CHAPTER 24: FINAL ROUND

Xueling looked at the approaching boulders and thought to herself that she had no more qi left, merely relying on her internal energy now.

Using internal energy, though not mortally dangerous, could lead to complications under extended use. She needed to find a way to end this quickly.

"~Listen carefully," Yu Tian’s voice cut through her thoughts. "~I need you to circulate your internal energy exactly as I say. Make sure to listen carefully as any mistake could lead to your qi pathways exploding."

She’d never heard of such a technique, but she trusted him completely.

Following his guidance, she felt her internal energy flow through an unfamiliar pathway. The sensation was strange - like lightning coursing through her veins.

The first boulder crashed toward her.

She raised her sword, channeling the redirected energy into the blade. To her amazement, she sliced through the massive stone as if it were paper. The cut was so clean that she thought to herself it was almost at the level of her qi attacks. Yu Tian was really impressive.

"~Duck left, then immediately strike the second boulder’s weak point - the crack running diagonally across its surface," Yu Tian instructed.

The elder, consumed by rage, continued his relentless assault.

But in his fury, he was making obvious mistakes, like leaving himself exposed after each strike.

Xueling took advantage of every opening, her sword finding flesh again and again.

A slice across his forearm.

A shallow cut on his shoulder.

Another wound on his calf.

Each injury was minor, but they were stacking up.

"~He’s bleeding too much," Yu Tian observed. "~His earth manipulation is getting sloppy because of blood loss."

Indeed, the elder’s attacks were becoming more erratic. What should have been precise strikes were now wild, unfocused bursts of power. Xueling danced between them, her movements guided by Yu Tian’s perfect predictions.

"~Behind you, jump and slash downward as you descend."

She leaped high, avoiding an earth spike that erupted from below, then brought her sword down in a vicious arc that opened another gash across the elder’s back.

The elder spun around, swinging wildly, but she was already gone, following Yu Tian’s guidance to safety.

Minutes passed.

The elder’s rage gradually began to cool as exhaustion set in.

His breathing became labored, his movements slower.

Blood from multiple wounds painted red streaks across his earth-stained robes.

Finally, they stood opposite each other, both heavily injured and breathing heavily.

Xueling observed him carefully, noting how his stance had shifted, how his wild eyes had regained their usual calculating look. She thought to herself that he seemed to have recovered control over his emotions.

"Tch, I wanted to stack a little more damage while he was still reckless."

Yu Tian thought to himself that they didn’t have much chance of winning a battle of attrition.

Xueling’s internal energy was nearly depleted, and despite all the minor wounds they’d inflicted, the elder was still far from defeated. But now that he’d recovered his rationality, they had an even lower chance of victory.

As he thought this, Yu Tian’s eyes suddenly met with the elder’s across the battlefield. The elder’s gaze was sharp, calculating - and somehow, he was looking directly at Yu Tian.

The elder smiled widely, making Yu Tian shiver.

...

"~I’ve been discovered. We can only use THAT now," Yu Tian’s voice entered Xueling’s thoughts.

When she heard this, her expression twisted to that of horror. She looked at the elder before her who was smiling, staring directly at Yu Tian’s position.

"No, this can’t be," she thought, trembling slightly.

"Are you wondering how I found out?" the elder asked, his smile widening. Not waiting for a response, he continued, "You always looked in that direction every time I made an attack. Even if you could dodge easily, when my strikes went toward that spot, you’d always try your best to deflect them."

He chuckled darkly. "I wondered if there was something there that I didn’t know about. At first I thought it was a trap you’d laid, but who would’ve thought it was just a pretty boy you brought along?"

The elder thought to himself that although the boy had a decent concealment technique, he could tell the youth was merely at the first layer of Qi Gathering realm. He could be hiding his cultivation, but that was unlikely - he could see signs of a recent breakthrough all over him. The boy had only just entered the Qi Gathering realm.

Even so, he wasn’t completely useless. The lady seemed to care about him greatly, even putting herself in danger to protect him from stray attacks.

The elder smiled widely. Currently, in his wounded state, if they fought directly, although he was confident he could win, it wouldn’t be without significant losses. But if he could capture the boy and use him as a hostage...

His grin stretched from ear to ear.

Seeing his expression, her eyes darkened. She stretched her sword to the right, blocking his line of sight toward Yu Tian. She then looked directly at him with determination.

"If you want to get to him, you have to go through me first," she declared.

"~Last resort it is then," she said to Yu Tian, though her face showed a conflicted expression.

The elder looked at her. Seeing this display, he was even more convinced.

"I didn’t know the lady liked pretty boys. If we’d known, we would’ve just sent assassins disguised as gigolos instead of wasting two elders on this," he said, covering his face and letting out an exaggerated sigh.

She didn’t answer and just gripped her sword tightly.

"Alright, let’s see how much you can protect him while still fighting me," he said, looking directly at her with predatory eyes.

Then, the two rushed toward each other.

Their clash was explosive. Steel met earth as they traded devastating blows.

The elder had recovered much of his rationality, but his injuries slowed him down just enough that they were almost evenly matched.

Almost - but he still maintained a slight edge, especially since Xueling had to constantly worry about protecting Yu Tian.

"~Move left and strike at his wounded shoulder," Yu Tian instructed.

But Xueling hesitated. Moving left would leave Yu Tian’s position more exposed. Instead, she attacked from the right, taking a grazing blow to her ribs in the process.

"~Why didn’t you follow my guidance?" Yu Tian asked urgently.

She didn’t respond, focused entirely on keeping herself between the elder and Yu Tian.

"~Duck and roll backward - he’s preparing a wide area attack."

Again, she disobeyed. Rolling backward would bring her closer to Yu Tian’s position. Instead, she stood her ground and blocked the attack head-on, the impact sending shockwaves through her already battered body.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she didn’t retreat an inch.

The elder noticed her pattern and laughed. "So predictable! You won’t move away from your precious boy, will you?"

He launched a series of feints, each one designed to force her into disadvantageous positions. With her mobility limited, she took hit after hit, accumulating more wounds.

"~What is wrong with you? Just listen to my words dammit!" Yu Tian’s voice was desperate.

But she remained steadfast, her sword work becoming more defensive, more desperate.

The elder, sensing his opportunity, suddenly rushed toward her with explosive speed. She raised her sword to block, preparing for another direct confrontation.

But at the last second, the elder pivoted sharply, evading her completely and rushing directly toward Yu Tian’s position.

She turned around in panic, watching him close the distance with terrifying speed.

Her heart stopped.

"NO!" she screamed, exploding all her remaining internal energy in a desperate leap toward the elder.

But she couldn’t catch up. The gap was too wide, her energy too depleted.

"NOOOOOO!" she screamed out, her voice echoing across the battlefield as she watched helplessly.