Everything She Had

Both of them had low chances of working which forced her to think of what else she could use. This led her to the two cards she had yet to use in real battle, the gems on her sword and Mental Force. The former was more unreliable than the first two options as they required a lot of her power.

That left her with Mental Force, that colorless sphere floating about in the depths of her mind.

While she had used it on beasts and monsters, it was a completely different matter when it came to the another person. The threshold to succeeding was much higher but she wasn't going to try to overtake his mind.

"I don't need to control him. I just need to interrupt him, just enough for him to stop forming that aura. But what then?"

Quickly, Ming Yue formed a plan as she continued to evade Xing Juren. She was like a phantom, disappearing and reappearing elsewhere but Xing Juren was relentless. Though she surpassed him in speed, he surpassed her in pure power seeking to find her through his steps which have already caused cracks to form on the arena floor.

"She is biding her time. Is she waiting for me to tire myself out?" he thought.

Origin of the Fiery Sun was a powerful technque but also quite costly. It drained his Heart Energy and pushed his body under pressure but in exchange, it not only became his inpenetrable armor but also strengthened his body. But he had been training this technique like a madman and was able to stay in this form for at most an hour. That was enough time for him to snuff her out.

He wasn't going to just chase her around the arena, that would be foolish.

"I'm not going to play this game of yours!" he shouted.

Xing Juren stopped at the center of the arena while Ming Yue was still on the move and raised his foot.

"Step of the Red Giant!"

He stomped down, sending cracks all throughout the arena and had absolutely smashed the stone flooring. Just that stomp had caused a shockwave and stopped Ming Yue dead in her tracks.

"I'll admit it, this has been a fun duel but I cannot just have you running about. Come!"

He readied his fists once more, his body glowing as the red hot energy surrounded him. It seemed that he would not let her bide for more time.

Ming Yue was drawn by his fighting spirit and stood where she was, preparing her sword.

"There is no need to run anymore", she said.

She no longer needed to stall for she had already thought of a plan, one that required a single strike and everything she had. She was silent, focusing on her energy. Her sword surged with even more energy as the two socketed gems glowed ever so slightly.

Xing Juren seemed to sense her desire to end it the next move and followed. He did not speak, he merely acted, preparing his right fist. The Heart Energy gathered around, filling the crevices of his closed fist.

In battle, one should not speak with words but with their actions.

These were words that he followed by.

He stood tall and firm, building up his power.

The commotion brought out by these two had taken a turn. In this ruined stage, they stood silently and waited for the right movement.

The colorless sphere rippled as Ming Yue sent out a blast of Mental Force. The next moment, Xing Juren felt his mind shake as if lightning had struck him. The act was sudden and something he did not expect. His concentration nearly broke and he wavered for just a moment but that was not enough to stop him.

Ming Yue sprinted forward, she had this one chance to take him down for that aura of his had weakened.

She swung her sword, the gems on it glowed as she released a massive slash that soared through the air. Wind and lightning merged together with the Quintessence Energy and her Soul Energy, it formed a crescent shaped attack that seemed nigh unstoppable. As soon as it left her sword, she could feel all of the energy drained from her body. With the last of her strength, she prepared one more strike.

"There isn't enough time but I'll take it head-on."

Xing Juren could feel the power coming from this move. There was no time to mend that fiery aura of his and it left him so choice but to strike it down. If he had to endure and break the technique then so be it.

"Fist of the Raging Sun!"

With all of his might, he punched out, sending off a massive fist of fire comparable to that of Ming Yue's attack. However, when this flaming fist came against the crescent slash, the difference was all but clear.

What was Heart Energy and the Dao of Fire when compared to the combined might of four different energies? More than that, the gems within Ming Yue's sword not only strengthened the Wind and Lightning Dao Energy but it added certain qualities that made it even more powerful.

The two moves met and the flaming fist broke under the crescent slash. It flew through and struck Xing Juren, piercing his aura but it could not completely break it. Rather neither energies seemed to back down from each other but Xing Juren was thrown back and forced to the edge of the arena.

"Mountain Crushing Vice!"

He grit his teeth, covering his palms in Heart Energy as grabbed the crescent slash. He would not let it push him back any further as his hands tried to bend the attack. The energy surrounding Ming Yue's attack placed immense pressure on him and his fiery aura was barely hanging on. The bright glow it gave off dimmed as he began to struggle under the attack.

He grunted and nearly grinded his teeth as he tried to break this attack.

Ming Yue watched him struggle, her body was weak and she barely had any energy left. She was at her limits but she needed to push harder. She was not going to lose this match. Mustering what she had left, a single wind needle formed in her hand.

She sent it off, aiming for his head.

"Damn it! Break!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs as he ripped Ming Yue's attack apart. But in doing so, he was met with a blast of wild energy as he felt a sharp pain deep in his heart. It snuck in through the cracks of his aura and entered his skin, piercing his heart.

In his last moments, he found himself outside of the arena as any injury he had was healed.

Ming Yue was on her last legs, supporting herself with Drifting Sky. However, she was victorious and the judge announced her victory. With this, she had now cemented her place in the final rounds of the tournament.

The mark on her body glowed and sent her out of the arena. Her body had been healed and her energy restored. The cooling sensation was refreshing for her as it washed away all of the fatigue.

She was overjoyed but more importantly, she felt relief. These two matches could have easily ended in her loss if she had not been vigilant and determined. But now she knew, she had a real chance at reaching the top ten.

Xing Juren approached her, giving a bow of respect for this had been a battle he very much enjoyed.

"Thank you for this fight. You have shown me my inadequacies", he said.

His thick brows softened up considerably as his eyes were calm and kind. She responded in kind, cupping her fists and bowing.

"It should be me to thank you. This had been an experience that taught me much."

"Hah, nevertheless, you can find me in the Physique Hall for another battle or perhaps, I will find you."

After speaking, he left the coliseum to continue his training. With her battle ended, Ming Yue stood to the back to rest. Physically she was fine but mentally, she was quite drained.