Two weeks of recovery brought my foundation damage down to twenty-three percent.

Not perfect. Not even close. But Medical Disciple Wen grudgingly cleared me for "light combat", which in cultivation world terms meant "try not to die immediately."

[FOUNDATION DAMAGE: 23%]

[COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS: 71% OF NORMAL]

[STAGE 8 POWER: PRESENT BUT UNSTABLE]

[TOURNAMENT PARTICIPATION: INADVISABLE]

[DOING IT ANYWAY: OBVIOUSLY]

The Inter-Sect Tournament was held at Neutral Peak, a mountain claimed by no sect, maintained by all five as common ground. The journey took three days by flying vessel, giving me time to observe the other sect delegations.

Crimson Peak Sect brought fifteen disciples, all Stage 7 minimum. Their representative, a scarred man named Feng Zhou, radiated Stage 9 cultivation and barely-concealed hostility toward Azure Peak.

Verdant Valley Sect's contingent included a serene woman named Liu Mei, also Stage 9, who smiled pleasantly at everyone while her eyes calculated combat potential.

Golden Summit Sect's champion was a massive man called Iron Bull. Stage 9, body cultivation specialist, looked like he could punch through mountains.

And Shadow Wind Sect... their representative made everyone nervous. A thin girl named Xiao Yue, Stage 8 but with cultivation so refined it felt sharper than the Stage 9s.

[COMPETITION ANALYSIS:]

[FENG ZHOU - STAGE 9, AGGRESSIVE STYLE]

[LIU MEI - STAGE 9, DECEPTIVE TECHNIQUES]

[IRON BULL - STAGE 9, PURE POWER]

[XIAO YUE - STAGE 8, TECHNIQUE SPECIALIST]

[YOU - STAGE 8, DAMAGED FOUNDATION, MULTIPLE LEGENDARY TECHNIQUES]

[ODDS OF VICTORY: 31%]

[ODDS OF SURVIVAL: 76%]

[ODDS OF NOT EMBARRASSING AZURE PEAK: 52%]

'So you're saying there's a chance.'

[I'M SAYING YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE]

[BUT AT LEAST YOU'LL LOOK COOL DOING IT]

Elder Hu pulled me aside before the opening ceremony. "Lin Tian, you don't have to do this. Your foundation is still damaged. No one expects you to win against fully healthy Stage 9s."

"Then what do they expect?"

"That you'll represent Azure Peak with honor. Fight well. Don't die stupidly." His expression was serious. "The tournament has three rounds: individual combat, team challenges, and a final championship bracket. Survive the first round. That's enough."

[LOWERED EXPECTATIONS]

[SIMULTANEOUSLY RELIEVING AND INSULTING]

The opening ceremony was elaborate, five sect masters standing together, formal speeches about unity and strength, barely-disguised political posturing about who was strongest.

Sect Master Liang looked tired. The Blood Moon attack had clearly taken its toll. He kept his speech brief: "Azure Peak has faced adversity. Lost disciples. Survived assassination and invasion. Today, we prove our strength remains unbroken."

[MORALE: MIXED]

[SECT REPUTATION: DAMAGED FROM RECENT EVENTS]

[PRESSURE ON YOU: INCREASED]

The individual combat round began immediately.

Twenty-five disciples from five sects, each fighting three preliminary matches. Top eight advanced to the championship bracket. Win conditions were simple: knockout, surrender, or ring-out.

My first match was against a Verdant Valley Stage 7, skilled but manageable even with my damaged foundation.

[OPPONENT: ZHOU BIN - STAGE 7]

[SPECIALTY: VINE TECHNIQUES, ENTRAPMENT]

[YOUR ADVANTAGE: STAGE SUPERIORITY, MOBILITY]

[VICTORY PROBABILITY: 87%]

The fight lasted ninety seconds.

Zhou Bin opened with Thousand Vine Prison, an area control technique that should have immobilized me. But Void Step made positional techniques useless. I flickered through his defenses and struck with a measured Tsunami Fang that knocked him unconscious without permanent injury.

[MATCH ONE: VICTORY]

[PERFORMANCE: EFFICIENT]

[FOUNDATION STRAIN: MINIMAL]

[SO FAR SO GOOD]

My second match was harder, Crimson Peak Stage 8, fire techniques that pushed my damaged foundation to its limits. But Heaven's Judgment Palm's second form, Heavenly Descent, pierced through his flames and ended the fight in under two minutes.

