Third party PoV

  The arena, a large free-standing elliptical building made of smooth and decorated grey stones was filled to the brim with spectators. Martial artists, citizens of Fengshou, and even cultivators: rogue and otherwise, came to witness this contest.

  The ground floor of the arena was massive: a hundred meters long and seventy meters large at the center, with a twenty-meter square dais made of smooth carved stone in the middle. This created four quadrants, each filled with smooth sand. This was where the preliminaries took place in the morning. Further out again were the stands, elevated from the ground by five meters of hard stone and extending another few dozen or so meters.

  < Ladies and gentlemen, Fairies and Lords. It is once again a great honor for me, Fengshou Gouliang, proud reigning lord of this town our ancestors built. To announce the opening of the Fengshou swordsmanship and mixed-armed martial arts contest. With once again the most benevolent sponsorship of our friends and seniors of the Mount Hua sect. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to the elder Wenrou of the Hua sect.> An elderly man dressed in black silk announces with a smile on his face, standing in a private box at the center-most part. His voice, deep and warm echoes through the entire arena, amplified by a glowing talisman he holds at his throat.

  Cupping his hands, he steps back and lets the woman in question take his place as the crowd claps their hands and cheers.

  Standing taller than the man, elder Wenrou smiles as she watches the applause slowly calm down. Unlike the day before, she was wearing a clean and pristine set of robes representing her status as an Elder of the respected Mount Hua sect. Gone were the wear and tears, the greying fiber and dull pink and red of her clothes. Like fresh snow covered with the vibrant petals of a blossoming plum tree, she stood out with a serene air of certainty and calm.

  < My thanks, Lord Fengshou. Welcome, one and all. It is a pleasure to once again witness and sponsor this exhibition of martial prowess. May all participants shine and show their dedication to their arts, and may all who witness their ardent will be inspired to push and strive forward in their own life. As you may have heard, this year's contest will have different rules from the previous ones. A friend of the sect from a faraway land wished to assist the healers and physicians assigned to this event. Please welcome the Sorceress and Painters of the mystical winds, Mirza Iulia!> The woman said, her voice projected through her ki. The crowd applauded again, albeit much less enthused as confusion rose when a young woman took the elder’s place. Elder Wenrou was smirking at her as the young woman had an annoyed expression on her face.

  < Greetings everyone, let’s keep this short, shall we? I am a healer and a good one. So fight, fight hard and well. Do not be afraid of losing limbs, or crippling your opponents. Limbs can and will be re-attached, flesh will be mended and organs repaired. Just try to not kill your opponents in one blow; so long as you people breathe and are able to think I can heal you.> The woman, whose titles were still a mystery to everyone, waved at the crowd before taking a step back. Leaving the public even more confused than before.

  < Thank you, Fairy Mirza. Then, let us start this year's contest!>

  Huan’s PoV

  < What an incredible display of swordsmanship from the young disciple of the Wudang sect. Despite being a cultivator of the second stage, this young man is only 25 years of age! His dedication to martial arts places him as a second-grade fighter, but will that be enough to carry him through? Here comes Fairy Mirza and her otherworldly healing, who knew that limbs could be reattached so fast? I am sure the young heir of the Moyong clan will be thankful to have his legs back in working order.>

  The crowds cheered as I waited for my turn. 'On one hand, I am happy for Iulia to make a name for herself, yet I can’t help but fear what attention this might attract. Sure the association with Mount Hua will be a strong deterrent for any low-grade fools and nuisances. But relying on their backing only goes so far, and with me in this state. I cannot defend her if something is to happen.'

  < Next on the list is the fourth and last fight of the first pool! From the southern entrance, we have a disciple of the sword, one of the five great themselves! Heir of the sky-splitting sword of the Namgoong clan: NAMGOOOONG BINGWENNN!> The master of ceremonies riles the crowd as a man wearing blue-colored robes jumps onto the stone platform. His face was firm and resolute, yet had a hint of arrogance as he cupped his hand to the crowd, before bowing toward the private box of the town lord.

