Escaping Fate

by Tinalynge

  Xu Min was standing still, leaning on his sword and feigning interest. To him, it did not matter which one of them would fight him. However, if it truly were the young master Tang, then Xu Min would not be upset. He was fully energized to focus solely on this high ranked expert. Having the strength to fight Tang Jin made Xu Min feel somewhat excited even. Tang Jin reminded him of the young master of the Zhong family, and this comparison made Xu Min’s eyes burn with anger and hungry to do battle. He wanted to prove he had become stronger, and a spoiled young master was now going to become his stepping stone.

  Hearing that Tang Jin stepped forward, the young master of the Guo family cleared his throat. “The winner of the next match will be the winner of the entire tournament,” he declared, “We cannot defeat Young Master Tang Jin; thus, if he wins we will all forfeit. If by any chance, this young man were to win against Tang Jin, then we will declare him the winner as he has managed to defeat the one fighter we could not defeat.”

  His words caused a slight displeasure, not only by the audience but also amongst the participating experts. The audience wanted as many battles as possible while the experts also wanted to battle Xu Min. After thinking and discussing the matter, they finally agreed. The chance of Xu Min winning was so slim.They knew it was not possible for them to fight him in the arena. After a few minutes, all the experts nodded their heads and left the arena floor, heading to some seats that had been set up for them. They contented themselves to be just spectators as well, ready to watch the final match of this year’s competition.

  The audience fell silent, seeing Tang Jin step onto the arena floor. Tang Jin was an internal expert. Most of the young masters were internal experts since they were considered the strongest and easier to train. However, internal experts did have some disadvantages, and Xu Min knew every benefit and drawback there was. He had a few stances he could use alongside his external strength.

  “I will not kill you; I will only cripple you, so you better be glad,” Tang Jin hostile and coldly said with a sinister grin, baring his teeth. Every expert heard his words, and many of them sighed, thinking this would be the end of one more rising star. With this in the mind of many of the spectators, Xu Min was deemed to become a cripple after today; but even so, the short while he fought he had shined. He had shined as the brightest star in Ri Chu City. He set new records for the tournament by defeating twenty experts and brought pride and honor to the Yong family. It was just a shame that he had to pay this high price by doing so.

  Shockwaves appeared in the entire arena as Qi energy ripples started appearing around Tang Jin, encircling him like a snake does with its prey. Xu Min had seen this attack before, so it did not impress him; rather, he disdainfully looked at the snake Qi. He had met snakes many times before, and more dangerous than a snake made from Qi.Unsheathing his sword, a low sound could be heard before Xu Min took a defensive stance. Unlike the other defeated experts he had faced so far, Xu Min knew he would be able to devour some of the snake’s energy, but his opponent was not easy. He could not only rely on his sword’s devouring ability but had to fight using all of his strength. Everything he had within him needed to be used now.

  The snake latched out like a whip. So swift it was almost impossible to see it, but Xu Min specialized in speed and with a simple sidestep he avoided the Qi snake. The snake shot right past him, yet it did not even touch the corner of his sleeve.

  He then brought the sword down, with a clean cut, and a swishing sound the snake’s head separated from its body. Xu Min’s sword quickly devoured the Qi that made up the snake’s head while the other body instantly retreated into Tang Jin’s body.

  Everyone including Tang Jin was shocked to Hui Yue quickly escaping the Qi snake. As well, Seeing that he could destroy Tang Jin’s attack with one sword strike was even more shocking. Looking at the two experts, it did not quite seem they were two full star’s a part.

  Some of the experts in the audience started observing the Yong family. When they saw the serene expression on Yong Meilin’s face, doubt welled up within them, doubt and a slight fear. They started praying Tang Jin would take the fight seriously; so, seriously he would trample upon this young genius. Allowing the Alluring Treasure Pavilion more strength was enough to frighten everyone present.

