Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

When it seemed the four had finished considering their options, Chen Ai Yun called out to them.

“All right, have you all decided?”

The four nodded.

“Good. Let’s start with You Ren.”

Mei You Ren nervously lifted her face, sparing a single glance at Chen Ai Yun before quickly lowering her eyes again.

“Uh… um… I… I’d like the f-fourth option!”

“Sure. Tell me your request,” Chen Ai Yun said, smiling gently at the nervous girl.

Mei You Ren took out a scroll from her space ring, handing it over with trembling hands.

“P-please a-accept this.”

Chen Ai Yun tilted her head. “This is your request?”

“Y-yes!” Mei You Ren nodded so hard she nearly lost her balance.

“Hmm… I’ll take it. And you will receive one hundred thousand contribution points,” Chen Ai Yun said, reaching out to take the scroll.

“T-thank you!” Mei You Ren bowed over and over, nearly bumping into the platform with her enthusiasm.

Jin Shu leaned slightly, peeking over Chen Ai Yun’s shoulder as she unfurled the scroll.

The inside was filled with words and strange drawings of two women that vaguely resembled Chen Ai Yun and his mother.

Manhua!

Gold’s sudden shout startled Jin Shu.

What are you shouting about? he asked.

That’s something from my world. A manhua—or sometimes called manga.

It is? So, is this girl from Earth?

Hard to say. There’ve been items from my world in this one—like that stethoscope Dr. Chi had. Or all those artifacts in the cave where we found Yin’er.

Switch with me so I can ask her.

Jin Shu switched places with Gold. His aura shifted subtly—his eyes sharpened, posture straightened, and a faint, calm confidence flowed from him.

“This is intriguing,” he said, pointing to the scroll. “What is it called?”

“Oh… um…” Mei You Ren stammered, glancing between him and the scroll.

“I would also like to know,” Chen Ai Yun added, still inspecting the scroll. “I’ve never seen this art style before and would love to learn more about it.”

“It… it’s called doujinshi…”

Gold narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Did you learn this from Earth?”

She looked up, visibly confused.

“Earth…? I d-don’t know what t-that is,” she shook her head. “I f-found this art style in a scroll in the library.”

He studied her face carefully. She was telling the truth.

She’s honest, Gold thought to Jin Shu. Seems like we have more than just techniques to check for in the sect library.

“I’ll have to look for that scroll,” he said, then smoothly switched back with Jin Shu.

Chen Ai Yun stored the doujinshi scroll in her ring and turned to Wu Ming.

“What is your choice?”

“I would like to take a master,” Wu Ming replied, glancing toward a specific elder seated at the back.

“Oh, let me guess—Elder Han? You seem to use the same technique.”

Wu Ming nodded.

Chen Ai Yun turned. “Would you take her as your disciple, Elder Han?”

Jin Shu followed her gaze. Elder Han was an older woman in her fifties, dressed in similarly flowing robes.

“If it is the Sect Master’s wish, then I shall take her,” Elder Han replied calmly.

Wu Ming began to kneel, but Elder Han lifted her with a gentle wave of qi.

“No need for that now. We can complete the ceremony after the tournament.”

“Feel free to greet your master while you’re here,” Chen Ai Yun said, smiling.

Wu Ming nodded and trotted off to join her.

Chen Ai Yun turned her gaze to Zhu Ren.

“And what would you like?”

“I want a technique—if there’s one better than the Flying Dagger Art.”

“Hm…” Chen Ai Yun tapped her chin thoughtfully, then turned to the sleeping Grand Elder.

“Elder Feng,” she called softly.

The Grand Elder cracked open one eye.

“Huh…?”

“Do we have a technique better than the Flying Dagger Art?”

Feng Lian waved her hand, and a scroll appeared before Zhu Ren in a flash of light.

“Thank you, Elder Feng,” Chen Ai Yun said—though the elder had already closed her eye and resumed snoring softly.

Zhu Ren opened the scroll and quickly scanned through it.

“Does that technique satisfy you?” Chen Ai Yun asked.

Zhu Ren nodded with visible excitement. “It’s perfect!”

“Good.” Chen Ai Yun turned to the final girl. “Bing Hou, what is your choice?”

Bing Hou lifted her head, her cold, piercing blue eyes meeting Chen Ai Yun’s without hesitation. “I need help finding something.”

“Oh? And what are you trying to find?”