  < And on the northern side we have a practitioner of the spear, the youngest star coming straight from Kui city and heir to the once famous Righteous Spear Fan Dan, please give thunderous applause for FAAAAAAAANNNNN SHUUUUUUUUU!> The crowd cheered once more, as a young woman wearing a much more practical tunic of red and white jumped on the dais. She waves at the public with a warm and cheerful smile that only makes the people more fervent than before. She then showed her respect to the city lord and elder Wenrou, bowing with her hands cupped. Then against all expectation, she turned toward Iulia and gave her a wink and a nod. Making the crowd even more loud.

  { This woman… She dare? She actually dares to flirt with Iulia? OUR IULIA?!} 'That she does… This, Fan Shu? Not only does she proclaim herself heir to mom’s martial art, she also tries to flirt with Iulia?'

  < It seems that our guest is getting quite the attention from lady Fan Shu~> He added, playing to the crowd.

  { I hope she is good enough to get into the finals so we can teach her a lesson.} 'For once, we agree. I do not know if it is a good thing or not. But this won’t go unaccounted for.'

  The MC starts counting down as I watch the woman: her stance is firm, and her attitude is serious and focused. I will give her that much.

  This being a pure martial arts contest, this Namgoong personage is at a disadvantage. No Ki allowed makes everything both simpler and much harder at the same time: no sudden acceleration or special footwork to dodge and not find yourself trapped. No boundless strength or endurance, only raw muscle mass, willpower, and honed skill is allowed.

  Something that gets this twig of a man in a bind as Fan Shu slowly approaches him, her short spear pointed at him as she forces him to fall back. He is clearly displeased by this turn of events as he tries to get closer to her, only to nearly get skewered by a fast jab at his center of mass. Fan Shu is smart enough to retract her spear when he reaches for it.

  { Tsk, at least she is smart enough to not fall for this.} I grit my teeth as I agree with my Inner Demon on this. The two of us stare at her, trying to find any weakness or weak spot in her guard.

  That’s when Namgoong Bingwen rushes forward, more of an impulsive act than a planned one. Yet he manages to catch her by surprise, batting her spear away and entering her now defenseless zone.

  She tries to step back, yet he follows her through. Parrying off a strike made with the blunt end of the spear only to take a jab to the chest. Cutting his breathing short.

  Taking this opportunity, she brings down the bladed side of her spear in a diagonal slash aimed at his left shoulder. Putting her whole weight into it, twisting her hips, making the blade sing through the air as it whips around.

  The blade of the spear bites deep into his shoulder, breaking past his clavicle; but Namgoong Bingwen doesn’t surrender as he pushes on, letting the spear push through him as he goes for one last desperate attack, stabbing at her chest.

  { He is done for.} My inner demon comments as the spear wielder, whose footing was much more stable than his, did a pull cut.

  And just like that, not even 10 seconds after the fight began, it ended as Fan Shu removed her spear from the man’s chest, letting him fall to the ground in a heap.

  ' These fights are as short as they are brutal, huh?' I see Iulia is already rushing to the man’s help as he screams in pain and anger.

  < You’re lucky this is just a mere martial art contest and not the Dragons and Phoenix Tournament, I would have shown you the true difference between you and me, cousin.> He yells at his opponent only for Iulia to flick his forehead, stunning him and the crowd. The gesture was so simple yet unexpected that the tension burst as the crowd laughed. I felt myself grinning at how casual she was.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  < Y-You?!>

  < Be glad to still be alive, go train your skills some more, and try again next year.> The reprimand only incensed the man further while the spectators cheered and laughed harder than before.

  < As good as new. Now get a move on, you’re making a scene.> Iulia dusts herself before turning around. Leaving the man even more frantic and enraged as he gets up, Ki visibly circulating in his body.

  < Participant Namgoong Bingwen, please leave the premises of the arena.> The cold and stern voice of the MC cooled the man’s nerves as he looked around. Realising that he had already made a fool of himself, decided to leave before staining his family’s face even more.

  Yet seeing him glaring at Iulia didn’t sit well with me. ' I just hope that he will stop there'.

  { But you know that he won’t, that’s not how someone like him would act. We both know that.} She has a point, yet. I can’t help but wish it was otherwise, Iulia’s positivity having somehow rubbed off on me.

