Meng Tao didn't hesitate.

  With an explosive burst of speed, he lunged forward, his battle axe swinging with devastating force.

  Yuan barely dodged.

  He staggered back, feet scrambling against the cave floor, narrowly avoiding the bde by the smallest margin. The sheer wind pressure from the swi a chill down his spine.

  Meng Tao ughed. "What's wrong? Your luck won't save you this time!"

  Without giving Yuan a ce to breathe, Meng Tao advanced again, swinging his axe with brutal efficy.

  Yuan parried,clumsily.

  His sword cshed against the axe, but the impaearly k out of his hands. He was forced back, his posture breaking. His grip loosened, his stance wavered,it was obvious to everyog.

  Meng Tao was stronger.

  He pressed forward, raining down strike after strike, each swing heavier tha. Yuan was like a leaf in a storm, stantly retreating, barely holding on.

  The urmured, watg in anticipation.

  "He's pletely outmatched."

  "Heh, guess his luck ran out."

  "This fight is over. Meng Tao's got this."

  Yuan heard every single word.

  And deep inside, he smirked.

  Perfect.

  This was exactly what he wahem to believe.

  Meng Tao's fighting style redictable,a mix of raw aggression and trolled momentum-based attacks. He moved with fidence, swinging his axe in wide arcs, using its weight to overpower his oppo.

  But fidence could be maniputed.

  And momentum… could be used against him.

  Yuan allowed himself to stumble at the right times, barely dodging, barely blog, barely holding on. To Meng Tao,and everyog,it looked like he was just struggling to stay alive.

  But iy?

  He was simply waiting.

  Waiting for Meng Tao to make one crucial mistake.

  And then it happened.

  Meng Tao, eager to finish the fight, saening,or at least, what looked like an opening.

  Yuan iionally misstepped, his bance shifting the wrong way, leaving his side exposed.

  Meng Tao grinned victoriously.

  "There it is!"

  He swung.

  But Yuan had already calcuted everything.

  At the very st sed, he shifted his weight, his foot twisting just slightly to ge his trajectory.

  The axe missed,by mere inches.

  For the first time, Meng Tao's rhythm broke.

  His momentum carried him forward,too far forward.

  And in that moment…

  Yuan struck.

  His sword, previously clumsy and iive, suddenly moved with absolute precision.

  A , decisive strike nded right against Meng Tao's chest.

  A gasp escaped Meng Tao's lips. His body froze.

  Then…

  He fell.

  Silence.

  For a few moments, no one spoke.

  Then…

  The entire cave erupted.

  "What the,he actually won?!"

  "No way. Meng Tao was in plete trol!"

  "That was just dumb luck! Meng Tao was about to end it, but he made one mistake—one mistake!"

  Meng Tao himself y on the ground, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

  His mind repyed the moment over and over.

  He had seen an opening. He was sure of it.

  A…

  How did he lose?

  He ched his fists. "I had that match…" he muttered.

  The blond haired judge chuckled. "Well, a win is a win. gratutions,Junior Yuan."

  Yuan simply nodded, his face remaining calm, as if he himself couldn't believe he won.

  But inside?

  Inside, he smiled.

  And now?

  They would remember him not as a warrior, but as someone who had survived by pure ce.

  And that… was exactly what he wanted.

  But what Yuan could not have known was that one among the disciples had seen through his act. This person realized that everything was not mere luck or ce but a carefully orchestrated pn. However, instead of exposing him, they simply watched in stunned silence, fused as to why he was hiding his true abilities. Yet, they chose to remain quiet, merely as the semi finals were about to begin.

  "So, juniors! In one hour, the semi-finals will ence. I will give the five remaining petitors time to rest and prepare for their battle!"

  With that annou, the blond haired judge sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and fell into meditation.

  But as he grew silent, the disciples around him erupted into versation, discussing the rising talents who had made it this far in the Howling Wind Branch Sect's sele trials.

  First was Alex I, an unknown figure before this tour, but one who had now gaitention for both his sheer power and his exceptional mental endurance from the first trial.

