As the announcer called the fight to begin, the painted man stepped forward and swung a fist at Xai's jaw. Despite his level, the man wasn't that fast. Xai easily ducked below the swing before stepping around the man and slamming a fist into his back. However, Xai hardly struck with full force. Partly because he knew this wasn't a true fight. And partly because the larger man had as well. He still moved faster then most people could move, especially someone untrained in combat, but not anywhere close to someone of his level could. Not only that, Xai felt he didn't put as much strength into the blow as it seemed to.

  Xai pulling his punch aside, the man still didn't flinch as the relatively small fit struck the dense muscle of his back. The large man spun around to Xai, holding his arm out in an attempt to strike the cultivator. Once again the strike wasn't serious; Xai simply leapt over the blow, spun, and landed on his feet.

  The crowd cheered at the act of acrobatics. A man leaping over 5 feet in a single bound- over an attack no less- was sure to be impressive to the crowd. Though to Xai it wasn't, especially at the speed they were fighting. In fact, Xai was sure he may have been able to pull off the move before gaining access to the system and reaching the level he was now.

  "Thanks for pulling the blow. It's not entertaining if one of us wins too quickly." The 'oni' whispered to Xai. He spoke low enough that only him and the cultivator- and possibly the announcer- could hear.

  "I only did cause you were." Xai whispered back, throwing a spinning kick to the man's side, holding back slightly less. The man didn't stumble like Xai expected, but he did see the man wince. Regardless, a smirk went across the red man's face as he threw another blow.

  Xai dodged before the man spoke to him again as they fought. "Not often we see a disciple of one of the sects here." Xai stepped aside another blow. "Ones who bother to fight at least."

  "I'm surprised to see someone with such a high level here. At some street show of all things." Xai commented, weaving between a pair of swings before landing a fist on the man's chest. Once again, he didn't flinch.

  "Used to be part of a scouting team in the mountains in the northern region. Didn't last long though. Risking my life every day wasn't really my thing."

  The man sent another punch towards Xai. The cultivator's eyes widened at the sudden speed of the blow. He only had time to hold up an arm and brace himself before the fist slammed over his chest. Xai slid back several feet before he stopped, being pushed against one of the ropes on the side of the ring.

  Xai sped forward and kicked the man in the chest before leaping over a swing and landing an axe kick atop the man's head before landing again.

  Another cheer erupted from the crowd.

  "And you chose to be part of a street show? And why the name 'oni'?" Xai asked as he took a few steps back to let the man regain his composure.

  "I like fighting. But I also would rather not risk my life or kill anyone. So this was a good option." The man groaned as Xai slipped under his arm and landed a kick on his leg. "As for the 'oni' schtick," The man landed another blow on Xai, sending him against the side of the ring once more. "It fits."

  Xai felt a dull pain in his arm as he blocked the second blow. The man was holding back less and less, and now he was actually starting to feel the blows. Any normal man's arm would have broken by now. "So who is actually going to win this fight? I doubt you're actually planning on injuring me to the point of submission." Xai leapt and rammed a foot into the side of the man's head before spinning in the air behind him and landing another kick on the opposite side of his head. This time the man actually stumbled to the side but caught himself.

  The crowd gasped.

  "Of course not," the man stated as he turned back around to face his opponent, though he still rubbed his head from the blows. "Normally I leave it up to the announcer. But when I choose the opponent- like I have now," he threw a punch, which Xai dodged. "It lets me loosen up a bit." This time the man followed up with a kick to Xai's chest, sending him hurdling into the ropes behind him, nearly knocking over the barrier entirely.

  The crowd gasped.

  "Which is always a show. But at the same time," Xai weaved through another punch and landed one himself at the man's chest. Xai actually put most of his strength into the blow- excluding his Ki of course. The man grunted and stumbled backwards.

  This time the crowd cheered.

  "It seems the crowd favors you." The man spoke.

  Xai raised a brow. "Does that mean I win?"

  The man shot a quick glance behind Xai, where the announcer stood beyond the ring watching the fight. "After one final blow. Make it look convincing."

  Xai smirked. The man rushed forward, faster then he had the entire fight. He swung a blow towards Xai's face. Regardless, Xai still managed to step into the man's guard and slam a fist into his jaw. A crack erupted through the square as the large man was knocked several feet away onto his back. For a moment, Xai thought he put too much force into the blow as the man lay unmoving. But then he saw a smirk crawl across the man's face. A second later, the crowd cheered.

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  "And with that, the Oni of Xuefeng has fallen by the mighty blow of this brave man." The announcer roared against the applause of the crowd. The announcer turned to Xai and lowered his voice to a casual tone. "Thank you for putting on such a great show for the audience. It's not everyday one like yourself catches the oni's eyes. Grab your weapon and come accept your prize." He stated as he turned back to the crowd.

  Xai stopped listening to the man as he looked towards the 'oni' in question. He'd now sat up and was rubbing his jaw where Xai had struck him.

  "Are you alright?" Xai asked as he stepped toward his blade on the ground. He stuck his foot under the weapon before flicking it up into his hand before fastening it to his waist.

  The man just waved his hand. "I'm fine. That was a strong punch. Though I'm not sure what I excepted from a level 40."

  "I could say the same for you." Xai stated. He then turned to the announcer. "My reward?"