  < With the candidates of the first pool decided for the second round, let’s start with the second group. From the northern entrance, we have a member of the Martial King academy, known for wielding any type of weapon with the proficiency of an expert. Please welcome: JIAAAANNNG TIAAAANNN!> A middle-aged man walked to the stage, wearing a simple brown shirt and short pants. His body is massive and muscular as he strides on with a large cleaver on his back.

  The man appeared to be polite as he waved at the crowd, yet I and everyone else could see and feel it was more forced courtesy than anything else.

  < Right… And from the other side, we have the youngest yet most advanced cultivator within this competition: having reached the third stage of cultivation before even being twenty years of age, a genius amongst geniuses, and a ferocious practitioner of spearsmanship: LU HUAAAN!> It’s my turn. Taking a deep breath, I start walking out of the waiting chamber.

  The afternoon sun is much more bearable than before as I tread the hot sands to the center of the arena. Looking around, I see many people cheering for me, the atmosphere completely different from the one I was used to. Back at the cult. Here, people only want to see our skills, nothing else.

  I will have to pull back my punches. { Don’t you dare do that.} My guest says, angry and disgusted at the mere thought of doing so.

  I am not here to kill. And You know that. It was Iulia’s idea to participate and let loose some steam as she calls it.

  {AND? Do you expect your adversary to do the same?}

  '… No, But I do not want to let you guide my actions, to push me to be more impulsive. I will act as I see fit.'

  I wave at the crowd, summoning my spear to my hand. The ‘attuning’ process had been long and tricky, but it brought satisfying results. I give it a twirl as I jump on my side of the platform, greeting and offering my greetings to the city lord before facing my opponent.

  < I wish to remind both candidates that this is a martial arts contest, and exhibition of skills. Any usage of Ki will lead to a prompt disqualification and ban from registering for any other events within Fengshou town.> Jiang Tian and I nodded at the master of ceremony who held both of our gazes. After confirming our acknowledgment of the rules again, he continued.

  < Without further ado: fighters! Get ready, and may the best martial artist win.>

  Both the man and I dropped in our respective stances: I held my spear above my head aimed at his center, my body low as I turned my front sideways, my legs taut and ready. Meanwhile, he lowered his mass on his back leg, resting his heavy cleaver on his right shoulder as we glared at each other.

  < FIGHT!>

  Iulia’s PoV

  'Damn, I’ve never been one to use weapons or swoon over knights and weapon masters. But I get it now.'

  The serious face Huan has as she fights, and the way her body tenses and moves are impressive. The man was as tall and large as her, yet his weapon looked more like a slab of curved metal with an edge than anything else. Yet the way she kept pressuring him, keeping him on the back foot was amazing.

  The two each tried to get the tempo of the fight and keep it. Where Jiang used technique and feints to get it, Huan just forced him to defend each and every one of her blows.

  Yet, at some point, Jiang Tian managed to get close enough to grab onto her spear as she retracted it from a jab. This opened her to a blow from his cleaver, cutting her left arm off at the shoulder.

  < You fight good, for a woman. Surrender and thi—> Huan being who she is didn’t care as she shoved her foot in his face, making him take a step back before kicking her arm off the stage. Giving me a quick wink as I levitated her severed arm to me, coating it with a biomancy spell to preserve it.

  < Don’t need it to end you.> She spat and used the length of her spear as leverage to twist the man’s arm off of it. Just in time for him to recover. But it was already too late as she cranked up the onslaught.

  With her grip now much higher on the shaft of her weapon, she effectively used it as a sword with a really long shaft. Cutting at the man’s joints. Soon enough, his brown shirt started to be stained with blood as each cut she was making found purchases.

  'That’s my girl!' Overwhelming strength and overwhelming speed, switching from one to the other when needed.

  < HOW CAN YOU STILL KEEP GOING?!> He yells as his feet reach the edge of the arena. The crowd was looking with batted breath as despite swinging his cleaver to deny Huan’s advance, she kept pressuring and cornering him.

  She couldn’t be bothered to respond as she skewered his sword arm with her spear, before letting go of it and doing a roundhouse kick to his temple.

