Chapter 88: The Proper Way to Stand Out

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Left.

Right.

Left.

Thrust. Thrust. Slash.

The rhythm of a spear is different.

That is the thought that drifts through Liu Jin’s mind while fighting an Inner Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan.

Taking up the spear had been a decision made without much thought put into it. Lei Kong knew how to use swords and spears, and it seemed foolish not to take advantage of that. Somewhere along the way, Liu Jin developed a preference for spears over swords, and before they realized it, the spear had become part of his “Qing Jin” disguise.

Qing was his father’s former last name, but it is not such an uncommon family name. The risks of using it are minor. At most, someone may think he had been named or had named himself after the previous emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire. Such things are not uncommon.

Meanwhile, Liu Jin is… a potentially troublesome identity. His name is not one that is known throughout the lands. However, the possibility of it being linked to Xiao Shuang and, by extension, to the Divine Frozen Palace is not zero. That is why, for the purposes of joining the Eternal Flame Clan, Qing Jin is a safer identity.

And Qing Jin uses a spear.

It is a relatively simple weapon. Bladed end. Blunt end. Slash. Thrust. Block. Even a complete novice would be able to grasp that much after a few minutes of swinging it around. Yet, there is an art to it. Thrusts are not punches. Slashes are not kicks. Blocks… are still blocks, but they carry different risks.

The intervals are different. The range is different. The timing is different. It is not the first bladed weapon Liu Jin uses, yet keeping track of the blade of a knife is not the same as keeping track of the bladed end of a spear. The extra reach provided by the weapon is a definite advantage, but that’s precisely why he needs to be careful with it.

Each short thrust of Liu Jin’s spear forces his opponent to back away. The Inner Disciple wields a sword yet can barely fend off his attacks. The difference in reach between their weapons is proving to be a too big disadvantage. Liu Jin’s quick and constant attacks successfully keep his foe on the defensive.

However, Liu Jin can only maintain that rhythm for so long.

The tip of his spear dips down. It is the smallest of pauses, barely a fleeting instant. However, his opponent doesn’t miss it. His eyes shine when the opening presents itself, sidestepping and lunging, extending his body as far as he can, doing his best to make up for the difference in reach.

It is exactly what Liu Jin has been waiting for.

A twist of his wrist makes the blade of his spear draw a sharp circle, easily batting the sword out of the way, leaving his opponent wide open.

Liu Jin pushes.

His grip on the spear shifts, so he’s holding the weapon with both hands close to the blunt end instead of having one hand wrapped around the center. From his opponent’s perspective, it is as if the weapon magically grew in length. There is no time to dodge. The strike lands perfectly on the Inner Disciple’s shoulder. Had he not been in the Spirit Realm, the weapon would have pierced right through his shoulder. Such is the strength Liu Jin is using. The Inner Disciple is sent flying out of the ring and lands harshly on his back.

It is Liu Jin’s victory.

The Inner Disciple grits his teeth as he struggles to get up, one hand gripping his shoulder. He’ll need to visit the Medical Pavilion soon.

“I thank you for your guidance, senior brother.” Liu Jin bows his head in respect. “This one was doubtlessly lucky just now.”

The Inner Disciple says nothing. He scowls and walks away, pushing his way through the crowd. Liu Jin may have tried to appease him, but that won’t change what just happened. He, an Inner Disciple, just lost to an Outer Disciple.

Putting aside matters of pride, the points he lost will not come back just because Liu Jin is trying to be polite.

Whenever a disciple loses a spar, he’ll lose points. The amount varies depending on the ranks of the disciples involved. Losing against a higher-ranked disciple is only natural, so not many points will be lost due to such an outcome. However, if one were to lose to a lower-ranked disciple, the point deduction will be quite hefty.

In other words, accepting challenges from Outer Disciples is extremely disadvantageous for Inner Disciples. At best, they are a waste of time. At worst, they are a waste of points.

That is why an Inner Disciple would normally reject an Outer Disciple’s challenge.

That is why guaranteed challenges exist.

All disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan have the right to make three guaranteed challenges per day. The person who receives the challenge cannot turn it down. Thanks to this rule, even a Core Disciple can be challenged by someone who just joined the Sect. There are just a few limits to this rule. For example, a person cannot accept more than three guaranteed challenges on the same day. Similarly, one cannot challenge the same person more than once per day.