  While the audience was busy in their thoughts, Xu Min was entirely focused on Tang Jin. Though he had managed to escape the attack, he had only done so because he correctly guessed when Tang Jin was going to attack. His focus on speed also allowed him to read his opponent easier, but there was a whole two-star difference between them. Although Xu Min could dodge and avoid, what was this worth if he could not attack?

  Thinking while dodging, Xu Min and Tang Jin exchanged one attack after another. While Xu Min’s attacks were completely useless against Tang Jin, the older and higher-level expert’s attacks were not much more useful since none of them hit their target. It was evident both experts were in a desperate deadlock. A situation none of the experts assumed would happen. Their eyes bulged in surprise; their hearts raced, and none dared to breathe, blink, or move. They feared of missing that one mistake, which would determine the winner.

  Chapter 52 - Young Master Tang Jin

  Xu Min was doing his utmost to avoid every single attack thrown against him, and Tang Jin was not letting up. Since the battle had started, he had not moved even once. Tang Jin would constantly create one creature after another from Qi and send them after Xu Min, who would use his sword time and time again to decapitate the beasts.

  Sweat started to pour down Xu Min’s forehead. He knew t he couldn’t just keep on dodging. At some point, he would judge wrongly, make a mistake, and not be able to dodge the attack. Once he got hit from a four-star Warrior, he would be in a dire situation.

  ‘Leave it to me!’ Xu Min heard Cao Cao’s voice in the back of his mind, but he ignored it since his mind kept reeling with questions. “Which options did he have?” It wasn’t until now Xu Min realized that although he had a trained for a long time, he was dependent upon his sword too much. . The only reason he was still standing was solely from the sword’s energy it devoured which resupplied his energy levels. Xu Min had long since used his own energy, and the sword alone kept pushing him past his limits. However, no matter how much Xu Min tried, the physical attacks he tried to land on Tang Jin were easily deflected by a Qi armor that covered him .

  Xu Min was not the only one growing frantic. Tang Jin felt his own reserves were soon being used up from all the energy he kept pouring out. Yet, what frustrated him was Xu Min countered every attack . If a four-star Warrior, equal to him, countered his attacks he wouldn’t mind. He had just reached the four-star just recently, but the person in front of him was no four-star Warrior. He was only a two-star Warrior, which seemed to constantly dodge his attacks, surviving by a hairs breath every single time.

  Anger arose within Tang Jin, but he did not allow his feelings to control him. Instead he lowered his hand and returned all the Qi which was floating in the air back into his body. Closing his eyes for a moment and having a Qi armor protecting his body, he made himself breathe slowly, made himself forget the humiliation he had experienced so far, which made his demeanor completely changed.

  “How unlikeable,” Xu Min mumbled, realising Tang Jin did not submit to his anger but instead calmed himself. ‘I agree, but if he is too much of a threat, just let me help out,’ Cao Cao’s voice sounded in Xu Min’s mind, but he replied just with smiling a little before shaking his head. This was the one fight he needed to win on his own. He could not afford to lose in front of the Yong family.

  Stopping, Xu Min and Tang Jin stood in front of each other. Their eyes were caught in a dead-lock. Xu Min took a deep breath. There was one thing he could do. With a determined expression on his face, Xu Min took a stance, moved one foot and lifted one arm.

  Shocked voices could be heard from the audience as they saw that Xu Min was capable of doing stances. Most external experts had not been giving anytime f
or learning stances as they fully focused on using Qi as a supporter for their physical strength. However, here he was Xu Min, a young genius, who seemed capable of doing both internal and external attacks.

  “How strong can the stance of an external expert really be?” Tang Jin mocked in his heart before looking at Xu Min whose face was serious and his eyes constantly watched the older man.

  Behind Xu Min Qi suddenly started to leave his body and materialize into many arrowheads. They seemed to be made from jade although everyone knew they were created from Xu Min’s Qi .

