The arena buzzed with restless energy, the crowd's cheers echoing against the ancient stone walls. The quarterfinals had begun, and the air was thick with anticipation. Xiao Lian tightened the wrappings around her wrists, her heart pounding in her chest as she stepped into the ring.
Across from her, Ji Ren stood like an unmovable pillar of strength, sword resting against his shoulder. His usual sharp confidence was tempered by something else — hesitation.
She hated the way it made her chest ache.
The sect master himself watched from the high stands, his gaze sharp and unyielding. The other elders whispered among themselves, their eyes glinting with quiet calculation. Xiao Lian had no doubt they were waiting to see her fail.
The blood moon still lingered in her mind like a shadow, but for now, she had to focus on surviving this match.
The announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
"Quarterfinal match: Ji Ren versus Xiao Lian!"
Ji Ren exhaled slowly, stepping forward until he stood just a few feet away. His silver hair gleamed under the sun, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword.
"I warned you this might happen," he muttered, voice low enough that only she could hear. "We shouldn't be fighting each other right now."
Xiao Lian lifted her chin. "I'm not backing down."
He stared at her, jaw clenched, before letting out a bitter chuckle. "You're stubborn. I figured you'd say that."
She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "Are you going to hold back?"
Ji Ren's eyes darkened. "No," he said quietly. "I won't insult you like that."
Her heart thudded painfully.
[Alert: Ji Ren's combat power far exceeds your current capabilities.]
SIS's voice was sharper than usual, a thread of urgency lacing through the words.
[Recommendation: Forfeit the match.]
Xiao Lian clenched her fists, grounding herself. "No."
[Xiao Lian —]
"I said no," she hissed under her breath, ignoring the system. "I didn't come this far to give up now."
Ji Ren raised his sword, the sunlight glinting off the blade like liquid fire. His expression shifted, hardening into that of a warrior.
"This is your last chance," he warned, voice taut.
Xiao Lian drew her twin daggers, her pulse hammering in her ears.
"Come at me," she said.
The match began.
Ji Ren closed the distance between them in a flash, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. Xiao Lian barely dodged, the blade grazing her shoulder as she twisted away. Pain flared, but she shoved it aside, countering with a quick strike to his ribs.
He blocked her easily, their weapons clashing in a burst of sparks.
Her feet slid across the stone, the impact reverberating through her bones. Ji Ren didn't relent, pressing forward with an onslaught of attacks that left her scrambling to keep up.
His sword was an extension of himself...every movement fluid, deliberate. He was stronger, faster, but she was sharper.
She had to be.
[Analyzing attack patterns…]
SIS fed her real-time data, highlighting the microseconds when Ji Ren's defenses opened up. Xiao Lian exploited every gap, her daggers darting toward his weak points, but he adapted faster than she could capitalize.
"You're hesitating," she gritted out, sweat dripping down her face. "You said you wouldn't hold back!"
Ji Ren's eyes burned. "I'm not."
He swept her legs out from under her, and she hit the ground hard, the air leaving her lungs in a painful rush.
Xiao Lian rolled to avoid the downward slash, pushing herself to her feet with shaking limbs.
Her body screamed for rest. Her mind screamed louder. She wasn't going to break. Not now. Not ever.
Ji Ren surged forward again, and this time, Xiao Lian didn't retreat. She met him head-on, her daggers deflecting his sword with rapid, calculated strikes. Every time he tried to overpower her, she slipped through his grip like water, her agility her only saving grace.
Blood dripped from the cuts along her arms, staining her sleeves.
Ji Ren's breathing turned ragged, frustration flickering across his face.
"Why?" he snapped, his blade nearly taking her head off as she ducked. "Why are you doing this?"
Xiao Lian bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Because if I can't beat you," she rasped, "I don't deserve to stand at the top."
His steps faltered, just for a second.
She seized the moment, driving her knee into his ribs and slashing her dagger across his side.
Ji Ren hissed, staggering back, blood seeping through his robes.
They stood there, both panting, both bloodied.
The crowd was deathly silent.
Xiao Lian wiped the sweat from her brow, chest heaving. "Are you ready to take me seriously now?"
Ji Ren looked at her like she was the most infuriating person he'd ever met.
Then he smiled.
A grim, bloodied smile.
He raised his sword again, the weight of it steady in his hand.
"Fine," he said, voice like a promise. "No more holding back."
The final clash was brutal — sword against dagger, brute force against relentless strategy.
Xiao Lian broke through his illusions with calculated precision, and Ji Ren shattered her defenses with sheer strength. It wasn't just a fight. It was a war.
In the end, Ji Ren's blade stopped an inch from her throat.
And Xiao Lian's dagger hovered over his heart.
They both froze, hearts beating wildly, faces inches apart.
The announcer's voice wavered, uncertain.
"T-The match is… a draw?"
The crowd erupted.
Xiao Lian collapsed to her knees, exhaustion crashing down on her like a tidal wave. Ji Ren fell beside her, chest heaving, his hand pressed to his bleeding side.
He glanced at her, sweat dripping from his temple.
"You're insane," he muttered.
Xiao Lian laughed, the sound rasping and broken. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
They stayed like that, side by side, as the medics rushed onto the field.
Neither of them noticed the sect master's lingering gaze, or the faint, pleased smile that tugged at his mouth.
But they should have.
Because the quarterfinals were over.
And the blood moon had only just begun to rise.