V5C45: True Competition

“And now, we see the return of our newest favourite – the one-armed swordswoman!” a man that was holding a bottle of alcoholic beverage in one hand and leaning on a low wall to prevent himself from falling over exclaimed, prompting most to give him dirty looks and distance themselves.

Even then, while they found his unnecessary explanations of events unnecessary, they found that they couldn’t disagree with his assessment of the second person to step onto the fighting ring, or, in this particular case, square. It was surrounded by a road that went around it and a raised section on both sides of the road, where most of the spectators of the fighting arena preferred to stand, both as to not disturb travellers and to get a better view of things.

In the past two days, a new contestant had been appearing and fighting just about everyone that would accept their challenge. They would oppose those with swords, with axes, fists, clubs and even unusual and rarely used weapons like scythes and flails. Each and every time, this woman would win, but that didn’t stop anyone from watching, nor from challenging her. For whatever reason, she would fight at just the right level to continue the fight for a long time, then, when it was clear that the opponent had nothing new to show them, she would unleash a series of blows that couldn’t be resisted no matter what her foe did, resulting in her victory. Although it was immediately clear who would win, it satisfied both the casual observer, and those wishing to learn from the fight, so there was no reason not to watch her.

It helped that she was not delayed by things like stamina, as she seemed to have an inexhaustible supply. The gap between each fight needed only be as long as the time it took to find the next foe.

Due to this, Wei Yi – for who else could be described with such an absurd description as that – had fought nearly two hundred people by the tenth hour of the tenth day, which meant that she would easily have time for one more fight before she needed to go off to the Master’s Square.

The first ten or so fights that she had participated in were the longest, as she needed to do the most reorganisation of her own methods to allow them to maintain effectiveness without any forms of energy, and had the most that she could learn from. As she got used to this kind of fighting, and once she witnessed a number of the shared principles utilised by those from the Wu District, she had far less to borrow from her opponents each time that she faced them, and so the time taken in the arena decreased as a result.

Now, she could get most fights done within ten minutes if she wanted to learn everything from her opponent through the combination of her mental scan and by fighting her foe and forcing them to reveal as many of their individual moves as possible. For her last battle here, though, she was not going to drag things out or rush through it, as she had plenty of time to spare while lacking the ability to accelerate the other proceedings no matter how much she may wish to do so.

She stood on one side of the arena and watched as her opponent prepared. A woman with a larger build than her own, using a thick and heavy greatsword that was also larger than her own, and was heavily scarred and had a constant aura of killing intent around herself was on the other side.

“So, what kind of challenger are you? Here for the victory, or for learning?” Wei Yi asked.

The other woman was clearly still preparing, so it didn’t hurt to learn more about her while she could. It would also lessen the chances of her getting unreasonably angry afterwards and attempting to kill her, like two of her opponents so far had done. Based on this, she would also know how to pace herself, since it was significantly more straightforward to fight those who only want to practise and train.

“Obviously, I’m here to win!” the woman exclaimed.

This type of opponent was a less convenient one, to put it one way, as it meant that they were significantly more likely to have a problem with her winning easily and straightforwardly, which is what she ended up doing most of the time. There were a few exceptions, mostly from people that managed to pull out such unusual methods that she couldn’t quite deal with at the normal level that she was attempting to adhere to.

Whether this person was going to be the same, it was hard to be certain, but she was not going to give her a reason to get upset at her unreasonably. By defeating the other woman clearly and definitively, she would prove that she deserves the victory, and that she is not to be messed with later.

“Alright, in that case, feel free to go first. I’ll give you a single strike before I fight back, so make the most of it.”

Saying something like that was bound to rile her up, but it also did a decent job of setting up certain expectations. More precisely, someone speaking like this was either a sign of extreme arrogance, or extreme confidence, and the moment that capability was displayed to a sufficient degree most would no longer be upset about being defeated by someone sufficiently powerful.

The first response of the woman was indeed in line with this assumption, as she glared at the Ascendant and angrily clenched her teeth, holding back a yell. She managed to limit herself to a growl instead, and then, after a moment in which they decided when the battle would occur, and then raced towards Wei Yi, raising her greatsword into the air with a very obvious intent to slam it down upon her and cleave her in two, a basic yet understandable tactic. With her strength, it would be possible to overpower someone without much technique and finesse, and since the Ascendant looked smaller and used a smaller weapon, she was presuming that she would be able to take care of things in this way.

That was a terrible, terrible mistake, for force was not so effective against proper use of a far lesser quantity of it. Only if something reached an absolute level could it overcome all displays of skill and talent, and the woman before her did not reach that level.

Just when the greatsword began to fall upon her, Wei Yi simply dodged to the side and waited for the blade to come down further, before slamming her heel onto the edge to force it into the ground.

