance by humiliation," she whispered, her voice filled with awe. "He had to shatter Senior Brother Chen's pride to allow him to rebuild his martial heart on a stronger foundation! This wasn't an act of cruelty… it was an act of profound mercy!"
Mercy?! I psychologically broke him! He's going to need years of therapy! He'll have nightmares about being patted! YOU ARE ALL INSANE!
Several of Chen Wei's lackeys rushed forward, their faces pale. They checked on their master, found him breathing but unresponsive, and looked at me with a mixture of terror and awe.
An Elder of the outer sect, who had been observing from the sidelines, finally found his voice. He was a stern man who had never given me the time of day. Now, he approached me cautiously, his back bowed in a gesture of respect.
"Young… Master Li," he stammered, using a title I had absolutely no right to. "That was… an unorthodox but brilliant display. Your comprehension of the martial path is beyond anything I have ever seen."
Please stop talking. Every nice word you say is another nail in my coffin.
I gave him the only look my external persona knew: one of cold, silent disdain. Internally, I was begging him to just insult me. Call me a cheat. Accuse me of using dark arts. Anything to generate some Chaos to offset this suffocating wave of Acclaim.
The Elder flinched back as if struck. "Ah… forgive this one's impertinence. A master like you obviously has no need for the praise of a lowly elder." He bowed again, even deeper this time.
The Chains tightened further.
I needed to get out of here. I needed to find a quiet corner, count my blessings (one vial of liquid, one cultivation level), and bemoan my curses (existential dread, crippling fame).
Without another word, my body turned. It bent down, picked up the fallen Azure Wave sword from the ground, and began to walk away, leaving a hundred stunned disciples and one comatose prodigy in its wake.
Picking up the sword was a final, parting shot of arrogance. The ultimate trophy.
But I had a much more practical, terrifying reason for it.
The System had just given me a new notification.
[The Victor claims his spoils. Thematic Cohesion must be maintained.]
[New Mandate: You are a Sword Master. You have no need for inferior blades.]
[Action: Find the Sect's Great Forge. In front of the alchemy masters, use the Azure Wave sword to stoke the coals, then discard it into the furnace.]
My blood ran cold.
I am going to start a war.