Before the elders voice even faded, the Black Widow Pavillion disciples already took action.
Clad in omniously similar black robes, they dashed forward in unison as if they'd practiced this.
No hesitation. No posturing.
They moved like shadows across the clearing, fast and deliberate, each one wielding a curved dagger glinting with faint, poisonous light.
Riven blinked.
They were already on top of their opponents.
The Graveweaver Court disciples barely had time to react.
The first got cut across the chest, the skeletal array flaring violently before shattering as he stumbled backward with a grunt.
The second barely managed to raise a hand — the assassin slipped beneath it and struck low. The array cracked and burst apart before the blow even fully landed.
The third fell almost simultaneously, his protection rupturing in a flash of pale light as he was driven back.
Barely a few seconds had passed.
Three people were already out.
And that highlighted the Graveweaver Courts last disciple even more.
The last person standing on their side was a girl with white hair pulled into a high ponytail, not unlike the one Lara usually wore.
But interestingly enough she wore a vivid red outfit that clung close to her frame, sharp and clean rather than morbid. Much like anything he'd expect from a sect called "Graveweaver Court".
Riven had seen it clearly.
When the disciple that had jumped her slashed with his knife, she was already ready.
Kind of.
Her leg had snapped up, fingers closing around a slim knife strapped to her thigh. She brought it up just in time to intercept the first strike.
Clink.
The sound had been wrong.
Not metal grinding against metal — but something cleaner. Final.
The assassin's dagger split in two.
But Riven was sure it wasn't from brute strength. Or from superior craftsmanship.
Instead it was qi.
For a fraction of a second, her blade had glinted with a muted grey sheen, sharp and dense, as if compressed into a single decisive edge. The broken half of the enemy's knife spun away, clattering uselessly across the platform.
It wasn't like coating a knife in qi was an impressive feat.
In fact Riven could do the same with his needles. Sort of.
But they still wouldn't slice through another knife as easily.
His qi was not strong enough to warrant that kind of effect.
But hers had been.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't seem to be experienced in combat.
After gaining an advantage in the initial clash she had hesitated.
Instead of following through — instead of pressing the advantage — she'd pulled back instinctively.
And that was all the Black Widow Pavillion disciple had needed.
He'd quickly retreated, now joining his sectmates to surround her.
This was gonna be a four versus one.
Beside Riven, Mei clicked her tongue lightly.
"This was about as one sided as expected."
Riven turned toward her, frowning. "Didn't you say the Graveweaver Court won the last tournament?"
"They did," Mei replied calmly. "But that was during the Inner Disciple round. You're not seeing their strength at its peak."
Riven's gaze flicked back to the girl in red.
"They're not weak," Mei continued. "But their specialty doesn't show at the early stages of cultivation. They focus on arrays. Summons. External qi manipulation. All things that require time, refinement, and a higher realm."
She shrugged lightly. "At this stage, most of their Outer Disciples just grind cultivation and study theory. They only start to shine later."
That… made sense.
"Besides," Mei added, eyes narrowing slightly as she watched the assassins reposition, "the Black Widow Pavilion is different. They're strong early. Very strong."
Her tone sharpened just a touch.
"They're the most combat oriented of the four sects. And they double as an assassin hall. Killing efficiently is what they're trained for from the beginning."
Riven watched the circle tighten.
Then—
All four moved at once.
No formation. No delay.
Just a burst of killing intent.
They converged on her like blades from every angle, daggers flashing, aiming for joints, throat, heart. A coordinated flurry meant to overwhelm.
The girl in red didn't retreat.
Instead, her qi surged.
A faint pulse spread from her body — not wide, but dense. The knife in her hand glinted again, the grey hue even more focused than before.
She had a different disposition than the pig-tailed girl from Silk Dominion.
She wasn't willing to just give up due to a number disadvantage.
Instead she met one of the assassins blades with her own.
Her blade cleaved diagonally — cutting straight through it before hitting his body. His array triggered mid motion, ribs flaring into existence before shattering with a hollow snap as he flew back across the field.
One down.
The sharpness of her qi augmented knife seemed unmatched.
But it wasn't a one versus one.
While one opponent flew away, the other three had already reached her side.
She pivoted—just in time to parry another dagger aimed at her ribs.
Steel rang once before fading as her knife parted the others.
She slashed upward in a clean arc. Her blade slicing into the attacker's shoulder—another burst of array-light cracked through the air as he was flung backward, chest smoking faintly from the impact.
Two down.
But that was it.
The third assassin struck from behind, his dagger grazing her side.
And the fourth — the one she'd disarmed earlier — came from the opposite angle, a new blade glinting cruelly.
Too many directions.
Too little time.
She twisted to avoid the worst of it, but both daggers found their mark.
The skeletal ribcage flared violently to life across her torso—cracking, then shattering in a splintered flash.
Her array had triggered.
Out.
Riven exhaled through his nose.
He found himself genuinely impressed.
A few weeks ago, he might've just watched in silence.
But somewhere along this strange banquet trip something had changed. He'd become a little more open.
He wasn't exactly thrilled about that — especially since it had led to him letting his guard down for a bit, having slept without precautions back at the inn.
But there was also some good in it.
Because now it felt natural to just ask questions.
"Was that one of the external qi applications you mentioned?" Riven asked, nodding toward the girl in red as she was helped off the field. "I thought she can't use that at our stage?"
Mei shook her head. "No, that's the point. She's not at the level to use proper external qi yet. That wasn't it."
"Then… what was it?"
"A simple boost," Mei said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Just reinforcing her blade with qi. Basic stuff."
Riven frowned. "But it worked way better than it should've."
"Because her qi is stronger," Mei replied.
"Stronger?"
She glanced at him. "Yes. Denser. Sharper. More potent."
"…That sounds like?"
Mei smiled faintly. "That sounds like the Inner Condensation Realm?" She paused for a second. "Because that's what it is. Out of all the participating disciples, she's the only one not in the Inner Essence Realm. She's already left you all behind."
Riven's eyes narrowed slightly.
Cultivation was split into multiple differents realm.
And while he had reached the late stage Inner Essence Realm, he was still at the very beginning of cultivation.
Riven stared at the girl in red as she got to her feet.
She looked barely older than him — but she'd already stepped into the next realm.
The Inner Condensation Realm. Just one stage up, but the difference felt massive.