The shadow controlling the crow saw Lin Ming through its eyes and immediately grew anxious. "People from Azure Spirit Academy! I never expected they were waiting for Azure Spirit Academy students! This is trouble. I must report to the master quickly."
The shadow pulled out his communicator and dialed a number. It connected soon after. A deep voice came from the other end: "What is it?"
Hearing the voice, the shadow replied urgently, "Master, there's a big problem! What do we do about the Azure Spirit Academy student?"
"What?! How did Azure Spirit people get involved? Has our plan been exposed?" The voice on the communicator sounded shocked.
After a pause, it asked, "Where is that Azure Spirit student now?"
The shadow answered instantly, "He's with Yuhan He and the others, Master. What should we do?"
Silence followed on the line. Then the voice said, "It seems we must move the plan forward. That Azure Spirit student must be eliminated. Keep watching him!"
"Yes, sir," the shadow acknowledged.
…………
In a luxurious room, an elegant man paced back and forth, deeply troubled. He had just received his subordinate's report and couldn't understand why Azure Spirit Academy was involved. He needed to eliminate the student but didn't know his strength. This worried him greatly.
"Sigh!" he exhaled.
"Oh? Even our City Lord has worries?" A Black Cloaked Figure silently appeared in the room.
"Hmph! Does the Envoy not knock before entering others' rooms?" the City Lord said sternly.
The Black Cloaked Envoy wasn't offended. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down. "Don't be like that, City Lord. I'm here to help you."
"You have a solution?" The City Lord raised an eyebrow.
"Lean in, City Lord," the Black Cloaked Figure whispered.
The City Lord leaned close as the Envoy shared a plan.
"Hahaha! Excellent! This will work!" The City Lord's gloomy mood vanished instantly.
"Hey! Hei Yao, go..."
………………
Inside a hotel's Duel Arena—a space for guests to settle conflicts privately—Lin Ming and Rosen now stood ready. Hotels had such arenas to prevent powerful guests from destroying the building during fights. They also sold tickets for duels, letting conflicts be resolved under public witness.
This was just a small duel, so few spectators gathered around the arena. Yuhan He sat below, wearing sunglasses. She had used Magic to turn her striking silver hair black. Her little face flushed red with excitement as she watched eagerly.
Lin Ming faced Rosen on the arena floor. "Old man, let's keep this friendly, okay?"
Rosen tightened the Great Sword at his waist and looked at Lin Ming. "Alright, kid."
He drew his Great Sword—a three-foot-long blade, slender and slightly curved. Its edge gleamed with a chilling, razor-sharp light.
"Kid, draw your weapon," Rosen said, pointing the sword at Lin Ming.
Lin Ming clenched his fists. He wasn't crazy enough to pull out his Blackiron Heavy Sword against this fast blade. Rosen was A Rank and clearly experienced—bringing it out would just invite a beating.
*One sword strike to crush him... how embarrassing that'd be!*
"He's a Body Cultivator. He fights with fists," someone called out.
"Then I'm coming at you," Rosen said. He gripped the sword with both hands and slashed downward at Lin Ming.
Lin Ming dodged with a twist. He countered with a backhand punch. Rosen raised his blade to block, but the sheer force knocked him back several steps.
*His strength is incredible!* Rosen thought as he jumped back two steps.
He then unleashed two arcs of blade energy at Lin Ming.
Lin Ming sidestepped with a quick footwork shift. The energy slashed deep grooves into the floor.
A bead of sweat rolled down Lin Ming's temple as he stared at the grooves. *Damn! It's so awesome to have Spirit Energy—you can just throw blade energy around. I'm stuck using only physical strength. Can't even use martial skills. Wasting the Qianyuan Blood Ignition Technique here would be pointless. I need to end this fast.*
"Kid, again!" Rosen roared, charging forward with his sword.
Lin Ming was swift, but Rosen's swordsmanship was masterful. His strikes flowed like water, one after another. Few openings appeared; his blade danced impenetrably. Lin Ming couldn't find a breakthrough.
*Damn, he really is a seasoned old salt,* Lin Ming thought, watching Rosen prepare another attack.
Below, Yuhan He's face glowed red. She kept mimicking the moves with her hands. "This fight is so intense! I was worried about Senior Lin Ming, but he's actually amazing."
"Hey! Senior Lin Ming is attacking now!" she exclaimed as she saw him move.
Lin Ming knew Rosen wasn't using his full strength. This wasn't a life-or-death battle, and aside from the blade energy earlier, Rosen hadn't tapped into his Spirit Energy. Lin Ming wasn't all-out either, but being pressured felt awful. It was time to attack.
He flashed forward, right fist aimed at Rosen's face. Rosen lifted his sword to parry upward, but Lin Ming's left hand slapped the rising blade, deflecting it off course. Rosen, ever experienced, leaped back to avoid the punch.
Lin Ming's fist turned to a palm. He pushed down on the momentum, flipped backward, and kicked downward with full force. Rosen rolled right to dodge.
"Boom!" Lin Ming's foot cratered the ground, leaving a two-meter-wide hole—a testament to his power.
"Kid, I apologize for underestimating you earlier," Rosen said. "This next strike will be my last. Let's wrap this up, alright? We're not in a death match, and I can't reveal all my cards here."
"Agreed!"
At the reply, Rosen sheathed his sword. He closed his eyes, seeming to merge with the surroundings. Lin Ming's muscles tensed instantly, a wave of danger washing over him. Then Rosen opened his eyes.
Lin Ming exploded forward with terrifying speed. Rosen drew his sword in a flash—but Lin Ming was already there.
With immense force, Lin Ming pressed his right hand down on the sword's hilt. Their opposing strengths clashed, sending a shockwave rippling outward. Rosen stared in shock—the blade was only one-third unsheathed.
"Old man, you lose."
