11. Early Graduation! Executing Revenge Plans pt. 1

The rest of the year was very hectic for Yin. It took her a month to test out of 2nd grade. In another 2 months she finished 3rd grade material. A month before graduation she finally aced her fourth year exams. As a reward she got a month of access to Qi gathering room. She informed her mother of her early graduation and took last month to cultivate in semi-seclusion. As earlier in the year she broke through to 8th stage, the one month allowed her to reach the middle of 10th stage of Qi gathering. She also managed to reach the initial stage of Double Slash mastery. Her cuts could leave a thin second cut right below her attacks.

Today was the day of graduation tournament. Yin was impatiently anticipating it, as she'd finally have a chance to take vengance for her deceased brother. Han Yao belonged to the transmigrator, but she'd be damned if she didn't beat Xie Yin within an inch of her life. Preferably arrange "accidental" death during treatment of her wounds afterwards. She suddenly had an idea just how to cause that, but it would require advancing Double Slash to Intermediate Mastery during combat.

- Alright everyone, the rules of this tournament are simple. No deliberate crippling or killing. This will be a single elimination tournament with rights for top 20 to challenge top 10 for their spots Top 10 will recieve cultivation supplements and recommendation to #1 High School, which is the best on this planet. Talents from that school are sometimes even accepted to Galactic Universities. This year we're joined by additional student on the early graduation course, Miss Long Yin. Please don't go easy on her as it will lower her score.

Despite being single elimination the tournament was mostly fair. The students were manually matchmade so that no strong students faced each other in 1st round, it was mostly top/middle vs dead last, who were guaranteed to lose due to sheer cultivation stage difference. There was a total of 160 students participating this year so everyone had an opponent.

In her 1st round Yin was facing a guy with 4 opened meridians while her brother, who currently had 31 meridians opened was facing a girl with 5 meridians. Her brother immediately knocked his opponent out in one strike, while she allowed her opponent to demonstrate his basic fighting form before she knocked him out. She knew graduation battle videos were evaluated during initial high school recruitment screenings, so she didn't want to affect this guy's future. Her brother didn't seem to care.

As 80 dejected people were eliminated the ramaining 80 divided in two according to lists prepared beforehand.

In her second round Yin's opponent was a girl with 20 meridians. Her brother was similarly facing a guy with 21 meridians. They were both considered above average talents. 27, or 3 meridians per level, were considered top talents while anything above were geniuses and prodigies.

Yin once again let her opponent demonstrste her talents before knocking her out in one move. Her brother was dealing with his opponent without trouble before knocking him out after 3 minutes.

The remaining 40 students once again divided in two. Many were visibly stressed out since they were one win away from top 20. In this round Yin and her brother were both facing Qi gathering stage 1 students, but both of them were "low talents" meaning they broke through before opening more than 18 meridians. They both got demolished in one strike after 5 minutes.

As the remaining 20 students once again divided in two Long Yin was pleasantly surprised, seeing that her opponent was Xie Yin. Her brother was facing a top talent with 27 meridians opened. Xie Yin was currently stage 2 of Qi gathering with 28 meridians and was considered a top-tier talent in the school.

As they both entered the arena Xie Yin started taunting her from across the stage:

- Look, it's the trash's sister. Be careful or you might "accidentally" get crippled. Maybe that will teach him to stop reaching above his station.

Long Yin didn't respond choosing to silently unsheathe her wodden training katana.

- What is this, a baby toy? You think you're going to do anything to me with that garbage? Let me show you power of a true talent! Ice Fist Art!

As Xie Yin activated her fist Art, her fists turned blue with shards of ice forming on her knuckles.

You could hear some exclamations from the spectating teachers:

- Is that Ice Fist Art's Intermediate tier?

- No, it's intermediate tier peak, look, it's about to connect her knuckles abd start forming barrier around her fingers.

- What a talent, she might get to Elite class in high school. It would be a true boon for our school's reputation.

As Xie Yin rushed to her, attacking with her fist art with no finese and pure brute power, Long Yin chose to misdirect her attacks with her sword, while trying to comprehend next stage if Double Slash, trying to parry with the second slash. After 8 minutes Xie Yin was getting visibly agitated because she couldn't beat her. Having enough of getting denied her victory she shouted - Die, Trash! - before using Ice Fist Art to target Long Yin's neck.

The teachers gasped and rushed trying to stop it. If this blow connected it was going to be lethal!

Long Yin suddenly smirked, then moved to intercept the fist with her left hand. 'Got it, and got you, bitch' she thought, before catching Xie Yin's fist and slashing across her face with her wodden sword, leaving a deep, bleeding mark. Afterwards she immediately positioned her sword against Xie Yin's neck, still holding her hand, while looking at the referee.

- Declare the winner.

- Wha...? Oh! Winner, Long Yin!

All teachers were extremely surprised.

- To grab her Fist Art like that without using Qi... I'm afraid this girl is a Body Cultivator.

- Body cultivator? Isn't their legacy damaged?

- Yes it is, but she could still cultivate the incomplete art. It will only boost her future achievements.

- Prodigy! A true prodigy in our middle school, we're blessed! And she's on early graduation course, our school will be famous in the future!

Meanwhile Xie Yin was completely furious. Not only did she lose her match but even her face got ruined! What will she do if Young Master Han doesn't want her anymore? She looked at Long Yin and started shouting:

- You!!! You ruined my face! I'm going to...

Suddenly her face went pale and she started clutching her chest, screaming in pain. She looked at Long Yin once again, seeing her mouth silently "For my brother" before her world went black.

Seeing Xie Yin clutching her chest Long Yin mouthed her message before adapting worried look and shouting:

- Medic, Medic! Looks like sister Xie is having a heart attack!

The teachers immediately started to run amok, deperatly trying to save Xie Yin.

'Heart attack my ass, Double Slash intermediate stage allows me to cut anything within a meter of my first slash going in the same direction. Angling it to cut a major heart artery when she wasn't protecting herself with Qi wasn't aproblem. I finally avenged you, brother. '

The principal called for a 2 hour break while they rushed Xie Yin to hospital.