The spectators and Na Lan Yan Ran were hollering in disbelief and astonishment. They were staring at my magic carp, their eyes just as wide as his. Then Na Lan Yan Ran began sobbing and pointing frantically at my magic carp, almost as if she saw a cat.
"What did that stupid fish just do?!" she screamed.
The audience was just as bewildered. A murmur rose as they speculated and guessed amongst themselves.
"Did the fish just swallow those heavenly flames?"
"But how? It's just a trash-tier spirit beast. That's not possible."
"How was it able to emerge unscathed after swallowing such powerful spirit flames? It should have blown itself up after that!"
"What's going on? Somebody explain to me what the hell just happened!"
While the students clamored amongst themselves, the invigilator alone remained calm. He stroked his chin as he studied my magic carp with an intense gaze. Then he let out an impressed chuckle, stunning everyone in the audience.
"Not bad! I have never seen a Devouring the Heavens technique before! To think I would actually have a chance to witness such a legendary technique in this lifetime…! You're really a peerless genius, young man!"
"What?! Devouring the Heavens?"
"What's that?"
"I don't know. Never heard of it before."
The invigilator wasn't going to explain the technique to anyone, especially since we were still in the middle of the match. He cocked his head at me and Na Lan Yan Ran, as if inquiring whether we wanted to continue. I nodded and glanced back at my opponent, waiting for her move.
Na Lan Yan Ran finally snapped out of her stupor, a vein twitching in her temple from sheer rage. She pointed her sword at me.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you for this humiliation! Phoenix!"
Her spirit beast responded to her will immediately, spreading its wings and launching a third torrent of spirit flames. I glanced at my magic carp, aware that he couldn't possibly use his Devouring the Heavens technique a second time.
Fortunately, he didn't have to. I had another card to play.
With my right hand holding up my dragon sword, I removed my glasses with my left hand and closed my eyes. And then I activated my enhanced qi perception. My world appeared to change, with myriad colors flowing all around me in a surreal perspective. At this point, the red-hot agony that usually stabbed into my mind had not yet appeared.
I figured I had about a minute…maybe thirty seconds before the pain set in.
That was fine. I had fought through the pain barrier before. This was nothing new. Suffering the pain was completely worth it, in exchange for the advantages it brought me in battle.
The spirit flame raced toward me. While, other than color, the spirit flame was visibly identical to normal flames, through my qi perception I could see the vast difference. The spirit flame was a living thing, with vitality pumping through its elegantly dancing and bounding body. Just like a living creature, it contained veins of pure qi pumping throughout its form.
The spirit flames were undoubtedly much stronger than regular flames, but at the same time I could see its flaws, its weaknesses a lot more vividly. That was an illusion, of course. Regular flames were a lot more fragile and I could easily cut through them. The fact that I could see the lines of qi more clearly was actually a sign of its complexity.
Even though the lines were more numerous, they were a lot thinner – which meant I needed to be more precise than ever before…or I would fail to cut through the powerful flames and ended up being incinerated instead.
"Do not falter."
I could hear the voice of Kai Li Si in my head. That was right. He had trained me to confront enemies many times stronger than I was. He had taught me to defy all odds and challenge superior opponents. Just because the odds were stacked against me wasn't an excuse to run away. I had to confront it head-on.
Otherwise I would die when those demonic cultivators came after me.
The demonic cultivators were one thing, but it felt like Na Lan Yan Ran really intended to kill me. however, rather than the murderous aura or killing intent that I usually sensed from the assassins who were sent back through time and space, I only sensed rage and resentment from my opponent. Na Lan Yan Ran lacked the malice or the resolve to actually take a life.
She was simply recklessly lashing out, not caring if her power hurt others in the process. She just wanted to see me bleed.
Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of letting her get what she wanted.
Standing my ground, I prepared a sword stance before thrusting it forward, relying completely on my qi perception. The first strike cut into an extremely fine qi line that I sensed in the spirit flames and I swiftly cut it apart.
The first tongue of the spirit flames dispersed harmlessly, embers raining down upon me as it simply ceased to exist.
However, I couldn't rest on my laurels. The rest of the torrent continued to wash over me and I could feel the intense heat. Without pause, I slid forward and swung the sword again, cleaving apart yet another portion of the spirit flames. The crimson fire simply vanished, obliterated from existence as I traced my blade along the fine qi lines that made up its weaknesses.
"No way! This is impossible! How…?!"
Na Lan Yan Ran gaped at me, unable to comprehend what was unfolding before her eyes. The spectators had also fallen into a bewildered silence, watching in astonishment as I sliced apart the spirit flames with what looked like astounding ease.
Ignoring all of them, I continued to whirl about and advanced forward. Step by step, strike by strike, I cut the flames apart and closed the distance upon myself. Another portion of the spirit flames disappeared, and then another vanished. Sparks rained down harmlessly upon me, the only trace that a living fire had existed, and they too faded into nothingness.
Amidst the fire and fury, I stepped forward without pause, my sword cleaving and slicing tirelessly amidst the roaring inferno. The tide of flames slowly shrank as I pruned its once colossal form, leaving little more than defiant cinders.
