Cultivation is Creation

I'd always thought the saying "fire beats wood" was a bit too simplistic. After all, nature is full of plants that thrive after forest fires, seeds that only germinate in ash, trees whose bark evolved specifically to withstand flames.

The relationship between wood and fire is complex, nuanced.

But as I watched Zhang Ruiyang's burning sword cleave through another cluster of my razor leaves like they were made of paper, I had to admit – in a straight-up fight, fire definitely had some advantages.

"Your technique is impressive," he commented, his blade leaving trails of orange light as he settled into a ready stance. "But fire will always consume wood. That's the natural order."

I could feel Han Renyi's anxiety spiking in the back of my mind. "He's right! Fire rouqi users have always been especially effective against wood tech—"

"Natural order?" I interrupted both of them, carefully gauging the distance between us. "Nature's a lot more complicated than that. Besides..." I allowed myself a small smile. "Who said anything about playing fair?"

Zhang Ruiyang's eyes narrowed slightly at that, but his stance remained perfect – the mark of a true professional.

"You know," he said, "I've trained most of the guards in this compound. Taught them everything they know about proper rouqi control and combat techniques." His eyes hardened. "Which means I know exactly how difficult it would have been to eliminate them so quickly. You're no ordinary Tier 1 Rouqin..."

"You're right," I agreed, matching his casual tone while using my connection to the surrounding plants to get a better feel for the battlefield. The garden offered plenty of cover, but most of it was decorative – expensive imported plants that had never been meant for combat. "I'm definitely not ordinary. But then again..." I gestured to his burning sword. "Neither are you."

"Quite a career change," I commented, noting how the heat from his blade was affecting the nearby plants. The temperature increase wasn't uniform – he was somehow focusing the heat into specific patterns. Interesting.

"Why work for someone like Zhou Shentong?"

"Because he pays well and I don’t ask stupid questions." Zhang Ruiyang's sword traced a casual arc through the air, leaving a faint trail of flames. "Like how a young master from a merchant family can manipulate plants quite so... directly."

Ah. So he had noticed something off about my abilities. I supposed it was inevitable – someone with his experience would recognize that my techniques didn't quite match the local style. Time to change the subject.

"And I don't recall the Three-Leaf Clover Sect being known for fire techniques," I countered. "Yet here we are."

He actually smiled at that. "Not everything is as it appears, young master Han. Sometimes the best way to survive in a dying world is to adapt... to become something new."

There was wisdom there, though probably not in the way he meant it. I filed away his words for later consideration. Right now, I needed to focus on the fight that was clearly about to begin.

"Azure," I thought, keeping my focus on Zhang Ruiyang, "what do you think of him?"

"His rouqi control is exceptional," my inner world spirit replied. "Despite the world's limitations, he's learned to maximize every bit of energy he has. Be careful, Master – we can't afford to waste power in this fight."

He was right. I needed to conserve energy for the eventual confrontation with Zhou Shentong. Which meant this fight needed to end quickly. As for whether I would be able to accomplish that, I wasn’t certain.

The garden around us had gone eerily quiet, the plants themselves were holding their breath as we stood opposite each other. Neither of us moved. Two predators, each waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

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A single leaf detached from a nearby tree, floating lazily between us.

The moment it touched the ground, everything exploded into motion.

One moment he was standing there, the next his burning blade was screaming toward my throat. The speed was impressive – if I hadn't already been ready to dodge, that first strike would have ended things right there. ŖАN𝘰฿ÊⱾ

I Blink Stepped backward, putting some distance between us, but Zhang Ruiyang had already anticipated that. His free hand made a sharp gesture and the air around me erupted into flames.

The Aegis Mark's barrier flared as it absorbed most of the heat, but I could still feel the intensity of the attack. This wasn't just regular fire – there was something almost predatory about how it moved, seeking out any gaps in my defense.

"Interesting barrier technique," Zhang Ruiyang noted, already flowing into his next attack. "But how long can it last against sustained fire?"