  Then there was Schor Felix, a prodigy from the Schorly Cultivation , known for their refined bat and vast Schory knowledge.

  Li , from the prestigious Li Noble Family, had also made it through, proving her skill and sharp instincts in her previous fights.

  And of course, Krieger, the most talented knight in the kingdom, a Knight whose name had already spread far and wide, even before this tour.

  Finally, there was Yuan,like Alex, another petitor shrouded in mystery. No one knew where he had e from. He wasn't overwhelmingly strong in bat, yet he had dispyed an astonishing level of mental endurance, surpassing even some Blood Purification Stage disciples.

  The disciples specuted about both Alex and Yuan. Could they be from fallen noble houses? Perhaps from hidden cultivation s?

  The discussions tinued, but while the other disciples engaged in their chatter, the five finalists Alex, Felix, Li , Krieger, and Yuan,remained pletely silent. Like the blond haired judge, they sat cross legged, meditating, serving their energy for the uping battles.

  Yuan did the same, but uhe others, his focus wasn't on rec strength.

  Instead, he was analyzing the performance he had dispyed throughout the tour.

  He had pushed his luck far enough.

  Winning once or twice with sheer "luck" was believable. But if he tinued winning, if he somehow made it to the finals, his entire facade would fall apart. People would start to see through the act.

  And that… was something he absolutely could not allow.

  So, he had already made his decision.

  He would lose his fight.

  Not in a way that looked deliberate. No, that would be suspicious. He had to lose vingly,desperately, as if he had given his all and simply wasn't strong enough.

  He calcuted the level of effort he would o exert, how many attacks he should nd, when to falter, when tle, and most importantly… the exaent when he would "fail" and be eliminated.

  Fifth pce. That was his goal.

  With his thoughts set, Yuan finally shifted his attention to the book they had received after the first trial

  Howling Wi's Rules & Introdu

  He flipped through the pages, his eyes sing each word with quiet focus.

  If he was going to ehe sect, he o uand everything about it.

  And so, as the other petitors meditated in preparation for battle, Yuan calmly read, abs every rule, every structure, and every hidden meaning behind the words written on the page.

  The tour was reag its climax.

  And Yuan was already preparing his move.

  But just as Yuan was in the middle of reading, a loud cp jolted him back to reality, along with the four other semi finalists.

  The sound echoed sharply through the cave, breaking the quiet atmosphere of meditation. Naturally, the source of the noise was her than the blond haired judge, still wearing his ever-present casual smile.

  He cpped his hands together once more and then addressed the group.

  "So, as you juniors clearly see, the numbers don't line up perfectly for the semi finals," he said with a light chuckle. "Because of this, we have ora fight that o take pce. And since Junier was grahe privilege of skipping the previous round, I will have him fight first!"

  A short pause followed as murmurs rippled through the surrounding disciples.

  Then, the judge's green eyes sed the group before he called out the petitor.

  "The one who will face Junier in battle is Junior Li !

  "Please, the two of you, step forward!"

  The two figures stepped forward, standing a few meters apart in the ter of the illuminated cavern.

  Krieger, the pride of the Royal Family's Knight Order, carried himself with a dignified aura. His posture right, his every movement trolled and disciplined. He was the very embodiment of a knight righteous, unwavering, and graceful.

  He wore a white and silver robe ristine. His blonde hair was ly tied back, revealing sharp pierg blue eyes.

  Opposite him stood Li , from the Noble Li Family.

  She was dressed in a violet robe embroidered with flower patterns. Her dark brown hair, tied in a high ponytail, swayed slightly as she shifted her weight. Her sharp bright green eyes gleamed with focus, yet within them burned a petitive spirit.

  As the two locked eyes, a sense of tension spread through the gathered disciples.

  The fight betweewo was bound to be one of the most exg matches of the tour.

  The blond haired judge observed both petitors with a satisfied smile before raising his voice.

  "Junier and Junior Li ,are you both ready?"

  Li spun her spear in her hand once before setting it into position, the twin bdes glinting uhe cave's luminous stones.

  "Of course," she replied, her voice calm but eager.

