Li Wuhan Vs Fu Jianhong

Hong Zhao met back with his companions feeling uneasy. Ren Cai had admitted that she was from the same world he was, yet she took it even a step further. It seemed she even knew him, or at least hinted at it. Part of him thought maybe she was just trying to unnerve him. If she were from earth and noticed his mannerisms, she could easily be trying to catch him off guard in order to win their match.

"Hong Zhao?" A voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Li Wei and Li Wuhan staring at him intently. "Is there something wrong?" Li Wuhan smiled warily. Hong Zhao couldn't blame him. The look he must have on his face would be enough to make anyone unnerved. If he were to look in a mirror, he would see the same thoughtful expression he had used when he was an old man. Such a look was not meant for a six year old boy.

"I'm fine." Hong Zhao smiled at his two companions. "Miss Ren Cai just gave me a lot to think about, that's all." He looked back over his shoulder to see if she was around, yet she had left to another part of the tournament stage. He sighed in relief. If he had to look over his shoulder the entire day to see if she was there listening in, he might go crazy. "Listen closely," Hong Zhao beckoned his friends close. "I don't want you using any of the abilities I gave you during these matches."

Li Wuhan looked incredulously at Hong Zhao. "I spent months perfecting the Qi Sword technique solely for the tournament, now you say I can't use it?" He looked only a second away from punching Hong Zhao in the face.

"Do you know why Huang Yi is here?" Hong Zhao asked simply. When both of the children looked towards the shamed grandson of the Village Elder, they noticed that he didn't look all that shamed. They both shook their heads. "Neither do I, and I would like to find out. He doesn't look at all worried about the tournament, which makes me wonder if he has an ace up his sleeve. He keeps looking at his grandfather as if he were a prime rib or something, which makes me suspect that he has ulterior motives for being here. I don't want to give away our strengths when we don't even know what game we are playing. Do you understand?" He raised an eyebrow as he stared the two siblings down.

"You are not a natural child." Li Wuhan said as a chill ran down his spine. "I would never have thought of half of the things coming from your mouth just now."

"Be thankful for that," Hong Zhao smiled at the older child. "If not for my intelligence, you wouldn't be here right now, let alone mastered as many abilities as you have in this short time, to say nothing of your cultivation." He let his words sink in for a moment. If the two siblings would not adhere to his advice, he would not be able to count on their support in the future. "Listen," He sighed as he looked tiredly at Li Wuhan. "I would not be asking you to do this unless it was very important. You can use your movement ability and the Qi Shield ability that Huang Ji gave you, seeing as though it's common knowledge that you have those in the first place, but I need the sword to remain a secret for now. Can you do that for me?"

Silence engulfed the three friends. Hong Zhao knew that this was a turning point in their relationship. Their response would tell him what he needed to know. If he was going to do anything to help this world, he needed the support of his friends. He knew that Li Wuhan and Li Wei were the foundation for his plans. This moment would decide if he was right in his choice to save them. It was this moment that he had bargained all of the cultivation resources and abilities on. He was about to see if he had chosen correctly, or if he had to start from scratch once more.

"I will not use my abilities." Li Wei was the first to respond. Hong Zhao knew she would be the easier one to persuade. She had been the one to convince Li Wuhan to accept his help back when they had first met. She seemed to be the more level headed of the two, despite her age.

Li Wuhan gave an exasperated sigh. "If you wish for me not to, then I will only use my shield ability with the movement ability you provided for me." Hong Zhao could tell that he didn't say it lightly. He still looked as if he could punch him for putting such a limit on him.

"Think about it anyway," Hong Zhao smiled at the two. "Most children our age only master a movement ability, it's all they have the attention span for. We can overpower this tournament fairly easily. Besides, me putting the limit on you means nothing if I don't follow the same rules."

"Does that mean you won't be using any of your abilities?" Li Wuhan raised an eyebrow. He knew that would give him the ultimate handicap.

"I will only use Vortex Thrust and possibly Shattering Palm." Hong Zhao looked to be counting his abilities on his fingers. "Those two should put us all on the same level."

"Then I take back my complaints." Li Wuhan smiled wistfully. "If it means I might be able to defeat you, I would use only my movement ability!"

"You'll have your chance to try it." Hong Zhao looked at the match board. "You are up next."

As if summoned by Hong Zhao, Huang Ji stepped up to the staga once again. "The last fight was a testament to the strength of this generation!" His voice boomed over the crowd. Hong Zhao could see a barely concealed smirk on the elder's face. He obviously was enjoying flaunting his new rank. He didn't blame the old man. "Only six years old and yet both of them knew a movement technique! They will make fine additions in Yuan City Academy!"

Huang Ji's smile dropped and he raised his hand to the board. "The next match is Li Wuhan versus Fu Jianhong!" Huang Ji's voice boomed over the crowd in finality, then he left the stage.

Hong Zhao put a hand on Li Wuhan's shoulder. "You can win this easily. Even though you can't use your greatest ability, do not forget your time outside the village. You have gained much more than a sword in the last month."

