Tall and muscular. With a huge sword.

That was her opponent.

Gripping her bamboo stick, Shu Yue leaped onto the raised stone platform. Her face was hidden behind a white mask, resembling that of a fox with red markings on it. As usual.

"Introduce yourselves, participants!" bellowed the elderly man standing at the front of the crowd, dressed in a gray robe with his silver hair in a high bun. Lu Baiyu. He was the head of the Lu family and the host of this contest. The Sparring Ground was directly in front of his residence.

Around more than fifty onlookers were gathered around the open area, their gaze fixed on the stage in the center, where a battle was about to unfold. Shu Yue used to be in the audience, watching, assessing the participants' skills, and predicting who would win, and sometimes betting. As a spectator, Shu Yue enjoyed betting on the participants. It was one of her favorite pastimes. And she never once lost a bet. She collected a lot of gold simply by picking the team she predicted would win.

However, today she was a competitor. Because the prize for the victor piqued her interest.

A soul-binding scroll.

Shu Yue's opponent looked her over from head to toe, disappointment on his face. He cleared his throat, then performed a salute by placing his left palm against his right fist, the sleeves of his robe stretching over his bulging muscles.

"Dishan, A-rank warrior," the bulky man said with a smug smile.

Dishan of the Springbear tribe. Of course, Shu Yue knew who he was. He was a warrior from one of the most powerful families in the Ophiuchus Clan. Springbear was a tribe of excellent martial artists who had devoted their lives to the Warrior Path. There were no magi in their family; they were all warriors. They prioritized strength over magic.

Anyone could tell how strong Dishan was just by looking at him. Even Shu Yue acknowledged his strength. There was no denying that he was a talented martial artist. And with such a muscular physique and great strength, he must have spent years refining his inner chi. However, he was a regular participant here, and Shu Yue was a regular spectator. She watched him fight countless times. She also witnessed him win many times. Over the course of spectating, she learned the pattern of his movements and his fighting style.

Who would have guessed that her idle hobby of observing would come in handy at such a special moment? Dishan was strong, but he was too strength-driven, making it easy for Shu Yue to spot his weakness and plan her victory.

She desperately needed that soul-binding scroll.

With her hands folded in front of her chest, Shu Yue bent slightly forward, and as she did, she pushed out her folded hands, her long dark hair falling across her masked face. Her movements were graceful and elegant, and she exuded a calm and gentle aura.

"Chen Yue, B-rank warrior," she introduced using a disguised name. Even her voice was soft and refined.

Her demeanor stood in stark contrast to the sharp and fierce mask she wore.

Dishan's brow descended low over his eyes as he studied Shu Yue. She's dressed in a long flowing robe with loose sleeves the color of nature, almost transparent, giving her an even more graceful air of magnanimity. Then his gaze landed on the green bamboo stick in her hand, which she held like a sword. His expression conveyed a sense of judgment and scrutiny, and Shu Yue knew exactly where it was coming from.

Dishan snorted. "Just a B-ranker? And you're actually a warrior? And don't tell me you're going to fight with a bamboo stick?" He lifted his chin high as he stared down at her. "At first, I thought you were a magus. No offense, but you look too delicate to be a warrior; you give more the impression of someone relying on magic."

"Oh, you think so?" Shu Yue asked, her voice light and gentle, forcing innocence into it. "Are you implying that Magus are weak?"

Though he wasn't entirely wrong about something.

Dishan laughed. "That isn't what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that most magic users are physically weak. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're hopeless in battle, they just have frail bodies compared to warriors. That's all." He faced the crowd and clasped his hand over his right fist in front of his chest. "I'm sorry if I offended any magi here."

"I see what you mean," Shu Yue said as she twirled the bamboo stick in her hand.

She swept her gaze around the hall, looking at the spectators, and wondered if anyone would bet on her. Of course, no one. They would all bet on someone like Dishan, someone who looked strong and fierce and had actually won numerous times.

Do I really look that weak?

Behind her mask, a smile crept across her face.

Her gaze then landed on a tall young man with distinct features, his fox-like ears, almost the same color as his waist-length silver-white hair, distinguishing him from everyone else, not to mention those golden eyes of his. He tilted his head, as if to acknowledge her.

Xiao Ran.

Of course, someone would bet on her.

