I glanced at Mei-Mei, her expression brimming with a mischievous glow. "So, you're the one who called me, huh?" I teased, the corner of my lips tugging upward. "Look at you now—bossing around Lin Fenghua. Funny how the tables turn, isn't it? Weren't you the one who used to always get in trouble with her back in the day?"
Mei-Mei flushed immediately, her cheeks turning crimson. "Don't tease me, Senior Ming!" she snapped, though her voice carried more embarrassment than anger. "It's different now—although I have a higher rank, we still respects each other…"
I chuckled, enjoying her flustered reaction. "Sure, sure."
Mei-Mei pouted and lightly nudged me in the ribs. "Enough of that!"
I smirked, my teasing far from done. "Fine. So what brings you here. Maybe you've finally found your senior brother a wife," I said slyly, watching as her reaction deepened further. "You've been working hard, haven't you?"
"That's all you think about!" Mei-Mei said, nudging me harder this time. "Why would I waste my time on that?"
We continued walking, the banter between us flowing easily. Yet as the noise of the gathering crowd reached our ears, her tone shifted into one of genuine concern. "On a more serious note, how did you manage to break through so fast? You were stagnant for so many years, and now… Foundation Establishment. Senior Ming, this kind of progress—it doesn't make sense."
I feigned hurt, clutching my chest dramatically. "Oh, Mei-Mei, I'm wounded! To think that my own Mei-Mei would doubt her senior brother's genius. You really don't believe I could achieve this on my own?"
"Fine," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Keep it to yourself if you don't want to explain. I'll figure it out eventually."
Before we could continue, a loud commotion caught our attention. Whispered conversations spread like wildfire through the crowd, their voices rising with intrigue and curiosity.
"Tianhai just boldly declared a challenge at the Outer Sect tournament," one passerby said with excitement.
"Who did he call out?" another asked.
"Some disciple named Si Ming," the first replied. "No clue who that is—probably just some nobody."
Mei-Mei and I exchanged puzzled glances, the name ringing unmistakably familiar. Without hesitation, we approached one of the people conversing nearby. Mei-Mei reached out and tapped his shoulder, her presence catching him off guard. Flustered, he turned to answer, his cheeks reddening at the sight of her. "Oh, uh, Tianhai… he just challenged someone called Si Ming," he stammered. "He beat one of the ranked disciples and took her spot, then called out this Si Ming right afterward."
Mei-Mei's face turned solemn as she looked at me, her concern evident. I met her gaze with a serious expression and said firmly, "Then I guess I should oblige him."
"No!" Mei-Mei said, stepping closer as her worry bubbled to the surface. "You don't have to do this. Let me help you out—it's not worth the risk."
I shook my head, my tone calm yet resolute. "Have a little faith in me, Mei-Mei. We've been together for years now—you know I wouldn't walk into this unprepared." I gestured for her to return to her duties. "Go back to the Saintess. I'll be fine."
Reluctantly, Mei-Mei nodded, her face tinged with hesitation. "Just… don't overdo it," she said softly, turning away to rejoin Fenyue's side.
Back at the Saintess's pavilion, Fenyue turned to Mei-Mei, her voice reaching out through the Spiritual Voice Transmission technique. "How was your little excursion?"
Mei-Mei, startled slightly by the sudden telepathic message, responded quickly. "Saintess, my senior brother finally broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. But…"
"But?" Fenyue pressed.
Mei-Mei hesitated, her concern showing clearly. "He's facing trouble already. A man named Tianhai challenged him just now. I'm afraid he might have bitten off more than he can chew."
Fenyue raised an eyebrow, her intrigue growing. "So Tianhai is the one who entered the stage just moments ago?"
"Yes, Saintess," Mei-Mei confirmed.
Fenyue studied the Arena intently before asking, "Why do you look so worried, Qingmei?"
"Tianhai may be too much for him to handle," Mei-Mei admitted. "Even if Ming has the higher cultivation, Tianhai has more resources. He's the son of Lu Jianhong, head of the Disciplinary Hall of the Outer Sect."
A knowing smile tugged at Fenyue's lips. "I think your friend will fare quite well."
As I entered the stage, the crowd grew quiet. All eyes turned to me, their curiosity evident. In my hands, I carried the protagonist's sword—an unusual, medieval-looking weapon that stood out in this cultivation world. I had wanted to take the protagonist's full set of armor but lacked the time; the sword alone had proven invaluable. My system converted it into a cultivation weapon, it retained its original properties of amplifying it's weilders energy, Runes to increase sharpness, durability, lightness, and a special conversation of mana to carry the light attribute or Qi now to carry the rare light attribute and an additional ability to imbue blood Qi into it, making it become my first spirit weapon.
The sight of the strange blade drew mockery from Tianhai. "What's this? Did you raid a blacksmith's trash heap before coming here?" he sneered.
I smiled casually, unbothered by his ridicule. "It doesn't matter what weapon I have. I'll still slice up your limbs." My calm tone only served to rile him up further.
The referee raised his hand, signaling the start of the match. Without hesitation, Tianhai charged forward, his spear gleaming as it aimed directly at me.
For the first few moments, I toyed with him, dodging his strikes with effortless grace. "You're only good at dodging!" Tianhai roared, frustration boiling over.
"Are you stupid or something?" I replied coolly, sidestepping another thrust. "Being able to dodge doesn't mean I'm weak—it means I'm capable enough to respond to your attacks. And here I thought the great Tianhai would be a challenge."
Enraged by my words, Tianhai grunted, popping a pill from his storage ring. His aura surged as he temporarily entered the first stage of Foundation Establishment. The crowd erupted with excitement, their cheers echoing through the Arena. "It's over!" one spectator exclaimed. "With this, he'll win for sure!"
Their voices were silenced by the clanging sound that reverberated across the stage as I blocked Tianhai's empowered strike. I deflected his spear, pivoted smoothly, and with the flat side of my sword, slapped him across the face with it. The impact sent Tianhai staggering, and before he could recover, I placed the sword back into my storage ring, letting it vanish from sight.
"What—?" he began, his confusion evident. But I didn't give him time to speak. Drawing upon the Dragon Flame Fist technique, my fists ignited with Qi resembling a dragon's head. With a flurry of relentless, Qi-infused punches, I pummeled Tianhai into submission.
Mei-Mei, watching from afar, muttered in disbelief. "Since when did Senior Ming become so strong?"
Fenyue leaned forward slightly, her keen eyes narrowing. "Those techniques… they don't belong to our sect."
With a final, devastating strike, I knocked Tianhai out of the stage. His body crumpled, bruised and battered, his unconscious form lying in silence. The referee, almost hesitant, finally declared, "Winner: Si Ming."
The crowd, stunned into silence, could barely process what they had just witnessed. I smirked, the satisfaction clear in my expression. "If I had one of those systems that responded to shocking people, I'd be swimming in points right now."
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