Lu Shen used a spear.
Orion disliked that immediately.
Not because he had anything against spears.
They were excellent weapons.
That was the problem.
Long reach.
Powerful thrusts.
Strong defensive distance.
And the man holding this particular spear was three minor stages above him.
The tournament crystal displayed the difference for everyone to see.
1st Stage Essence Gathering versus
4th Stage Essence Gathering
The crowd was considerably larger than during Orion’s first match.
Rumors traveled quickly.
Apparently throwing a Stone Fist cultivator out of an arena had been entertaining enough to draw attention.
Lu Shen stood opposite him.
Lean.
Dark-haired.
Calm.
No arrogance.
That worried Orion more than arrogance would have.
The spear in Lu Shen’s hands was simple.
No excessive decorations.
No giant tassels.
A practical weapon owned by someone who actually knew how to use it.
The referee raised his hand.
“Begin!”
Lu Shen moved.
Orion barely got his sword up.
CLANG!
The spear slammed into his blade.
Orion’s arm went numb.
His eyes widened.
Lu Shen withdrew.
Thrust.
Orion twisted.
The spearhead passed through his sleeve.
A second thrust followed immediately.
Orion stepped back.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
He couldn’t get close.
This is different.
Peng Wu had possessed strength.
Lu Shen possessed control.
Every attack maintained distance.
Every time Orion tried to step inside—
The spear shifted.
Threatened his throat.
His chest.
His legs.
Orion blocked another thrust.
Lu Shen’s Essence erupted.
The spear suddenly accelerated.
Orion’s eyes widened.
He turned.
Too late.
The blade cut across his side.
Blood appeared.
The crowd reacted.
Xuan Mei stood immediately.
Yue Ling caught her sleeve.
“Sit.”
“He’s hurt.”
“He’s fighting.”
Xuan Mei’s jaw tightened.
On the arena—
Orion touched his side.
Blood coated his fingers.
Not deep.
But real.
Lu Shen lowered his spear slightly.
“Brother Orion.”
“Hm?”
“Your physique is impressive.”
Orion smiled.
“There’s usually a ‘but’ after that.”
“But your experience is poor.”
“There it is.”
Lu Shen attacked again.
Orion stopped trying to win.
That decision saved him.
He stopped looking for openings.
Stopped trying to force himself past the spear.
Instead—
He watched.
Thrust.
Withdraw.
Sweep.
Reset.
Lu Shen’s spearwork had rhythm.
Not predictable.
But structured.
Orion blocked.
Retreated.
His sword shook.
Another cut appeared across his shoulder.
Then another at his thigh.
His robes were becoming increasingly red.
But Rao’s Immortal Body endured.
That was Orion’s advantage.
Not invincibility.
Not overwhelming power.
He could take punishment.
More importantly—
He could learn while taking it.
Lu Shen thrust toward his chest.
Orion moved left.
The spear shifted automatically.
There.
He saw it.
Every time Orion stepped left, Lu Shen rotated his rear hand before changing direction.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
But necessary. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Orion retreated again.
Lu Shen pursued.
Thrust.
Left step.
Hand rotation.
Orion dodged.
Again.
Lu Shen frowned.
He attacked harder.
Orion’s sword caught the shaft.
The impact nearly broke his grip.
But—
For the first time—
Orion stepped forward.
Lu Shen changed direction.
His rear hand rotated.
Orion was already moving.
Radiant Step.
Golden Essence surged through his legs.
One step.
Then another.
He entered the spear’s dead space.
Lu Shen’s eyes widened.
Orion raised his sword.
Lu Shen abandoned the spear.
His fist came forward.
Orion saw it.
Could have dodged.
Didn’t.
The fist slammed into Orion’s ribs.
Pain exploded through him.
But Orion’s left arm closed around Lu Shen’s striking arm.
Trapping it.
Lu Shen realized too late.
“You—”
Orion’s forehead slammed into his.
THUNK!
Both men staggered.
“Ow!”
Orion had not thought that part through.
Lu Shen looked equally offended.
Orion recovered first.
His sword stopped beneath Lu Shen’s chin.
Lu Shen’s free hand reached for the spear.
Orion kicked it away.
Silence.
Both breathed heavily.
The referee stepped closer.
Lu Shen looked at the blade.
Then at Orion.
He laughed once.
“I surrender.”
The arena erupted.
Orion immediately lowered his sword.
“Good fight.”
Lu Shen rubbed his forehead.
“You headbutted me.”
“You punched me.”
“Fair.”
The referee raised Orion’s arm.
“Winner—Orion Atlas!”
Orion smiled.
Then his knees nearly gave out.
The smile disappeared.
“Oh.”
The referee caught him.
From the stands—
Xuan Mei vanished.
⸻
Orion sat in the medical pavilion fifteen minutes later.