“You may want to try again, unless this is the best that you’re able to do. Remember, most targets aren’t just dummies, standing there and waiting to be hit,” the Ascendant said, pushing the sword further into the ground, “To hit the majority of opponents, you should strike more quickly and more reasonably, anticipating your foe’s movements and acting in a way that either prevents them, or takes advantage of them.”

“Shut it, you fairy bitch!” her foe cried out, forcefully tearing the blade out of the ground.

Wei Yi evaded that quickly and easily, then raised an eyebrow, “Are you using that the way I think you’re using it? Where did you get that from? Do I look like someone that is selling their body to anyone, or someone that even has the need to do so?”

“You look like one!”

“… Wouldn’t you want to look better, though? I am not going to scar myself or intentionally worsen my appearance so that I can look less like a prostitute… is that all you based that on?”

“Do I need any more than that?” the woman asked, performing a wild sideways slash at the same time, with just as little effectiveness as her previous attack. Perhaps her only gain from using this method over the downward slash was that her sword did not get stuck in the ground, and that there was no opportunity for Wei Yi to easily hold it down and limit her movement.

“Well, yes, you do. Do you assume that every single woman from a long-lasting and powerful bloodline is going to be selling her body? Besides, if someone was to do that, are you going to say that they’re someone worthy of disparaging? What is wrong with choosing to use one’s body to satisfy the needs of others?” Wei Yi asked, evading another two strikes in the meantime, “You have chosen to spend your time on fighting and combat, judging by your numerous scars, but if you think that there is no challenge to that field, then you are very wrong.”

“Why are you… what are you even doing? Fight me properly!” the woman cried out.

“I don’t see any reason to do so. You cannot respect those that choose a different path to your own, and so I might as well give you the same treatment. I might as well provide you with as little respect as you would offer another.”

“B-But… eh… You aren’t-”

“You were addressing me as if I was, so clearly I should respond to you accordingly. Besides, if you think you can defeat me, wouldn’t you rather have me be a trained and experienced combatant – which, considering the past two days, you should be aware that I am one – rather than someone who… wait, what exactly were you even thinking?”

“I just… I just said something that sounded insulting…”

“In that case, think about your actions and don’t do this again. I can fight you seriously, but the point of these duels is meant to be for us to learn from one another. Let this be your lesson.”

“Alright… I’m sorry…” the tough woman managed to apologise, halting her blade swinging and bowing slightly, “However, after this, you better fight properly, without anything else getting in the way. I want to see you at your very best, so I that I can fight back in the same way and show you my full power! I want to see exactly what a woman who has yet to lose within our Wu District can display against me, and I want to win!”

“Can’t promise you that last part if you don’t do better.”

“I will also do my very best! I promise that you will see the absolute peak of my ability, and I will finally win!”

“Again, can’t promise you victory, nor would I ever do so if we were fighting against one another, but I do encourage you to do your best. From my understanding of the Wu District, all of you wish to perfect your combat styles, so I would never tell you to hold back against me, especially when we aren’t using planar energy and have far less of a chance of killing one another unintentionally.”

The tough woman didn’t reply after that, and neither did Wei Yi attempt to follow up with anything, stepping back a little and readying her sword once more. They faced one another for a moment.

Then, without any outside prompts, they charged at one another, swords held in their firm hands. One went to slash down, same as before, whereas the Ascendant held back and waited for the best time to attack. On this occasion, it turned out to be just until the blade fell upon her, at which point she shifted to the side and thrust up her weapon, allowing the large greatsword to slide down its side and immediately provided her with the perfect opportunity to slash at the woman’s side, although she held back her strength there.

As soon as she touched the skin of her opponent, she brought her sword back and left naught but a red mark on her opponent, one that slowly began to secrete drops of blood at a pace that might not end a life even if it was never ceased.

“What-”

“Keep going, don’t start chatting! Others wouldn’t be kind enough to let you go on!”

This time, the woman listened to her recommendations very quickly, slashing time and time again, each time clearly trying to observe her actions and respond effectively.

However, most of them lacked sufficient cohesion, almost akin to Wei Yi’s own failures to comprehend the significance of a flow when she had been struggling with blacksmithing. Each individual attack could be absolutely magnificent and flawless in execution and timing, but if it was not followed up correctly, and if one did not make the most of its properties, then all that would occur is disappointment and failure.

Strike after strike, the woman could not land a single hit, whereas she had to accumulate cut after cut upon her flesh, more and more blood slowly beginning to pour from the small wounds. At first, she was fine, but as the fight went on, she was losing enough blood to feel light-headed.

That did not stop her attempts to win, again and again, but it was very clear that this could not go on forever, no matter how much she may want it to. Hence, after a little while, when it was clear that her movements were becoming slower and her attacks were losing any chance of hitting even if the Ascendant walked away at a leisurely pace, it was time to end it.