Liu Jin has been using his guaranteed challenges to get Inner Disciples to spar with him. In fact, he has already used all three of them, yet he is still managing to find sparring partners. The reason for that is… well…

“Weak! Far too weak!” Bei Hong cries out as he dispatches yet another Inner Disciple, one in the Fourth Level of the Spirit Realm this time. Annoying though it may be, Bei Hong’s arrogance is not entirely unmerited.

It is also not entirely without upsides.

Bei Hong, Lu Mei, Huang Shing, and Liu Jin. They are challenging Inner Disciples to quickly gain the necessary points for their promotion. Like Liu Jin, the other three have already used all their guaranteed challenges. That means they need other ways to convince the Inner Disciples to fight them.

Indignation works.

No one likes losing, especially to a group of cocky newcomers, which Bei Hong’s boasting successfully paints them as.

“Ha! Even when hunting rabbits, a lion should use his full strength! You were foolish to take me lightly!”

Huang Shing helps.

The two are not afraid of angering the Inner Disciples around them, causing more than one to step up to their challenges. Whether it is to avenge their brethren or put the unruly newcomers in their place, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they provide them with foes.

Bei Hong laughs from his ring. “Not bad. It seems you’re not as weak as I thought.”

“Just watch! I plan on winning more times than you!”

“I’ll gladly show you the difference between us!”

Curiously enough, it seems the two are bonding over the whole thing. Liu Jin is not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

What he does know is that this method is not sustainable.

Eventually, anger and shock will pass. That is when things will become difficult. Right now they’re being underestimated. That is why they have been winning so easily. Furthermore, they have only been fighting disciples close to their age. The older Inner Disciples have no reason to involve themselves in this matter, but that may change if Bei Hong and Huang Shing keep opening their mouths.

This situation is not what Liu Jin had intended.

Certainly, he came here to challenge the Inner Disciples, but he had hoped to be more discreet about it. He and Huang Shing had so many points, it would have been fine if they had relied only on their guaranteed challenges. It would have taken a couple of days instead of one, but that would’ve barely counted as a problem.

However, Lu Mei and Bei Hong had clearly come with the intention of acquiring all the necessary points in just one day. Now that Liu Jin and Huang Shing have been wrapped in this, they have little choice but to go along with it. The number of glares Liu Jin has become a target of has only increased in the past several minutes. The Outer Disciples may be cheering him on, but the Inner Disciples are not happy with how things are going.

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Noticing this, Liu Jin steps out of the ring and tries to fade into the crowd. At the rate things are going, it is going to be dangerous to show his face here tomorrow.

“Ah, senior brother looks really strong! Please, go easy on me.”

The alluring voice directs his attention towards one of the sparring rings. He rolls his eyes when he sees what is happening there. Unlike Bei Hong, who shouts insults, Lu Mei favors a different approach for attracting partners. She’s all sweet words and distracting movements. Many are those who fall prey to them.

The person she’s fighting right now is merely one more. The look on his face makes it clear fighting is the last thing on his mind. He just wants to show off for the pretty girl.

It costs him the match.

He’s not the first person who lets himself be distracted by Lu Mei today. He’ll not be the last. The girl feigns weakness and admiration, attracting opponents one after another. The ones who go to her, outraged by Bei Hong’s words, soon find themselves disarmed by her smile. Already, she has gathered a crowd of admirers, most of them Outer Disciples.

To his surprise, she spots him in the crowd and walks up to him.

“You are the one from the Selection Exam, right?” She asks with a charming smile. “What did you think of my match?”

She is not ignoring him.

That instantly puts him on alert, yet he struggles to think what she could want with him. All he knows is that suddenly all the eyes that were on Lu Mei are now on him as well.

“It was a good match.” Liu Jin decides to reply honestly. “But I have to wonder, why is it that they keep falling for it?”

Maybe too honestly.

Far from looking offended, Lu Mei’s smile widens into a smirk that looks more at home on her face.

“Should you really be the one to ask me that question?”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow as she moves closer to him, far closer than a conversation requires. Her perfume smells of Night Flower and Golden Peach Petals. The mix is not an overpowering one. Its effects are subtle, but no less effective because of it.

It has surely worked in her favor several times today.

On him, it is useless.