Rhee stepped onto the Golden Arena to the thunderous applause of thousands. Her match had come earlier in the day, a byproduct of there only being thirty-two combatants left in the Exhibition Tournament.

  I can’t lose yet, she told herself. She tilted her head toward the balcony containing the Crimson Abyss Elder. That was her way out. Her escape to forge her own true Immortal Path.

  But her victory was not guaranteed. Across from her stood Ma Lian, dressed in the orange and red cultivation robes of the Red Burning Comet School. A chain whip was wrapped around her waist like an obi. In a single graceful motion, Ma Lian uncoiled her whip, snapping it loudly to the side.

  She was Rhee’s true first opponent. One who was at the fourth layer of the Initial Realm and trained at one of the three Martial Schools just like herself.

  That whip looks to be about forty feet long. Rhee frowned, considering her options. If I recall, she’s a metal cultivator like Dong Jing. But what form will her techniques take?

  “For this match,” Elder Song called out in her usual excited voice, “we have Zhu Rhee from the Eight Oaths Resolve School and Ma Lian from the Red Burning Comet School. A battle between two prestigious talents from our city’s renowned Martial Schools. Surely, ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness a fantastic fight!”

  The two women bowed to each other in respect.

  “Begin!”

  Ma Lian’s whip lashed out with impressive speed, reaching Rhee in seconds. Rhee jumped to the side, barely avoiding the sudden strike. That was fast!

  Rhee conjured her two forearm shields, but before she could move toward her opponent, she noticed something from the corner of her eye. The whip that had shot straight out had broken at a sharp angle immediately toward her.

  What?!

  At the last moment, Rhee managed to bring up her shields to block. The whip was clearly reinforced with qi, pushing her back with impossible strength. Rhee slid several feet back before she was able to shove the whip’s steel tip aside. Her breath was heavy from the effort, having been too surprised to properly cycle qi to her arms for additional strength.

  She can increase the weapon’s strength.

  Rhee’s attention shifted to Ma Lian, who had flung her whip back. Instead of falling to the ground, the whip hovered in the air around Ma Lian.

  It’s worse than that. She can manipulate it too.

  As opposed to Dong Jing’s techniques that focused on increasing the destructive force of his weapon, Ma Lian’s technique concentrated on improving control while enhancing its natural capabilities. At the moment, Rhee wasn’t sure which application of metal qi was worse.

  She’s dangerous. I can’t just dodge her attacks. I have to constantly monitor the whip for any sudden movements.

  “Come on, Zhu Rhee,” Ma Lian goaded confidently. “I’ve heard Dong Jing praise your abilities. Let’s see them!”

  Ma Lian flicked her whip back at Rhee. Deciding not to be trapped on the defensive, Rhee ran forward to meet the attack head-on. The steel tip met Rhee’s left shield, but this time she cycled qi to her arm. Even then, the whip stopped her momentum as the two forces locked in a battle of strength.

  Enough of this!

  Adjusting her shield so it angled just slightly to the side, Rhee released the construct and, cycling qi to her legs, sprinted forward. The sudden loss of resistance caused the whip to fly forward, now off-target and missing Rhee entirely.

  “That won’t work,” Ma Lian yelled.

  When Rhee was still over twenty feet away, she saw the chain beside her curve toward her. She ducked underneath it and continued onward. Rhee made it another ten feet before she felt an ominous presence from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the whip soaring toward her back.

  Rhee spun around and met the whip with her last shield. This time, its thrust was even stronger than before, trapping Rhee in place.

  “You really thought it would be that easy to reach me?” Ma Lian taunted. She stood a comfortable fifteen feet away. “And what will you do when you’re attacked from both sides?”

  The extra coil of chain behind Rhee started to move. She felt it snake around her legs.

  I can’t move.

  Rhee grunted with exertion, struggling against the whip’s frontal assault. The rest of the chain had already encircled her legs twice, locking her in place.

  “You’ll run out of strength eventually,” Ma Lian taunted smugly. “And now you can’t move. My victory is assured.”

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

  Just a little more!

  Ma Lian watched eagerly from behind Rhee. Assured of her victory, she was caught completely off guard when six fists of darkness launched from Rhee’s shadow toward her.

  “How did you—” she was interrupted as she desperately tried to avoid the sudden onslaught. Ma Lian managed to avoid the first punch by pivoting right and then threw her head to the side to avoid the second, but the remaining four hit their marks, striking her in the chest, stomach, shoulder, and chin.

  Ma Lian fell backward under the four-pronged assault. With her concentration broken, her whip dropped harmlessly to the floor. Even the wrapping around Rhee’s legs fell loosely away.

  Despite receiving the blows, Ma Lian wasn’t out yet. Her chin and body hurt, but she stabilized her footing. Immediately, she began cycling her qi to revitalize her whip.

