Against Heaven's Will

"Alright, get ready. When you hear the gong, the battle will start." 

At Sir Liu's call, both Xuefeng and the Master of Spear gripped their weapons, ready to jump on the other and launch their offense. The crowd was more than ready after all the hype and excitement. 

"Everyone! Put your food and drinks down! You don't want to miss anything! Let's hope the match will last longer than a minute to provide us with enough exciting moments!" the Commentator called out at the face-off. "Master of Spear is already preparing his first attack, his spear and body brightening with Qi, even before the match started, but what about Liu Xuefeng? Why is he standing and doing nothing?" 

Xuefeng just stood still while observing his scaled sword and running his forefinger on the edge as if checking if his sword was perfectly sharpened. He was cheerful and smiling, but after his opponent appeared on stage, his lips didn't curve once. He was like a cold killer, ready to avenge the death of his parents. 

Gong! 

The sound of the match starting awakened the cheers as well as the Commentator's fervor, "And here we gooooo— huh?" 

Too bad, just as they cried out, watching the Master of the Spear launching forward to attack first, they choked on their words, unable to comprehend what just happened. Even the Main Judge widened his eyes, not expecting the battle to end before it even started. 

Xuefeng… he just teleported behind his opponent without doing anything? But why was the Master of the Spear not responding? His body was frozen in time with his expression slowly changing from the fearless one to blank. 

Crack!

The protective barrier on his body exploded at once and his eyes didn't even have the chance to roll as he fell to the ground with a dull thud. 

"Heavens! Change the scene!" the Commentator finally reacted from the speechlessness as Master of the Spear's body split in two right as it hit the group. All intestines, brain parts, and blood burst out from the body. It was too gore even for the Tournament where deaths were common. 

The scene instantly on four big screens displaying the match instantly changed, showing Xuefeng's face instead. It was cold as ice, showing no emotions or compassion for the fallen opponent. 

Just as the screen showed Xuefeng, his lips spread apart as his voice reached the crowd.

"Don't blame me. I warned him. I show no mercy. Fight me and the only result will be your death. Anyone who comes next will die as well. Think carefully before you challenge me." 

With that said, he moved back towards the dead body while keeping his sword and extended his hand from the distance. The spear vibrated and left its owner's hand, flying straight into Xuefeng's palm. Similar to what happened to the Spear, the Storage Ring also slipped out of the dead man's finger. 

The crowds on the stands immediately began gossiping but no one complained. It was common practice that the winner takes all treasures after killing his opponent. Nonetheless, it still left a bad taste in one's mouth. 

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Xuefeng didn't pocket them and instead gazed at Sir Liu and passed it to him. 

"Sir, please pass his belongings to his family. That's the least I can do," Xuefeng requested. "Although he was weaker today, he was brave enough to fight. I respect that."

"Sure… but I think his clan is rich enough to survive without those treasures. I know them well. You really don't want the loot?" Sir Liu questioned just to make sure but Xuefeng was already in the middle of withdrawing, walking out of the stage. 

"No need. I will take the winner's reward instead." 

"Oof… I rarely curse but holy fuck, Liu Xuefeng, what happened there?!" the Commentator cursed right after Xuefeng disappeared from the stage. "We need to see the replay of this match! It was too quick! I didn't even focus properly and it was already over!" 

That was exactly what everyone wanted to see as well. Momentarily, everyone stood up, gazing at the large screens to see the battle once again. 

"The match was naturally recorded so we will display and slow it down so we can see exactly what happened! Hold on everyone! We will get to the bottom of it!" The Commentator assured. "We are also sending our interviewer to talk with Liu Xuefeng in our Post-match segment!" 

Just as he finished, the screen turned back in time, showing Xuefeng and the Master of the Spear standing against each other. They moved like turtles and even the sound of the gong was slowed. 

"Let's see how fast was the killing strike. Liu Xuefeng is still standing without moving. The gong set off. We should be seeing some movement soon!" the Commentator narrated as the play was on-going. 

