The red robed girl stepped forward.
Expression calm. Posture straight.
Then — with no drama, no hesitation — she spoke.
"We surrender."
For a moment, silence.
Then—
"…What?" Riven muttered.
He wasn't the only one.
From the Silk Dominion side, one of the disciples actually blinked and turned to the others. The pudgy guy even mouthed something that looked suspiciously like "Did we miss something?"
Even two of the Black Widow Pavilion disciples exchanged brief glances.
But Elder Syen didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even blink.
And beside her, Mei smiled faintly. The kind of smile that made it very clear she had expected this.
The Graveweaver Elder gave a small nod, then turned and walked away as if everything was settled.
The girl in red followed him. The rest of her sect trailed after her in quiet formation.
Just like that — the match was over before it began.
Riven stepped off the platform with the others, still frowning faintly.
He glanced back once at the girl's retreating figure.
Unfortunate.
He'd kind of wanted to see what it was like fighting someone who'd reached the Inner Condensation Realm.
He wasn't assured to win, but still… it was rare to get a chance like that.
Maybe it was because of all the different fighting styles he'd seen at this banquet.
Or maybe it was because he'd become a bit more open over the last weeks travel.
But the interest he'd had in cultivation from before he'd stranded wherever this was, seemed to slowly get rekindled.
Or maybe it was just a good distraction.
He wasn't sure.
Either way, cultivation obviously still wasn't his top priority.
That would always be finding a way home.
But still.
Until that moment came, until that door opened — there was nothing wrong with learning a bit more about where he currently stood.
They returned to their table, where Mei was already pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Convenient, no?" she said mildly.
Riven didn't respond.
Ziren made a soft sound. "Feels like the order was decided ahead of time."
Lara snorted. "You think? Mei basically told him to stand down."
Mei blinked at them innocently. "Did I?"
No one answered.
Either way, that left only one sect they hadn't fought yet.
Black Widow Pavilion.
But before that final match could be held, another pairing stepped up.
The elder's voice called again, clear and smooth across the clearing:
"Graveweaver Court versus Silk Dominion."
It was the match to decide the fourth and third place.
But unlike the previous fight with the Black Widow Pavillion, this match turned out to be surprisingly simple.
Both teams decided to let their leaders fight for the win.
It was the white haired girl from the Graveweaver Court versus the pig tailed girl from Silk Dominion.
Both of them were well practiced and focused.
But in the end the white haired girl took the win due to her superior cultivation.
And with that —
Silk Dominion placed last.
Graveweaver Court took third.
Which left only one match:
Venomthread Sect versus Black Widow Pavilion.
To decide first and second.
Riven exhaled through his nose.
Looks like it was finally time.
The edler announced the match and both sides disciples walked forward to receive the array protection and pearls.
It was during that time that the Black Widow Pavillions brown robed elder directed at word at Elder Syen.
"Hope you don't expect us to surrender too," he called across the platform, tone dry. "Afraid you won't be able to buy their way out of this one."
Riven glanced toward their sect's table.
Elder Syen didn't even honor that with a reaction.
The brown-robed elder waited for a bit, but silence was all that greeted him. He quickly sat back down again.
Mei, next to Syen, sipped her tea like none of this concerned her in the slightest.
It probably didn't.
With that, the last of the pearls were handed out.
Riven stepped into position.
Across from him, the four Black Widow Pavilion disciples had already spaced out — a wide formation, flexible and loose, with no clear leader standing at the front.
That didn't surprise him.
That's what they had been doing the last few fights too.
In fact it fit their own plans quite well too.
Ziren was never afraid of a one versus one.
Riven was eager to fight after these last few matches too.
Lara wanted to show off after her loss in the first fight.
And Talia was not one to ever back away from a fight too.
So one versus ones all across the board was the plan.
"Begin!"
The assassins moved instantly — fluid and efficient, spreading wide and darting forward like four knives aimed at four hearts.
And just as quickly, the Venomthread disciples met them.
Riven didn't really care who his sect mates were fighting as he had to concentrate on his own fight.
Speeding toward him was the assassin with a scar above his eye.
Perfect.
He smiled slightly.
This could be an interesting fight too.
He'd already missed the chance to fight the Graveweaver Court girl.
He had to make this count.
Unaware of what was going through Riven's mind, the assassin approached quickly.
And without saying a word — struck.
A flicker of motion — then a dagger flashed low, twisting unnaturally mid-swing to feint for the ribs before curving toward his throat.
Riven leaned back slightly, letting the blade pass just inches away as he twisted and struck out with a palm toward the assassin's elbow.
But his opponent withdrew before the strike could connect.
Riven didn't wait.
His foot came down sharply next — Falconburst Kick.
He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to win this fight easily if he stuck to just Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
A burst of force propelled his leg forward, foot arcing toward the assassin's side like a hammer strike.
But his opponent moved unnaturally fast — sliding backward just in time.
The kick missed by inches.
Only the wind generated by the strike brushed past, ruffling his robes slightly.
They clashed again.
Fast. Brief.
Steel glinted as the assassin struck low — but Riven pivoted to avoid it, making sure to keep clear of the blade.
He still didn't know what that creeping, spreading black qi was — but he wasn't about to find out the hard way.
Avoiding contact was the safest play.
Another feint. Another dodge. The rhythm of the fight shifted.
Then Riven changed it.
He stepped in with a sudden burst — deliberately opening his right side, exposing where he'd lost his arm.
The assassin took the bait.
Blade flicking forward — sharp and precise, going right for the opening.
But Riven had been waiting for that.
His body twisted smoothly — letting the blade scrape past air — and in the same motion, his left hand shot out.
A full-bodied palm strike.
Clean and fast.
It landed dead center on the assassin's chest.
There was a sound — a dull impact, followed by a slight intake of breath.
Then there was a flash of qi.
But it wasn't the array's protective surge.
It was something else.