Chapter Fourteen: The Crux

Time and again he fell, time and again he rose. As everyone watched with numb eyes, the situation on the stage suddenly shifted.

Liu Kuang remained on the defensive, still unable to match Jackal's speed. Yet in an instant, Liu Kuang seemed able to withstand Jackal's attacks. The same blows no longer sent him flying; now he could dispel their force with only a few steps backward. This astonished many in the crowd.

It took but a moment for someone to notice what had changed about Liu Kuang, and a cry rang out among the spectators: "Liu Kuang has broken through to the ninth rank of Warrior!"

What? He broke through?!

Many disciples were stunned, then wore expressions of shock. It was true—the aura emanating from Liu Kuang confirmed it. He had advanced, achieving the ninth rank of Warrior right in the midst of battle.

For a martial cultivator at the Warrior stage, the only way to increase one's cultivation was through relentless tempering of the body—external and internal refinement. Clearly, Liu Kuang had been refining his body through external force, and that force had come from his opponent, Jackal.

Advancing in battle was not uncommon on the Skypeak Continent; however, most who advanced during combat did so in special circumstances—duels between father and son, between friends—where neither party fought to kill and the purpose was to temper the body. Yet for someone like Liu Kuang, refining himself on the stage using his opponent's force to break through, such cases were exceedingly rare, since stage battles usually concerned victory, defeat, and even life or death.

But evidently, thanks to Jackal's repeated "mercy," Liu Kuang understood Jackal would not strike to kill, so he seized every opportunity to rise and use Jackal's strength to temper himself.

With Liu Kuang's sudden advancement, Jackal's expression darkened. He had never imagined that Liu Kuang's repeated attempts to rise were meant to borrow his strength for a breakthrough. Now Jackal was furious.

He had hoped to find the reason for his defeat to Liu Pan in Liu Kuang, but not only did Liu Kuang fail to provide an answer, he had used Jackal's strength to achieve a breakthrough. How could Jackal not be enraged?

Jackal moved; he no longer held back. As for Liu Pan's claim that he could find the answer to his defeat in Liu Kuang, Jackal now banished it from his mind. At this moment, he thought: if Liu Kuang can't give me the answer, I'll challenge Liu Pan again in the third match.

With Jackal abandoning restraint, the pressure on Liu Kuang mounted. Though he had advanced to the ninth rank and his physical abilities had improved, he still couldn't match Jackal's speed; he remained on the defensive, unable to find an opening to counter.

If this continued, the outcome would likely be no different than before his breakthrough.

What should he do?

Liu Kuang frowned. He was unwilling to admit defeat, yet now, it seemed he had no other choice.

After all, if he couldn't even touch his opponent's sleeve, how could he hope to win?

Furthermore, having just broken through to the ninth rank, it would be impossible to reach the Martial Apprentice stage in such a short time, no matter how hard he tried. Besides, advancement to Martial Apprentice wasn't something achieved by mere physical refinement.

What should he do?

Liu Kuang frowned even deeper. Looking at the gloomy-faced Jackal before him, Liu Kuang knew without asking that Jackal had not found the reason for his defeat to Liu Pan in him.

Liu Kuang was equally confused. He couldn't even touch Jackal's sleeve—on what basis had Liu Pan told Jackal he could find the reason for his defeat in Liu Kuang?

Jackal's attack landed on Liu Kuang again, shaking his body and forcing him to retreat several steps to dispel the force.

Now that Jackal was no longer holding back, Liu Kuang fully experienced his opponent's power. Yet, precisely because he felt Jackal's strength, Liu Kuang grew even more puzzled by Liu Pan's words.

"Jackal can find the answer to his defeat to Liu Pan in me?" He tasted the meaning of Liu Pan's words once more, and suddenly his brows rose.

He realized he had overlooked a crucial point: Liu Pan had defeated Jackal.

Liu Pan had defeated Jackal, and because of that, he had spoken those words. So, why could Liu Pan defeat Jackal?

Previously, Liu Kuang had always interpreted Liu Pan's statement—"Jackal can find the answer to his defeat to Liu Pan in Liu Kuang"—in a way that shifted Jackal's attention from Liu Pan to himself. Because of this, Liu Kuang focused on himself, trying to figure out how to show Jackal the reason for his defeat.

