A Test Of Skill

“I think I can defeat a Thunder Bear. Is that not allowed?”

“No. You outer disciples may take the test to become inner disciples whenever you like.”

Elder Min said that, but in reality there were times when people were told they lacked ability and were not allowed to take the test.

“Elder Tsuen, is that acceptable?”

Elder Tsuen glanced briefly at Elder Chiu, then nodded at Elder Min’s words.

“I think it is too soon, but if that is what he himself says, then it is fine.”

“Good, that’s settled. Then how shall we have them compete?”

Elder Chiu asked in an excited tone.

“The simplest way would still be a mock battle, would it not?”

“That’s true. It feels like it will be over in an instant, but that should be fine.”

The old men were saying whatever they pleased. When I looked at Chiyuen, he had a relaxed attitude. He probably was not thinking in the slightest that he might lose. Well, that was only natural. Chiyuen was above me in both qi level and experience.

The flow of qi circulating through Chiyuen’s body was smooth, so his qi level was probably around the Eleventh Tier. Since I was at the Eighth Tier, there was a difference of about three levels. There was also about a ten-year age gap between us, and Chiyuen was far above me in experience training in immortal arts and martial arts as well. The only factor that might let me win was if Chiyuen let his guard down.

We moved to the training ground next to the Main Hall. From the weapon rack prepared in the training ground, I chose a longer staff for mock battles, and left my Demon Spider Greatsword and baggage there. Chiyuen chose a practice sword and took it in hand.

“I’m not a demon either, so I’ll go easy on you.”

Chiyuen said that with a relaxed attitude. If I were defeated too easily, they might say I lacked ability and cancel my inner disciple test, so I was grateful.

I headed to the center of the training ground. There I faced Chiyuen. When I began to refine my qi, I could feel Chiyuen’s qi growing stronger as well.

Elder Chiu was staring hard at me. He was probably trying to gauge how much ability I had. I had no room to spare to hide my strength, so I raised my qi to the Eighth Tier.

“Hm, the Eighth Tier. That meets the passing condition for the inner disciple test.”

Elder Tsuen muttered almost with a groan, and Elder Min nodded when she heard that.

“So a talent has appeared who can rise from outer disciple to inner disciple. It has been a long time.”

“Hmph. But that boy has received instruction from none of the elders. What he has mastered is only what he got from manuals. With that, he cannot defeat Chiyuen.”

Elder Min nodded. It could not be helped, but manuals only contained the core techniques and essential principles. Every martial art had an oral tradition passed down from elder to disciple.

“Tell me what martial art that boy specializes in.”

Elder Chiu asked Elder Tsuen.

“It is the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique. But he has only just begun learning it.”

“Even so, being at the Eighth Tier at that age means he has talent. He is younger than Chenshi, yet the same.”

I heard those voices. When Chenshi had fought the Piercing Wolf, she had only raised her qi level to the Fifth Tier. She had been hiding it so as not to reveal the full extent of her abilities.

I did not know what martial art Chiyuen specialized in. But his weapon was a dao. He had surely mastered some tremendous dao art.

Using the principles of the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique, I circulated through my whole body qi whose pressure I had raised, entering a state like an evolved version of the zone called Moment of Foam. At that moment, Chiyuen stepped in with swift movement. The practice sword came down aimed at my shoulder.

I deflected it with the staff, stepped in, and drove a low kick into Chiyuen’s leg. In this world, low kicks were rare, so Chiyuen could not avoid it and took the blow.

A dull thud rang out, a groan leaked from Chiyuen’s mouth, and he jumped backward. Among the techniques used in martial arts in my previous life, I had recalled the ones not used much here, and had practiced them in preparation for fighting other people.

“Hm? That technique was?”

Elder Chiu asked Elder Tsuen.

“That is not a technique of Gyorei Cave. It is probably a technique unique to Kou. It did not seem like he kicked with all that much force, but it seems to have worked.”

Judging that close-range combat was dangerous, Chiyuen began unleashing a barrage of strikes with the practice sword, making use of his reach. I deflected the succession of practice-sword attacks with the staff. But the power behind them was tremendous, and impacts like my body was being knocked away came crashing at me.

Chiyuen, who had intended to finish it with that barrage, took on a serious expression and seemed to change the quality of the qi circulating inside his body. Perhaps because of that, his attack speed increased.

The practice sword came at me so quickly that my eyes could barely follow it, and I somehow managed to defend against it by using Moment of Foam, but it was right at the limit.

“So he defended against that barrage. It seems the brat’s skill was even more impressive than I expected.”

At Elder Chiu’s words, Elder Min nodded.

“I did not think Kou possessed this much ability. But it seems this is as far as he goes.”

Chiyuen poured the altered qi into the practice sword and came at me with an attack that swept sideways with that sword. I sent the qi used in Fox-Flame into my staff and met it head-on.

The practice sword and the staff collided, and each of our qi clashed, balancing for just an instant. The next moment, the staff shattered as if it had exploded.

“Whoa!”

I hastily jumped backward. After landing, I checked the staff in my hand, and about eighty centimeters from the tip had been shattered away. I let out a sigh. It seemed I had no choice but to admit defeat.

“I yield.”