His robe had been removed from the waist upward.
Bandages wrapped his ribs.
Three cuts had already been treated with medicine.
Xuan Mei stood directly in front of him.
Silently.
Orion had learned to fear silent Xuan Mei.
“Hello.”
Nothing.
“Nice weather.”
Nothing.
“Congratulations on your win earlier.”
Her eyes narrowed.
Orion sighed.
“You’re angry.”
“You let him hit you.”
“Technically he hit me several times.”
“At the end.”
“Ah.”
She knew.
Of course she knew.
“I needed his arm trapped.”
“So you used your ribs?”
“It worked.”
“That is not a defense.”
Orion smiled.
“It kind of is.”
Xuan Mei reached toward his side.
Her fingers stopped just above the bandages.
Her expression softened.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes.”
Honesty.
Their rule.
Her eyes lifted.
Orion tried a reassuring smile.
“I’m alright.”
“I know.”
She sat beside him.
“That doesn’t mean I like seeing you hurt.”
Orion went quiet.
Xuan Mei looked down at her hands.
“I understood what this tournament meant when I agreed to let you do this.”
“You didn’t let me.”
Her eyes moved sideways.
Orion immediately corrected himself.
“You generously tolerated my decision.”
“Better.” Get faster updates on g.com.
He laughed.
Then winced.
Xuan Mei frowned.
“Don’t laugh.”
“That’s a terrible medical recommendation.”
She shook her head.
Then carefully rested her hand over his.
“You fought well.”
Orion looked at their hands.
“Thank you.”
“You were patient.”
“Eventually.”
“You learned.”
“Pain is educational.”
“Do not make that your philosophy.”
Orion smiled.
[Affection: 42%]
This time—
He allowed himself to look at the number.
Then at Xuan Mei.
Somehow the second mattered more.
⸻
High above the medical pavilion, another participant stood beside a stone railing.
She had watched the entire fight.
Bright green hair rested slightly beyond her shoulders.
Unlike the flowing hairstyles favored by many cultivators, hers was practical.
Simple.
Kept away from her eyes.
Those eyes were considerably less simple.
Neon yellow.
Bright enough to appear almost luminous.
Her robes were yellow as well, marked with the circular layered sigil of the Thousand Phenomena Sect.
She had watched Orion’s first match.
That had been curiosity.
The second—
Was different.
The girl replayed the fight in her mind.
The first-stage cultivator had been weaker.
Slower.
Less experienced.
Yet his force output was abnormal.
His body’s ability to absorb impact was even stranger.
More interesting—
He adapted.
Not perfectly.
Not quickly enough to avoid injury.
But consistently.
He had willingly accepted one impact to eliminate the opponent’s superior reach.
Inefficient physically.
Efficient tactically.
She approved.
“Lianmo!”
The green-haired woman turned.
Another Thousand Phenomena disciple hurried toward her.
“There you are.
Elder Qiao has been looking everywhere.”
“I was watching a fight.”
“So I noticed.”
The disciple glanced toward the medical pavilion below.
“Orion Atlas?”
Lianmo looked back.
“You know him?”
“Everyone knows him now.”
“Why?”
Her sectmate stared.
“You genuinely haven’t heard?”
“No.”
The young man sighed.
“Wind Resonant Sect’s Xuan Mei.
He’s her fiancé.”
Lianmo’s eyes moved toward the silver-haired woman now seated beside Orion.
“The Fifth Stage Meridian Foundation cultivator.”
“Exactly.”
“They seem compatible.”
Her sectmate nearly tripped.
“That’s your reaction?”
“What should my reaction be?”
“I don’t know.
Something involving romance?”
Lianmo frowned slightly.
“Why?”
The disciple stared at her.
Then seemed to remember who he was speaking with.
“Never mind.”
He explained the engagement condition.
Orion’s inability to cultivate.
His late awakening.
The top-ten demand.
Lianmo listened silently.
“So…”
Her gaze returned to Orion.
“He entered this tournament knowing his cultivation was far below the strongest participants.”
“Yes.”
“Because otherwise her sect would continue pressuring her to end the engagement.”
“That’s the rumor.”
Lianmo was quiet.
She watched Xuan Mei adjust one of Orion’s bandages.
Orion said something.
Xuan Mei glared.
Then laughed despite herself.
Lianmo didn’t understand the emotion between them.
Not really.
But she understood commitment.
Discipline.
Choosing difficulty when an easier road existed.
“Admirable.”
Her sectmate blinked.
“What?”
“His reason.”
Lianmo turned away.
“Elder Qiao is waiting.”
“Right.”
They left.
She did not look back.
But later that night—
When reviewing her own tournament opponents—
Lianmo remembered the blond cultivator who had accepted a punch because it gave him one chance to step forward.
She wasn’t sure why.