The Skybound Terrace was quiet with no crowds or cheering disciples. Just a few stone seats carved into the cliffside where Kaelan, three House Griffin elders, and a silent eunuch stood in witness.

By the time Qin Wei and Vanessa arrived there, Zion Fireheart and the House Fireheart's Chief Eunuch were somehow already there.

He rolled his shoulders lazily, a long coat with the Dawnmere crest fluttering behind him. "Took your time," he drawled, looking at both of them.

Qin Wei didn't respond. He stepped into the center of the platform in silence.

Vanessa left Qin Wei's side and walked to stand beside the House Lord. She kept her eyes forward.

Kaelan then raised his voice.

"By the agreement between both parties," he said solemnly, "this duel shall proceed with two conditions: No killing. And the match ends when one party yields, or is no longer capable of battle. Is that understood?"

Zion Fireheart gave a mocking smile. "Understood."

Qin Wei gave a firm nod. "Yes."

There was a pause. The wind picked up, rustling sleeves and banners.

"You may… begin."

As soon as Kaelan gave the signal, Qin Wei moved, intending to make the first strike.

He dashed forward at his fastest speed, closing the distance in a couple of seconds.

Zion Fireheart smirked, still standing with one foot forward and hands tucked behind his back like he was waiting for a waiter to serve tea.

But just three meters from him, Qin Wei halted his movement. Instead of continuing to charge, he suddenly slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Activate, Ground Current Skill."

Crackling arcs of electricity surged across the floor, leaping up in wild bursts beneath Zion Fireheart's feet.

"Hmm?" Zion glanced downward. He saw this skill before, but got hit for the first time. Or rather, he let himself hit, trying to gauge its strength.

Then, he saw that it wasn't strong enough to injure him as he expected, but strong enough to disrupt his mana flow.

As sparks danced over Zion's limbs, his smirk twitched, sensing that even his muscles tensed for a moment.

But it was all Qin Wei needed to surge forward with a shout, putting every shred of force into his right fist, twisting his hips as his knuckles sailed through the air…

CRACK.

The punch landed square on Zion's nose with a satisfying thump. His head jerked back, blood instantly spurting from one nostril.

The spectators gasped at the sight for a moment.

The eunuch raised an eyebrow. Vanessa's eyes widened in surprise, too.

Zion Fireheart staggered a step back, blinking furiously, his smirk finally wiped from his face.

He touched his nose. Blood.

He looked at his fingers.

Then at Qin Wei.

"You actually hit me." He growled.

Across from him, Qin Wei winced, cradling his bruised fist. The skin on his knuckles had split slightly, a throb of heat pulsing from the bone.

"Damn it…" he grunted. "It's like punching steel. If I only had figured out how to manipulate Aether and materialize it, I could have been in a lot better situation by now."

His arm trembled slightly due to the difference in their physique. At that moment, Vanessa's words about how he doesn't know the strength of a rank-7 echoed in his head, and he understood why they were so confident of his loss without a silver of doubt.

Meanwhile, Zion's expression turned ugly as a pulse of raw mana exploded from his body, like a shockwave.

Dust and air burst outward in a ring, flinging the pine needles on the terrace edge into the air.

His muscles bulged beneath his robe. His skin shimmered with a faint silver hue, like he was wrapped in a barely visible aura of condensed energy.

And then he moved, turning into a blur.

Qin Wei barely had time to react. "Activate…" He ducked, twisted his body mid-step, just as Zion Fireheart's fist came down like a meteor.

CRACK!

Even while dodging, the edge of the punch caught Qin Wei square in the ribs. The sound was dull but brutal.

He flew, crashing across the stone like a ragdoll, skipping once, twice, before slamming into the terrace wall.

"Gaah." A choking cough escaped him as thick blood splattered onto his sleeve.

"Master Icarus!" Vanessa moved, her foot sliding forward on instinct. Her hand reached for her sword.

But…

"Don't." Kaelan's voice was sharp this time. It cracked through the air like a whip.

Vanessa froze, her fingers twitching inches from her blade. She clenched her fists and stayed in her spot.

