Fire and ice—though this ice also burned—clashed on stage as Tian Li and Bing Hou faced off. Each woman displayed masterful control over her power, their duel more a dance than a brawl. Unlike the other matches, this one carried no raw aggression; both wore serene expressions, as if untouched by the world around them. Neither moved from her starting point, allowing their techniques to meet in the center with graceful precision.

Tian Li’s artistically conjured phoenix met Bing Hou’s brilliant blue, icy flame.

Bing Hou’s flame was cold enough to freeze even Tian Li’s phoenix—if only for a moment. The phoenix’s fire would melt through the frost almost instantly, and the cycle repeated over and over.

It looked like the fight might stretch on endlessly, but the crowd didn’t mind. These were two of the sect’s most beloved disciples.

Tian Li, the Sect Master’s first disciple and once the most adored member of the inner sect, still held a revered place in many hearts. Quite a few girls in the crowd nursed open or secret crushes on her.

“Big Sister Li, we love you!”

“Senior Sister Tian is our ‘heaven’!”

“Go, Senior Sister Tian!”

But she wasn’t the only one with fans. Bing Hou had her own passionate following.

“Sister Bing is the best!”

“Our Icy Phoenix is the greatest!”

“Go, Sister Bing Hou! I love you!”

Their enthusiasm was so intense that a few scuffles nearly broke out between the two factions. Fortunately, the elders were vigilant and stepped in before things could escalate.

Onstage, however, the clash was free to intensify—and it did when Tian Li summoned her spirit. A small embroidery needle appeared, floating near her with a thin strand of thread trailing behind it like a drifting ribbon of silk.

“Oh! Senior Sister Tian Li’s spirit!”

“What is that? A needle?”

“I’ve never seen a needle spirit before.”

“Is it unique?!”

Before anyone could answer, the needle shot forward at a blinding speed. It reached Bing Hou before she could even blink, tapping gently against her forehead.

Bing Hou’s eyes widened in shock.

“Winner: Tian Li!” Elder Li announced.

“It’s over?! That was so fast!”

“Nooo! We didn’t even see what the needle could do!”

As the crowd groaned in disappointment, Di Ti stepped onto the stage to announce the final match of the third round.

“Hmm… that was an interesting match, wasn’t it?” she mused. “Even I’m unsure what Tian Li’s spirit truly is—other than being an embroidery needle and a perfect match for her, wouldn’t you all agree?”

Cheers and more curious shouts echoed in reply, but Di Ti quieted them with a raised hand.

“Now, let’s see what the final match of round three has in store. It’s Li Xue—formerly Nameless—versus Zhu Ren!”

As their names were called, the two stepped onto the stage, already prepared.

Zhu Ren’s fans erupted with cheers.

“Go Zhu Ren!”

“Smallness is justice!”

“Go! Go! You’ve got this!”

“You know… Li Xue is quite small too. I feel conflicted…”

“You’re right… hmm…”

“Let’s root for both! All smallness deserves celebration!”

Zhu Ren’s eye twitched. She’d had enough. Spinning on her heel, she pointed at the four loudest girls.

“You four! I appreciate the support, but can you please stop talking about my breasts?!”

The girls blinked, exchanging confused glances.

“Um… we weren’t…”

“You clearly are!” Zhu Ren snapped. “You keep calling them small!”

“Uh… we meant your height… We’re all short too.”

The four stood up, revealing that while they were indeed short, they still edged out Zhu Ren in height.

Zhu Ren flushed red.

“Pfft! Ahaha!” Li Xue doubled over, clutching her stomach. “Sorry… sorry, that’s just so funny!”

Zhu Ren turned back toward her, scowling. “They’re calling you short too!”

“Yeah,” Li Xue said with a grin. “But I’m still a head taller than you. Shorty.”

Zhu Ren’s eye twitched again, and her face flushed a deeper red, she pulled out a dagger and took a step forward.

Elder Li swiftly stepped between them. “The match has yet to start,” she warned.

Only after Zhu Ren huffed and backed down did Elder Li continue.

“Are you both ready?”

Li Xue pulled out a new sword—her last one having been broken in the previous match—and gave a firm nod to Elder Li.

Across from her, Zhu Ren tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand and nodded as well.

“Then… begin!”

The two launched forward simultaneously, colliding at the center of the stage in a burst of steel. Their weapons met briefly before Zhu Ren twisted her dagger around Li Xue’s sword, disarming them both in a single fluid motion as both blades flew through the air.

