(Bu Cai Pov)

I was now sitting on the side of the stage, in anticipation of the upcoming match just like everyone else.

One of the most talented girls in the current era, Someone who the palace master of the Extreme Yin Palace personally adopted.

And one of the most anticipated individuals in the tournament and someone rumored to have talent on par with Long Tian and Song Ju.

Both these fairies have high expectations on their shoulders from the public and the representatives.

Although I was excited, i was trying hard to hold back my overwhelming exhilaration from being able to crush Tai Ping's Arms and Legs and hear his cries of despair.

I then hear the Judge announce the start of the match,

"Let the fight begin"

Everyone and everything goes quiet, and the whole audience stares at the 2 beautiful girls in anticipation and excitement.

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(Xie Xinyi POV)

Standing in front of one of the most renowned geniuses in this competition , I can't help but recount my previous matches.

I easily destroyed all the opponents with only a fraction of my Sword skills, and they were said to be heirs of mid-rank clans. How ridiculous.

My most recent match I had encountered someone from the main branch of the Xie family, and they too were nothing but pathetic.

And after seeing my talent, everything went back to how it was back in my hometown.

Same Fake smiles and Compliments.

Same Boys from various clans swarming me like flies and wasting money so that they can gain my attention.

It was almost the exact same as my mundane life in my hometown.

However there were differences.

Truly talented individuals were also present, Such as my current opponent, Qian Jingyi.

I have seen a few of her fights, and although I found her truly incredible, If her limit is what she showed in the previous games then she will still stand no chance against me.

Once I hear the Judge Say,

"Let the fight begin"

I instantly rush towards her and let out a flurry of slashes, as from what i have seen from her sword style, she is a more of a reactive type of person and much prefers finding opportunities over making them, hence I instantly take advantage of this and make the first strike.

As i keep raining down slashes, her defense starts to dwindle and light cuts begin to accumulate, this is due to the fact that she will not be able to find a mistakes in my sword due to me being extremely cautious when executing every strike.

Everything seems to be going well when suddenly her Sword Style shifts...

My eyes widen as the blade approaches me and almost impales me, I swiftly dodge however the blade still connects and a scar is made on my face with blood seeping out.

Troublesome.

If I didn't have the ability to see through her and my understanding of sword styles was slightly worse, I may have had to be saved by the Judge to ensure I don't die.

She then continues to ferociously slash at me with her sword and doesn't allow me to take a breather at all.

By looking at her eyes I could tell she was beginning to feel confident in her victory...

How foolish.

I Counter her upcoming strike by putting full focus on her blade, and in the an exact angle swing at it full force.

Her position becomes slightly unbalanced and I then follow my momentum by swiftly slashing again horizontally.

She has no chance to block it or dodge anymore.

It's all over.

As the blade of my sword swiftly approaches her with the intention to cut her in half, Her frozen expression shifts to one of immense fear she desperately tries to move her body to dodge however it is futile.

Just Die...

However the judge quickly intervenes and stops my blade with his fingers then I realise my mistake and quickly bow and say apologetically,

"I'm Sorry for going so heavy handed in a spar, I overestimated her power and tried something more powerful, I hope you can forgive me."

The Judge Looked at me deeply, I knew that he knew what I said was a lie.

But What could he do?

Offend Someone like me, who has the possibility to become a mighty figure and a key individual of a large faction in the near future, just to upkeep mere rules in a tournament?

Of Course he won't, as someone who will stay insignificant and live to serve other people, he will agree with me and not do anything.

This is Power.

This is the usual.

As someone who has expectations on her shoulders to become something beneficial to them, They will do anything to please me.

Boring.

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(Bu Cai POV)

Walking to the market to find some more useful herbs like usual.

I think about how crazy that Xie Xinyi's Sword Skills are, I am not confident at being able to beat someone like that at all.

Not only has she got impressive power, She has impeccable technique and Battle Instincts which allowed her to almost kill someone like Qian Jingyi whilst only suffering a small cut to the face which is easily healed.

No wonder that Girl is Long Tian's favourite, not only has she got looks that are objectively on par with a 1 in 100000 year beauty, she is also a born sword cultivator just like him.

My thoughts come to halt though as I see two disciples of different powers come over to me with smiles on their faces,

One is from the Long Family,

Whilst the other is from the Sky Sword Sect.

I try to check their stats but nothing can really be seen other than their names and Age.

The Long Family One is called, Long Tu and is 40.

The Sky Sword Sect Disciple is called, Ding Jun, 38.

Although that might sound old, These people still look like they are in their early twenties due to cultivation increasing their lifespans and making them younger.

They Both cup their fists respectfully (First time I've seen a Sky Sword Sect fucker do that) and Both say basically the same thing,

"I have a message to convey to you from 'insert name of Representative', If you reach the top 10 in the tournament, We will extend an invitation for you to become an Inner Disciple of 'Insert Name of faction'."

I cup my fists respectfully and say thank you, then they go away.

Hmmmm, Sky Sword Sect Is a Big NO, If i go there everyone will discriminate and bully me from coming from a subsidiary.

Going to the Long Family simply spells death for me as Cockroach Tian has many ways of disposing of me if i enter there.

So overall, I say fuck that.

The force i want to try and draw the attention of would be the Song Family so that I can learn some useful stuff on medicine and poison.

They also have an impressive number of Sword Skills as although they focus on Medicine and Poison, they, just like all the other families, have foundations in the Sword Dao.

However the main reason would be due to one person.

This person could be a key in helping me defeat Long Tian as She has Backing, Talent and potential.

As you have expected, this person would be Song Ju.

She is someone who is apathetic, hence by offering her things that make her curious in exchange for help with Long Tian could be very effective.

If Someone who is able to do anything they are taught and learn anything they wanted to,

What would interest them?

Something that they are unable to find out about or are unable to understand.

If I tell her about her mother's Origins, or little about her Physique; Wouldn't that instantly hook her in?

And as someone who is destined to be 'The Empress of the Heavens', what better help could i possibly get?

Due to these factors benefits, i absolutely must impress the Song Family, even if I can't join them, making connections with them would be highly beneficial in the future.

My 2nd choice would be the Chen Family.

Although the heir of the Chen Family is someone I haven't seen yet due to him not being able attend, rumors say that he is very talented and someone who has a great relationship with The Royal Princess.

If I can be in contact with such people, I can set up Long Tian through enticing many families to target him, Including the Royal family, by 'Accidentally' finding out about some rare treasures he has, and sharing the information with them.

And the his girls that love him immensely, if I show them how futile their efforts are by using Song Ju...

Heheheheheh,

As long as I can do all this before the time limit of him building a relationship with an immortal master,

I'll be the final winner.

I can't wait to see the cockroach's face once he realises that he is done for and that almost everyone will be against him.

I then stop thinking about the this and scurry off to the market, as the foundation of these plans are built on the fact that I will be able to attract their interests.

...

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Author's Notes:

I want to show in this chapter how, after realising a part of his true self his character has changed very slightly and he has changed a small bit.

I hope that you enjoyed this Chapter and if you have any suggestion or anything I could improve on then feel free to leave a comment.