The formal dueling arena was packed.

Disciples filled every available space, inner sect, outer sect, even some elders observing from elevated platforms. The energy in the air crackled with anticipation. This wasn't just a duel; it was a statement about sect politics, faction power, and whether the "upstart genius" was real or just lucky.

[AUDIENCE: 600+ DISCIPLES]

[BETTING POOLS: ACTIVE]

[ODDS: 3-TO-1 FAVORING ZHOU LING]

[PRESSURE: MAXIMUM]

Zhou Ling stood at the arena's center, radiating Stage 8 cultivation with practiced ease. Her phoenix-embroidered robes practically glowed with Qi, and her expression carried the absolute confidence of someone who'd never lost a public duel.

"Lin Tian," she said as I entered. "I'm almost disappointed you accepted. I expected more self-preservation from someone who survived the Crimson Wastes."

"Funny," I replied, taking my position opposite her. "I expected more grace from a faction leader. But here we are."

[TRASH TALK: INITIATED]

[PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: MILD]

Her smile tightened. "Enjoy your bravado while it lasts. It won't survive the first exchange."

Elder Liu, the Archive keeper, served as arbiter. "Formal duel, sect rules. Victory by knockout, surrender, or incapacitation. Killing techniques forbidden. Severe injury results in immediate intervention." She looked at both of us. "Understand?"

"Yes, Elder," we said simultaneously.

"Then... begin!"

[COMBAT INITIATED]

[ZHOU LING: STAGE 8, PHOENIX FLAME STYLE]

[YOU: STAGE 7, MULTIPLE TECHNIQUES, DESPERATE]

[MAKE IT COUNT]

Zhou Ling attacked immediately.

Phoenix Flame manifestation, her signature technique. Crimson fire with gold edges erupted around her fists, each strike trailing flames that persisted in the air. Stage 8 power made the temperature in the arena spike instantly.

[COMBAT ASSIST: ACTIVE]

[SERPENT'S FLOW: ENGAGED]

[ANALYSIS: SHE'S TESTING YOU]

I used Serpent's Flow to dodge the first combination, my body flowing around her strikes with fluid precision. The flames passed close enough to singe my robes but didn't connect.

"Fast," Zhou Ling acknowledged. "But speed alone won't save you."

She accelerated. Phoenix Ascending Strike, a vertical attack that created a pillar of flame. I tried to dodge, but the technique's area was too large.

[IMPACT UNAVOIDABLE]

[BRACE]

The flames caught my shoulder. Pain exploded through me as Stage 8 fire Qi burned through my defenses. I stumbled back, gritting my teeth against the agony.

[DAMAGE: MODERATE]

[LEFT SHOULDER: BURNED]

[QI RESERVES: 94%]

[HEALTH: 82%]

[SHE'S STRONGER THAN EXPECTED]

The crowd murmured. First blood to Zhou Ling, exactly as most expected.

"Two-stage difference," Zhou Ling said, pressing her advantage. "This is the reality, Lin Tian. Talent and luck mean nothing against superior cultivation."

She attacked again, Phoenix Wing Slash, dual flame arcs converging on my position. I couldn't dodge both.

Time to test Void Step.

I activated the spatial technique, my first attempt in actual combat. Reality hiccupped. For a split second, I existed in two places simultaneously. Then I emerged three meters to the left, both flame arcs missing entirely.

[VOID STEP: SUCCESS]

[SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT: 3 METERS]

[DISORIENTATION: MINIMAL]

[YOU'RE GETTING BETTER]

The crowd gasped. Void Step was a Hidden Archive technique, rare, difficult, and I'd just used it after only three days of training.

Zhou Ling's expression shifted from confident to wary. "Void Step? You chose that technique?"

"Seemed useful."

"It takes months to learn—" She cut herself off. "No matter. Spatial techniques won't save you from overwhelming power."

[SHE'S RIGHT]

[VOID STEP HELPS, BUT YOU NEED OFFENSE]

[TIME TO COUNTER-ATTACK]

I engaged with Infinite Tide Scripture, combining it with Serpent's Flow for unpredictable angles. My sword traced patterns that created spiraling Qi, building momentum with each strike.

