"Then bring out your best technique, and we"ll settle this once and for all."

"Oh, don"t be impatient. I"ll get it done immediately." Zhu Jiao took a deep breath and dropped into a somewhat relaxed stance. Raising both his hands in front of his chest, he gathered a huge amount of qi into himself.

"!!!"

Bai Ning Xue instinctively jumped back when dense, golden qi swirled around Zhu Jiao in a violent maelstrom. I could see the golden qi coalesce into a gargantuan golden Kirin around him, solidifying into a terrifying, armored creature that bellowed silently. Even though there was no sound, the spectators all ducked in reflex as a pseudo shockwave hit us, almost knocking us off our feet. A few of the students actually lost conscious.

"W…what the h.e.l.l is this?!"

Tong Xue was shaking his head as he tried to clear it after suffering the impact from the powerful qi blast that had reverberated throughout the coliseum. He helped up Lian Rou, who looked dazed. I glanced around and saw that she wasn"t alone.

This much effect from just the sheer presence of the Golden Kirin alone?

"Zhu Jiao mentioned that he was trying to restore the lost martial arts of the ancient Golden Kirin Sect," Ban Zhang said as he steadied himself against the railing behind the window. "This must be one of those!"

"The Golden Kirin Sacred Beast technique."

Everyone turned to stare at me.

"Say again?" Tong Xue repeated incredulously.

"The Golden Kirin Sacred…"

"No, no, we heard you the first time. How did you know?"

"Eh? Didn"t Zhu Jiao mention it before?" suddenly I realized I might have made a terrible mistake. Zhu Jiao was instructed to keep his master"s existence a secret. Even though his master might have finally allowed him to reveal his sect after two years of realizing that the people who wanted to exterminate the sect were long dead, he might not have said the same for the Golden Kirin Sect"s martial arts techniques.

Swallowing and hoping I didn"t make a mistake, I quickly shook my head.

"Never mind, I must have remembered wrongly."

"Well, it is one of the most famous techniques of the Golden Kirin Sect," Tang Qi Hong pointed out. Evidently she had read up a bit on the Golden Kirin Sect"s history. "Their signature technique, actually. Most people who know the Golden Kirin Sect will know about it."

That made sense. I breathed a sigh of relief. That meant it wouldn"t have mattered if I spilled Zhu Jiao"s secret. People would have found out sooner or later if they did the bare minimum of research. Besides, I did recall reading about that.

Turning my attention back to Zhu Jiao, I saw a somewhat startling transformation. While Zhu Jiao didn"t actually turn into a monstrous Kirin-like warrior like a certain Golden Nymph and his Sacred Creature Morph from a certain Singaporean manhua, the Golden Kirin aura settled over him protectively like some kind of armor.

"Is that it?"

Bai Ning Xue sounded almost disappointed. However, far from being discouraged, Zhu Jiao merely smiled.

"Care to test my skills then?"

Bai Ning Xue didn"t say anything. Instead, she disappeared, turning into a sliver streak that blurred across the arena and kicked Zhu Jiao. However, Zhu Jiao responded by punching her lightning-wreathed foot with such immense force that she was physically repelled. Cartwheeling in the air, Bai Ning Xue crashed onto the ground heavily, and despite landing on her feet, she dropped to her knees and clutched her leg.

Perspiration dripped down her pale face as she held her foot and glared at Zhu Jiao.

"You…!"

But Zhu Jiao had no intenton of waiting for her.

"!!!"

With a roar, he lunged forward and punched Bai Ning Xue. Even though she managed to block his gauntlet with her sword, the sheer force of his strike sent her sword hurtling away and his fist slammed directly into her solar plexus.

Bam!

Unable to withstand the blow, Bai Ning Xue was sent hurtling across the coliseum, blood spurting from her mouth as she soared uncontrollably across the vast s.p.a.ce. She slammed into the wall behind her, cracking the concrete and almost causing the structure to cave in from the tremendous impact. Blood splattered onto the ground in front of her as she finally came to a stop.

Coughing, Bai Ning Xue landed on the ground and sprawled on all fours. Raising her head, she glared at the rock-solid Zhu Jiao. Blood dripped profusely from her mouth and she winced from severe internal damage.