  The Qi that had left his body gathered behind him. The shining jade arrowheads looked like a massive starry sky. The sharp tips of the arrowheads seemed dangerous and even Tang Jin felt a shiver run down his spine. He once more summoned his Qi shield to protect him .

  Although he saw Tang Jin’s shield in front of him, Xu Min lowered his hand, following Xu Min’s gesture the arrowheads shot forward towards Tang Jin. Seeing the arrowheads speeding towards him, a grin appeared on Tang Jin’s face. Though there was a large amount of arrowheads, his shield was big enough to protect Tang Jin’s entire body.. How could Xu Min believe that his two star Qi attack was able to defeat a four star expert in direct confrontation?

  A snicker appeared on Tang Jin’s face as the arrowheads headed towards him. Just before they came into contact with Tang Jin’s shield, Xu Min clenched his fist and the many thousand arrowheads scattered in every direction. Some of them landed on the shield and loud ‘dong’ sounds appeared in rapid succession as many of the arrows still crashed into the shield.

  No cracks could be seen in the shield even though it sounded like they severely damaged it. Clearly the shield was easily strong enough to handle the arrowheads. The other half of these thousands of arrowheads were not hitting the shield, instead they evaded it before they once more focused onto Tang Jin. The young master felt frantic, seeing these sharp arrowheads heading for his body. Lifting up the shield he managed to protect his head. Nevertheless, the arrowheads sharply embedded themselves into the lower body of the young master Tang Jin.

  Blood started flowing and the entire arena was completely still. Although the wounds were not incredibly serious, they had drawn blood. The first person in the battle to draw blood was Xu Min, the two-star Warrior, and not Tang Jin, the one person whom they assumed would cripple Xu Min within a few attacks.

  The angered Tang Jin once more had to collect himself. He was so angered that he felt his veins throbbing in his forehead. He knew if let the anger control him, he would likely be defeated. This loss was something he could not afford. Thus, he forcefully calmed himself down once more before he snorted. The wounds stung but they were not deep, nor were they threatening. Channeling his Qi to the wound, he quickly managed to close the wounds up and took a stance.

  This stance was nothing like the previous ones. Tang Jin was finally taking Xu Min seriously, and the attack he summoned was a massive spear created from Qi. The spear appeared as real as could be and while one looked at the edge one could easily guess how incredibly sharp it was.

  The surrounding atmosphere became unusual. Shockwaves from the energy’s ripples could be felt exuding from the spear. Xu Min knew this was the moment he had waited for. Now, he would fight Tang Jin with everything he had.

  Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Xu Min did not unsheathe his sword; instead, he too took a stance and lifted his arm. Qi poured out from his body and created a massive palm above his head, a palm which seemed as real as Tang Jin’s spear in front of him. Looking at these two experts, it was easy to understand that both attacks were incredibly outstanding. However, no one could forget that one of the experts was a four-star Warrior while the other was a two-star Warrior. There was a great difference in strength between them. Nevertheless, Xu Min was not backing down.

  The spear shot forward as the palm descended. A loud boom resounded in the arena and dust whirled from the ground, masking everything which just occurred. The experts sitting down were all astonished to see the colliding attack. Unfortunately, the dust made it impossible for them to see the result of this impact.

  With the dust disappearing,everyone was shocked to notice that both experts were still standing on the stage. Xu Min had a slight trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. This was the first time Yong Meilin appeared worried. The expression quickly returned to being confident However, quite a few noticed the brief change in her expression and secretly felt happy.

  Eliminating Xu Min, became the wholehearted wish of many families present. There were some families who were not supportive of the Tang family, but the Yong family, amongst these were the Guo family, the Xiao, the Han and Han and the Shiu families, were also somewhat uncertain in where their allegiance laid. Seeing this two-star Warrior expert standing up against a four-star Warrior was refreshing, they found themselves hoping Xu Min would prevail - albeit, they knew it was unthinkable.

