The tournament arena thrummed with anticipation. Ling Feng faced his first opponent: a petite girl wielding twin daggers.
**[Disciple Li Na (Level 4)]**
**[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 2.]**
The crowd jeered as Ling Feng stepped forward. "Bet he collapses before the gong!"
Li Na lunged, blades whistling. Ling Feng activated **[Combat Analysis]**, a system skill that highlighted her attack patterns in glowing trails. He sidestepped, parrying with a stick he'd reinforced using **[Crafting]**.
"Fight fair!" she hissed.
"Never said I would," he grinned, tossing a pouch of blinding powder—crafted from crushed moonlight petals.
**[Status Effect: Blinded (10 seconds).]**
He disarmed her in three moves.
The crowd fell silent.
**[Victory! +100 Soul Points.]**
Disciple Zhang Wei watched from the shadows, cracking his knuckles.
---
**Cliffhanger:**
As Ling Feng advanced to the semifinals, a system alert flashed:
**[Warning: Host's Unorthodox Methods Detected by Sect Elders.]**
**[Penalty: Next Opponent Adjusted to Level 12.]**
The crowd parted to reveal his new challenger: Su Mei, the icy prodigy of the Azure Sky Sect, her sword glinting with frost.
**[Su Mei (Level 12)]**
**[Cultivation: Foundation Building Stage 1.]**
Ling Feng swallowed. *Game on.*