Not only he and the crowd was closely looking but also Liu Xinyu and other experts, watching the smaller screens in the platform room. She was especially interested in Xuefeng after his first battle. 

How could she not want to know more about a person who kills faster than she can think? 

"Come on, this replay is too slow. There is no way the boy is so fast. He barely left his mother's womb," the Dragon Race member called out sarcastically. "I'm sure he either teleported or used some tricks like a Fate Spirit's Ability." 

"I wouldn't be so sure. He is one of us and we are known to be quick, but I agree, not that fast," the Elf lady muttered after him. "Still, it is still the Cultivator's power. It cannot be ignored. A good Fate Spirit is even more powerful than any Treasure." 

Many experts couldn't help but nod to that. Most of them naturally had a Fate Spirit of their own but they couldn't make it follow inside the Avatar. With its absence, they lost most of their firepower so they knew how important the Fate Spirit was. 

"Watch," Liu Xinyu reminded as the action on the screen began. 

Xuefeng slowly stepped forward but the moment his foot touched the ground, his body disappeared instantly. As if the frame got cut, he was already behind the enemy with his sword extended. 

"How?!" Both the Dragon Race member and the Commentator called out at the same time with the latter following, "Too fast! Our replay couldn't even record the attack! Is there anyone in this Tournament who can even take such a strike? No wonder Liu Xuefeng was so confident about winning this Tournament. What a monster!" 

Monster, that word passed through the minds of many. The Dragon Race member was frowning together with the rest. It was practically impossible to figure anything from the short video. Only three people were smiling and it was Liu Xinyu with the two Elf ladies. 

"That was so hot. I like him more and more," the Elf lady commented honestly. 

"I agree. He is interesting," Liu Xinyu added, causing the male experts to roll their eyes without a comment. 

"What are the limits to his art? Are there any side-effects after using it? How many times can he use it? Even if he can win the next two matches, what about the finals? Can he defend against a group of Cultivators targeting him first? I'm sure that will happen," the Commentator asked multiple questions, exactly what everyone was thinking. 

"We have our interviewer rush to meet Liu Xuefeng right now to get some more information from him. Maybe we can get an answer to any of those questions."

The screen switched to another scene and they saw Xuefeng's back as he walked inside the participant waiting room. It was a funny sight as all participants were giving way to him, staring from all directions with complicated expressions. They naturally saw what everyone did. What if they were meant to fight him later? Such thought was enough to make everyone anxious. 

"Sir Liu! Can we have a moment?" the Interviewer lady called out after him but to her surprise, he didn't stop walking, his gaze locked on two ladies, just ten meters away from them. He ignored the interviewer and instead walked up to another participant, embracing and kissing her in front of everyone. 

"I love you and always will. This win was for you, my wives," Xuefeng's voice got amplified and heard by everyone, despite him whispering but he didn't seem to care about it either. 

"I love you too… Forever and ever," his wife replied sweetly, giving him repeated kisses live. 

"Awww…" the interviewer almost melted, together with almost all ladies in the Arena while all the guys thought of puking from too much sweetness. 

Seeing such a scene, the Dragon Race member came up with an idea, suggesting, "How about we use this lady instead? If he loves his wife so much, maybe we can use her to lure him out of the Capital. It doesn't seem like anyone aside from the top ten can face him in this tournament. We should act on our own to increase our chances."

"I doubt you can," Liu Xinyu replied immediately, not giving them a chance to agree on anything. 

"Why? Does Miss Liu have any information about her?" the Elf ladies asked curiously. 

Liu Xinyu shrugged. 

"Not about her but about the lady next to her, the one in the cloak," Liu Xinyu revealed and before she continued, Xuefeng already reached out to Ming, taking off her hoody to kiss her as well. "Well, you can see for yourself now." 

The experts instantly noticed the faint golden hue on Ming's skin.

"A Fate Spirit!"