Zhou Ling blocked, her Phoenix Flame technique serving double duty as offense and defense. But I could see the calculation in her eyes, I was lasting longer than expected, pushing her harder than anticipated.

"Enough playing," she declared.

Her Qi erupted fully. Phoenix True Form, a massive spectral phoenix manifested behind her, its wings spreading across half the arena. Stage 8 power at full display, meant to overwhelm and intimidate.

[BOSS MODE: ACTIVATED]

[SHE'S DONE HOLDING BACK]

[POWER OUTPUT: MAXIMUM]

[THIS IS BAD]

The phoenix screeched and dove, flames trailing from every feather. The attack covered the entire arena, no dodging, no avoiding. Just raw, overwhelming power.

I had one chance.

Heaven's Judgment Palm.

I'd only practiced the first form, barely achieving basic functionality. But the technique had resonated with me for a reason. My Infinite Qi constitution gave me the reserves needed. Now I just needed the execution.

[HEAVEN'S JUDGMENT PALM: ATTEMPTING]

[MASTERY: 3%]

[SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 23%]

[BUT IT'S YOUR ONLY OPTION]

I planted my feet and gathered every ounce of Stage 7 Qi. The technique's first form, Heavenly Descent, required compressing massive amounts of power into a single palm strike, then releasing it with precise timing and control.

My Qi surged. The Infinite Tide Scripture's spiraling energy combined with Heaven's Judgment Palm's compression method. Power built in my palm, visible as storm-gray light that crackled with barely-contained force.

The phoenix dove.

I struck upward.

"Heavenly Descent!"

[TECHNIQUE EXECUTION: ATTEMPTING...]

[SUCCESS!]

[POWER OUTPUT: EXCEEDING STAGE 7 NORMAL]

[YOUR INFINITE QI: ACTUALLY BROKEN]

Storm-gray Qi erupted from my palm in a concentrated beam that punched through the phoenix's flames. The two techniques clashed, Phoenix True Form's overwhelming area power versus Heaven's Judgment Palm's concentrated piercing force.

For a moment, neither gave ground.

Then my technique broke through.

The beam struck Zhou Ling's phoenix construct, dispersing it in an explosion of Qi that shook the entire arena. The shockwave knocked spectators in the first rows backward.

Zhou Ling stumbled, her technique destroyed, shock written across her face.

[CRITICAL HIT]

[ZHOU LING'S ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: DISPERSED]

[PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE: SIGNIFICANT]

[SHE DID NOT EXPECT THAT]

"Impossible," she whispered. "Stage 7 shouldn't be able to... that technique requires Stage 8 minimum..."

"I have good Qi reserves," I said, breathing heavily. The technique had drained me, Qi reserves down to 51%, but it had worked.

[QI RESERVES: 51%]

[STAMINA: 63%]

[ZHOU LING: SHAKEN BUT STILL STAGE 8]

[FIGHT NOT OVER]

Zhou Ling's shock transformed into rage. "You dare... DARE mock me with stolen power!" Her Qi flared wildly, control slipping. "I'll show you the difference between us!"

She charged, abandoning technique for raw power. Phoenix Flame coated her entire body as she became a living comet of fire, Stage 8 cultivation unleashed without restraint.

[WARNING: BERSERKER MODE]

[SHE'S LOST CONTROL]

[MORE DANGEROUS BUT ALSO MORE PREDICTABLE]

[USE VOID STEP]

I waited until the last possible moment, then activated Void Step. My body flickered out of existence just as Zhou Ling crashed through where I'd been standing. She collided with the arena barrier, the impact creating another shockwave.

I reappeared behind her.

Infinite Tide Scripture and Serpent's Flow combined—Tsunami Fang at point-blank range, aimed at her back while she was disoriented.

[FINISHING STRIKE: READY]

[THIS COULD END IT]

My attack connected. Zhou Ling flew forward, crashing into the ground and skidding across the arena floor. She tried to rise, failed, and collapsed.

"Winner: Lin Tian!" Elder Liu announced.

[VICTORY]

[STAGE 7 DEFEATED STAGE 8]

[IN PUBLIC]

[IN FORMAL DUEL]

[YOUR REPUTATION: EXPLODING]

The arena erupted. Some cheered. Some looked shocked. Phoenix Faction members stared in disbelief at their leader lying defeated in the arena.

