Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

After a moment of stunned silence, thunderous applause erupted.

“Excellent!”

“That was so exciting!”

“A technique at the full manifestation stage! That’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it!”

“Zhu Ren! We knew you could do it!”

“Congratulations!!”

“Though… if we’d known Wu Ming was also small, maybe we’d have rooted for both of you…”

“Psh! She hid her true self. Not worth cheering for!”

Zhu Ren's display had won her a wave of new admirers.

Even the elders above couldn’t help voicing their praise.

“That girl brought a technique to the full manifestation stage at twenty-one. That’s quite the feat.”

“I’d have liked to take her as my disciple… if only she weren’t that woman’s niece…”

“Is she really?”

“She is. You were away from the sect at the time, but she warned the elders then—told them not to touch her niece.”

Jin Shu, overhearing their murmurs, couldn’t help but ask, “What are the elders talking about? Who’s Zhu Ren’s aunt? They sound almost… afraid of her.”

Tian Li and Biyu both shrugged; they didn’t seem to know either.

Chen Ai Yun turned and answered in their place.

“Her aunt is Elder Zhu Jian of the Punishment Hall.”

Biyu and Tian Li gasped.

“Really?!”

“Who’s that?” Jin Shu asked, curious now about their strong reaction.

“She’s the only Dao cultivator left in our sect after the war with the demonic cult,” Tian Li said in a hushed voice, “and the second strongest, after the Grand Elder.”

“The second strongest? And… what’s a Dao cultivator?”

“There are many paths to immortality in this world,” Chen Ai Yun began. “The most common is cultivation through the world’s natural energy—qi. Dao cultivation is another path. It’s far more difficult and arduous than qi cultivation, but the rewards are far greater.”

“What kind of rewards?”

“That depends on the Dao being cultivated. Most often, it grants deep enlightenment—and immense strength.”

“What Dao does Zhu Jian follow?”

“The Sword Dao,” she replied, her tone touched with reverence.

“They call her the One-Armed Swordswoman,” Tian Li added.

“Oh? Did she lose an arm?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “She chooses to fight using only one arm.”

“Isn’t that normal? Unless she uses a sword that needs both hands…”

“No, I mean she doesn’t use her other arm at all. Even outside of battle.”

“That’s part of her Dao training,” Chen Ai Yun explained. “She trained her right hand to its peak in swordsmanship. Once she reached that peak, she began training only with her left—until that, too, reaches perfection.”

“Interesting…”

Jin Shu couldn’t help wondering if there was such a thing as a Gun Dao, but he laughed the idea off a moment later. That would be ridiculous… right?

Still thinking about Elder Zhu Jian, he recalled what the crowd had said about Zhu Ren.

“She doesn’t sound like the type to despise anyone—especially not her niece. So why did people say she did?”

Chen Ai Yun shook her head. “Zhu Jian doesn’t hate her. Quite the opposite—she loves her niece dearly.”

“Then why the rumors?”

“They started after a public argument between them,” she said with a sigh. “It was taken out of context. Zhu Jian wanted Zhu Ren to follow the Sword Dao. Zhu Ren refused, and it led to a falling-out. Their relationship has been strained since.”

“I see,” Jin Shu murmured, nodding thoughtfully.

Chen Ai Yun smiled. “Alright, enough chatting. It’s time for the next part of the tournament.”

She pulled out her communication talisman and signaled for Di Ti to take the stage again.

Di Ti stepped onto the stage a moment later, eliciting another wave of cheers from the crowd.

“It’s time!” she announced. “The ranking matches will begin from the bottom of the ranking to the top. However, since Bing Hou and Zhu Ren have been through consecutive battles for most of the day, their match will be postponed until the end of the first round!”

She paused for the crowd's cheers.

“The first match will be the sixth seed—Nameless—versus the fifth seed—Jin Shu!”

Jin Shu stood, glancing around for this Nameless, curious to see who it was. But when no one appeared even after a full minute, he chose to take the stage first.

Stepping into a ripple, he reappeared on stage an instant later.

The crowd cheered at his arrival.

“It’s Jin Shu!”

“She was so strong last time, but I wonder if the mysterious Nameless will be a match for her?”

“Nameless is at the Eighth Stage Core Realm. She should be stronger, right?”

As the crowd speculated, a black-cloaked figure appeared opposite Jin Shu, carried by a strong gust of wind.

“Is this Nameless?”

“She even hides her body along with her name.”

“Who is she, really?”

Jin Shu observed the woman in the strange black cloak. She was covered from head to toe, with only her brown eyes visible beneath the hood—and even those were partially obscured.

Something about her eyes felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“You must be Nameless. You sure know how to make an entrance,” he said, hoping to get her to speak so he could place her voice—or her identity.

“…”

She remained silent.

The judge stepped onto the stage before he could press further.

“Please show me your weapons.”

Nameless pulled a sword from within her robes.

Jin Shu hesitated. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to reveal before his match with Liu Hua—but since the rotation order wasn’t public, he had no way of knowing when that match would be.

Let’s just get a little serious, he told himself.