Meanwhile, Qin Wei rose slowly. His hand pressed against his side, something definitely cracked, maybe broken. Blood ran down the corner of his mouth as he staggered upright.

He looked across the arena at his opponent. The latter stood tall and smug, his knuckles still crackling faintly with mana.

Qin Wei wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his chin. "Damn…" he muttered, voice hoarse. "That motherfuc*er's punch hurts like hell, I think he fractured my ribs."

Watching him, Zion let out a cold snort. "You're still standing? Fine. I'll make sure the next one puts you in bed for life."

He took off again, faster than before, blurring through the air. The wind howled behind him.

But this time, Qin Wei's voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

"Activate… Heaven's Eye."

There was a sudden shift after the activation of the skill. His vision warped, and the world slowed around him.

Every movement sharpened into perfect clarity: Zion Fireheart's right foot digging into the ground, his hip pivoting, and the building tension in his thigh. He was aiming for a knee strike to his chin, a devastating uppercut-style blow that would knock him out or worse, break his teeth.

Qin Wei, this time, could feel like he could dodge. But he didn't do it as he could see that even if he dodged it, the next one is going to be difficult to dodge, and he might not have an opportunity to counterattack.

Hence, he stepped forward. His palms then snapped out, catching the knee and redirecting the force. He let the momentum hurl him upward.

And then Qin Wei flipped in the air like a twisting spear, fifteen feet above the platform. His body turned, face down, spiraling to the ground. Zion found Qin Wei's eyes had changed; one turned radiant white, the other pitch black, before Qin Wei's head jerked a bit as another set of words escaped his mouth.

"Activate, Great Fireball."

Below, Zion snarled and raised his palm for a mana strike at the same time. "You trash… Die..."

As Zion motioned his hand, a stream of flames erupted from Qin Wei's mouth before transforming into a 3-foot-wide fireball, smashing directly into Zion Fireheart's chest.

BOOM!

Flames engulfed him, throwing him back across the terrace. His robe caught fire, sleeves singed to black. He crashed to one knee.

But Zion's palm had been successful, too, slamming into Qin Wei's gut in mid-air, exploding against his abdomen like a battering ram.

Qin Wei, who was struck, blasted into the air before he spun backward and hit the floor hard, bouncing once before landing flat on his back.

"Gaaah!"

He coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Ugh..."

Trying to get up and taking heavy breaths, Qin Wei stared at his opponent. "I need to be serious to take him on."

Clenching his fists, Qin Wei stirred.

He stayed down on one knee, breathing hard, swaying, but still remained conscious.

Meanwhile, Kaelan Griffin jolted half to his feet, watching the scene. "What in the heavens… those eyes…" He glanced at the maid standing next to him, just as surprised. "Vanessa?"

Vanessa, arms crossed tightly across her chest, shook her head. "I… don't know what they do either, Milord."

Even the stone-faced elders, who are secretly hoping for Qin Wei's loss, leaned forward in curiousity now.

First, they saw Qin Wei wield lightning without a talisman.

Then he used the fire element technique, again, without any aid.

Now, those unnatural eyes.

"Could it be… a bloodline ability?" one elder murmured.

"No, I don't think so," said another. "There was never a case where House Phoenix had the ocular powers."

However, Kaelan's brows furrowed deeply, "The Imperial Princess… if I remember correctly, there was a rumor that she possessed ocular powers after she came from the Divine Temple. Thought it was a rumor. Now, it seemed to be true."

"Divine Temple?" As Vanessa glanced at the House Lord, one of the elders said aloud. "I think Icarus was cheating somehow."

"Hmm?" The others immediately snapped their heads toward him. The elder, gulped his saliva, seeing an intense gaze from the House Lord, and said quietly, "I just think that way, because it just doesn't make sense."

Vanessa murmured, "It does, if taken into tragedy into consideration."

Meanwhile, back on the dueling platform, Qin Wei rose again. His arms shivered for a few seconds before he clenched them into tight fists. His eyes were now burning more intensely than ever. "Okay, that's it..."

"Argh..."

Stretching his arms wide, he murmured, "Activate, Gates of Transcendance."

"Gate of Will, open."

*Ding!

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