I stood there, exhausted, barely believing it myself.

"That was incredible!" Han Feng's voice boomed from the stands. "Absolute madness!"

Medical disciples rushed to Zhou Ling, checking her condition. She was conscious but clearly concussed, her pride more damaged than her body.

Elder Liu approached me. "Heaven's Judgment Palm. After three days of training." She shook her head. "Either you're the most talented disciple I've seen in fifty years, or you're hiding something extraordinary."

"Can't it be both?" I asked weakly.

She almost smiled. "Perhaps. Report to the medical pavilion. You've sustained damage that needs treatment."

[HEALTH: 71%]

[MULTIPLE BURNS AND BRUISES]

[VICTORY: YES]

[COST: MODERATE]

The medical pavilion was chaos, again. Medical Disciple Wen took one look at me and groaned.

"You again. With burns. After dueling someone two stages higher." She began treatment with practiced efficiency. "Your definition of 'taking it easy' is seriously flawed."

"I won though."

"Congratulations. You won the right to spend three days in bed recovering." She applied healing salve to the burns. "Also, the entire sect is talking about you. Again. Do you enjoy being the center of attention?"

"Not particularly."

"Then stop doing impossible things publicly."

[GOOD ADVICE]

[YOU WON'T FOLLOW IT]

[WE BOTH KNOW THIS]

Yun Xia arrived within minutes, followed by most of Team 7. Su Mei brought food. Han Feng brought wine, which Medical Disciple Wen immediately confiscated. Zhou Ming just looked at me with something approaching religious awe.

"You beat Zhou Ling," Zhou Ming said quietly. "She's been faction leader for three years. Never lost a public duel. And you just... beat her."

"Technically, she beat herself by losing control," I pointed out.

"Still counts!" Han Feng laughed. "Phoenix Faction is in meltdown. Zhou Ling's authority is shattered. Half her faction is probably reconsidering their allegiance."

[POLITICAL FALLOUT: SIGNIFICANT]

[PHOENIX FACTION: WEAKENED]

[YOUR INFLUENCE: GROWING]

"Blue Moon Association's stock just went way up," Su Mei added. "Having the guy who beat Phoenix's leader? That's serious prestige."

"I didn't do it for prestige," I said. "I did it because she needed to be taken down a peg."

"Noble motivation," Chen Rou said from the doorway. "But the political consequences exist regardless of intent. You've made a powerful enemy, Zhou Ling won't forget this humiliation."

[ENEMY: CONFIRMED]

[ZHOU LING'S GRUDGE: PERMANENT]

[COMPLICATIONS: INEVITABLE]

"Let her try something," Yun Xia said fiercely. "She challenged you, you won fairly. If she retaliates, she proves she's exactly what Lin Tian said,a bully who can't handle losing."

[GIRLFRIEND: PROTECTIVE]

[TEAM: SUPPORTIVE]

[FACTION: BACKING YOU]

[SOCIAL FOUNDATION: SOLID]

That evening, alone in my quarters after Medical Disciple Wen grudgingly released me, I reviewed everything.

Stage 7 cultivation. Defeated a Stage 8 faction leader. Mastered, barely, two legendary techniques. Made enemies and friends in equal measure.

Three months in this world. From cannon fodder to someone who mattered.

[PROGRESS REPORT:]

[TIME IN WORLD: 3 MONTHS]

[CULTIVATION: STAGE 7 (PEAK)]

[TECHNIQUES: MULTIPLE LEGENDARY-TIER]

[REPUTATION: FAMOUS/INFAMOUS]

[ENEMIES: GROWING LIST]

[ALLIES: STRONG FACTION + TEAM]

[RELATIONSHIP: STABLE AND SERIOUS]

[SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 81%]

[YOU'RE ACTUALLY THRIVING]

[NOW REST]

[BIG CHALLENGES COMING]

[ALWAYS ARE]

Small wins mattered in the cultivation world.

And today, I'd earned one.

---

[DUEL: VICTORY]

[ZHOU LING: DEFEATED]

[REPUTATION: LEGENDARY STATUS CONFIRMED]

[ENEMIES: +1 POWERFUL]

[NEXT: POLITICAL FALLOUT AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES]

[THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES]

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