"What monstrous strength!" she murmured to herself. "After executing this technique, his speed and power have increased by several dozen times!"

"Uwooooh!"

Zhu Jiao wasn"t going to give her time to recover, however. He was already charging at her, the golden aura around him blazing spectacularly.

"Hah!"

With a defiant shout, Bai Ning Xue hauled herself off from the ground and dashed forward. Silver lightning surrounded her body once more and she disappeared into a blur. Swinging her sword, she delivered another lethal combination of sword strikes and kicks that would have obliterated anyone else with the sheer force of lightning streaming from her blade and body.

However, Zhu Jiao was not just anybody.

He met her blow for blow, meeting her kicks and slashes with his armored gauntlets. Despite being visibly slower, he held his ground firmly and parried every attack Bai Ning Xue threw at him, his arms lashing out so quickly they also turned into golden blurs.

"Haaaah!"

With a yell, Zhu Jiao swung his right fist so fiercely that he managed to send Bai Ning Xue flying back despite her best attempts to defend herself with her sword. Spiraling helplessly in the air, she flipped her body around and landed somewhat elegantly on her feet.

Unfortunately, despite the graceful display, it was clear that she hadn"t come out of that exchange unscathed.

"Ugh…"

Both of her legs were trembling violently, to the extent where she almost fell over. Credit to her, she stood her ground bravely, refusing to buckle. Gritting her teeth and wiping the perspiration from her pale face, she scrutinized her opponent.

"Jiao"s strength has truly turned monstrous. What terrifying power! Both of my legs have gotten numb just from clashing with his fists!"

Zhu Jiao charged forward again, c.o.c.king back his armored gauntlets for another vicious strike. This time, Bai Ning Xue was more prepared, using her sword to parry his fist. However, Zhu Jiao"s brute strength forced her backward, the two of them hurtling toward the wall behind Bai Ning Xue as she struggled to resist her opponent"s momentum.

"AAAAH!"

Thunderous Descent!

It was a huge risk executing such a powerful and qi-consuming move at close range, but it paid off. Blasting Zhu Jiao with a ma.s.sive bolt of lightning that descended from the heavens, Bai Ning Xue was able to momentarily repel him and hold his ferocious a.s.sault off.

"Heavenly Lightning Void Strike!"

Swinging her sword, Bai Ning Xue unleashed yet another ma.s.sive lightning bolt from the ceiling, the jagged blast of qi streaking through the air with a thunderous howl and striking Zhu Jiao. The would-be protagonist caught the lightning bolt with both of his glowing gauntlets, stopping it from searing through his body and electrocuting him.

"AAAAARGH!"

With a determined bellow, he hurled the lightning bolt away with sheer force, blasting a huge chunk of concrete out of the unfortunate ground and leaving a scorched crater.

"!"

As he did so, his guard was down. Making use of her superior speed, Bai Ning Xue kicked him in the face, her foot detonating with silver lightning the moment it made physical contact and flinging Zhu Jiao back.

Or so it seemed.

Zhu Jiao merely took one step back and counterattacked with a heavy blow, his fist slamming into her back. Unlike Zhu Jiao, who seemed to take no damage from her kick, Bai Ning Xue gagged and blood burst out of her mouth before she crashed several dozen meters away, her momentum causing her to slide across the ground.

Throwing out a hand and halting her momentum, Bai Ning Xue coughed out more blood before she eventually rose shakily to her feet. Determined and defiant to the bitter end, she wiped the blood off her mouth and met Zhu Jiao"s gaze evenly.

"What a monster. It seems like I"ve underestimated you, Jiao. No…I always expected highly of you, so I"m not surprised. But you"ve surpa.s.sed my expectations completely." she smiled slightly. "I can"t help but feel proud."

"Thank you," Zhu Jiao responded as he steadied himself. Even though he didn"t take as much damage, Bai Ning Xue"s kick to his face had swayed him a bit. He cracked a grin. "I couldn"t afford to lose to you, after all."

"I should say the same." Bai Ning Xue closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. "After taking that huge blow from you earlier, it seems that my speed and strength have been drastically reduced. I"ll acknowledge it now…you"re the strongest opponent I"ve ever faced. On par or above even Tang Qi Hong."