“You cannot win if that is all you have. For your sake, I can end things impressively, or I can let you have one more go that might just lead to disappointment and misery.”

The woman looked at her in silence for a moment, then shook her head as she shouted vigorously and unleashed what remained of her strength in one last attack. Her aura surged out from her form, almost chopping at the arena beneath her as she attempted to perform a diagonal slash that would split her opponent in two. It was filled with vigour and power such as has not been seen since the very start of the fight.

However, Wei Yi simply needed to reach out and grab onto the blade to stop it fully.

“Simply throwing more strength into an attack isn’t sufficient to win. Any opponent that is sufficiently quick or is equipped with a sufficiently tough piece of armour to endure your attack will immediately be able to deal with everything you throw at them and then attack back at their own pace, resulting in their victory. Treat me as a great example, if you wish,” she said, lightly pulling on the sword and instantly bringing it out of the hands of her opponent, as there was no more strength within the hands of the woman.

Even the strongest hand could only grasp onto something while it had the energy to do so, and with the display of strength the moment prior she had exhausted what little had remained within her body. Hence, with such a heavy blade and such significant damage suffered, to disarm the woman was incredibly easy, and would have been even had Wei Yi been an ordinary person.

“It is good to understand your strengths, but that does not mean that you can, or should, ignore your weaknesses. Only by resolving, circumventing or outright removing them can you possibly be certain of victory, and even then, you should act cautiously and carefully, for you can never guarantee anything.”

“… Couldn’t you have beaten me with something impressive?”

“Did you want me to kill you? If you are so interested in ending your life, then I can contribute, and the Wu District’s rules should permit me to do this, provided that I recall them correctly,” the Ascendant replied, naturally omitting commentary on the quality of her memory, “That being said, I don’t think that this is what you want. You wanted to keep some degree of pride by being defeated by a powerful foe that is completely out of your league, but none of my attacks satisfied that desire. You shouldn’t wait for others to fulfil your wants, especially when you are not acting in a way that would lead people to do so.”

The woman did not reply right away, as her body was barely able to remain standing up to that point. After she had replied to the Ascendant, she maintained her stance for only a while longer before she leaned forward and fell to the ground. Wei Yi did not attempt to stop her fall, but she did release a thin mist of spiritual will to soften the fall.

“Tell me, have you actually practised any specific techniques? Not necessarily anything extravagant, just basics of combat with a sword.”

“… I had spent my last twenty years practising swinging a sword, training my strength, and so on…”

“Since you managed to calm yourself and act more reasonably, I will give you some frank advice. It may sound rude, but you did something extremely stupid. Just by having some muscles, you won’t be able to overwhelm most opponents, not unless they are relying on the same kind of handicap as you are, and thus allow the contest to be somewhat fair. Had this been your path of cultivation, and had you been able to use greater planar energy to overcome me, then I would have instead been asking you whether you had made use of any planar techniques, constructs and so on. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand. It… is my mistake…”

“Now, learn from it and don’t think that simply swinging a sword will bring you victory,” Wei Yi finished, although her mind quickly wandered away, ‘Theoretically, her approach was in line with a Dao, be it a Dao of Strength or the Sword Dao. To master something to an extreme extent has the chance of providing insight into the Dao, and would thus achieve something worthwhile… That being said, this is not the best way to go about things, and so I would not advise anyone to go on such a path. A single, absolute way is bound to lead to doom without supplementing it with other things… which does appear to be the path I am going to take with Law, the further and further I go… not ideal, that, not ideal in the slightest…’

That being said, she could never comprehend all of reality without a far, far superior mind, memory, a great deal of time, a better ability to understand and perceive the world, and many, many more things that she couldn’t just provide to herself on a whim, nor even with a great deal of effort.

Some would be obtained in time, of course, like divine perception that would allow her to see further, observe things in greater detail, and possibly withstand her Absolute Soul’s aura, but the time that she wished to have to explore the world, comprehend her various Dao and study whatever she had been unable to learn while focusing on saving Yi City from the Greats.

For now, however, she had to stick to doing what little she could, and that was to attempt to become the Matriarch of a district that might very well be willing to accept her, provided that her skills were indeed as good as she considered them to be. With everything that she had gained over the years, every technique she had accumulated and every distinct art that she had comprehended, she considered her overall arsenal to be very much above that of the majority of cultivators. After taking into account the additional time she had spent training and practising with everything that she had, she believed that she would be able to be victorious in the end.

Of course, she was aware that she had not been dealing with the strongest residents of the Wu District, and so she was very likely to be inferior in certain regards to other potential opponents.

She was most concerned about the possibility of some having comprehended Dao, but having a much better grasp of it than her. With how many she had obtained in a relatively short life, she obviously lacked as much time to consider any specific one in the same depth as others might with a Sword Dao, for instance. If they have figured out more of the intricacies of the Sword Dao, and more uses for it, perhaps even attaining a vision state and finding a way to imbue it into their movements and attacks in such a way that it can be mobilised even without drawing upon planar energy, they would be far stronger than she is, at least without her using her extremely powerful physique and other forms of energy.

