Chương 371: Chapter 316: As Someone far More Experienced

~~~ Something has changed. Fan Bingbing frowns minutely as she tunes her instrument in the waiting room. A viewing crystal on the wall shows Ten Zichun swinging his fiery hammer against a disciple from the Endlessly Raging Valley. Brother Bei and Brother Huang are both on their feet, shouting at the crystal as though Ten Zichun could hear them. Sister Yi Jiao looks like she wants to join them but is too sensible to do it.

Of all the fights yesterday, Ten Zichun's fight was among the most violent ones, but this one has already elevated itself above it. The strong winds and intense heat have caused multiple whirlwinds to rage inside the ring as the fighters clash. Both fight so frantically that anyone watching could easily mistake this for a Top Eight battle. As she's neither blind nor stupid, Fan Bingbing understands Brother Jin's fight yesterday has something to do with it. However, that is not the main issue.

It is not even particularly surprising when one considers Brother Jin's history. The problem is emotion. The entire Crimson Cloud Stadium drips with it. Ten Zichun's zeal is unsurprising, but his opponent fights as though his very life is on the line. Perhaps it is. Fan Bingbing recalls her own opponent fighting with similar passion, not that it had helped him win. Then, there's Xiao Shuang, the disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace. Fan Bingbing does not rattle easily, but even she was taken aback by that fight.

Xiao Shuang's Qi had been an expression of utter cold, the very breath of winter that turned green pastures into frozen hells. Faced with that cold, Gan Nanfeng's very soul was frozen. She collapsed from exhaustion shortly after the fight and has yet to wake up. Considering the alternatives, she is lucky that is all that happened to her. Cold as it had been, Xiao Shuang's aura had been far too erratic for her actions to be rooted in anything other than emotion. It is always emotion that triggers such extremes.

It infects. It unbalances. Even generational prodigies can be undone in a single night. Fan Bingbing has not missed that Sister Lu Mei and Young Master Feng Zhi have been somber since the day began, normal for the Young Master but anything but for Sister Lu Mei. Fan Bingbing sighs. The viewing crystal shows Ten Zichun falling and his opponent being declared the victor. Brother Huang throws his hands up in frustration. The stadium vibrates due to the applause from the crowd. She should surrender.

A burst of competitiveness and pride might have led Sister Gan astray, but her initial instinct had been correct. She should have never stood on the same stage as Xiao Shuang of the Divine Frozen Palace. It would be foolish to repeat her mistake. Fan Bingbing is stronger than Sister Gan. Even so, she has no illusions about being stronger than Xiao Shuang. She'd be able to put up a better fight, but she'd still lose.

If Xiao Shuang's emotional state heightens between today and tomorrow, there is no telling what might happen when they battle. Fan Bingbing closes her eyes. Her fingers move over the strings of her instrument as her mind plays out how the fight would go, yet Xiao Shuang is far too volatile to make accurate predictions. There is no reason for her to take on a fight she cannot win. And yet… Fan Bingbing cannot avoid fighting her. It is not emotion that compels her. She is not seeking victory.

Unless she fights Xiao Shuang, Fan Bingbing cannot ascertain the threat the girl poses to everyone. It is simply the most logical course of action. ~~~"Lu Mei of the Eternal Flame Clan vs. Ding Yan of the Endlessly Raging Valley!" The two fighters step into the ring amidst great cheers. Both put on commanding performances yesterday and earned themselves quite a few admirers due to their power and beauty.

Furthermore, the emotions in the audience have been greatly enhanced by how fierce all three battles that followed Xiao Shuang's match were. They are eager to see who will emerge victorious here. Of course, there is already a clear favorite.

"There is no way Lu Mei of the Eternal Flame Clan can lose!"

"Fool! Ding Yan is the daughter of an Elder of the Endlessly Raging Valley!"

"What does that matter? Lu Mei is the daughter of Lord Feng Shang and can wield the Eternal Flame! Ding Yan cannot compare!" Lu Mei smiles as she hears the mutterings of the crowd. Ding Yan does not.

"Oh dear," Lu Mei says, bringing a hand to her smiling lips.

"You look at me so severely. Why? We parted on such good terms last time."

"Do not misunderstand," Ding Yan says, slowly plucking a feather from her green hair.

"I quite enjoyed conversing with you. However, today is a different day with different circumstances." Her aura flares up. The item hiding her cultivation shatters. Earth Realm, Level Six. Lu Mei's eyebrows rise up. Ding Yan revealing her cultivation without any preamble or theatrics is a sign of how seriously she intends to take this fight. Lu Mei supposes she cannot blame her.