“A hidden realm in the southern region.”

A tense silence fell.

Then, in near unison, the elders seated on the platform all lifted their heads, eyes locking onto Bing Hou.

For the first time, her composed expression cracked. She flinched slightly, an almost frightened look flashing across her face.

Chen Ai Yun raised a hand and cast a soundproofing barrier around the platform with a subtle wave of qi.

“Where did you hear that?” she asked, her voice quiet but firm.

“Uh…” Bing Hou hesitated, glancing at the shimmering barrier around them. “My mother made a divination of my fate. Through it I learned that I need to find someone in a hidden realm in the southern region.”

“I see. Well, win this next round,” Chen Ai Yun said, her tone shifting slightly, “and I will help you search for it.”

Bing Hou’s brow furrowed—clearly unhappy with the condition—but after a moment’s pause, she gave a small nod.

Chen Ai Yun lowered the barrier, allowing the four to leave.

Before they could walk off, Sun Mei’er called out to Bing Hou.

“Have you given any more thought to my proposal?”

Bing Hou glanced over her shoulder.

“The person I’m trying to find is my fiancé.”

“Oh? And he’s better than my son?”

Jin Shu cringed internally. He couldn’t speak up now—not without exposing himself.

“I don’t know. I’ve never met him. All I know is where I’ll find him.”

“Oh, interesting.” Sun Mei’er smirked knowingly.

Bing Hou gave a polite bow and walked away.

Once the girls had gone, Chen Ai Yun raised the barrier again.

“We’ll need to increase our vigilance,” she said to the elders, her tone grave. “If others have information about the hidden phoenix realm, we can’t afford to be careless.”

“Yes, Sect Master!” they echoed in unison.

As the barrier lowered once more, Di Ti’s voice rang out, carrying over the excited murmurs of the crowd.

“These next two matches will determine the top two of the elimination rounds!”

Cheers erupted from the stands.

“The first match is… Mei You Ren versus… Bing Hou!”

The crowd exploded into wild applause—most of it in support of Bing Hou.

The two girls stepped onto the stage, the noise washing over them as spectators buzzed with anticipation.

“Go, Senior Sister Bing!”

“I really like You Ren’s drawings, but she just can’t beat Senior Sister Bing.”

“Oh! I love her doujinshi—too bad she only draws girls. I asked for one with me and my boyfriend, but she turned me down!”

“Her art’s cute and all, but there’s no comparing her to the Icy Phoenix.”

Mei You Ren and Bing Hou met at the center of the stage, the crowd’s excitement rising like a tidal wave behind them.

Mei You Ren still looked nervous—but nothing like she had on the elders’ platform. There was a reason she was ranked fifth in the inner sect, and it wasn’t because of her art alone.

She was a cultivator.

And cultivators, at their core, were people who dared to defy the heavens.

That kind of courage didn’t disappear under pressure—it just needed a moment to surface.

With a deep breath, her trembling eased. Her gaze sharpened, her spine straightened. The fear didn’t vanish, but it no longer ruled her.

Across from her, Bing Hou remained unshaken. She stood as she always did—cold, composed, and utterly indifferent to both the crowd and her opponent’s resolve.

She was the embodiment of her title: the Icy Phoenix. Regal, cold, and untouchable.

A queen amongst a flock of chickens.

Jin Shu chuckled to himself at the thought, then looked around, first at Biyu and the others, then at the disciples in the stadium surrounding him.

No—this wasn’t a flock of chickens.

It was a roost of phoenixes.

Each girl here, from the loudest to the quietest—the strongest to the weakest, was a weapon wrapped in beauty. Not fragile, not meek, but tempered in fire and honed on the edge of survival. They were no damsels—they were blades.

Forged from the fires of battle, they were born anew as immortal phoenixes.

Somehow, amidst the roar of the crowd and the energy of the arena, something shifted inside Jin Shu.

A flicker. Like the moment he’d grasped Wind and Water. An insight. A thread of something new.

But there was no time to chase it.

The cheers reached a crescendo as the match began.

Bing Hou didn’t hesitate. Her icy qi exploded outward, a glacial storm that spread frost across the arena floor in an instant.

Mei You Ren answered with fire.

Scarlet flames flared to life around her legs as she lunged forward, each step melting the ice beneath her.

Fire versus ice.

Warmth against winter.

The battle had begun.