  Krieger merely pced his hand on his sword hilt, bowing slightly as a knight should.

  "I am ready," he answered, his tone formal and posed.

  The judge nodded.

  "Then,begin!"

  The moment the and was given, Li took the initiative.

  She lunged forward, twirling her spear in a swift arc, her twin bdes slig through the air like fangs of a serpent.

  Krieger didn't back away. Instead, he sidestepped lightly, allowing the spear to brush past him by a mere inch before retaliating with a precise ssh aimed at Li 's wrist,a ter meant to disarm rather than harm.

  But Li reacted swiftly, rotating her spear's shaft to deflect the bde.

  g!

  A burst of sparks scattered as steel met steel.

  Instead of falling back, Li pressed forward, ung a flurry of spear thrusts, each faster tha. Her movements were sharp, decisive,every strike aimed at f Krieger to retreat.

  But Krieger stood firm.

  With practiced ease, he parried each attack with minimal movement, his sword raying from its path, as though he had long predicted her every a.

  To the spectators, it was a dance of offense and defense.

  Li 's spear strikes were swift, aiming to disrupt Krieger's stance, yet Krieger never overextended, his swordpy methodical, every ter measured.

  Despite her aggression, Li could not break past his defenses.

  After several exges, Li 's expression darkened.

  Her movements were fast, precise,yet no matter what angle she attacked from, Krieger always blocked her at the st moment.

  It felt as though he wasn't even trying.

  Like he was merely hum her.

  Her spear twirled once more before she leaped back, increasing the distance.

  She eyed Krieger, her golden eyes narrowing as she ched her on.

  "You…" she exhaled, irritation seeping into her voice. "Are you still holding back?"

  Krieger blinked, his pierg blue eyes calm as ever.

  "No," he replied simply.

  "Don't lie to me," she snapped. "I saw how you fough with Savage,you're not fighting me seriously."

  The surrounding disciples exged gnces, some nodding in agreement.

  Krieger was clearly restraining himself.

  His posture was too rexed. His footwork too effortless. His ters too perfect.

  Li took a deep breath.

  "Are you mog me?"

  Krieger's eyes widened slightly at the accusation, but his expression quickly returo its usual calm.

  "I would never disrespect a fellow warrior," he said, bowing slightly in apology. "Five me, fellow disciple Li ."

  Then, for the first time sihe battle began

  Krieger ged his stance.

  He raised his sword slightly higher, his grip tightening, and his expression grew serious.

  "You are correct," he admitted. "I have not been using my full strength. That was unfair of me. Allow me to correct this mistake."

  The moment those words left his lips

  A faint white glow began to form around Krieger's bde.

  At first, it was subtle, like mist ging to the wooden sword.

  Then

  The glow intensified, turning into a pure white aura that coated the sword's entire length.

  The temperature in the cavern seemed to shift.

  A cold, sharp presence radiated frer's on,an aura that sent chills through everyog.

  Li , who had been prepared to unother attack, froze as she stared at the white glow surrounding Krieger's sword.

  She saower before.

  And she knew she stood no ce against it.

  Still, she refused to back down.

  Her spear tightened in her grip.

  Then, she lunged,one final, desperate attack.

  But

  Krrrck!

  The moment her spear cshed against Krieger's bde, the white aura overpowered it instantly.

  Her on shattered,its ourdy wood reduced tments that scattered across the ground.

  The sheer force behind Krieger's strike sent Li tumbling backward, nding roughly on her back.

  A stunned silence followed.

  For a few moments, nobody spoke.

  The only sound was the soft king of broken spear fragments hitting the stone floor.

  Then

  The blond haired judge let out a deep breath and smiled.

  "Winner,Junier!"

  Li , still sitting on the ground, let out a bitter ugh before shaking her head.

  "I see now…" she murmured. "There was no way I could have won."

  Krieger extended a hand toward her.

  "You fought well, fellow disciple Li ," he said, his voice as polite as ever.

  After a moment of hesitation, she took his hand, allowing herself to be pulled up.

  The match had ended.

  And Krieger had ted himself as the most terrifying talent iour.