The inner sect training grounds were packed by the time I arrived at noon.
Apparently, watching a provisional disciple potentially get humiliated was prime entertainment. Disciples lined the sparring arena three rows deep, chattering excitedly. I even spotted a few elders observing from a raised platform, probably to ensure things didn't get out of hand.
[AUDIENCE SIZE: APPROXIMATELY 200]
[NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING]
[JUST EVERYONE WATCHING YOU]
'Thanks for the encouragement,' I thought dryly.
[ANYTIME, BOSS]
Feng Zhao was already in the arena, stretching and showing off for the crowd. His white robes seemed to glow in the sunlight, and lightning Qi crackled around his fingertips in an obvious display of power.
"Lin Tian actually showed up!" someone in the crowd said, surprised.
"I thought he'd chicken out."
"Stage 5 against Stage 7? This is going to be a massacre."
[THEY'RE BETTING AGAINST YOU]
[CURRENT ODDS: 10-TO-1 IN FENG ZHAO'S FAVOR]
[WANT TO PROVE THEM WRONG?]
'Absolutely.'
I stepped into the arena, and the crowd's chatter intensified. I'd dressed simply, my inner sect robes without any decorations, my sect-issued sword at my waist. No flashy displays, no showing off.
Feng Zhao smirked when he saw me. "I'm surprised you came. I expected you to fabricate some excuse."
"I keep my word," I said simply.
"How noble." He rolled his shoulders. "I'll try to end this quickly. Consider it mercy, you won't have to suffer long."
[HE'S REALLY COMMITTED TO THE VILLAIN ROLE]
[DOES HE PRACTICE THESE LINES?]
An inner sect elder stepped forward, Elder Liu, one of the Core Formation cultivators who'd fought during the invasion. Her expression was neutral as she looked between us.
"This is a sanctioned sparring match," she announced. "Non-lethal techniques only. Match ends when one participant yields, is incapacitated, or I intervene. Understood?"
"Yes, Elder," we said in unison.
"Begin."
Feng Zhao moved immediately.
Lightning Qi erupted around his body as he crossed the distance between us in a blur. His fist drove toward my chest, wreathed in crackling energy that would paralyze on contact.
[COMBAT ASSIST: ACTIVE]
[INFINITE TIDE SCRIPTURE: ENGAGED]
[RECOMMENDATION: DEFENSIVE STYLE, JUST LIKE SU MEI SUGGESTED]
My body flowed sideways, Feng Zhao's lightning fist missing by inches. The Infinite Tide Scripture made my movements look effortless, like water flowing around a stone.
He spun immediately, launching a combination of strikes, palm, elbow, knee, each one charged with lightning Qi. The crowd gasped as the arena floor cracked from the impacts.
But none of them connected.
I wove through his attacks, the system predicting each movement milliseconds before it happened. Deflect, redirect, sidestep. The Infinite Tide Scripture excelled at defensive flow, using minimal energy for maximum effect.
[HE'S BURNING QI FAST]
[LIGHTNING TECHNIQUES ARE POWERFUL BUT INEFFICIENT]
[JUST KEEP DODGING]
Feng Zhao's expression shifted from confident to frustrated. "Stop running and fight!"
"I'm not running," I replied calmly. "I'm observing."
[PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: NICE]
[HE'S GETTING ANGRY]
[ANGRY FIGHTERS MAKE MISTAKES]
He roared and unleashed a more powerful technique. "Lightning Dragon Strike!"
A serpentine bolt of lightning erupted from his palm, tracking toward me with frightening speed. The crowd oohed appreciatively, this was clearly one of his signature moves.
[INCOMING: HIGH-LEVEL TECHNIQUE]
[DODGING WON'T WORK]
[TIME TO COUNTER]
The Infinite Tide Scripture activated its offensive mode. I planted my feet and channeled my Qi into a spiraling defense, my hands moving in fluid patterns.
"Tide Reversal!"
My Qi formed a visible whirlpool that caught the lightning dragon mid-flight. For a moment, the two energies clashed, crackling lightning against flowing water-like Qi. Then my technique absorbed the lightning and redirected it.
The reversed lightning crashed into Feng Zhao, sending him flying backward.
The crowd went silent.
Feng Zhao picked himself up, his robes singed and smoking. His expression had transformed from arrogant to genuinely shocked. "You... you redirected my technique?"
