Xiaobo bit his lip in a bid to remain focused as he ascended the stairs to the central stage amidst the crowd’s roaring noise. He ignored his aching joints and tried to stretch his bulging muscles as good as he could.

  To think he’d have to fight someone from the great sects right in the first round… No, he couldn’t let that intimidate him. Since he was going to win this tournament, this was bound to happen eventually.

  After what seemed like ages but really could only have been a few dozen seconds at most, he made it to the top of the stage. He looked around, looking for his opponent. It took him a good while to register the inconspicuous boy on the other side. Was this guy supposed to be a disciple of the Lunar Peaks Sect? He was easily a foot shorter than Xiaobo and, though his muscles were well defined, somehow seemed quite chubby. Not the fearsome enemy he had expected.

  Xiaobo breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to win this fight without issues. Maybe he just needed to shake of his fear of the great sects in the end. He knew he was the strongest here after all.

  Ever since the tournament had been announced a year ago and the Patriarch and Grand Elder had unanimously selected him to be their sect’s nominee, he had been following their guidance to shape his body in that pursuit. He had strengthened himself, made himself larger and denser, improved his speed, everything. He was leagues ahead of any disciple his age now.

  It had felt amazing in the beginning, like he could suddenly achieve anything he wanted. His steps up and down the stairs of the grand hall had become lighter every day, even as he actually continued to increase in weight. Every movement that had used to be difficult and daunting was suddenly completed without effort and every session of cultivation was a rush. He could throw around the other disciples with ease and had to spar with the adults instead.

  After a while, the downsides had started to reveal themselves. The joints in his knees had been the first thing to start aching. His elbows had followed and from there, every other part of his body. His range of movements had decreased considerably as the muscles got in the way of everything and he had started to breathe heavier than he’d used to. With these changes, sleeping had become hard, as had focusing enough to cultivate.

  Xiaobo knew, of course, that these were the exact reasons that you weren’t supposed to change your body’s physical layout before reaching adulthood. Everything would be fine though, he just needed to win the tournament first. His sect really needed that, as they had recently been pushed into a corner by two others. This win would help them regain their lost footing, not to mention the grand prizes that were surely waiting for the winner. They had devised this plan to achieve victory without even breaking the rules.

  The Patriarch and the Grand Elder had promised him that they would figure out a way to help him fix his cultivation after that. Once they were done, he’d be back to the normal track again, just miles ahead of his peers.

  On top of that, he’d have the prestige of having won the grand tournament before the eyes of all the sects in the land. Really, he was incredibly lucky to have been the one picked by his sect for this grand task. The Grand Elder would even consider taking him in as a personal disciple! Him, Xiaobo, the disciple of the Grand Elder! He couldn’t wait for it.

  He tightened his grasp around the hilt of his sword and stared at the boy who stood between him and that dream. Then, the voice of the announcer boomed through the arena once again.

  “As we can see, the participants on all stages are ready to begin their first fight! Let’s not tally then: In the name of the glorious Parting Clouds Sect and the honored Serene Plains Sect, in the spirit of fair competition and in celebration of the next generation of cultivators, the tournament has officially started! Fight!”

  Xiaobo shot forward, eyes locked in on his opponent and sword poised to strike down with a force that could bring down mountains. He would end this quickly. Faster than even his own senses could keep up with, his powerful muscles propelled him across the spacious stage in mere moments…

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  … and right into the braced spear that the boy had smoothly maneuvered in between them at the last second. Xiaobo threw himself sidewards with everything he had in a desperate attempt to correct his mistake, but his momentum worked against him.

  At least he didn’t frontally run into the spear, instead only scraping along its side before stumbling past the boy and falling to the ground several meters away, but if this had been a sharp weapon, he would have ripped open his entire side. Like this, there was only a massive bruise and a couple of bloody scratches.

  Xiaobo immediately jumped to his feet again, blindly swinging out with his sword while wheeling around in a desperate defensive maneuver, only to notice, to his confusion, that the boy hadn’t pursued him. He had only turned around, monitoring him with a focused expression while keeping his spear low but ready to use.

  A fresh shot of pain from the place he had been hit made Xiaobo wince – had he broken a rib? Well, no way to check right now. He couldn’t let his injury show, otherwise the examiner might call the duel, so he just clenched his teeth and readied his sword once more. He still had the advantage in strength and speed, he’d just been too careless right now.

  This time, he approached slowly, taking care to keep mind of his opponent’s movements. Once he had come into a certain range, the boy started moving with him, keeping the distance between them steady, but not raising his spear to make a move. Xiaobo was the one who had been hurt and thus needed this fight to end quickly, and it seemed that the boy had correctly assessed that. Consequently, it fell on Xiaobo to initiate combat once again.

  He stepped forward and struck from the side but had to pull back the moment he did so, as the boy’s spear was suddenly in his way again. This pattern repeated a few times, his frustration rising alongside the pain in his side. To make matters worse, the aches which had been wiped away by the adrenaline in the beginning were now returning in force, making every movement a challenge and slowing him down more and more.

  Then suddenly, as he once again pulled back from an unsuccessful attack, the boy followed him closely and struck out at an odd angle. Restrained by his own muscles, Xiaobo couldn’t even meet the attack, instead having to jump sidewards as quickly as possible.

  Just as he thought he was out of range, the boy attacked again, leveraging the full length of his spear for the first time and hitting him square in the chest. Xiaobo stumbled backwards and pulled up his sword in an attempt to defend, barely managing to deflect the third strike coming his way. When he attempted to counter, he once again found himself unable to follow through with his attack, having to pull back again.

  The boy didn’t leave him any space to recover. Strike followed after strike with an intensity that Xiaobo couldn’t have imagined the small boy pulling off. Any attempt to turn the tide hopelessly fizzled out as his strikes were predicted and preemptively countered. He took several more hits as he was driven back across the entire stage and into a corner.

  His mind raced, trying to find a way out, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Then, when he was so far back that he couldn’t step back any further, he started a final, desperate attempt. Once again, he raised his sword, once again his opponent moved to intercept it. But in a flash of inspiration, instead of trying to execute the strike, he kicked out.

  Surprising even himself at this point, his kick connected perfectly, catching the unprepared boy right in the stomach. He was thrown back several meters and wheezed as the air was driven out from his lungs, Xiaobo’s superior physicality finally showing itself.

  Before the boy could catch his breath, Xiaobo gathered the last of his strength and struck out in a wide arc. Just this once, the boy’s spear wasn’t in a position to intercept him. He was already preparing for the attack to connect, when the boy swiftly ducked his slash.

  Before Xiaobo understood what was happening, the boy had stepped close to him, his arm still fully extended from the attempted strike, and reversed the grip on his spear. He then swung the shaft upwards, using it to strike Xiaobo right in the face.

  For a brief moment, his vision blacked out, and when it returned, everything seemed to spin around him. He took several uncoordinated steps backwards and his sword slipped from his grasp. He barely noticed the boy kick it away.

  Any attempt to regain his focus failed and with his strength finally running out, Xiaobo stumbled and collapsed to his knees. The boy didn’t need to land a finishing move, he fell to the ground on his own just a moment later. In his last moments of consciousness, he turned his head towards the elders’ loge, his hazy gaze meeting that of the Grand Elder. It was filled with contempt and condemnation.

  Then the world faded into a sweet emptiness.

  you don't end this way!

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