  Xu Min wiped the corner of his mouth as he unsheathed the sword on his back, ‘Let me, let me, let me, let me!’ Cao Cao repeatedly whined, but the young man kept ignoring the snake. Although Cao Cao wanted to attack, he knew Xu Min would not forgive him if he jumped in without being allowed to do so. Thus, the snake stayed behind, doing nothing, even if it meant Xu Min was in severe danger.

  “Let us see how this works then,” Xu Min mumbled. He twirled the massive sword in his hands before getting ready to meet the spear once more.

  The palm attack done earlier had managed to push the spear away from Xu Min, but it did not manage to destroy it. Rather, the palm shattered the moment it successfully managed to push the spear away..

  Tang Jin did not wait to let Xu Min calm down. He instantly shot the spear forward once more. Avoiding the spear by sidestepping, Xu Min swung down the sword. With a loud boom, the sword cut the spear in half.. A shockwave appeared from the impact. Both Xu Min and Tang Jin were shot backwards like a kite with a broken string. They landed heavily against the arena walls, coughing up blood.

  Standing up, Xu Min felt wobbly. The world around him started to spin; he bit his lip hard enough,so the pain would sharpen his senses. Tang Jin was in a slightly better state but not much. His head had banged straight into the arena wall and blood had started dripping from the back of his head. His eyes were filled with anger and his body was jolting as he tried to force himself to calm down.

  Tang Jin’s strength was not something to trifle with. Now that he was on the edge of letting go of his anger, Xu Min could not help but smirk. If Tang Jin did let go of his anger, he was likely to win. Nonetheless, this lowly two-star Warrior did cause him to bleed twice. This was an undeniable humiliation the entire city’s upper class had witnessed. Even if he had tempered his mind, he knew he could not afford to let anger control him. But, he had a hard time accepting the humiliation he had undergone today.

  “You disgusting little shit, I am going to trample you! I am going to make you wish you were dead!” Tang Jin finally howled before rushing forward. He was not taking a stance; instead, his Qi flowed around him. He wished to crush Xu Min with his Qi alone. Smiling sweetly, Xu Min did not move. He had been waiting for this exact moment.

  Chapter 53 - My Son!

  Xu Min smirked as he saw the furious Tang Jin rushing towards him. All the Qi from within his body started to burst forward, laying itself like a dense blanket on the arena. The energy rushed towards Xu Min who was standing completely still, looking at the heavy energy coming his way.

  Here was a four-star warrior releasing his Qi, intending to let it crush anything on its way; yet, Xu Min dared to meet it head on. It was a crude way to fight. Unlike a stance, releasing one’s Qi like this was the most destructive way of fighting. Nonetheless, this technique was like a two-edged sword. A fighter would release all the Qi in their body; the moment the attack died out, they would be unable to continue fighting.

  “So, you are finally going all out,” Xu Min laughed at the desperate attack from Tang Jin. Tightening his grip
on the sword handle, he prepared to cut the blanket of Qi. His face focused and a small smile could be seen.

  The Qi moved swiftly. Within one moment of time, the energy reached Xu Min. He swung down the sword, managing to cut through the blanket of Qi, he saw Tang Jin’s face suddenly turned pale.

  No matter how hard he had tried. Tang Jin had been completely blinded by anger. He knew previously that it was possible for Xu Min to absorb Qi by his sword; however, the short moment he had acted upon his anger, he had forgotten all about this strange ability. Now, he was like a mouse locked in a trap with no way to get out of it.

  Once the sword landed on the Qi, a humming sound could be heard, filling the entire arena. At the same time, the blanket of Qi was turning transparent. The more transparent the blanket became the higher the humming sound was.

  The Qi which the sword was devouring was the highest grade of Qi. Previously, when training with the sword, the experts had made various stances and a stance could be cut forcefully. However, using a raw form of Qi to attack, it was impossible to disconnect the Qi from the sword no matter how much Tang Jin tried. The sword continuously gulped down more and more Qi.