Now, thinking back, Liu Kuang found it almost laughable. He had no idea how to reveal the reason for Jackal's defeat to Liu Pan, yet he kept pondering how to do so.

With his reasoning misplaced from the start, how could he ever unlock the key to the problem?

"Jackal can find in Liu Kuang the reason Liu Pan defeated him." For others, the focus might be on Liu Kuang. But for Liu Kuang, the one directly involved, shouldn't the focus be on Liu Pan?

Why was Liu Pan able to defeat Jackal? How did he do it? That was what Liu Kuang should pay attention to.

From Liu Pan's single statement, the method by which he defeated Jackal was secondary; the crucial point was why he was able to defeat him.

Why was he able to win? Did Liu Pan possess something special?

Liu Kuang knew little about Liu Pan. What he did know mostly came from Yan.

And how did Yan define Liu Pan?

Someone who knows everything, and yet knows nothing at all.

A faint light flickered in Liu Kuang's eyes.

Knows everything? Could Liu Pan's victory over Jackal be because Liu Pan knew from the start how Jackal would attack?

But as soon as he thought this, Liu Kuang dismissed the idea. If that were the case, Liu Pan wouldn't have said those words. After all, Liu Kuang had been battered by Jackal for nearly half an hour, and he hadn't seen any particular attack pattern from Jackal.

Moreover, even if he knew Jackal's attack patterns, how would he solve the problem of Jackal's terrifying speed?

Ultimately, what rendered Jackal so formidable was his speed. If not for that, Liu Kuang felt he could take on two opponents at once!

Speed—how could one counter speed? Watching Jackal rush at him again, Liu Kuang felt a sense of distance, as if the answer was out of reach.

To counter Jackal's speed, he had to match it. Yet now, Liu Kuang couldn't even touch Jackal's sleeve, let alone suppress his speed.

If his own speed was lacking, could he borrow something external? A spark flashed in Liu Kuang's eyes.

Yet in the next instant, Liu Kuang felt helpless; he was empty-handed on the stage, with nothing to use except the Great Wilderness Blade nurtured in his dantian.

But how could he summon the Great Wilderness Blade before so many eyes? If he did, next year's anniversary would mark his death.

Bang!

Another powerful blow from Jackal sent Liu Kuang flying three meters, rolling twice on the ground before he could dispel the force.

From merely stepping back to being hurled three meters and rolling twice, it spoke volumes. Nearly everyone below understood: Liu Kuang was reaching his limit.

Yet as he rolled and was about to rise, Liu Kuang suddenly froze. Because of his fall, his hand naturally pressed against the stage, and in that moment, something occurred to him, a gleam of insight flashing in his eyes.

Since he hadn't chosen any weapon before ascending the stage, he had nothing at hand to use as an external aid. That thought seemed hopeless—until his palm pressed against the stage, and suddenly he realized the stage itself was within reach.

Standing atop the stage, the only thing accessible was the stage itself. Liu Kuang's eyes swept over everything, taking in the entire platform.

The stage was built entirely of bluestone; the edges formed from massive blocks, while elsewhere it was paved with one-foot-square pieces. Because the stage had stood for many years and hosted more than one tournament, many stones bore faint cracks.

Perhaps the sect believed these small cracks wouldn't affect the matches, so the stones were not replaced. Presumably, after each tournament, new fissures appeared, but replacing them every time would be too costly.

Now, seeing the stage, Liu Kuang suddenly glimpsed hope.

His gaze swept the platform, and in an instant, Liu Kuang fixed on his target. Before Jackal could charge again, Liu Kuang moved first.

Light flashed at his feet; with a shift, he stood atop a heavily cracked stone. Without hesitation, he let out a low cry, and his fist—tinged with a reddish hue—struck the stage with a resounding thud.

Crack!

A sharp sound rang out. The already fissured stone shattered under Liu Kuang's powerful blow, fragments flying, and some smaller pieces even leaping off the stage. Clearly, the force behind Liu Kuang's punch was immense.

Yet, while he had smashed the bluestone with raw power, the spectators below found his action rather baffling.

"Did he hit his head too hard earlier?"