  “Zhu Rhee!”

  When Ma Lian looked for her opponent, she found Rhee standing right in front of her. Tendrils of darkness sprang from Ma Lian’s own shadow, pinning her arms to her sides.

  “Release me!”

  “No.”

  Rhee conjured two rods of shadow and struck Ma Lian twice in the head, empowering the swings with qi. A silent cry escaped Ma Lian’s lips as her eyes rolled back into her head before she slumped forward. Rhee dismissed her Twisting Shadow Snare technique, freeing her unconscious opponent.

  “Winner! Zhu Rhee of the Eight Oaths Resolve School!”

  *                 *            *

  Later that night, the four victorious team members sat before Grand Master Zhu Yusheng. They had received his summons after finishing dinner and were now in the Grand Master’s office.

  “You’ve all done well,” he commended, seated behind an intricately carved pale oak desk. “All four of you reaching the top sixteen demonstrates the superiority of our school. The Three Blessed Petals School only has two competitors left, and the Red Burning Comet School three.”

  Ishin was keenly aware of which competitors the other two schools had left. His next match was against one of the remaining Red Burning Comet School disciples. Fortunately, Dong Jing was in the other half of the bracket, and Zhu Rhee wouldn’t encounter him until the semifinals.

  “In recognition of your accomplishments,” the Grand Master continued, “the school has decided to offer you additional incentives to maintain your stellar performance.”

  Rhee inclined her head at the mention. “Incentives, Grand Master?”

  “Elixirs,” he explained. “Tailored to each of your respective qi aspects. Reach the quarter finals and they will be yours.”

  Elixirs? Why not pills?

  “Why elixirs instead of pills, Grand Master?” Lei asked helpfully.

  Always nice to have someone not afraid to ask the questions.

  “Any quality of pills would take you too long to process. These elixirs, while more expensive than their pill counterparts, will provide you with the qi of a low-grade pill. You’ll be able to cultivate their power overnight, granting you extra strength you can use in this tournament.”

  That’s actually very useful. With the elixir, he should manage to reach the fourth layer, putting him on par with the others. Ishin looked over and saw that Lei was just as excited as he was. Bo and Rhee, however, didn’t seem eager at all.

  “Any questions?” Grand Master Yusheng asked.

  “May I have a word with you in private afterwards?” Rhee asked.

  If the Grand Master was surprised by the request, he didn’t show it. “You may.”

  When no one else raised any questions, everyone but Rhee departed the office. Once they walked down the hallway, Lei hit Bo gently on the arm.

  “Why do you seem so unhappy, Bo? We get more resources.”

  “Only one of us will,” he answered bluntly.

  That’s right. They’re facing each other tomorrow.

  Ishin frowned at that harsh reality. Surely the Grand Master knew this too. Yet he’d specifically set a requirement that would ensure at most only three of them earned the reward. Ishin was pretty confident he’d win his next match. His opponent was only at the third layer like him, and Rhee wasn’t even facing a disciple from the other two Martial Schools next.

  “It’ll just give us another incentive to fight our hardest,” Lei declared, unconcerned.

  “It doesn’t bother you?” Bo asked.

  “Not at all. And it shouldn’t bother you either. Whoever wins, our team will only get stronger!”

  I envy how carefree Lei is sometimes.

  *                  *            *

  Once the doors closed and Rhee was alone with her grandfather, she voiced her true thoughts.

  “You’re doing this so that I can reach the fifth layer, aren’t you?”

  Her grandfather didn’t even try to deny it. “You’re the best chance our school has at winning the tournament this year. I had to convince the masters to authorize the expense somehow, and this way no one can accuse me of playing favorites.”

  “And you’ve devised a solution that will only result in the school needing to purchase three elixirs instead of four. It’s a clever move, Grandfather.”

  “Remember this,” he lectured. “Intellect will often overcome brute force. I could have ordered the rewards, but that would have turned most of the masters against us. This way, they feel included in the decision-making process, fostering their support.”

  “All in the name of our school’s prestige.”

  “Precisely.”

  Rhee turned to gaze out the office window. She found the cityscape at night particularly beautiful, especially with thousands of colorful lanterns floating over the city for the Exhibition Tournament.

  “Our clan could have paid for my resources itself.”

  “There is no reason for us to incur the cost ourselves when we can convince others to take that burden for us.” His expression softened in concern. “You know this, Rhee. Why does it bother you?”

  “It doesn’t,” she lied. In truth, she felt like her friends were being manipulated for her sake.

  “Keep your secrets close if you must. Just remember that this is all for you. For your Immortal Path. In a few decades, when you hold my position, you’ll understand.”

  She looked at her grandfather, whose gaze was one of love.

  But I don’t want that future.