[MATCH TWO: VICTORY]

[FOUNDATION DAMAGE: 23% → 27%]

[YOU REOPENED SOME INJURIES]

[MEDICAL DISCIPLE WEN WOULD BE VERY DISAPPOINTED]

The third preliminary match was against Golden Summit's Iron Fist, Stage 8, pure power cultivator. He charged like a bull, fists glowing with body cultivation Qi.

I used Serpent's Flow to dodge his initial assault, then redirected his momentum into ring-out. He flew over the boundary line before realizing what happened.

[MATCH THREE: VICTORY]

[ADVANCEMENT: SECURED]

[TOP EIGHT: ACHIEVED]

[MINIMAL ADDITIONAL DAMAGE]

[ELDER HU'S EXPECTATIONS: EXCEEDED]

That evening, the eight quarterfinalists gathered for the ceremony. Me. Feng Zhou and another Crimson Peak disciple. Liu Mei from Verdant Valley. Iron Bull and a Golden Summit girl. Xiao Yue from Shadow Wind. And surprisingly, Chen Rou, who'd earned her spot through three brutal victories.

"Lin Tian," Chen Rou said quietly as we waited. "Your movements are slower than normal. Foundation still damaged?"

"Twenty-seven percent now."

"And you're still fighting?" She shook her head. "Stubborn idiot. But impressive stubborn idiot."

[CHEN ROU: CONCERNED BUT RESPECTFUL]

[TEAM 7 BOND: STRONG]

The bracket assignments appeared on a formation display:

Match 1: Lin Tian vs Feng Zhou Match 2: Liu Mei vs Iron Bull

Match 3: Chen Rou vs Golden Summit disciple Match 4: Xiao Yue vs Crimson Peak disciple

[YOUR QUARTERFINAL OPPONENT: FENG ZHOU]

[STAGE 9, AGGRESSIVE FIRE TECHNIQUES]

[HOLDS GRUDGE AGAINST AZURE PEAK]

[WILL NOT HOLD BACK]

[VICTORY PROBABILITY: 23%]

[THIS IS BAD]

Feng Zhou approached me with a predatory smile. "Lin Tian. The genius who reached Stage 8 in three months. I've been wanting to face you."

"Looking forward to it," I lied.

"I'll try not to cripple you permanently." His smile widened. "But accidents happen in tournaments. Injuries. Setbacks. Sometimes disciples never fully recover."

[THREAT: EXPLICIT]

[HE'S PLANNING TO SERIOUSLY INJURE YOU]

[TOURNAMENT JUDGES MIGHT NOT INTERVENE IN TIME]

"Careful," I replied. "Sometimes the underdog wins."

"Not against me." He walked away, confidence radiating.

Chen Rou touched my shoulder. "He's dangerous. Stage 9, plus he's been cultivating for eight years. Don't try to match him power-for-power."

"What should I try?"

"Survive long enough for him to make a mistake. Then exploit it." She smiled slightly. "You're good at that, surviving impossible situations."

[TACTICAL ADVICE: SOUND]

[SURVIVAL STRATEGY: ONLY REAL OPTION]

[WINNING: UNLIKELY BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE]

That night, I couldn't sleep. Tomorrow's match would determine everything, Azure Peak's reputation, my standing, possibly my entire future.

'System, honest assessment. Can I beat Feng Zhou?'

[ANALYZING...]

[HIS ADVANTAGES: FULL HEALTH, STAGE 9, EXPERIENCE, MOTIVATION]

[YOUR ADVANTAGES: LEGENDARY TECHNIQUES, COMBAT EXPERIENCE, VOID STEP, INFINITE QI RESERVES]

[IF YOU WERE HEALTHY: 50/50]

[WITH DAMAGED FOUNDATION: 23/77]

[BUT...]

'But?'

[YOU'VE WON WORSE ODDS]

[ZHOU LING WAS STAGE 8 VS YOUR STAGE 7]

[ELDER SHEN WAS CORE FORMATION VS YOUR STAGE 6]

[THE CRIMSON WASTES HAD 40% CASUALTY RATE]

[YOU'VE MADE A HABIT OF BEATING PROBABILITY]

[SO... MAYBE?]

'That's not very reassuring.'

[I'M A CULTIVATION SYSTEM, NOT A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER]

[BUT I BELIEVE IN YOU, BOSS]

[YOU'RE STUPID STUBBORN AND RIDICULOUSLY LUCKY]

[THAT COMBINATION HAS WORKED SO FAR]

I smiled despite my anxiety. The system, this entity that might be self-aware, that was afraid of deletion, that had been with me since the beginning, believed in me.

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