He had a point. The Aegis Mark was designed for short, intense bursts of combat, not prolonged exposure to elemental attacks. I needed to change the pace of this fight.

I triggered Leaf Storm, sending a wave of razor-sharp leaves toward him from multiple angles. As expected, he countered with a spinning slash that surrounded him in a sphere of flames, incinerating my attack before it could reach him.

But that had just been a distraction.

While he was focused on the leaves, I'd used Blink Step to appear directly above him, Vine Whip already activated. Multiple vines shot from my right hand, aiming to entangle his sword arm.

Zhang Ruiyang's response was... educational.@@novelbin@@

Instead of trying to dodge or burn through the vines directly, he actually caught one with his free hand, using my own momentum to pull himself into a spin. Fire rouqi surged through his body as he moved, and suddenly my vines weren't grabbing him – he was using them as leverage to launch himself toward me, his burning sword leading the way.

I managed to sever the vines before he could completely turn my technique against me, but it was a near thing. The tip of his blade scored a line of fire across my chest as I Blink Stepped away.

"Creative," he commented, landing gracefully. "But predictable. Wood users always try to bind their opponents. It's practically instinct."

I pressed my hand against the burn on my chest. "Speaking from experience?"

"I've fought my share of wood cultivators over the years." He began circling slowly, his blade leaving a trail of flames that hung in the air like a glowing fence. "They all make the same mistake – trying to overwhelm fire with quantity. But it doesn't matter how many leaves or vines you throw at me. Fire will always burn through."

He punctuated that statement with another blast of flames, this one more focused than the last. I dove behind a boulder, but the fire curved around it, forcing me to Blink Step again.

This wasn't working. Every exchange was costing me energy, while Zhang Ruiyang seemed to be getting more efficient with each attack. If this turned into a battle of attrition, I'd be at a serious disadvantage.

“Master, he's been forcing you to move. Each dodge puts you slightly closer to being cornered."

He was right. I'd been so focused on individual exchanges that I hadn't noticed the larger pattern. Zhang Ruiyang wasn't just attacking randomly – he was gradually reducing my maneuvering space, using his flames to cut off escape routes.

"Any suggestions?"

"His efficiency is both a strength and a weakness," Azure observed. "He's so focused on perfect energy control that he might be vulnerable to something completely unexpected."

Before I could reply, Zhang Ruiyang extinguished his burning sword and dropped into a low stance I didn't recognize. "Let's see how you handle something more... traditional."

With that, he shot forward, and the next moment his fist was inches from my face. I managed to get my arm up to block, but the impact still sent me stumbling backward. The man hit like a charging bull.

"A hundred years of combat experience," he lectured while methodically taking me apart, not giving me the opportunity to execute any of my techniques. "You have power, I'll grant you that. But power without proper foundation and experience is just—"

He cut off mid-sentence as his next punch connected solidly with my jaw. It was a perfect strike, the kind that should have laid me out flat. Instead, I took the hit and stayed standing.

The look of surprise on his face was almost worth the pain. Almost.

"Interesting," he muttered, shaking out his hand. "Your body's durability is... unusual."

As the fight continued, I was starting to read his rhythm. He favored quick combinations - three or four hits strung together, each one setting up the next. The individual techniques weren't particularly complex, but the way he chained them together was devastating.

I took more hits than I landed, but each exchange taught me something new. How he shifted his weight before a kick. The way he used subtle angles to maximize impact. The precise timing of his breathing with each combination.

"Your technique is familiar," he said during a brief respite, both of us circling each other warily. "But not quite like anything I've seen before. Almost like..." He trailed off, studying me with narrowed eyes.

I used the moment to assess the damage. Multiple bruises, possibly a cracked rib, and my left arm was going numb from blocking his strikes. But my qi-reinforced body was holding up better than it should have. Each hit that landed seemed to surprise him more than the last.

But I had to admit, this wasn’t working, his experience was overwhelming my raw power.

Now that I had some space, it was time to change it up.