"But don't worry," said Dishan, and Shu Yue brought her attention back to him. "Since I'm a nice gentleman, I will go easy on you."

"Why, thank you," Shu Yue responded, grateful how the man just unconsciously lowered his guard.

"Alright!" Lu Baiyu bellowed. "Let the fight begin!"

With a roar, Dishan lunged forward, his massive sword slicing through the air.

Sunbeam Rampage, Shu Yue thought as she watched her opponent approach her. She already knew what technique Dishan would use before he even attacked based on the position of his body and sword.

Shu Yue remained calm as Dishan delivered strikes at different angles in quick succession, elegantly twisting her body to avoid the rage of his huge blade. Every stroke of his sword was like a piercing ray of light. This move was known as Sunbeam Rampage, one of the stances of Solarburst Sword.

A collective gasp filled the air as the spectators watched the entertaining battle unfold in front of them; a huge man wielding a huge sword, who kept attacking like a wild beast, and a demure young lady who kept countering his every move, gliding around the stage as gracefully as a swan. She didn't once initiate any attacks of her own.

When Dishan's sword slashed at Shu Yue's side, she effortlessly stepped aside, then leaped backward before her opponent could deliver another strike. One thing about the Solarburst Sword was that it wasn't hard to defend against, so Shu Yue had no trouble evading and blocking his attacks. This sword art was comprised of twelve forms. All stances contained the power of the Sun. It was practiced by all warriors of the Ophiuchus Clan, and it was one of the few techniques left to them after their fall.

All of their martial art manuals were stolen by the other Zodiac Clans.

Shu Yue could see why the other Great Clans didn't bother stealing this one. Solarburst Sword wasn't as powerful as their other techniques.

Dishan glared at her, a glint of annoyance and impatience in his eyes. "Aren't you being too comfortable just because I was being gentle with you?" He cracked his knuckles, then grinned. "Well, I'm now taking back what I said about me going easy on you." Dishan roared and pounced forward, his sword poised for a powerful thrust, unleashing the last formation of the Solarburst Sword.

Too late for that.

If her opponent was superior in terms of strength, then she would beat him through speed. However, speed alone wasn't enough.

As Dishan thrust his sword toward her, she jumped lightly onto the massive blade, then used the momentum to close the distance between them, her long sleeves and hair fluttering in the wind. With a flick of her wrist, she stabbed his left eye with the bamboo stick. The stab was so quick that no one seemed to realize what had happened until Dishan screamed in pain and fell to his knees. His sword clattered to the ground. He was clutching his face, blood dripping from his wounded eye and staining the ground.

Shu Yue landed gracefully on the floor. Groaning, Dishan slowly rose to his feet, still clutching his face. But before he could fully stand, Shu Yue moved in a blur, charging forward, then threw him off the sparring ring with a spinning kick.

Silence reigned as she took slow, deliberate steps towards the edge of the platform. That radiant confidence and regal air she exuded from the start bloomed brightly as she walked. She halted, brushed an invisible fleck of dust off her robe, and looked down at her opponent with her head held high. Dishan was curled up on the floor, wincing in pain.

She won.

Speed and strength--those weren't as important as skills and timing.

Her gaze shifted to the crowd, who were all staring at the scene before them, dumbfounded. Their eyes darted back and forth between her and Dishan. None of them expected this to happen. None of them expected Dishan to lose, even more so to someone like Shu Yue. She had knocked down her opponent with just one blow and a bamboo stick.

When Lu Baiyu finally regained his wits, he cleared his throat and motioned to Shu Yue. "And the winner of today's match is Chen Yue!"

There was silence after that, as if the spectators were still stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Xiao Ran then began applauding, his fluffy white tail wagging back and forth. His handsome face was adorned with a proud smile. As if his claps had served as an alarm bell, the spectators recovered from their shock, and the next thing Shu Yue knew, the place was in an uproar.

Of course, they would be devastated. After all, they had all lost the bet.

Except for one person--no, a demihuman.

Shu Yue smiled as she looked at Xiao Ran. She gave a palm and fist salute before exiting the stage and taking the bamboo tube from Lu Baiyu. Her reward.

The soul-binding scroll.

Her heart thudded with excitement as she stroked the bamboo tube. Finally, she could acquire a spirit beast and move one step closer to her ultimate goal.