The Rising Blossom Tournament, Round Two.
Duel Matches.
Pairs of disciples from opposing sects would face off, one-on-one, in front of tens of thousands of spectators and a council of elders.
Victory was earned through knockout, surrender, or ring-out. Death was discouraged, but not unheard of.
And in this very dangerous, prestigious event…
…Ziyan chose to not bring a weapon.
"Why is she going up there barehanded?" Tian Feng whispered, clutching his strategy scrolls.
"She said—and I quote—'Swords are for people who don't believe in fists enough,'" Yanyu replied, rubbing her temples.
On the main dueling platform, across from Ziyan, stood her opponent:
Wu Jinhai, inner disciple of the prestigious Thousand Petal Sword Sect. Elegant, refined, glowing slightly from his inner qi, with a floating petal sword orbiting him like a halo.
He looked at Ziyan's empty hands.
Then at her stance.
Then back at her empty hands.
"…Are you sure about this?"
Ziyan grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Don't worry. I'm left-handed and right-angry."
---
The Duel Begins
Wu Jinhai dashed forward, his sword petals shooting like a wave of glowing razors.
Ziyan ducked under the first slice, rolled through the second, and then punched the third mid-air.
The petal cracked.
The audience gasped.
"Oh gods," muttered one elder. "She's using pure body refinement style."
Another elder adjusted his glasses. "No—she's using Improvised Peak Brawler Fist Style. Also known as 'just punch things until they stop moving.'"
Wu Jinhai recovered, launching a blade dance of forty-seven strikes.
Ziyan blocked thirty, dodged ten, got hit by five—then headbutted the sword mid-combo.
---
"Your disciple is… unconventional," said a silver-robed sect master in the VIP seats.
Li Qingyu sipped his tea. "She used to punch boulders to cook her lunch. This is tame."
"She's leaking blood."
"She likes to make her organs stronger through hardship."
"...Disturbing."
---
Back on the field, Wu Jinhai spun mid-air, releasing his final move:
"Petal Storm: Thousand Bloom Execution!"
It was beautiful. Radiant. Lethal.
Ziyan took a deep breath.
Then she roared and charged through the storm.
Blades sliced skin. Qi flared.
She ignored it all and delivered an uppercut so pure, so primal, so Ziyan, it shattered his floating sword in a burst of qi sparks.
Wu Jinhai crumpled like a delicate flower in winter.
The arena went silent.
Then erupted into applause, screams, and one lone honk from Sir Honksalot.
---
[Ding! Duel Victory – Ziyan (Barehanded) vs. Wu Jinhai (Petal Sword Style)]
[Reputation +10: Cultivators Who Witnessed the Match Will Not Forget Her.]
[New Title Unlocked: "Punch Cultivator"]
[Wu Jinhai's Sword Will Now Flinch When Facing Fist Cultivators.]
---
Ziyan limped back to the stands, bruised but beaming.
Yanyu tossed her a healing pill.
"That was insane."
"I've named my technique," Ziyan said, chewing the pill. "It's called 'Fist Blossom Over Petal Rain.'"
"That sounds poetic."
"It's not. I just made it up."
---
Backstage, after the match
Other sects took notice.
Whispers filled the hallways:
"Did you see the barefoot one punch a sword?"
"Their alchemist threw soup at someone last round."
"They say their sect doesn't even have a proper wall."
"...I kind of want to visit."
Li Qingyu adjusted his robe and smiled faintly.
The reputation system dinged again.
[Momentum Building: +5 Reputation for Sect Unpredictability]
---
Elsewhere, in a mysterious cloud pavilion
A shadowy figure watched the match through a jade mirror.
"They're amusing," the voice rasped. "But chaos breeds strength. Monitor them."
Another figure bowed. "Shall we interfere?"
"No," the first replied. "Let them climb. The higher they rise, the louder the fall… if they can fall."
The mirror flickered.
Ziyan's grin froze on the screen.
The shadowy figure shivered.
"…Actually, start preparing countermeasures. Just in case."
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