In the upper pavilion overlooking the arena, a group of elders sat behind a half-curtained screen.
They didn't speak right away.
They watched the field reset after the first round.
Disciples moved quietly now—focused. Tense.
The atmosphere had shifted since Dawn stepped off the platform.
Finally, Elder Qin broke the silence.
"That wasn't spiritual pressure. That was something more Deep."
"Soul-based?" Elder Mu asked.
"Very likely," Lanyue said, watching the boy sit alone in the shade, away from the others.
"Something old. Something quiet. Probably forgotten secret arts."
"Then how did he learn it?"
"Maybe he didn't," Lanyue said. She didn't explain anything else.
They returned their attention to the duel roster.
Round two would begin.
And the field was now watching each other, and not just the prize.
Second Round Duels Begin
Match: Yue Shanshan vs. Senior Disciple Lei Wen.
Yue stepped onto the stage calmly.
Her opponent, Lei Wen, wasn't new. He'd been in the sect for nearly a year—an outer court senior, holding Qi Refining Stage 5.(as older outer court desciple can also participate for the testing purposes)
He smiled politely, bowing low with one hand over his chest. His stance was firm—orthodox sword school, wide form, strong foundation.
"I've seen your bladework. It's sharp."
Yue said nothing. She drew her saber.
The match opened slow.
Lei Wen kept distance, measuring her movements.
Yue waited for overextension—eyes never leaving his wrists.
He struck first, sliding in with a crescent slash from below. A test.
Yue pivoted slightly and angled her saber—not to block, but to redirect.
The clash rang out, and she spun low, forcing him to shift stance or lose footing.
He adjusted.
She pressed.
The fight turned sharp—no shouting, no wasted movement.
Yue didn't aim to break through.
She chipped at his stance, rotated angles, forced resets.
When Lei Wen finally grew impatient and went for a power thrust, she was already behind him.
A shallow cut opened across the back of his shoulder—enough to end it.
He paused. Then raised both hands in surrender.
"That wasn't speed," he said.
"You unraveled my form."
She bowed, expression unchanged.
...
In the crowd, Li Heng smiled faintly.
"Top three," he whispered.
.....
Match: Mei Lin vs. Bo Staff User (Qi Stage 4)
Mei Lin's next opponent had reach.
(Is a kind of weopen)
And he used it well—staff sweeps, vaults, low-angle strikes meant to disrupt a bow-user's footing.
She adjusted. Her first two arrows missed. The third embedded into the arena stone—on purpose.
It slowed his movement for a moment—he caught his heel on the fletching. That was all she needed.
Fourth arrow: blunt point to the side of the knee.
Fifth arrow: palm-wide shot right between his hands.
He dropped the staff.
She nocked a sixth, but didn't release.
He yielded.
....
The crowd started to understand.
This wasn't about strength anymore.
This round was about control, reading, and using weakness.
.....
Match: Zhao Ren vs. Talisman Disciple
Zhao faced a tactical opponent—a talisman trap specialist, who used burst-lighting glyphs and ground-trigger runes.
He didn't rush.
He walked.
Triggered every trap on purpose—burned a shoulder, took a shock to the ribs—
But he never lost ground.
When he reached the caster, he didn't strike.
He caught the man's wrist with two fingers and held it there.
"I know every rune you placed," he said calmly.
"You should've drawn fewer."
The talisman user sighed.
And surrendered.
...
In the distance, Wei Feng crossed his arms.
"They're all playing cautious now," he muttered.
"That's not strength."
He turned his eyes again toward Dawn.
The boy hadn't moved.
Didn't even watch the fights.
That bothered him more than anything.
Dawn's name wasn't called this round.
He had advanced with a bye—too few contestants for a clean bracket.
Still, everyone glanced his way between matches.
Like they were waiting for him to stand again.
End of Chapter Fourteen