The spectators erupted in cheers, confident of Zhu Ren’s imminent victory. After all, she had over a hundred daggers hidden on her body.

But instead of drawing more weapons, Zhu Ren summoned two daggers beneath her feet, using them as platforms to launch herself skyward. She soared up—then dropped down—driving a brutal punch directly into Li Xue’s face.

“Ahh!” Li Xue screamed as her nose bent unnaturally under the impact. Blood gushed from her nostrils, and tears welled in her eyes. “Bitch!”

She threw her arms around Zhu Ren, who had just begun to fall, tackling her to the ground and unleashing a barrage of punches.

Zhu Ren twisted and writhed, throwing Li Xue off. She rolled on top and returned the flurry, fists flying.

The crowd fell into stunned silence. What had begun as a battle between two genius cultivators had suddenly turned into something resembling a schoolyard brawl.

“Can… can someone explain what’s happening…?”

“If you don’t know, who are we supposed to ask?”

Hair pulling, name calling, and the occasional headbutt followed.

Li Xue took a right hook to the jaw. “Stop hitting my face, shorty!”

She retaliated with a left hook to Zhu Ren’s temple.

“You stop hitting mine! You… you—ugh! Just stop!”

But Zhu Ren didn’t stop. She kept punching and kicking, yelling with every blow.

“You first!” Li Xue shouted, yanking on Zhu Ren’s hair.

“No, you!”

“Fine!” Li Xue raised her hands and stood up from her position on Zhu Ren’s stomach.

Zhu Ren blinked, suspicious. She quickly scrambled upright, clearly not trusting Li Xue to keep her word.

She was right.

Li Xue’s foot suddenly shot out, shrouded in wind qi. Zhu Ren flipped backward, narrowly dodging the strike—but Li Xue halted mid-motion and brought her leg down in an axe kick aimed at Zhu Ren’s chest.

“Ah!” Zhu Ren cried, launching several daggers from her robes to intercept the blow.

Li Xue tried to press the attack, but found herself suddenly surrounded by dagger tips—every one poised to strike.

“Winner: Zhu Ren!” Elder Li declared.

“Good fight, shorty,” Li Xue said with a teasing smirk. “But you cheated.”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“We were clearly in the middle of an honorable fistfight when you pulled a knife.”

“What was honorable about that fight?!” Zhu Ren snapped, pointing to her head. “Look at this! I’m missing a chunk of hair!”

She showed a small bald spot with a scowl.

Li Xue whistled and looked away. “It… it’ll grow back… probably.”

Elder Li sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You two, if you're finished bickering, we have another match waiting for this arena.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Li Xue waved dismissively. Then, without warning, she grabbed Zhu Ren’s hand and started walking off the stage.

“Ah! What are you doing?” Zhu Ren struggled to break free, but Li Xue’s grip held firm.

“She said to leave,” Li Xue replied over her shoulder, ignoring the protests. “I’m helping.”

“How is dragging me helping?!”

“Well, I can’t leave a child unattended,” she said with a grin.

“I’m older than you!”

“Sure. But not much taller than a ten-year-old!” Li Xue laughed, their banter trailing off as they exited the arena.

Elder Di Ti chuckled from on-stage. “Well, that was certainly a… memorable end to round three… Let’s not waste time. We’re heading straight into round four!”

A crack of purple lightning struck the stage as she spoke. “You all know our first participant—Liu Hua! Her opponent: Bing Hou!”

From the seating area, Bing Hou flinched slightly at the lightning, then stood and stepped onto the stage opposite Liu Hua.

“This is our first time meeting, right?” Liu Hua tilted her head, studying the icy girl across from her.

“Yes. But I’ve heard a lot about you since joining the sect,” Bing Hou said calmly.

“Must be because I’m a genius!” Liu Hua declared with a wide, arrogant grin.

Bing Hou nodded. “You would be considered a genius even in the Four Pavilions Sect. One of the strongest.”

“Oh?” Liu Hua’s smile widened. “Are you saying there are people stronger than me?”

“I'm unsure,” Bing Hou replied. “I haven’t fought you yet.”

“Well, that’s about to change.”

Bing Hou nodded again.

“Are you both ready?” Elder Li asked.

“Yup,” Liu Hua said, rolling her shoulders.

“Yes,” Bing Hou responded.

“Then you may begin!”