Chapter Seventy-Four: Azure Shadows

“Wake up, everyone.” Wang Qi nudged Xiong Gang’s arm to rouse him.

Ye Sansi stood, stretched his body, and yawned. “Wonderful, the third round is a test of martial arts. At last, we can move around and stretch our muscles. Haha.”

Liu Lingshuang smiled, “You wild rascal, only thinking about fighting…”

Ye Sansi scratched his head sheepishly and grinned. “They say spells and martial skills grow sharper the more you use them. It’s been days since I had a good bout, and my hands are itching. Today’s a rare chance. I must make the most of it.”

Wang Qi laughed. “Young hero, don’t take it lightly. I’ve heard the Eastern Training Grounds are filled with sons and daughters of prestigious families, all well versed in powerful martial arts. If you face them, be careful.”

Xiong Gang draped his arm over Wang Qi’s shoulder and chuckled, “Brother Wang, don’t worry. My eldest and second brothers’ skills are unmatched, and Miss Lin and our sister-in-law are extraordinary too—anyone can see they’re no ordinary people.”

Jin Sun folded her hands behind her back, twisted coyly, and pouted. “Hmph! You big oaf, everyone praises each other but never mentions me. Don’t judge by size; my martial arts are better than yours.”

Xiong Gang grinned foolishly and echoed, “Yes, yes, I could never beat you.”

Ye Sansi and his companions saw Fang Yuan leading the remaining twenty-six contestants away and quickened their pace to follow, arriving at the Eastern Training Grounds.

The six took their seats where they had before, but the island master didn’t appear; only Fang Yuan stood alone in the vast arena.

Fang Yuan cleared his throat, and the crowd quieted. He announced, “The third round of martial arts begins now. Thirty-two contestants; ten will advance to the Qiankun Arena.”

“The rules are as follows: thirty-two will fight in pairs. The winners will then be matched based on initial assessment of their strength, until eight remain. Finally, I will select a few with exceptional talent but no martial skills.”

With a shrill whistle, Fang Yuan stepped aside, and the contest began. He declared, “First match: Xu Zhongnian versus Xiong Gang.”

Before his words faded, a young man leapt onto the stage. Seeing this, Xiong Gang muttered, “Heh, so his agility’s impressive. Watch me defeat you.”

Xiong Gang entered the arena. Xu Zhongnian sneered, “With your build, you’re fit for tilling fields, not cultivating immortality.”

“You!” Xiong Gang was furious—he’d done nothing to deserve such insult.

Fang Yuan continued, “You may use any weapons you’ve brought. If you need something else, just ask—swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hooks, clubs, whips, maces, hammers, tridents, meteor hammers. Our Immortal Island has them all.”

Xu Zhongnian laughed, “I need nothing. My family’s ancestral sword is a treasure, its swing brings a chill wind, even heaven and earth tremble at its dance. I doubt the island offers anything to rival it.”

Xiong Gang rolled his eyes, turned to Fang Yuan, and bowed. “Brother Fang, give me a hammer.”

“What size?”

“Any size will do for dealing with this fellow.”

Fang Yuan waved his hand. Something seemed to fly from his sleeve, growing larger as it landed before Xiong Gang.

Examining it, Xiong Gang saw it was indeed a hammer, much bigger than an ordinary iron mallet, the head thicker than a waist, the handle four feet long and adorned with dragon patterns.

Xiong Gang gripped it with both hands, a bit strained, but his strength sufficed to wield it with effort.

“Begin,” Fang Yuan called. Xiong and Xu charged each other, exchanging moves. Ye Sansi laughed, “Haha, Xiong Gang really knows how to play. He could win easily, but pretends to be evenly matched.”

Taiyi asked, “Sanshi, how can you tell?”

“Haha, remember how he fought you? He’s holding back, letting the other defend, purposely exposing openings to invite attacks. So back and forth, it looks like a real match.”

Liu Lingshuang smiled, “This big fellow isn’t just hearty; he knows a trick or two when it matters.”

Li Taiyi said slowly, “I wonder who Xiong Gang really is. If he were just the heir to the Barbarian Chapter Sect, Fang Yuan’s favor wouldn’t be so generous.”

Sanshi asked, “Taiyi, what do you mean?”

“You may not know, Brother Sanshi, but the hammer Fang Yuan lent him is called Divine Punishment—a heavenly artifact. Such weapons are treasures of the Immortal Island’s vault and never lent lightly. Surely the island master instructed it. I wonder why.”

After twenty bouts, Xiong Gang judged it time. Seizing his chance, he leapt up, swinging Divine Punishment overhead and struck down at Xu Zhongnian.

Xu Zhongnian, stubborn, chose to block with his sword instead of dodging. Xiong Gang’s blow was impossible to restrain.

Seeing this, if Divine Punishment truly landed, Xu Zhongnian would perish. Fang Yuan swiftly cast a spell, forming a shield of qi beneath the hammer’s face. Though the hammer’s power was extraordinary, Xiong Gang’s cultivation was shallow, so Fang Yuan could neutralize its force.

