Jin Shu gazed up at the massive, half-naked ape woman that had appeared out of thin air the moment the qi barriers activated. Muscles rippled beneath its thick skin as it tightened its grip around a gnarled, tree-like club.

His brow twitched. This was borderline cheating. Ling Shi had clearly pre-prepared the spirit summoning before the match even began. But since Elder Li hadn’t called it out, it apparently wasn’t illegal.

As he studied the spirit, doubt crept in. Would his shotgun even faze something that massive?

At least it hadn’t moved since its summoning, aside from the occasional shuffle. It was waiting—cautious of his Ripple Walk Technique, no doubt.

Ch-chk!

He racked his riot shotgun, sliding a new shell into the chamber. This one was a rubber round—though "rubber" didn’t exist in this world, so it was actually a soft metal alloy. Even so, with runes engraved into it, the shot packed enough punch to rival a slug when used against mortals.

He stepped forward—and vanished.

But he didn’t reappear behind Ling Shi as most expected. Instead, he materialized three meters above the arena, directly in front of the ape spirit. The shotgun leveled at one of its massive eyes—being a summoned spirit, he could go for lethal shots.

Bang!

The Naked Ape jerked backward, part from surprise, part from pain. The shot had aimed for its eye, but it struck its nose instead as the spirit reflexively flinched.

Jin Shu winced as well—firing midair meant he had no footing, and the explosive rune embedded in the shell’s base kicked like a beast. The recoil flung him back into the still-open ripple, and he vanished again.

“Ah!” the Naked Ape roared, deep and guttural. Yet, strangely, its voice sounded almost human.

Bang!

Another shot cracked through the air, this one coming from nowhere.

“Oof!” Ling Shi staggered, clutching her stomach as the round struck her from below. “Cough!”

She doubled over, hacking and choking as a yellow powder burst from the projectile, her eyes rapidly reddening as tears welled up and blurred her vision.

Offstage, the spectators erupted in confusion.

“What’s happening? Where did that shot come from?”

“I saw! It came from the arena floor!”

“What? Don’t tell me Jin Shu has an earth escape technique… But wait, you can’t attack while using those, so it couldn’t be…”

“Forget that—look at Ling Shi’s eyes! That powder… was that the thing that made Elder Li’s eyes all red and puffy earlier? So she didn’t take advantage of her… phew!”

Boom!

A blast of qi rocked the stage, scattering the yellow powder clinging to Ling Shi.

“You bitch, stop hiding and fight me like a woman!” she roared, spinning wildly as she searched the air for Jin Shu.

Inside the slipspace, Jin Shu snorted. “I’m not a woman, though…”

“Fifty-nine minutes remaining,” Nano’s voice echoed in his head, calmly counting down his remaining time in the slipspace.

“Right—no time to waste.”

He opened another ripple on the arena floor—a technique he’d only mastered the day before the tournament. It was far trickier to create one on solid ground than in the air.

Carefully, he pushed just the tip of the shotgun’s barrel through the ripple. Channeling his connection to the wind element, he gauged Ling Shi’s position as best he could and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The soft metal round struck Ling Shi square in the shoulder. It deformed slightly against her toughened muscles, but the force still drove her forward. She caught herself just in time, slamming her foot against the arena floor with a grunt.

Snarling, she spun and stomped the ground with a qi-infused burst. But Jin Shu had already closed the ripple. All she managed to do was crack the stone.

“Argh! I’m going to tear you apart limb by limb!”

Even within the slipspace, her voice reached him, wild and furious.

“Fifty-eight minutes,” Nano reminded.

“You don’t have to count by the minute, Nano,” Jin Shu muttered.

Shaking his head, he slid another shell into the shotgun—a pepper spray round—and prepared another ripple at floor level. It might’ve seemed cowardly, but it was the only tactic he could think of against opponents who vastly outclassed him in strength and cultivation—like Ling Shi… and Liu Hua.

Ling Shi, if anything, felt even more dangerous.

When he’d fought Liu Hua, he later realized she’d been holding back—truly trying to kill him, yes, but not using her full power. If she had, he might not have survived. The memory still made his nerves twinge, his head ache.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past. He had a duel to win—even if his methods weren’t flashy.

He pushed the barrel through the ripple again, feeling out Ling Shi’s location with the wind.

Then his eyes went wide.