"The Infinite Tide Scripture specializes in flow and redirection," I said. "Your lightning is powerful, but linear. Predictable."
[BOOM. TACTICAL ANALYSIS.]
[HE DID NOT EXPECT THAT]
Feng Zhao's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "You think you're clever? Fine. No more holding back!"
His entire body erupted with lightning Qi, the intensity increasing dramatically. This was his full power, Stage 7 cultivation unleashed completely.
[WARNING: HE'S GOING ALL OUT]
[QI OUTPUT: EXTREME]
[THIS IS GOING TO HURT IF IT CONNECTS]
He blurred forward again, but this time his speed was on another level. Even with combat assist, I barely blocked his first strike. The impact sent shockwaves up my arm.
His follow-up came immediately, a barrage of lightning-fast attacks that forced me fully defensive. My sword rang against his fists repeatedly, each impact sending numbness through my hands.
[HE'S FASTER NOW]
[DEFENSE ALONE WON'T WIN THIS]
[YOU NEED TO CREATE AN OPENING]
The problem was Feng Zhao wasn't giving me any openings. His full-power assault was relentless, overwhelming. Stage 7 cultivation really did make a difference in raw power and speed.
But he was also burning through his Qi reserves at an unsustainable rate.
[HIS QI: DROPPING RAPIDLY]
[YOURS: STILL 73%]
[INFINITE QI CONSTITUTION FOR THE WIN]
I just needed to outlast him.
Feng Zhao unleashed another Lightning Dragon Strike, but this time from point-blank range where I couldn't redirect it. The lightning crashed into me, and pain exploded through every nerve.
[DAMAGE: MODERATE]
[LIGHTNING BURNS: SEVERAL]
[YOU'RE HURT BUT FUNCTIONAL]
I stumbled backward, smoke rising from my robes. The crowd gasped. Feng Zhao smiled triumphantly.
"Not so confident now, are you?" He raised his hand for a finishing strike. "This is the difference between provisional trash and real inner sect—"
I moved.
While he was monologuing, the Infinite Tide Scripture had been calculating optimal counter-attack timing. Now, with his guard lowered and his attention divided, the opening appeared.
[STRIKE NOW]
[TIDE BREAKER: FULL POWER]
My sword swept upward in a rising arc, Qi spiraling around the blade in a dense vortex. All the energy I'd been conserving, all the power from my Infinite Qi constitution, channeled into a single strike.
"Infinite Tide: Tsunami Fang!"
The technique was one I'd been developing in the cultivation chamber last night, an evolution of Tide Breaker that used my abnormally high Qi reserves to generate overwhelming force.
The spiraling Qi wave caught Feng Zhao mid-sentence. His eyes widened as the attack crashed into him like a physical wall of water, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying across the entire arena.
He slammed into the barrier formation at the edge and collapsed, unconscious.
Silence.
The entire crowd stared in shock.
Elder Liu blinked, then cleared her throat. "Match concluded. Winner: Lin Tian."
The silence broke into explosive chatter.
"He won!"
"A Stage 5 beat Stage 7!"
"Did you see that final technique?"
"The Qi density was insane!"
[VICTORY!]
[FLAWLESS EXECUTION]
[FENG ZHAO: HUMBLED]
[YOUR REPUTATION: SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED]
[ODDS AGAINST YOU NEXT TIME: PROBABLY BETTER]
I sheathed my sword, trying not to show how much the lightning burns hurt. Medical disciples rushed to Feng Zhao's unconscious form while I walked out of the arena.
Su Mei was waiting outside, grinning widely. "That was amazing! The look on his face when you reversed his lightning!"
"Beginner's luck," I said modestly.
"Luck my ass. That final technique, Tsunami Fang? that was legitimate mastery." She fell into step beside me. "You're going to have challengers lining up now, you know. Everyone who doubted your provisional status just saw you beat a Stage 7."
[SHE'S RIGHT]
[YOUR INBOX IS GOING TO BE FULL OF CHALLENGE REQUESTS]
[FAME IS EXHAUSTING]
"Can't I just cultivate in peace?" I asked wearily.
"Not anymore," Su Mei said cheerfully. "Welcome to being inner sect. This is your life now, cultivation, politics, and fighting people who want to use you as a stepping stone."
"Fantastic."
