The judge's hand fell. The bell rang, a single, sharp note. The rope hummed. Chalk dust motes danced in the air.
"Best of three taps. Ninety breaths. Boundary resets only. Non-lethal."
On the balcony, He Rulong watched, a statue of silent pressure.
---
Qin Ye's hand brushed the brass post marking the ring's edge.
[Daily Sign-In available.]
[Location: Ring Post.]
[Sign-In? Yes / No]
Yes.
[Ding! Sign-In successful!]
[Reward: Tempo Thread (Lv.1, 20 breaths — resist cadence feints; sharpen entry/exit beats) + Grip Recall (Lv.1 — recall micro-angles; prevent minor slip on contact).]
---
Exchange One — Point on Frame.
The He-line specialist opened with a clean tempo-feint, his body shifting weight in a deceptive rhythm before striking with a needle-like line.
Qin Ye activated the Tempo Thread. The feint's rhythm became a distant, irrelevant noise. A Quiet Pivot and a non-damaging Blade Nudge with his baton opened a lawful angle. His fingers tapped the opponent's shoulder.
The judge hesitated. "Simultaneous?"
"Clause 7.2. Permit Device Witness on-frame replay for scoring," Qin Ye stated.
The orb replayed the exchange in slow motion. Qin Ye's touch landed a full breath before the counter.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Point on Frame."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Appeal Resistance +2% (situational).]
---
Exchange Two — Center Without Drift.
The opponent shifted tactics, applying legal shoulder angles to pressure Qin Ye toward the boundary.
Qin Ye held the inner circle. His Silent Steps were micro-corrections, his balance absolute. The Grip Recall ensured his baton's angle was perfect, preventing a minor slip on contact. He tapped the opponent's torso, clean and decisive.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Keep the Inner Band."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Center Retention +3% (situational).]
---
Opponent Adaptation — Procedural Razor.
The opponent escalated. A double-ghost cadence, a refined echo of the Echo Step's style, flowed from him, aimed at forcing a misstep near the boundary.
Qin Ye ignored the sound. He planted his foot on his internal breath count. He refused the reset, offering no ground for an appeal. In a moment of extreme precision, he threaded the narrow space beside the opponent's sleeve seam without making contact.
[Ding! Optional Objective unlocked: "Win without any boundary warnings" — Reward: Technique Chest (combat micro-stance, locked).]
---
Exchange Three — Finish Clean.
The opponent stacked tempo and angle, a final, concentrated assault. Qin Ye let the attack come to him. As it entered his line, a minimal Blade Nudge redirected its force. A Quiet Pivot converted the energy. His fingers tapped the opponent's chest.
The judge's bell rang. The match was over.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Angle Reads Angle."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Counter-Angle +3% (situational).]
[Ding! Optional Objective completed: Win without any boundary warnings.]
[Reward: Technique Chest (combat micro-stance, unlocked).]
---
Technique Pick.
He opened the chest. Three options glowed: Threaded Entry, Center Pin, and Feint Null. He chose Center Pin. The knowledge of how to anchor his inner-circle pressure, making his center an immovable pivot point, integrated into his muscles in a single breath.
---
Board & Standing Ping.
The main board updated with Day 1 interim standings. Qin Ye's name was near the top, highlighted by flawless procedural metrics. Lin Xiu had cleared her heat cleanly. Yue Hong had passed, but with a minor note on boundary pressure—no penalty, but a mark.
---
Quiet Registry Clue.
At the edge of the hall, the registry holoplate flickered. The masked node "—" resolved for a blink into "Proc-Hub Δ : Clause Hook 7.4" before re-masking. The hash was the same.
---
Cooldown & One More Stamp.
In the cooldown corridor, a clerk approached. "For tomorrow's sets, a slower lane might be advisable. Less… scrutiny."
"Route parity clause 2.1," Qin Ye replied, his hand resting near the Queue Lock Token in his storage.
The clerk glanced at the token's implied presence, then stamped the log. "Lane order stands."
---
Ending Hook.
[Ding! Core Trials — Day 1 complete.]
[Ding! Main Quest updated — Inner Gate Exam: 6 days.]
The ropes fell silent. His breath was steady. The new Center Pin micro-stance settled into his posture like a shadow at his core as the ceremonial drums faded into the night.