If the Elders talked to her remotely as seriously as her father and uncle talked to her and Feng Zhi last night, Lu Mei fully understands the sort of situation she is in. Nevertheless…

'I thought the words of the Elders did not matter…' Lu Mei says, communicating solely through Qi as her own aura rises. The glare Ding Yan shoots at her for that is accompanied by a precise burst of lethal intent. Talking through Qi is always safer and more private than doing it through sound, but with so many powerful cultivators in attendance and lacking the benefit of being in an entirely separate realm, there is always a chance someone might have a way to overhear.

'The Wandering Wind's voice is often the loudest when she deems us worthy to speak,' Ding Yan says.

'On this occasion, she has remained silent. The Elders, however, have been quite eager to share their opinions as of late. On a more personal note…' Ding Yan strikes before finishing her sentence. The feather in her hand grows long and sharp. She brings it down on Lu Mei like a blade, but a wall of wind stops her attack.

'My friend has been quite distressed since yesterday,' Ding Yan continues, still pushing back against the winds surrounding Lu Mei. Her feather glows with the Qi infused inside it.

'Do not hold it against me if I think staying in the tournament for as long as possible is in my best interests.' Ding Yan suddenly moves back. With a snap of her fingers, six more feathers fly out of her hair and stab themselves into the ring. Lu Mei barely has time to see the symbols glowing on them and realize what is about to happen. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

[Six-Point Heavenly Suppression] Dim light connects all six feathers, forming a hexagon around Lu Mei. An instant later, a furious pillar of light erupts from it, engulfing Lu Mei and crashing into the barrier with enough force to make it quiver before it quickly adjusts to its power. When the attack fades, a thick curtain of smoke has taken its place.

"Besides," Ding Yan says, looking at her nails.

"I do not think you are the sort of opponent I can afford to hold back against."

"How… respectful of you," comes Lu Mei's voice from within the smoke. A gust of wind blows it away, revealing her to be completely unharmed. One of her eyebrows twitches minutely.

"Allow me to repay you in kind." [Red Curtain] Blades of wind rush at Ding Yang, but more feathers fly out from her hair and assemble around her. They shine and create a translucent shield to protect her. [Nine-Point Heavenly Barrier] Lu Mei's blades crash against the barrier but fail to break it. With a burst of speed, Lu Mei blurs around Ding Yan to attack her from various directions, yet the barrier stands tall.

A curious glance from her is met by a smirk on Ding Yan's face, stoking the competitive fires inside the girl. [Red Stage] The air within the ring changes and becomes tinted with red. Ding Yan is confused for a moment when no attack seems to hit her barrier. She looks at Lu Mei, who smiles and winks at her. The tip of her ear goes flying off. [Twelve-Point Heavenly Protection] Ding Yan's reaction is instant.

As her eyes widen with panic, three more feathers fly out and join the nine around her, creating layers within the barrier surrounding her. Multiple impacts ring out, and cracks appear on each of the layers, yet no more damage is done to her body.

"I am a little surprised," Lu Mei says, "As a member of the Endlessly Raging Valley, I expected you to use wind techniques."

"You wield the Eternal Flame, yet you attack me with wind. Are you really in any position to talk?" Ding Yan asks her, glaring at Lu Mei as the tip of her ear regenerates.

"They are talismans, aren't they?" Lu Mei asks, looking at the feather.

"Not the usual type, but you actually managed to turn those feathers into talismans."

"The qualities of certain Spirit Beasts make them more compatible with certain Qi flows," Ding Yan says. She takes out another feather from her hair and aims it at Lu Mei.

"Is not using the Eternal Flame your way of looking down on me?"

"Much like the ones who wield it, the Eternal Flame is quite greedy. I am not keen on sharing you with it," Lu Mei tells her cheerfully.

"In other words, you think you can win the moment you use it," Ding Yan notes.

"You are speaking to the daughter of one of the two ruling clans of the Endlessly Raging Valley."

"I am speaking to the daughter of one of the two families whose Inheritance was stolen by the Wandering Wind, yes." Ding Yan moves. It is not that Lu Mei's words have caused her to lose control—though it is undeniable that they have angered her and several people in the audience. Rather, while the two were talking, Ding Yan was moving her feathers into position. Despite the pull of the Earth Realm, the shield around Ding Yan lifts her into the air as multiple points shine above them.

There is nowhere for Lu Mei to run. She can only watch as the brilliant light hammers down on her from above. [Eighteen-Point Heavenly Punishment] The ring is smashed to bits. The barrier contains the explosion, protecting the audience, but even they are forced to avert their eyes. A moment of silence follows as the brilliance dies down. Then… [Red Overture] Ding Yan's eyes widen as a red tornado rises below her.

The wild winds drill into her barrier, making her desperately add more talismans to replace the breaking layers. Ding Yan knew her attack would not be enough to end the fight. Even so, Lu Mei's power does not feel even slightly diminished. How had she... Below her. Ding Yan's own attack could not possibly hurt her, so it could never pierce her barrier. Lu Mei avoided the brunt of her technique simply by moving directly below her and using her own barrier as a shield.

