The transformed Zhou was at least 4 meters tall, with the perfect combination of rock and flesh. The patterns of mountain-related qi swirled across his rock-like skin, and his aura had reached what azure called the peak of 7th stage Qi Condensation.

  With each of his steps, the floor cracked beneath his feet, sending shockwaves through the entire structure. his rock fists created visible distortions in the air as he swung them.

  For the first time since the battle had begun, Wu Kangming's expression turned serious.

  "Nine Heavens Astral Blade Art," he whispered, his voice audible over the approaching thud of Zhou as he held out his sword in what looked like a deceptively simple stance, "Azure Edge."

  Qi rushed into his sword with incredible ferocity, causing the blade to glow with a blue light.

  What was impressive about it was that the qi was perfectly contained, perfectly controlled.

  There wasn’t even a single drop wasted on showmanship or intimidation.

  Wu Kangming moved before Zhou's transformed body closed in on him.

  The fight-ending strike was a single, swift slash, so clean and precise that it seemed to cut the air itself.

  A large blue energy blade extended from his sword, covering the entire length of the arena in a perfect arc.

  It sliced through the giant stone body as if it were paper.

  For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened, and Zhou continued his charge, his massive fist descended towards Wu Kangming's position.

  Then the stone giant began to fall apart.

  It started at the exact point where the energy blade had passed through, creating a single line of cracks. That line quickly branched into dozens, then hundreds of cracks that spread rapidly all over.

  Zhou took one more step before his body literally disintegrated.

  The stone body crumbled like a statue that had been hit by lightning, large rocks crashing to the ground to reveal... nothing. And what was terrifying was that Zhou's physical body had been cleaved so cleanly in half that there was almost no blood.

  The arena was completely silent.

  Wu Kangming remained standing still at the exact point where he had delivered the killing blow, his sword still slightly radiating a faint blue light.

  Senior Sister Liu stepped forward. "The victor of this mortal combat," she declared, "is Wu Kangming."

  The crowd erupted into a cacophony of stunned whispers and excited exclamation.

  Inner disciples were already debating the specifics of the sword technique that Wu Kangming had demonstrated, while outer disciples seemed to be unsure whether to celebrate or cower in fear at witnessing one of their former oppressors being killed so violently.

  I noticed that Wu Lihua had disappeared from her watching spot, although I couldn't figure out whether she had done so before or after Wu Kangming's final strike.

  As for the man himself, Wu Kangming sheathed his sword with the same nonchalant demeanour he had displayed throughout the entirety of the battle, his eyes briefly locked onto mine for a second.

  There was something ancient in that gaze, something that shouldn't have existed in the eyes of a young cultivator, then Wu Kangming smiled, it wasn’t the cold expression he had shown to Zhou, but something else that I couldn't quite understand, and then he just walked away.

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

  “Well," Wei Lin said amidst the ongoing chaos, "I suppose we all have an idea of where he disappeared for the past few weeks.”

  “And who he was learning from,” I added silently, keeping that thought to myself.

  Whether it was the spirit of Sword Saint or another legacy, Wu Kangming had certainly discovered something during his time away. Something that had changed a failed outer disciple into the type of swordsman that appeared only in ancient legends.

  "The sect is going to be very interesting for a while," Lin Mei murmured. "An inner disciple killed by a servant using lost sword techniques? Every young master in the sect will be..." She trailed off, and I followed her gaze to a group of blue-robed disciples that were already getting together, their expressions dark with rage.

  I immediately realised what was going on.

  Even though Zhou Ming might have been arrogant, he was still one of them.

  For him to lose to a former outer disciple, someone they considered beneath them, would be seen as a personal insult to all inner disciples.

  Unfortunately, cultivators really were that petty.

  "We should get out of here," I said quietly. "Things are about to get messy, and I’d prefer to not be anywhere near when they do."

  As we left the arena, I couldn't help but wonder how all of this would unfold.

  Wu Kangming had just announced his protagonist status in the most dramatic way possible, complete with mysterious power-up and public humiliation of an arrogant young master.

  Which meant the sect would become a much more dangerous place for everyone else.

  Still, I couldn't help but smile slightly.

  The look on Zhou's face when his "final technique" disintegrated... that had been satisfying to see.

  I, for sure, wouldn’t be feeling bad for what had happened to him.

  He had reaped what he had sowed.

  As for whoever challenged Wu Kangming next, I could only hope they would have some common sense and think twice about it, but knowing how these stories typically played out, that was highly unlikely.

  An inner disciple had been killed by someone they saw as inferior to themselves - pride would demand retribution, no matter how glaring the difference in power was.

  The real question was whether they would challenge Wu Kangming directly, similar to how Zhou did, or if they would opt for the types of clandestine plots that cultivators loved to employ. Well, it actually didn’t matter which path they took; they’d simply be adding to his list of victims.

  After I said goodbye to my friends and returned to my quarters, my thoughts drifted to the statement that Wei Lin had made before the battle had started. How the Outer Disciple Tournament was only three months away and whether I would be competing. If I was being completely honest, I had been pretty confident about giving it a go, especially considering my advancement in the Primordial Wood Arts; however, now...

  If Wu Kangming competed in the tournament, it wouldn’t make a difference how good I was at controlling plants. What I just witnessed was not merely skill, it was the sort of power that turned cultivation tournaments into one-sided slaughters.

  "Maybe," I told azure, "we should concentrate on private cultivation for the rest of the year."

  “I think that’s a wise decision, master,” Azure replied. “Even though your Primordial Wood Arts has the potential to counter sword techniques, testing that in a tournament against someone who just bisected an inner disciple..."

  "Would be suicidal," I finished . "I know how these stories work. The mysterious returned hero who kills an inner disciple? He'll definitely be forced to compete in the tournament to advance to the rank of inner disciple. And as someone who's probably also a protagonist..." I sighed. "You can guess what would happen.”

  "You two would end up matched against each other?”

  "Exactly. Between my world-hopping ability, the Genesis Seed, and that whole 'mastering an impossible cultivation technique' thing, I'm definitely not a normal character in this story." I grimaced. "Which means no matter how hard I try to avoid this tournament, something is going to force me to participate."

  “But Master, based on how fast you’ve progressed, I think you might have a real shot at beating him in a few months,” Azure argued. “The World Tree Sutra is ranked Beyond Heaven for a reason. And the fact that you're able to control multiple plants at the same time could potentially counter even the best sword techniques."

  "Really?" I asked, then I tilted my head. "Hmm... well, just in case we’re forced into this situation anyway, let’s begin preparing now. Can you analyze Wu Kangming's movements from that battle, his sword techniques, his footwork, the way he manipulated qi – all of it. If he really has a Sword Saint as a teacher, we need to find a way to counter perfect sword arts."

  “I see what you’re doing, Master,” Azure laughed. “Using genre awareness as a tactical advantage?"

  "If we're stuck in a cultivation novel, we might as well use it to our advantage. He might have ancient sword techniques, but we have something just as rare – a World Tree. Let's see how his Sword Saint techniques handle fighting an entire forest."