"Bai Ning Xue acknowledged me?"

Beside me, Tang Qi Hong blinked in surprise. I smiled and patted her.

"Yeah, isn"t that great?"

"Ugh…" Tang Qi Hong frowned. "I guess so…but somehow, I don"t feel very satisfied about the way she said that…"

Neither of us could afford to pay much attention to that, especially since the duel seemed to be heating up.

"You"re extremely strong," Bai Ning Xue repeated with a nod. "If I want to defeat you, I can only increase my power."

"I thought you were no longer holding back?" Zhu Jiao asked, trying to conceal his annoyance. Bai Ning Xue shrugged.

"You"ve forced me to use my trump card. So take pride in that."

"Trump card…?"

By way of replying, Bai Ning Xue gathered all the silver lightning into her body and her spiritual qi surged exponentially. A silver sphere of qi coalesced around her, almost solidifying, and the symbol of a White Tiger materialized in her forehead.

"That"s…!"

Zhu Jiao"s eyes widened in shock. He was not the only one. All around the coliseum, spectators were murmuring in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"Isn"t that…!?"

"That Bai Ning Xue was still hiding such a trump card!?"

"I don"t believe this!"

"Isn"t that the ultimate…?"

"Man and Sword as One: The Ultimate Power."

Bai Ning Xue declared, silencing everyone. Within seconds, an intimidating qi flooded the entire area, suffocating everyone because of its sheer potency.

"How the h.e.l.l did she master Man and Sword as One?!"

"At her age, no less?!"

"Amazing…!"

"This is incredible!"

"She really is a genius!"

It wasn"t just the students. Even the teachers and staff were shouting out from astonishment, utterly impressed by the sequence of events unfolding before their very eyes. They had never imagined that a student of Bai Ning Xue"s age could have already mastered the pinnacle of martial arts.

Raising her hand, Bai Ning Xue recalled her sword with just her will alone, the refined weapon flying from the ground and gently landing in her outstretched hand.

"Now that"s a surprise."

Despite the bead of perspiration dripping down his face, Zhu Jiao smiled. He wasn"t the type to fear a challenge. No, rather, he embraced it.

"I didn"t think you would have mastered Man and Sword as One. You never cease to amaze me, Ning Xue."

"I should say the same for you. I"m impressed by how strong you"ve grown. To corner me and force me to using my ultimate technique…"

Bai Ning Xue shook her head faintly, and then raised her sword to point it at Zhu Jiao.

"Let"s settle this."

Zhu Jiao chuckled. "You know me too well. Yup, I"m not going to give up just because you"ve mastered Man and Sword as One!"

With that, he charged forward. Bai Ning Xue"s brow furrowed by the slightest of margins, probably her disapproval at his recklessness, and then she disappeared into a silver blur.

The two of them met in the middle in a violent collision that carved a crater into the ground, their silver and gold qi clashing violently and expanding into an uncontrollable storm. The tempest of arcane energies lashed out and struck the ground, destroying whatever solid material that they came in contact with.

This time, Bai Ning Xue was able to fight Zhu Jiao more evenly, her kicks and sword strikes zooming forward with incredible power – much stronger than previously. Even with her increased power, she was still unable to overpower Zhu Jiao. The armored guy met her blow for blow, trading punches with kicks and blade without yielding ground. The vibrations from the exchange between the two martial artists sent tremors across the beleaguered coliseum.

"Awesome!"

"What the h.e.l.l is this fight?!"

"Both of them are amazing!"

"Oh, heavens…!"

"I never thought we"ll be able to witness such a fight!"

The spectators gasped, awestruck, as they watched the intense battle. Unable to peel their eyes away, they gaped at the relentless couple, who were hitting each other with the intent to kill.

That might sound inaccurate, as their attacks were devoid of hatred. No, the intent to kill was the ultimate form of respect. The two of them trusted and believed in each other"s belief to the point where they knew their opponent would definitely survive any sort of attack they threw at each other even if they didn"t hold back.