A knife appeared in one hand, a pellet gun in the other.

The judge checked Nameless’s sword, then turned to inspect his weapons.

“What kind of weapon is this?” she asked, pointing at the gun.

“Um… it’s kind of like a crossbow. But it fires this instead of an arrow.” He held out a small round pellet for her to examine.

“Hmm… I can’t tell whether it’s lethal or not just from that.”

She raised her hand. “Strike my palm with it.”

“Is that okay? It might hurt…”

“It’s fine,” she scoffed. “We’ve replaced the outer sect judges with inner sect elders. I’m at the Fifth Stage Spirit Realm—I doubt your weapon will harm me.”

“If you say so…”

He aimed and fired.

The pellet shot from the barrel, the runes etched on its surface glowing as they activated in flight.

Pow!

It slammed into her palm with a hefty impact that echoed across the stage.

“Ouch!” she shouted, shaking her hand as if to wave away the sting.

Jin Shu bent to retrieve the pellet as it rolled along the ground. Normally he wouldn’t bother, but these particular pellets were rune-inscribed—a hassle to make and easy to lose.

It was extremely difficult and time-consuming to inscribe runes onto such tiny surfaces. He’d rather not waste them.

As he straightened, he caught sight of the welt forming on the judge’s palm.

“I did warn you…” he said.

She glared at him. “It isn’t lethal, but you’d better be careful with that thing. A hit to the head, eyes, or throat could be deadly.”

“I know. I’ll be careful,” he nodded. “Thank you for your advice.”

“Also, it wouldn’t have hurt if I’d activated my qi,” she muttered. “You just didn’t give me time.”

He blinked at the grumbling judge. “...uh, sure. Sorry, that was my fault.”

“It’s fine.” She turned to glance between him and Nameless. “Are you both ready?”

Nameless gave a silent nod under her hood.

“I’m ready,” Jin Shu said.

“Okay. Same as the elimination rounds: once the barrier rises, the match begins.”

She stepped back—and a moment later, the barriers lifted.

Jin Shu waited, observing his opponent. She remained still as well, equally watchful.

If she’s not going to take the initiative, then I will.

He stepped into a ripple and appeared behind her—

Only to immediately twist aside as a sword slashed toward him.

Twisting his waist—which felt oddly easier in his female body—he avoided the strike by a hair’s breadth.

How did she know where I was going to appear?

There was no time to wonder. Her sword chased after him like an angry wasp, every strike fast and precise.

He dodged left and right, barely avoiding being overwhelmed.

Instead of continuing to dodge, he decided to create space.

A ripple opened behind him and he vanished into it.

The moment he reappeared on the other side of the stage, he raised the pellet gun and fired three quick shots.

Psh! Psh! Psh!

Ting! Ting! Ting!

She deflected each shot effortlessly—as if she’d been expecting them.

How?!

She didn’t give him time to think. In a blink, she was rushing toward him again, closing the distance impossibly fast.

He remembered—belatedly—that she was a wind qi cultivator.

He needed more space.

Fine. He’d use the same technique he’d used against Zhu Ren: an overloaded light formation.

While retreating, he drew runes with his qi, pausing only to fire the occasional pellet—though she deflected each one with ease.

The only downside to this plan was obvious: the light would blind him too. At this range, even closing his eyes wouldn’t offer full protection.

But it was fine. He had the Wind element to replace his sight.

He completed the last rune. Shutting his eyes tight, he activated the formation and extended his senses outward.

He waited, expecting a cry of pain or surprise from his opponent—or at least from the crowd.

Nothing.

Did they protect the crowd from the light? But what about Nameless?

Then he realized something worse.

He couldn’t sense Nameless at all—as if she had vanished from the arena.

He pushed his senses further, reaching the edge of the arena.

Still nothing.

Until—

A sudden shift in the airflow above him.

His eyes snapped open.

A sword was dropping toward his head.

He raised his left hand, just in time, and caught the strike with his knife.

“Ugh!” he groaned as the weight of the blow nearly toppled him.

But it gave him an advantage—her sword was raised, leaving her unable to block the pellets.

He fired from the waist.

Psh!

Again, he expected a cry of pain. Again, there was nothing.

Psh! Psh!

Two more shots.

Still nothing.

He shoved the barrel of the pellet gun into her shoulder and fired point-blank. The force made her stumble back.

That’s when he realized the problem.

She was surrounded by a barrier of wind qi.

It wasn’t just blocking his senses—it was blocking the pellets too.

But maintaining a barrier like that constantly would drain her qi. She couldn’t keep it up much longer.

Not that he planned to wait patiently.

Psh! Psh!

Two more pellets flew toward her. Just as she raised her sword to deflect them—

Bang! Bang!

They exploded in her face.

“Ah!”

This time, she cried out—and something about that voice sounded… familiar.

Still, he refused to let himself get distracted mid-battle.

Psh! Psh!

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots. Two more explosions.

Dust billowed into the air, obscuring her for a moment.

As it cleared, Jin Shu’s eyes widened.

“You?! How is it you?!”