And even these last embers were eliminated by several decisive swings of my sword.
Furious, Na Lan Yan Ran gestured toward her phoenix. It screeched angrily before swooping down on me, its talons outstretched to claw me. My head was burning at this point, having been overloaded by my enhanced qi sense. But I refused to turn it off because I knew just how formidable a foe the phoenix could be.
However, I knew my battered mind couldn't endure the abuse for long. I had to finish this match as quickly as possible. I had to defeat the phoenix in a single strike.
Moving forward with steely determination, I leaped over the wicked talons and slashed. Relying on my enhanced qi perception, made possible by Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths, I slid the blade of my dragon sword into the qi line that I had perceived. Putting all of my strength into both my hands, I traced my blade along the qi line and cleaved the shrieking phoenix apart.
The legendary spirit beast appeared to implode, its spiritual form just ceasing to exist. Tumbling through the space where its huge body had been, I crashed onto a kneeling position and opened my eyes, heaving heavily.
With my enhanced qi sense now deactivated, I fumbled for my glasses and put them on. Just in time too. Even with my Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths back at its most basic form, I could detect Na Lan Yan Ran's attack long before she could execute it. The raging qi behind her attack was just too obvious and visible.
Twisting to the side, I avoided her thrust by the barest of margins before I countered with my own sword, striking her on the wrist. Na Lan Yan Ran cried out, losing her grip on her sword. Before she could react, I whirled around and kicked her in the gut, sending her flying several meters away. She tumbled on the ground and coughed out some blood.
"You…you…" she spluttered as I loomed over her.
"N…no way…" One of the spectators murmured. "He did it…the bastard actually did it. He defeated the first miss of the Na La clan!"
"What the hell was that swordsmanship? I have never seen it before! How did he cut apart those powerful spirit flames?!"
"He even cut the phoenix apart in one strike! I've never heard of anyone who can slay a phoenix in one blow!"
I watched Na Lan Yan Ran for a few moments, but she glared at me defiantly. Backing away, she gathered flames into her hands. Her gaze flickered to her sword and I could tell that she wanted to reclaim it.
Clearly she had no intention of surrendering yet.
That was fine.
Sheathing my sword, I turned my back on her and raised both my hands. Looking in the direction of the invigilator, I declared in a loud voice.
"I surrender. This match is my loss."
"What?!" The invigilator couldn't believe what he was hearing. Neither did the spectators, who began muttering at the unexpected development, but I paid no attention to them. My gaze was focused on the invigilator, who was struggling to recover from his shock. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I surrender."
"What's going on?"
"Why did he give up?"
"I don't understand."
"What's the meaning of this?" Na Lan Yan Ran snarled. "What do you mean by this? Are you taking pity on me?"
"No, not really." I pushed my glasses up as I turned to look at her, my head cocked. "I simply no longer have any desire to win."
"Huh?"
I glanced at the spectators, my mouth twisted into a sneer.
"I don't want to enroll in Imperial Valley University. I thought about it, and I don't really want to learn alongside everyone here. I think you're more suited to enroll here than me."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" One of the spectators demanded. I raised my head to stare at him, a sneer on my face.
"You all think I'm trash, right? You were all trying to hound me out earlier. What was it that you were all saying just recently? That I don't deserve to be in Imperial Valley University, that you want me to be kicked out, that you don't need non-summoners? That I'm an embarrassment and shame you all by summoning a garbage spirit beast?"
Silence filled the air, but I wasn't done yet.
"Fine then. I'll do what you want. I'll leave. Since you guys clearly don't want a trash like me here, there is no reason for me to enroll in this place. You guys can stick with each other. I'll find someplace else. Maybe Ten Thousand Swords University, as you guys have suggested. So I'll excuse myself here. Goodbye."
And good riddance. I was sick to the stomach from just being in the presence of such arrogant assholes.
"W…w…what?!" Na Lan Yan Ran spluttered, the flames still blazing around her hands. I strode over to where her sword was lying, picked it up and tossed it to her. She caught it, stunned, and continued to stare uncomprehendingly at me. "You…you…!"
"Rejoice, you are still a student of Imperial Valley University. Honestly, you are a better fit for a place like this than I am. I am ashamed to have ever tried to challenge you for an enrollment spot here. I am not worthy."
The sarcasm dripped from my voice like acid, causing Na Lan Yan Ran to flinch. Even the spectators looked very uncomfortable. They shifted restlessly, unable to meet my gaze. Not that I was looking at them.
Instead, I was heading toward the exit. I had no intention of looking back or regretting my decision. The invigilator looked apologetic and angry – not at me, but at the students. But there was nothing he could do. He understood my decision. It appeared that I might have wasted my time dueling when I didn't want to win, but I did so to make a point.
Basically, I was slapping the faces of all the people who called me and my magic carp trash. Officially, I might have "lost" the match, but in reality everyone could see the actual result as clearly as day.
Not wanting to stay among the presence of these foul, arrogant jerks for even a second longer, I left with my head held high while savoring the embarrassment that burned across the faces of everyone who had mocked me prior to the duel.