Current Limit, Technique Trading

And boy did it ever. From the moment Elder Di said "begin!" it was easily the worst slugfest I'd ever participated in. I sent Spirit Arrows flying at the guy almost constantly, and he did the same with his copied daggers. I thought maybe the explosive bursts could give me an edge…but he could make his daggers explode too. The fight looked like a stalemate for a while, but I could tell I was flagging more than Hong Zinlong was.

I decided to switch to a desperate tactic. He wouldn't be able to parry a sword with daggers, or at the very least he'd need to divert concentration to fend me off. Fortunately, since I'd done my best to match him blast for blast, he had focused on out-damaging me, not much using his flying daggers to keep me from approaching him. I put on an explosive burst of speed, which took him by surprise at first, but as I readied a Repelling Sword Strike, I noticed an eerie light wrap around the dagger in his right hand.

I put a great deal more force than usual into the Repelling Sword Strike, but even as it began to hit home, the dagger flew from his hand like an arrow. I tried to get my hand in the way, but it passed through it, and even passed through my stomach without me feeling anything. Hong Zinlong had been standing fairly near the edge of the ring to begin with, so he was launched all the way into the wall.

But unknown to me, his attack still continued. The moment I recovered my stance from performing the strike, I felt a pain in my back quite a bit more intense than anything I'd experienced in the final stage of the special entrance exam. I doubled over on my knees from the pain. I heard Elder Di counting, and he got to 3 before I recovered my presence of mind enough to realize that if I stayed down, I'd lose because of the shorter required count. With a little effort, I stood shortly after he called 4.

It was only after Elder Di called 6 that I realized Hong Zinlong wasn't moving. His last technique had definitely left a wound that would need treating, but for now I focused on staying standing for 4 more seconds.

"7…8…9," Hong Zinlong finally stirred, but it was too late. "10! The challenger is victorious! Xu Zuhui assumes Rank #907!"

Both of us were given minor healing pills after the fight, the kind that were low quality enough that even a rogue cultivator wouldn't have too much trouble affording but nonetheless sped up our recovering from a stab to the back and a strong blow to the head respectively. I guessed the walls dividing the fighting courts from onlookers were made of something really hard.

Shokoya found me quickly after that, and Li Han and Lo Kien were both with him. "Good going," said Li Han, "that was more entertaining than most ranking qualification matches. More entertaining than a lot of ranked matches!"

"I knew you could do it, senior brother!" said Lo Kien, "That was so intense!"

"In all seriousness, it was a pretty close-run match," I said, "I really should learn a Spirit Rank technique before trying to get any higher."

"I agree," said Shokoya, "it's looking like even trying to get out of the bottom 100, so that you won't have to handle other challengers trying to get into the rankings, has a pretty high failure chance."

"Hmm…" said Li Han, then, to my momentary confusion, he turned to Lo Kien. "Junior brother, you use the sword, just as Xu Zuhui and I do, yes?"

"Yes, that's right. I wanted senior brother Xu to give me pointers."

"I think, as an assiduous disciple, you have at least one Spirit Rank sword technique, yes?"

Lo Kien's eyes widened. "Oh, that's right! Only, I'm not sure how suitable it would be for senior brother Xu…"

"That is a possible concern, of course," said Lo Kien, "but I myself have three Spirit Rank techniques for the sword. Between both of us, there ought to be one that's at least acceptable. For now, he doesn't need the perfect technique, just something that can help him hold off challengers and perhaps get out of the bottom 100."

"True…the sword is really Z's secondary weapon, anyway," said Shokoya, "but are you sure you're willing to do that? Just give away a technique that you worked for so much?"

You took the words right out of my mouth, Shoko. Of course, I knew it was possible—it's not against the rules, it's even subtly encouraged—but it's quite a sign of trust. I figured I'd have to give a few lessons before Lo Kien would even offer something like this.

Li Han, though…I need to be careful.

"It's not as though I lose anything," said Li Han, "I've already learned them myself, after all. Err, you've already learned yours as well, right, junior brother Lo?"

"Yes, of course. I only worried that it would not be suitable."

By now, we had wandered well away from the dueling courts, and even the overall training area. Just as well, the conversation had become quite sensitive. "I have concerns," I said, finally speaking up myself, "if I learn a Spirit Rank technique from either of you, that will be quite a debt for me to repay."

"Senior brother Xu has already agreed to teach me the sword," said Lo Kien, "you can just think of it as a more proper payment for that."

"That's if he picks your technique," said Li Han, "there's no sense in us giving him more than one. And as for feeling indebted to me, I might have something in mind. Being that the sword is, as you've said, your secondary weapon, I'm sure you want to save up for a Spirit Rank bow technique, am I right?"

I shrugged. "It's true. I even have one in mind, actually. I've heard it's the most difficult Spirit Rank bow technique—'Ninefold Shot.' "

Li Han's eyes widened for just a moment. "Are you planning to combine that with your Spirit Arrows? Not many could pull that off, but if how fast you're able to learn Earth Rank techniques is anything to go by, I think you could." I nodded, and Li Han spoke again. "In that case, if you pick one of my techniques, I'll call us even if you promise to challenge the Tower of Enlightenment once you've succeeded at using a Ninefold Spirit Arrow."

"You want me to do it as soon as I'm reasonably ready, eh? I can agree to that."

Li Han clapped his hands together and grinned. "Then we just need to settle time and place. We shouldn't put this off, I think, and we're already heading in the direction of the residential district, so let's stop by you room to pick up your technique, junior brother Lo, then we can go to building #242 without even splitting up."

"Ah…yes, of course!"