'If you understand, there is no reason for me to explain,' Lu Mei says through Qi as her hand touches Ding Yan's barrier. Mere inches separate the two.

'As someone far more experienced in the art of looking down on people, I'll just say this: Don't do it at your own expense!' The wind blast that emerges from Lu Mei's palm blows back Ding Yang's barrier with her inside it. However, that is not nearly as worrying as the wind blades are suddenly flying all over the ring. One by one. The talismans she scattered over the ring are cut in half. Even so, Ding Yan smiles.

The talismans forming her barrier shoot toward Lu Mei like projectiles while new ones quickly replace them. Lu Mei slices the projectiles before they get close, but they were never meant to succeed. A single talisman shoots from between Ding Yan's fingers. Upon being sliced by Lu Mei, three more talismans are released. When those three are sliced, each releases three. This time, Lu Mei hesitates to destroy them. Three more are released regardless.

A flicker of panic appears on Lu Mei's face as she starts destroying as many talismans as possible, but she cannot keep up with their propagation. Ding Yan allows herself a triumphant smile. Some people look down on those who use talismans because they depend on items to bring forth their full power. However, the opposite is also true. As long as she has her talismans, she can always bring forth her full power. Exhaustion has no meaning to someone like her.

That is how the first members of the Endlessly Raging Valley had tamed its winds to find shelter where others had only found death. Multiple points glow all around the ring. [Thirty-Two Point Heavenly Restraining Field] A green and yellow glow takes over the ring. Lu Mei is not injured by it, but she feels her movements are somehow slower than they were before. [Sixty-Four Point Heavenly Chains] Glowing chains of energy appear from the ground and from the air.

Lu Mei's increased speed and wind manipulation should have allowed her to easily avoid them, yet she is somehow a step too slow this time. The chains wrap around her ankles, around her waist, around her wrists, and even around her neck. She struggles against them, but it is not just her movement being restrained. The very flow of Qi within her body is being constrained somehow.

Though Ding Yang is a talented cultivator, a binding technique of this complexity and power would have taken her hours, making it completely unsuited for combat. However, through the use of talismans, she can unleash it in an instant. Lu Mei sighs.

"I want to make one thing clear," Lu Mei says, sounding remarkably calm for someone so completely bound.

"This is only a matter of convenience for me."

"Those are the words of wounded pride!" Ding Yan shouts, already sensing what is about to happen. Her talismans crackle with power. She sees no need to reward Lu Mei by giving her time. [One Hundred Twenty-Eight Point Heavenly Supremacy] The wave of pure power emerges from her talismans and speeds towards Lu Mei. Its brilliance is such that even the people in Imperial Cloud have to shield their eyes. Its roar is like a thousand thunderclaps.

If not for the barrier around the ring, the entire city would have ceased to exist. Gold surges. The chains burn. The field evaporates. Even the blinding light is swallowed in the blink of an eye. Of Ding Yan's talismans, only ashes are left scattered in the air. Lu Mei strides forth. The people gasp in awe. The gold of the Eternal Flame covers her body like a dress. Her hair has become the deepest crimson, and her white skin glows with divine light.

In that moment, Lu Mei looks less like a cultivator in the Earth Realm and more like a vision of a bygone era. Ding Yan summons more talismans, but that no longer matters. They all unravel before the Eternal Flame. The golden fire consumes not just their physical form but the Qi carefully worked into them. Ding Yan tries to jump back as her barrier burns. [Eternal Flame - Binding of the Condemned] It is almost a mockery.

The Eternal Flame wraps around Ding Yan's legs and arms like a whip and binds her to the ground. Lu Mei stands triumphant over her. A complete reversal of their previous positions. The Eternal Flame shines like a sun in Lu Mei's hand. She shoots it. A large hole is made to the right of Ding Yan's head. Her point is made.

"I… surrender," Ding Yan says through gritted teeth. Lu Mei is declared the winner shortly after, but she is not pleased. The words she said to Ding Yan were not a lie. She is certain she could have won without using the Eternal Flame. That she resorted to using it makes it look like she is only superior to Ding Yan due to her inheritance. However, not using it would have been far too costly and revealed too much.

"Quite arrogant of you," Ding Yan says after Lu Mei releases her from her technique.

"You tried to conserve your energy despite fighting me. It is as though you actually think you have a chance against that monster." She is not talking about Qing Jin. She is talking about Xiao Shuang, whose cultivation is undoubtedly greater than either of theirs. Nevertheless…

"Do not question the depths of my greed," Lu Mei says, smiling with her usual confidence.

"You will find there is no end to it." ~~~