They would be incredibly beneficial for her development if she was able to overcome them and understand the principles that they were using for their own power, but rather dangerous if they were superior in some regard that she couldn’t handle.

It would be ideal for her to win fairly, to win the trust of the people, to prove her ability, and to gather knowledge and experience in the process, but she was ready to cheat a little if she needed to. Given that the current Patriarch appeared to be deceased, there would be no people in the seventh realm that would be able to perceive her energy properly. Thus, she could always bring out her killing will or physique energy to give herself a significant advantage in any fight without most noticing.

There would be some that did, simply because it was nearly impossible to hide something as abnormal as physique energy and killing will when being used for combat, and so she would need to act in an effective manner to minimize that number. She would then need to handle those that weren’t fond of her actions, one way or another, and from there she would be able to hold onto the power of the Wu District for however long she needed to. After all, she wouldn’t keep onto the district for much longer than she needed to.

Her intentions were to take the power of the Wu District for however long the War of Ascendancy continued, and after that, she was more than willing to pass it on to anyone else. Ideally, there would be some other Matriarch or Patriarch who would be capable and fitting her ideas for the development of the districts and Yi City as a whole. Whether they would keep the title itself for long was uncertain.

“… Excuse me, are you still up for fighting? I would like to challenge you…”

“Sorry, not up for it anymore. There’s somewhere that I have to be,” Wei Yi replied to the rather small woman that had decided to challenge her, “If you’re up for it, you can feel free to join me at the Selection of the Heavenly Masters, but I would guess that it isn’t something you’d risk going into without sufficient preparation. I am not going to be available after that, either, so I would just advise fighting someone else, literally anywhere else.”

The girl – for it felt somewhat wrong to refer to someone so small and young-looking as a woman – looked almost distraught at this, the exact reasons being hard to distinguish simply due to the number of potential causes for her shock.

It was not something that the Ascendant was going to bother with, since her understanding of the Selection of the Heavenly Masters was that it was not a lethal process unless someone without more than a minute of lifespan attempted to enter. Even if the girl entered and challenged people that were far beyond her in terms of strength and ability – which would be most of them, since the girl did not have much of a cultivation or significant aura, indicating to her that something exception would need to happen for her to win against anyone – she would simply be knocked down and incapacitated, perhaps slightly injured for her efforts, but nothing more.

As she got down from the square arena, she did actually contemplate what would happen if the girl was some kind of hidden master, but she was not expecting to lose out regardless of the outcome. Since the girl had yet to attempt it on her own, she might very well give up her position even if she completely obliterated the Ascendant in whatever challenges they would face.

Hence, she did not pay too much attention to the girl’s reaction as she departed, quickly proceeding to the Master’s Square that she had found as soon as she knew that she would need to come there.

The chances of her missing something so significant within the district were slim due to her spiritual perception, but it didn’t hurt to be certain of exactly where to go, as to be certain that she can account for any potential delays and arrive in time regardless of what the world may throw at her. With certainty regarding the location of the Master’s Square, she could have been obstructed by a million different trials and tribulations on the way, and she could have made it there in the same time as it ended up taking her.

Whether due to her good luck or something else, she got to the great square with ease and without interference, ending up there an hour early and with few others being there at the moment of arrival. That being said, due to no regular residents choosing to walk through this place, the few that were already standing around and waiting were certain to be potential adversaries in the upcoming Selection of the Heavenly Masters.

Most were in the fifth realm, and those that were travelling in this direction were at the same level, with a few in the fourth realm and only one person in the sixth realm, that she was able to notice. In a trial of pure physical combat prowess, planar cultivation realm might not be as significant, but to become someone that was equivalent to a guardian of the district, one would generally benefit from being more powerful. If one attempted the Selection at the first two realms, they would be unable to fulfil most other duties of the Heavenly Masters, and would expend too many resources on cultivating to a sufficient level.

In particular, this would be most problematic in the person’s obvious inability to advise anyone in the field of planar energy usage, something that was still necessary despite the Wu District’s dislike of using anything beyond their mastery of technique. Fighting at the border would also be impossible.

For that reason, the majority of those that were considered capable in pure swordsmanship but lacked a high cultivation did not appear to be heading in this direction, with most that would fit this description instead sticking around at various combat arenas and challenging others while attempting to improve their overall skills to the point that they would be sufficiently capable to attempt to gain the position in the future. Not all wished for the position of a Heavenly Master, speaking purely generally, but most would want some of the benefits from it while being fine with providing their abilities to the district.

‘Well, the fewer people I need to deal with, the better it may be for me.’