They believed in each other"s strengths to the point where they acknowledged that if they held back, they wouldn"t be able to defeat the other. And they trusted that their significant other would be able to survive whatever attack they delivered.

Boom, boom, boom!

The poundings grew louder and more violent as both Zhu Jiao and Bai Ning Xue intensified their attacks.

"Thunder Tiger Crash!"

Countless lightning tigers descended from the ceiling, roaring silently as they sought to tear their mistress"s opponent apart.

However, Zhu Jiao was far from helpless and alone. With a yell, he stomped on the ground, emanating a golden shockwave that obliterated the approaching tigers before they could reach him. Without breaking a sweat, he punched Bai Ning Xue in the next instant, almost taking her by surprise ad throwing her off her pattern of her attacks.

Bai Ning Xue was not deterred, though. Raising her sword, she swung it down and directed another lightning bolt at him.

"Heavenly Tiger Thunderbolt!"

This time, the lightning bolt took the shape of a humongous tiger that descended ferociously upon Zhu Jiao"s position. Zhu Jiao held his ground, however, his aura growing rapidly into a snarling Golden Kirin.

The two celestial creatures met in the center of the arena and detonated upon impact. The resulting explosion caused an earthquake that almost caused the coliseum to topple in itself.

"What power?!"

Tang Qi Hong gasped as she tried to steady herself on the railing. Beside her, Lian Rou cried out as she fell, but Tong Xue was on hand to grab her.

"What"s going on?"

We peered through the window, trying to squint past the smoke and cloud of dust that permeated the arena.

We didn"t have to look for long.

The smoke immediately cleared as both Bai Ning Xue and Zhu Jiao burst out of it, the shockwaves from their movements blasting the thick fog apart. Silver and gold qi clashed and ignited, setting off secondary explosions that littered the coliseum, sending debris raining down from damaged walls or smashing craters into the ground.

So much for reinforced concrete. Then again, if the material wasn"t reinforced, the coliseum would have been destroyed long ago. Good thing the staff was capable of repairing and restoring the coliseum near immediately after each duel by using some qi, otherwise no insurance agency was going to cover the costs of repairs.

The expenses would be astronomical if they always had to repair the coliseum properly after every duel.

"Hah!"

"Ah!"

Zhu Jiao punched while Bai Ning Xue swung her sword down. Gauntlet met blade and the physical clash detonated yet again, sending both of them reeling backward. Stomping on the ground to halt his slide, Zhu Jiao threw his other fist, but Bai Ning Xue made use of her incredible agilty to flip her body in midair and meet his punch with a lightning kick.

Crack!

The two sprang apart after another ignition of mystical energies that lit up the air. Skidding away, they dug in their heels and stopped before lunging at each other again. Bai Ning Xue, swinging her sword determinedly, and Zhu Jiao unyielding and firm.

"UWOOOOH!!"

"HAAAAAAH!"

Another collision, and the two swung past each other. Spinning around, almost in concert, they then lashed out and traded a few dozen blows. The ground around them was slowly being reduced to rubble.

"Lightning Flash!"

Electricity exploded out of Bai Ning Xue"s sword and blasted Zhu Jiao at pointblank range, scorching him despite his thick, protective aura. Gritting his teeth, despite being seared by lightning and writhing in the grip of excruciating agony, Zhu Jiao unleashed a golden pillar of qi from his gauntlet that struck Bai Ning Xue in the chest and sent her spinning.

"Kuh!"

Bai Ning Xue did a cartwheel, throwing out her hands and flipping over to land on her feet. She then pointed her sword at Zhu Jiao.

"Focus on the point between a void and a void."

"…what the h.e.l.l?!"

Zhu Jiao"s eyes widened.

"a.s.similate your qi with the surroundings and balance the yin and yang around the point."

"That"s…!"

"Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style."

A lightning bolt crashed down on Zhu Jiao, electrocuting him. Even though he maximized the st.u.r.diness of his Golden Kirin protective aura, the lightning penetrated the golden sphere and slammed into him directly, electrocuting him.

"UGH!"

Zhu Jiao collapsed onto the ground, his body going into uncontrollable spasms. He writhed and squirmed, shrieking in unimaginable agony.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Clutching his shoulders and curling into a fetal position, he howled in pain. Tears leaked out of his eyes as he looked up at the heaving Bai Ning Xue, not comprehending. His childhood sweetheart watched him, her own breathing ragged.