As we walked back toward the residential area, I noticed people staring and whispering. Some looked impressed. Others looked calculating, probably deciding whether to challenge me or try to recruit me for their factions.
[DETECTING: MULTIPLE HOSTILE INTENTS]
[ALSO SEVERAL INTERESTED ROMANTIC INTENTS]
[YOU'RE POPULAR NOW, BOSS]
'I preferred being anonymous.'
[TOO LATE FOR THAT]
We'd almost reached my quarters when someone blocked our path, a girl in elaborate inner sect robes decorated with phoenix patterns. Her cultivation felt like Stage 8, and her expression was imperious.
"Lin Tian?" she said, looking down at me despite being shorter. "I am Zhou Ling, leader of the Phoenix Faction. I watched your match. Impressive, if crude."
[PHOENIX FACTION: ONE OF THE MAJOR INNER SECT POLITICAL GROUPS]
[ZHOU LING: STAGE 8, AMBITIOUS, DAUGHTER OF AN ELDER]
[SHE WANTS TO RECRUIT YOU]
"Thank you?" I said uncertainly.
"I'm here to offer you membership in the Phoenix Faction," she continued. "We're the premier group in the inner sect, best resources, best connections, best combat training. Join us, and you'll have protection from petty challenges like today's."
"In exchange for what?" Su Mei asked suspiciously.
Zhou Ling's eyes flicked to her dismissively. "The usual. Loyalty, contribution to faction activities, support in sect politics." She focused back on me. "You have potential, Lin Tian. Don't waste it struggling alone when you could have allies."
[SHE'S NOT WRONG]
[FACTIONS PROVIDE REAL BENEFITS]
[BUT THEY ALSO COME WITH OBLIGATIONS AND POLITICS]
"I'll think about it," I said carefully.
Zhou Ling's expression cooled. "Don't think too long. Opportunities like this don't come twice." She turned and walked away, her entourage of followers trailing behind.
"Phoenix Faction," Su Mei said with distaste. "They're powerful but controlling. Everything is about face and hierarchy." She glanced at me. "You don't have to join any faction, you know. Some of us prefer independence."
"Are you independent?"
"I'm part of the smaller Blue Moon Association. We focus on cultivation and mutual support without the political nonsense." She smiled. "Less prestigious than Phoenix Faction, but way less headache."
[FACTIONS DETECTED: MULTIPLE]
[PHOENIX FACTION: POWERFUL, POLITICAL, HIGH BENEFITS/HIGH COST]
[BLUE MOON ASSOCIATION: MODERATE, SUPPORTIVE, LOW DRAMA]
[INDEPENDENT: NO BENEFITS, BUT COMPLETE FREEDOM]
[YOUR CHOICE, BOSS]
Before I could respond, Yun Xia appeared, rushing toward us. Her face was flushed, like she'd been running.
"Lin Tian! I just heard about the match! Are you okay?" She noticed my singed robes and burn marks. "You're hurt!"
"I'm fine. Just some lightning burns."
"Just some, you fought a Stage 7!" She grabbed my arm. "Come on, medical pavilion. Now."
"I really don't—"
"Now."
[SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT YOU]
[ALSO SLIGHTLY ANGRY YOU DIDN'T TELL HER ABOUT THE MATCH]
[RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS: COMPLEX]
Su Mei laughed. "I'll leave you two alone. Good fight today, Lin Tian." She walked away, still grinning.
As Yun Xia dragged me toward the medical pavilion, lecturing me about taking unnecessary risks, I couldn't help but smile despite the pain.
I'd won my first inner sect challenge. Proven I belonged here. Made new allies.
And apparently had someone who cared enough to yell at me for being reckless.
[PROGRESS, BOSS]
[REAL PROGRESS]
[ALSO, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY JOIN BLUE MOON ASSOCIATION]
[SEEMS CHILL]
'Maybe,' I thought.
Right now, I just wanted to get these burns treated and maybe sleep for twelve hours.
Being famous was exhausting.
[MATCH RESULTS: VICTORY]
[REPUTATION: SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED]
[NEW TITLE UNLOCKED: "LIGHTNING TAMER"]
[FACTION OFFERS: 1 (MORE INCOMING)]
[CHALLENGE REQUESTS: 7 (AND COUNTING)]
[RECOMMENDATION: TAKE A BREAK BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE TRIES TO FIGHT YOU]
[SERIOUSLY, BOSS]
[REST]