  The announcer turned from the crowd as they began to disperse. "Ah yes of course." The man walked to the side of the makeshift arena. He reached into a chest among a handful of boxes before bringing out a small pouch. "150 sūka for the fight."

  Xai smiled as he took the pouch and opened it. Sure enough, several metallic coins rested within.

  Xai gave one last goodbye to the 'Oni' before venturing back to the streets. "Maybe I'll stop by the night market after all." The cultivator said to himself. No sooner, a yawn escaped his mouth. "Or maybe I'll actually get some sleep tonight."

  ***

  As the crowd dispersed a figure scurried into the nearby alley. His footsteps were silent despite no attempt to move stealthily. He soon reached a certain tavern where he didn't ask before diving into a side room and going down a flight of stairs. At the end of the stairway was a large basement with several dozen men scattered about it. Several crates lined the edges of the room. Some were broken open while some were sealed shut and guarded.

  The figure walked to the end of the dimly lit room to a table with a large man leaning over it, gazing down at a map of Southern Azuma.

  "There is another disciple of the Silver Mist Sect in Xuefeng." The figure stated.

  The taller man, Hang, scanned over the map before looking up. "So soon? What is their level?"

  "Level 40, rank F. I could have their head by daybreak if-" he was cut off when Hang raised a hand.

  "Hold off for now. It makes no sense for the sect to send someone weaker to look for one of their own who went missing. There is likely another with them. Someone stronger. Assuming they follow in their former member's footsteps, they will go to the ministry building soon." He looked up to the man before him. "Which means you'll be spending some time with the minister for the following days."

  The figure held down a groan. "Fine, I'll keep him in line."

  "I'll have our other informants look for the other cultivator. They shouldn't be too hard to find."

  The figure looked down to the map. A small circle was placed around the city of Xuefeng. Several lines flowed in and out of the city, connecting to other neighboring towns. Some even flowed to the south west near the port cities. However, one of the lines, one flowing through the forest beyond the northern mountains was crossed off.

  "One of our shipments have vanished?" The figure asked.

  "Killed likely. Possibly by the cultivators, if not the beasts in the forests. Though if it was the cultivators I am curious on how strong the other is. The level 40 you speak of is unlikely to have taken them all on their own without injury. Regardless, that is for me to take care of, go pay the minister a visit."

  The figure nodded and turned away. He reached to his waist before strapping a set of claws on his arms. "Of course sir."

  ***

  Liang and Toya wandered the mountain the sect hall stood atop. They had been there all day and well into the night, fighting as many beasts as they could find. Due to this they had both progressed quite handily in their levels.

  ~~~~

  [Name: Liang Warshi]

  [Level: 37 (F)]

  [Vitality: 37]

  [Endurance: 20]

  [Strength: 58]

  [Dexterity: 18]

  [Intelligence: 5]

  [Willpower: 10]

  [Perception: 8]

  [Charm: 5]

  [Skills: Strong Man (F), Durable (F), Analyze (F)]

  ~~~~

  [Name: Toya Katrina]

  [Level: 25 (F)]

  [Vitality: 22]

  [Endurance: 24]

  [Strength: 20]

  [Dexterity: 38]

  [Intelligence: 30]

  [Willpower: 21]

  [Perception: 28]

  [Charm: 19]

  [Skill: Acrobat (F), Analyze (F), Ki Foundation (F), Ki Reinforcement (F)]

  ~~~~

  Through the past week since the trial of reaching the mountain's summit, both juniors had attempted to make a dantian of their own like Xai had managed to. Without the help of outer or inner disciples, it was up to themselves to figure out how. Luckily, the library had plenty of methods. Well, if one bothered reading them at least. And the results spoke for themselves.

  Toya spun her chain around herself as she shot a lump of Ki to it tip. "Liang duck!"

  Liang, who had his sabres drawn a dozen feet away, did as he was told. He spread his legs and stooped low on the ground just as the steel chain flashed overhead.

  The Ki finally reached the tip just as it struck its target, a brown money with crimson eyes. It didn't even have time to react as its head was decimated by the swinging chain. As the chain flew back around to Toya, the Ki drew itself back in. Toya whipped the chain to stop its momentum before coiling it around her arm.

  "Oh come on, I wanted to kill it." Liang whined as he rested the blades at his side.

  "You're a high enough level already." Toya said as she walked next to Liang to observe the headless corpse.

  "And you have Ki." He retorted.

  "Not my fault you can learn to absorb Ki. I've already told you twice to read the books in the library, it does help."

  Liang just huffed and sheathed his weapons. "You know I'm a physical learner."

  "You mean bashing your head into a wall until it breaks?"

  Liang rolled his eyes before starting up through the trees into the night sky. "What do you think Xai's up to?"

  Toya followed his gaze up to the stars. "Who knows. I just hope he'll be alright."

  Liang let out a laugh. "He'll be fine. He made a dantian before either of us with no practice. Skill or no, he at the very least has a leg up against whatever he's facing. And with the training he's done he's stronger than either of us. Who knows what else he's learned since we've seen him."

  Toya sighed. "I guess that's true. But we should probably head back to the sect hall soon. It's late."

  The two junior's didn't even have time to turn around when a chittering sound caught their attention.

  Toya spun around first to see a massive centipede nearly 20 feet long. She immediately uncoiled part of her chain as Liang drew his blades again. As she looked up and saw the beast's level she poured Ki into her weapon. "This will grant us plenty levels for the both of us."

  [Level: 52 (F)]