"It"s useless. Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style is an attack that bypa.s.ses any kind of defense. There is no way for you to block it." She sighed. "To be honest, it"s not something that I wanted to use, but you forced my hand."

"Ugh…"

Zhu Jiao gritted his teeth as he tried to crawl onto all fours, his body racked by the relentless electricity.

"It"s a move that consumes too much qi," Bai Ning Xue continued as she strolled up to Zhu Jiao, raising her sword. "But in exchange, it incapacitates the opponent in one strike." She paused to study the writhing Zhu Jiao. "This is really a terrifying move."

"…!"

Zhu Jiao panted as he tried to raise his head, but his body refused to obey.

"Honestly, I"m surprised that you"re still conscious." Bai Ning Xue shook her head, and then slashed downward with her sword. "But it"s over."

Clang!

"!?"

Bai Ning Xue"s sword was harmlessly deflected away by one of Zhu Jiao"s gauntlets. The ice princess was unable to conceal the look of surprise on her face, but before she could react, Zhu Jiao reached out and grabbed her arm.

"! You…!"

"I"ve got you!"

Despite the electricity that continued to surge and wreak havoc and agony on his body, Zhu Jiao was grinning. His complexion was pale and he was visibly perspiring from the sheer effort of maintaining his consciousness, but he clamped down hard on Bai Ning Xue"s arm, refusing to let go. His beloved desperately unleashed a Lightning Flash at pointblank range, but Zhu Jiao intercepted her attack with his other gauntlet.

"There is no way…! You took a hit from Heaven"s Void, Lightning Style! You shouldn"t be able to block it…!"

"You"re right," Zhu Jiao agreed with a grin. "I failed to block it. But what you didn"t realize is that I"m a lot more tenacious than you think."

"Kuh!"

Bai Ning Xue struggled, but her resistance was futile. Zhu Jiao kept a tight grip on both her arms, denying her the chance to either strike with her sword or escape. At such a close distance, she was also unable to bring her legs up to kick him effectively.

Zhu Jiao possessed superior strength, which meant that Bai Ning Xue wouldn"t be able to break out of his grip. Furthermore, the moment he had her in his clutches, it meant that he had nullified her greatest advantage – her speed.

"Let go of me!"

Lightning flowed and blasted from Bai Ning Xue"s hands, but even though the gauntlets were metallic, they seemed to stem the electricity and insulate Zhu Jiao from the terrifying currents. As if he didn"t even notice them, Zhu Jiao smiled and drew Bai Ning Xue closer to him.

"I"m never letting you go ever again."

"!!!"

Obviously, Bai Ning Xue realized the true, intended meaning that lay deep within those words, and she actually blushed a little.

Then Zhu Jiao spoiled that romantic moment by c.o.c.king his head back and head-b.u.t.ting Bai Ning Xue in the forehead. She cried out as she reeled back, only for Zhu Jiao to continue holding onto her. Jerked back into position, she was unable to dodge Zhu Jiao"s fist when he let go of one of her arms and punched her.

"Oooh…"

Even I flinched at the snapping sound that echoed throughout the arena when Bai Ning Xue recoiled from the blow. The dude didn"t have any mercy even though his opponent was his beloved and a girl, hitting her in the face.

Bai Ning Xue staggered, but she didn"t give up. Clenching her teeth, she whipped around with her now free hand and struck Zhu Jiao with her Lightning Flash. Electricity imploded against his chest, but the golden protective aura around Zhu Jiao flared, guarding him from the worst of its effects. With a roar, he punched her in the chest.

Crack!

Blood spurted from Bai Ning Xue"s mouth as she jerked back. However, Zhu Jiao wasn"t going to make the same mistake she did and pummeled her mercilessly. Despite her best attempts to resist, Bai Ning Xue was slowly succ.u.mbing to the much more powerful blows, the damage acc.u.mulating at a horrifying rate.

"Whoa…Jiao is actually turning this into a dogfight?!"

