"I understand." Bai Xifeng nodded, her expression finally sharpening with a cold, piercing focus that replaced her previous exhaustion.

She slowly stood up, wincing slightly as she dusted the thick, stubborn layer of dirt from her travel-worn robes. The two girls soon took their respective positions, standing roughly twenty paces apart in the very centre of the quiet clearing. Above them, the lush bamboo leaves rustled softly in the cooling evening wind, whispering amongst themselves as though they were eagerly anticipating the upcoming clash of wills. Ji Yuan remained seated calmly beneath the shadow of the gazebo, silently observing the scene with the eyes of a patient predator watching its young cub learn to hunt.

"You may begin." Ji Yuan commanded, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

The instant Xie Lanying heard those words, she moved without the slightest hint of hesitation. She unsheathed her blade in one smooth, metallic motion, and the moment the cold steel left the scabbard, a vibrant azure spiritual energy erupted, coating the weapon completely. The surrounding air immediately transformed, becoming damp, heavy, and saturated with a thick mist of moisture.

With a graceful, practiced flick of her wrist, Xie Lanying unleashed a Water Ripple Slash toward Bai Xifeng. A crescent-shaped blade of violently compressed water screamed through the air, vibrating with enough frequency to act like a sharpened razor.

Seeing the lethal incoming attack, Bai Xifeng swiftly pulled a yellow rune from her sleeve and slapped it directly into the empty air before her. A shimmering golden barrier, intricate and filled with rapidly rotating geometric scripts, instantly erupted into existence to meet the blow. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Water Ripple Slash slammed violently into the barrier with the thunderous force of a crashing tidal wave. Water exploded outward in all directions, soaking the surrounding grass and bamboo in a heavy spray. Cracks immediately began to spread across the golden barrier like a spider web beneath the immense hydraulic pressure, but it held just long enough for Bai Xifeng to launch her intended counterattack.

Xie Lanying moved with the fluid and unpredictable elegance of a great flowing river. She lunged forward, her sword seemingly transforming mid-motion into a whip-like stream of liquid steel. The flexible blade twisted through the air like a living, hungry serpent as it wrapped around the jagged edge of Bai Xifeng’s damaged defensive barrier, aiming its lethal tip directly for her exposed shoulder.

Bai Xifeng gritted her teeth, her focus narrowing to a sharp point. She abruptly dropped onto one knee, allowing the whistling water whip to pass dangerously over her head before slamming two specialised runes directly into the earth beneath her palms.

It was Earth-Lock: Quicksand rune. The ground beneath Xie Lanying’s feet instantly lost all structural stability, transforming into a swirling, hungry vortex of unstable mud and sinking earth.

Bai Xifeng grinned the moment she saw the trap activate successfully, her eyes flashing with a spark of competitive excitement. However, Xie Lanying’s reaction was instantaneous. She rapidly condensed a floating platform of solid ice beneath her feet before leaping gracefully onto it, escaping the pull of the trap just before the quicksand could drag her down into the depths. Standing atop the shimmering ice platform, she flashed Bai Xifeng a provocative, confident grin.

Bai Xifeng immediately countered the move by tossing a Gravity-Increase Rune directly onto the ice.

The moment the rune activated, the weight bearing down upon the frozen platform multiplied dramatically. Cracks instantly spidered across the ice before it shattered into a thousand shards within seconds. Xie Lanying was forced to jump lightly back onto the solid ground.

However, the instant her feet touched the earth again, the surrounding air suddenly began to hiss with a strange, ominous intensity. Bai Xifeng had already moved, her speed bolstered by her sheer determination.

"What are you..." Xie Lanying’s voice abruptly cut off as the temperature within the square plummeted violently.

The water wall she had summoned for protection instantly became her greatest tactical weakness. The runes drained the surrounding heat so aggressively that even Xie Lanying’s own water-element spiritual energy began freezing and crystallising uncontrollably.

Within mere moments, she became trapped and immobilized inside her own frozen technique. No matter how hard she struggled or circulated her Qi, she could not reverse the freezing process quickly enough to escape the icy tomb.

Bai Xifeng calmly approached the struggling Xie Lanying before pulling out her signature black dagger. She attached a final rune onto the flat of the blade.

Inferno Rune.

The moment the rune activated, intense orange flames burst across the dagger’s edge, glowing with a fierce heat. Bai Xifeng swung the weapon once in a sweeping arc. The thick, frozen water melted away instantly in a cloud of steam. Then, her blazing dagger stopped precisely one inch away from Xie Lanying’s exposed neck.

"I surrender." Xie Lanying admitted immediately, her breath hitching.

Hearing that, Bai Xifeng lowered her dagger at once, the flames flickering out.

"You... your runes are truly incredible." Xie Lanying said honestly, her eyes filled with a new level of profound admiration.

Ji Yuan clapped his hands once, the sharp sound drawing both girls’ attention toward the gazebo.

"You performed well." Ji Yuan acknowledged calmly, his gaze shifting between them. "However, Xifeng, do you remember the specific reminder I gave you before this spar began?"

"Huh? What?" Bai Xifeng blinked in genuine confusion, her mind still buzzing from the fight.

"You were only supposed to use runes and absolutely nothing else." Ji Yuan stated flatly, his voice devoid of warmth. "Yet at the very end, you still chose to rely on your dagger to finish the move."

"Ah!" Bai Xifeng immediately remembered the strict restriction. Her heart sank.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***