The qi shield was invisible to ordinary eyes; only Sanshi and Taiyi noticed. Fang Yuan dissolved ninety percent of the blow. Xu Zhongnian caught it with his sword but could hardly withstand it.

Xiong Gang saw the blow was not fatal. He shook the hammer’s handle and exerted force.

Unexpectedly, his strength shattered Xu Zhongnian’s sword, and the surge of spiritual energy from the broken blade allowed Xiong Gang to pull back.

He spun the hammer, absorbed the recoil, stepped back several paces, and steadied himself. Xu Zhongnian, frail compared to Xiong Gang, was knocked off his feet by the blast, landing heavily.

Fang Yuan raised Xu Zhongnian with a spell and announced, “Xiong Gang wins!”

Defeated and his ancestral sword destroyed, Xu Zhongnian was livid. He grabbed the broken blade and charged at Xiong Gang. Before he took three steps, he dissolved into white mist and was transported off the island.

The broken sword fell. Fang Yuan gathered the fragments in his hand, sneered, and said, “This sword is obviously ordinary, bearing only a trace of spiritual energy. It’s no divine weapon. How could it be passed down for generations?”

Fang Yuan summoned a disciple. “Take this sword to the Sword Pavilion. Have Brother Zhang see if it can be repaired, and if so, deliver it to Xu Zhongnian.”

“Yes,” the disciple replied, bowed, and departed.

Fang Yuan proceeded to arrange the next matches. Xiong Gang returned to the stand, where his five companions congratulated him. Li Taiyi teased, “Nice job, using your wits. One move could have finished it, but you dragged it out for dozens of rounds.”

Xiong Gang blushed, scratched his head, and smiled. “The rules say to hide your strength, so I did. In the next round, it’ll be easier. That hammer Brother Fang lent me is powerful—almost too much, I nearly lost control…”

Li Taiyi probed, “Xiong Gang, besides being the Barbarian Chapter Sect’s heir, do you have any other status?”

“Let me think… Three years ago, I was a general suppressing bandits, a deputy in flood relief, then nothing else.”

Ye Sansi watched Xiong Gang’s demeanor carefully—his breath steady, speech unhurried, evidently truthful with no concealment.

The six sat together to watch the matches unfold. Only Xiong Gang’s opponent, Xu Zhongnian, was weak; the rest fought brilliantly, their martial arts exquisite.

Ye Sansi nodded in admiration. These skills came from many schools, each with flaws and strengths, but every technique had its uses.

Some swordplay was elegant but lacked force; others were domineering yet had gaps. Most would miss these subtleties, but Sansi, with innate insight into martial arts, memorized every move, dissected them, kept the essence, discarded the dross.

Less than an hour passed before Sansi’s name was called. The six grew anxious; hearing his name, their nerves tightened.

“Ye Sansi versus Li Bing.”

Li Bing was a young woman, about Liu Lingshuang’s age, with blue hair in braids, strikingly beautiful.

Facing such beauty, Sansi’s heart trembled. Her eyes were deep blue and crystal clear—such looks were rare in the world.

She smiled at Sansi, “Young hero Ye, please teach me.”

Though he was reluctant to harm such a charming girl, in matters of principle he could not hold back.

While he hesitated, Li Bing rushed forward, dual short swords in hand, much like Lingshuang. But such speed was no match for Sansi’s Blazing Step.

With the slightest motion, Sansi evaded her attack. Lingshuang saw Sansi’s hesitation, stood up, and called from the sidelines, “You fool, go for it!”

Her words were oddly jealous. Sansi knew Lingshuang must be envious; if he kept holding back, it would upset her.

Li Bing struck again, thrusting her right sword straight at Sansi’s chest. He turned, letting the blade pass across his front.

Taking advantage, Sansi grabbed her wrist and used the Nirvana Smoke technique. Li Bing’s sword dropped instantly, clattering to the ground.

Her wrist hurt, and her right hand lost feeling. She switched to her left, stabbing at Sansi’s throat—a killing move.

But Sansi reacted swiftly, leaning back to dodge, bracing his hands on the ground, and kicking at her left wrist. Li Bing felt half her body go numb.

Sansi flipped upright, Li Bing swung again, but Sansi did not dodge—he blocked with a palm to her abdomen. Though it was the Five Evil Palm, he withheld its poison.

Li Bing staggered back several steps, missed her footing, and fell. Sansi moved to help, but she slapped the ground and sprang up.

She brushed dust from her clothes, bowed to Sansi, and said, “Young hero Ye, your skills are superb. I concede willingly. Had you not held back, I might not have survived. As I must leave, I hope we meet again in the world.”

Her words ended, and like the others, she vanished in white mist.

Sansi thought, Li Bing was polite and skilled, far better than earlier victors. If she couldn’t stay, it was a pity.

But for Lingshuang, his friends, and himself, it had to be…