Li Wuhan gave a determined nod before walking towards the platform. Hong Zhao was impressed by the level of maturity his friend was displaying. He was not flaunting strength by disappearing with Vortex Thrust, nor was he meekly walking. Instead he had a determined stride, his head held high and eyes brimming with pride. Hong Zhao wondered briefly how long Li Wen had spent drilling such a walk into his son.

As he reached his side of the tournament floor, a boy roughly his age took the other side. While Li Wuhan's hair was long in a ponytail, this boy's hair was short and spiked. They both wore a plain brown shirt and pants, the traditional training gear. Hong Zhao found such clothes to be distasteful, so he wore his black robe with gold embroidery. He never understood why someone would start a tradition of wearing such uncomfortable clothing.

Li Wuhan bowed to Fu Jianhong in preparation for the fight. "I am looking forward to our fight." He smiled genuinely to his opponent.

Fu Jianhong returned the bow, yet said nothing. Hong Zhao noticed a small tremor in the boy's right leg. He looked ready to spring the instant the elder started the match. He couldn't tell if it was from nerves or determination.

"Begin!" Huang Ji yelled and the two young cultivator flashed forward and collided in the center.

Li Wuhan feinted a punch and brought a kick down to Fu Jianhong's legs, hoping to make the other boy lose his footing, yet he easily jumped over the kick, flipping and landing behind Li Wuhan. The encounter took only a moment, then the two broke off and went to their respective sides.

Fu Jianhong looked slightly surprised. He must not have expected Li Wuhan to have a movement ability of his own. Hong Zhao rolled his eyes. It seemed like everyone and their moyher had a movement ability in this tournament. He was beginning to realize that this tournament was not for normal cultivators, but for those who took their way of life seriously.

Li Wuhan didn't wait for his opponant to take a breath. Activating Vortex Thrust, he spanned the length of the arena in mere seconds. He reached his hand out in a chop to the back of the other boy's neck, but he ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Fu Jianhong returned the blow with an uppercut. The blow just barely missed Li Wuhan.

The two opponents began their own dance across the stage. To the audience, neither of them seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

Hong Zhao knew better. He had seen Li Wuhan in action within the Jade Forest against both shadow panthers and serpents. He knew that the older boy was not using his movement ability's full potential. He seemed only to be using seventy-five percent.

Though the audience saw the two combatants as equals not being able to gain the upper hand, Li Wuhan was only allowing Fu Jianhong to wear himself out. By not using the full potential of Vortex Thrust, he was able to conserve qi while the other rapidly lost his.

Li Wuhan smiled, he wasn't going to have to use his qi shield after all! That brief moment of distraction was all his opponent needed. In that instant, a glowing palm swung past his face leaving a small line of blood on his cheek. His eyes growing wide, he stepped back to gain his footing, yet the other boy charged him, not giving him a moment.

Hong Zhao's eyes went wide. "He had an offensive ability!" He looked towards a smiling Huang Yi and began to understand the situation more clearly. He now knew why the young grandson didn't look nervous. He must have come with this cultivator with the intent to harm the Li family.

Before Hong Zhao could yell to Li Wuhan, the elder boy seemed to glow a pale white. As Fu Jianhong charged with his glowing palm, Li Wuhan disappeared. A gale of wind appeared in his wake as he reappeared behind his opponent.

Fu Jianhong spun his hand around, making contact with Li Wuhan's exposed throat, yet the soft white glow stopped the bladed hand inches away, yet it still sent Li Wuhan flying to the other side of the arena.

The eldest Li sibling looked a little worse for wear. A faint trickle of blood made it's way down his chin from the open wound in his cheek. The small trickle drenched his shirt, yet he didn't seem to notice.

Fu Jianhong didn't hesitate for a moment. His form blurred as he reached Li Wuhan. This time Li Wuhan met him with the full strength of Vortex Thrust. He was able to avoid most of the attacks his opponent threw his way, but small cuts began to appear on his clothing. With his Qi Shield and Vortex Thrust activated, he was expending a lot of energy, yet he seemed to be picking up speed.

Hong Zhao was now beginning to realize the mistake he had made. He had told Li Wuhan not to use the one offensive attack he had within his arsenal. By doing so, he had made him completely defenseless against another offensive ability.

Out of options, and running out of time, Li Wuhan used Vortex Thrust to its max and disappeared. A white light sliced through the air where he had been and raced towards Fu Jianhong. The light then began to shred the other boy's clothing in small well placed cuts. The shirt fell from the boy's chest and if one looked close enough, small pink lines were visible where a blade was pressed.

Li Wuhan reappeared at the other side of the arena. Killing intent radiated off of the boy in waves. His eyes lazily took in his opponent. The small cut on his cheek may have bled more than what he had done to his opponent, but the threat was still there. A pink mark had appeared at the throat of Fu Jianhong, exactly where he had tried to cut him.

His opponent was now wide eyed and pale. He obviously didn't see the attack itself, but was now feeling the effects of it. "I concede!" He yelled before turning and running off the stage.

Hong Zhao knew now that this tournament wasn't just a tourna