  He didn’t have any more space to dodge or retreat to, his right arm being skewered trapped him in place for her shin to crash into his skull. Sending him flying off the stage.

  < And that’s GAME! Lady Lu wins the first round of the second group! My, What a show of might and speed. It seems that despite the Martial King’s teaching, Jiang Tian wasn’t able to handle the storm that is Lu Huan! Even with an arm severed he was still no match for her. Now we all know it costs an arm to not take your adversary seriously~> I quickly get to them with the other physicians and healers.

  < Hey there love. Good fight.> I call out to her, her face a bit pale as she turns around. The relieved smile on her face when she sees me warms my heart.

  She extends her other hand and cups my face, leaning over to take my lips. I ignore the crowds as I unconsciously lean in for a moment, before remembering what I was holding in my hand.

  < Hey! We have enough time for this later. Show me your arm and be a good girl, alright?> I push her back, feeling myself going red as she gives me that needy and frustrated look, blushing moments later when she realizes what she has just done.

  < Y-yes, sorry.> She stammers for a moment.

  < Nah, it’s fine. Just keep in mind the surroundings, I know battle runs the blood hot, so I don’t mind. Show me your shoulder before you bleed out.> I urge her, moving what little fabric remains at her shoulder. The cut was clean because of the heavy cleaver, and thankfully, the bones didn't fissure.

  Drawing upon some memories filled with low-intensity fear, I started the process of mending her arm back to the rest of her body. I am glad that she decided to kick it off the stage, the recovery process would have been longer otherwise.

  < Tsk, still can’t get used to how weird it feels.> She says, her nerves reconnecting together as I work each and every vein and artery endings back together, smoothing the grains of her flesh where the cut happened to blend it together.

  < There, as good as new. Gotta take a look at your opponent. You did mess him up worse than he did you. Glad you won still. See you later?>

  < Later then. Take care, my sorceress.> She gives her left arm a few tentative rotations and swings. I stay long enough to make sure that she can clench and open her hand without issues before joining the other healers.

  < Lady Mirza, please. He is losing too much blood too fast. We tried to administer a pill to mend his wound and enhance his ability to form clots, but he already passed out.> An elderly man says, worry and urgency in his voice as he looks at me.

  Looking at the man, I can pretty much confirm that Huan is a beast and a half. Each cut she made on him was just deep enough to make him bleed but not enough to hamper his movement. Making him bleed out faster as was forced to move around Huan’s strikes, not realizing what was going on.

  < Just, I'll take care of it.> Healing sorcery wouldn’t work on him as it wouldn’t replenish his blood loss. So biomancy it is. Pulling on an old memory of my time back there, I start painting my desired effects on his body. Black ink flowed out of me as his blood started gathering in a sphere over his body. Exiting his clothes and the ground where he fell, I started cleansing his blood of any foreign impurities before shoving it back where it should be.

  Holding the biomancy spell which controlled his blood flow, I decided to add a bit of blue ink to my drawing. Using the bit of sadness I had for him at this moment to fuel a basic healing spell.

  The physicians and healers around me kept watching with as much intrigue and amazement as the first time I did so.

  < Thank you lady Mirza, I think this man would have been done if not for you being here.> He bows to me as the member of his group helps carry the man to the medical room of the arena.

  < There’s nothing to thank me for. I am just doing what I am here for. I am quite surprised my companion managed to hold back to this extent.> I looked back at Huan, seeing the previous round winner approaching her, a certain glint I didn’t like in her eyes.

  < She held back? I fear what state her enemies end up in when she doesn’t.> The man swallows hard as looks between Jiang Tian being carried away and Huan’s back.

  Just as expected, something is happening between Fan Shu and Huan. < Alright, gotta go. I can feel that there's something brewing in the winner’s corner, and my girl isn’t one to take a slight lying down. Not having her blood running hot like this, I will try to de-escalate whatever happens.>

  < She, ah. Right, please do. And remind them that if anyone dares to pull their weapon outside of the arena, they are disqualified. Maybe that will help calm them down.> With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, makes signs for me to go.

  < Thank you, I will try to be fast and not add more work for you and your team.> I cup my hands at him, still not used to this gesture before bee-lining there as I start hearing the sounds of a heated argument.