A sudden force yanked the shotgun’s barrel—and him—out of the slipspace.

“Caught you, rat!” Ling Shi sneered, one hand gripping the barrel, the other reaching for his neck.

How?! he thought, panicking for a heartbeat—but only a heartbeat.

He drew a sheathed knife, infused it with metal qi, and slashed at her wrist. The blade bit into her skin—but barely. Just a scratch.

Her hand didn’t slow.

Thinking fast, he hurled the knife at her face. She let go of the shotgun to block, but her other hand clamped around his throat.

“Urk!” Jin Shu gagged, her grip tightening like a vice, crushing the air from his lungs.

“Oh no! It’s over!”

“Elder Li hasn’t called it yet—Jin Shu might still have a way out!”

Jin Shu fumbled for his shotgun, yanked the pump back to eject the unused pepper spray shell, and a taser round slammed into the chamber.

Bang!

The shot struck Ling Shi in the chest. The shell released a burst of electricity that surged through her body, seizing her muscles. Her grip tightened reflexively—almost snapping his neck—before her hand slackened, and he slipped from her grasp.

He collapsed, gasping for air. He really hated being choked. First Ling Shi’s master, then Liu Hua, and now Ling Shi herself.

“You… you bitch…” Ling Shi groaned, clutching her chest as her limbs spasmed from the lingering current. “You really have no honor!”

Jin Shu blinked, confused—until he realized where the round had hit her. Thanks to a burnt-black singe on the chest area of her robes, a particularly sensitive area no less. 

“…Would you believe me if I said that was an accident?”

It really was—he couldn’t exactly aim while being strangled half to death.

“Hmph.” She straightened, but her body still trembled. “You’re dead,” she spat.

Jin Shu rubbed his sore neck. “I’m really getting tired of being choked and threatened with death. Tried it a few times already. Didn’t like it. So, I’m not settling for a third time.”

He rose to his feet and pumped the shotgun.

Ch-chk. Another shell slid into the chamber.

“You want to fight? Fine. Let’s fight.”

He reached into his pouch, pulled out a pellet gun magazine filled with dozens of small rounds, and casually tossed it toward her.

“Here. Catch.”

She moved to swat it away—

Boom!

A cascade of tiny explosions erupted inside the metal casing, turning it into a makeshift grenade.

Then—

Bang! Ch-chk. Bang!

Two rubber rounds slammed into her knees. She buckled, crashing to the ground, barely catching herself with bloodied arms, torn up by shrapnel.

Jin Shu moved in to end it—only to be cut off by the thud of a gnarled club slamming down in front of him.

The Naked Ape.

He’d forgotten about it.

He dove to the side just in time to avoid a crushing kick from the beastial spirit.

Bang!

From a crouch, he fired at the ape’s head. It raised a hand to block, but the pepper spray burst against its skin, clouding its eyes with irritants. Not that they would effect a spirit, but could still block its vision.

Jin Shu dashed between its legs, charging straight for Ling Shi. She was still dazed, off balance. All he needed to do was press the barrel to her head—just like with Zhu Ren—and he’d win.

But he made a mistake.

He let anger distract him. Forgot to summon a ripple. Wasted time.

And Ling Shi recovered.

By the time he reached her, she was already standing. Blood streamed down her face. Shrapnel glittered in the torn flesh.

The expression she wore was anything but forgiving.

“AHHH!! MY FACE!!” she screamed, her qi exploding outward in a wild shockwave. “I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

The force flung him back like a ragdoll.

His head slammed against the Naked Ape’s club. Stars burst behind his eyes.

The crowd gasped as Ling Shi’s face became visible.

Half of it was soaked in blood—skin shredded by the metal shrapnel.

“Her face—it’s ruined if she doesn’t get treatment immediately!”

“Gods… that’s horrifying…”

“Did Jin Shu do that on purpose?!”

“I hope not… That’s beyond cruel…”

He hadn’t. He really hadn’t. He was just pissed—tired of the threats, the pressure, the nonstop killing intent aimed at him and everyone he cared about. He’d acted without thinking.

Now, he had to think.

Ling Shi was charging at him in a blind fury. The Naked Ape loomed behind him. His shotgun had been knocked away by the blast—now lying between him and Ling Shi.

There were a hundred ways to lose this match.

And only a few to win—if he could think fast enough.