Tong Xue was gaping at the unbelievable sight in disbelief. All around, the spectators were half-amazed and half-horrified, unable to digest what they were witnessing. What they had thought was a battle of the year had eventually devolved into a slugfest where Zhu Jiao was overwhelming Bai Ning Xue with brute force.

"Kuh…gah…!"

Bai Ning Xue, to her credit, managed to maintain her consciousness for a while longer. Gritting her teeth even as blood sprayed from her mouth, she lashed out with a hand and struck Zhu Jiao in the chest for one last act of defiance.

"Heavenly Roaring Thunder!"

A tiger erupted from her palm and smashed Zhu Jiao away, forcing him to release his grip on her sword arm. Bai Ning Xue seized the advantage to slash Zhu Jiao, and even with his protective aura, he was unable to prevent a thin, long line of blood from surfacing across his torso. Fortunately, it seemed that the injury was superficial.

"Huff…"

The force from Bai Ning Xue"s final, desperate attack had sent him whirling away. Bai Ning Xue quickly retreated to a safe distance.

"Hu…"

She sucked in a deep breath, and then stumbled. Realizing she didn"t have long before she collapsed, she resolved to finish the battle quickly, before her body could give out. Grinding her foot against the ground, she called upon what remained of her qi and coalesced it around her blade.

"Heavenly White Tiger Thunder Blade!"

A silver pillar of lightning lanced out of her blade, tearing into the coliseum ceiling and blasting beyond into the heavens. With a shout, she swung it and slashed the gradually recovering Zhu Jiao, who barely lifted his gauntlets in time to guard himself.

Boom!

The entire s.p.a.ce vanished in a ma.s.sive, catastrophic conflagration that expanded across the arena and scorched the walls and ground. So blinding was the blast that everyone were momentarily blinded. Even me, despite the protection that my darkened lenses afforded.

"Kuh…!"

"What"s going on!?"

"Ugh?!"

Cries and shouts surfaced around the spectator box as they struggled to come to terms with the explosion. Squeezing my watery eyes shut and shaking my head, I forced them open and tried to peer through the smoke and dust.

"Golden Kirin Divine Claws!"

His body smoking and blood splashed all over his uniform, Zhu Jiao nonetheless burst out of the smoke with unimpeded ferocity and slammed his fist into a stunned Bai Ning Xue"s midriff. Five golden claws streaked out of the gauntlet and punched huge holes through her body, sending geysers of blood sprouting outward.

"Gah…!"

Bai Ning Xue shook, her mouth open both from shock and in a cry of pain, and her eyes rolled over in their sockets. She staggered one last time, and then fell to her knees.

"…kuh…"

She looked up at Zhu Jiao, or tried to, but her eyes were no longer open. The White Tiger symbol on her forehead had also vanished, and the imposing presence that her Man and Sword as One exerted on the surrounding atmosphere was finally lifted, allowing everyone to breathe large sighs of relief.

Then Bai Ning Xue fell over, unconscious.

"…"

Heaving heavily, Zhu Jiao stared at his opponent"s fallen body, but made no move to attack her. Instead, he waited patiently.

"…"

It took a while, but Teacher Cai was finally able to open his mouth and announce the victor.

"The match is over. The winner is Zhu Jiao!"

"Heh."

Zhu Jiao grinned as he raised a triumphant, armored fist to the sutnned audience. The majority of them were still rooted in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"YEAH!"

On the other hand, I was cheering and clapping fiercely, pressing against the window and shouting at the top of my lungs. Tong Xue and the rest followed my example, yelling and waving excitedly.

"You did it, Jiao!"

"That was awesome!"

"Amazing! Utterly amazing!"

"Impressive!"

"Great job!"

"Congratulations!"

It wasn"t just us. The majority of the cla.s.s had also joined in, whooping and screaming. Several of the girls were hugging each other. Tang Qi Hong and Lian Rou were uncharacteristically squealing as they held each other"s hands and jumped up and down. Ban Zhang was smiling. Tong Xue was doing some sort of weird dance.

Zhu Jiao caught my eye, and despite staggering dangerously and teetering on the verge of collapse, he managed to return my thumb"s up. I shared his grin and nodded.

We would be meeting in the final, it seemed.