Merin raises his sword and meets the incoming spear strike of the Red Boar Tribe leader.
Steel and qi collide in midair.
Violet Virtual energy clashes with blazing red High Temperature energy.
The shockwave ripples across the sky, shaking drifting clouds and sending gusts of wind sweeping across the frozen battlefield below.
The Red Boar leader roars and thrusts again.
Merin parries.
Again.
And again.
Their weapons blur through the air.
Each collision produces a violent burst of energy.
But something else happens in every clash.
Merin's violet virtual energy quietly captures fragments of the red energy flowing from the spear.
The traces are drawn into his Virtual Domain.
Then transferred directly into his spirit space.
Inside that inner world, the red energy disintegrates into countless fragments of law and structure.
His spirit begins analysing.
Patterns unfold.
Energy structures dissolve into readable principles.
Soon, the composition becomes clear.
Two laws form the core.
The Law of High Temperature.
The Law of Strength.
In the outside world, the Red Boar leader's spear glows like molten iron.
Heat radiates from his body.
His muscles swell with strength.
His movements accelerate with violent bursts of speed.
Each step leaves behind phantom afterimages in the air.
He attacks relentlessly.
Spears strike from impossible angles.
Yet Merin defends effortlessly.
His sword moves with calm precision.
Each block is calculated.
Each parry minimal.
While his body fights, his mind continues working.
Inside his spirit space, the fragments of red energy are reconstructed.
Their laws were broken apart and integrated.
Gradually, the Laws of High Temperature and Strength begin merging into the framework of his Virtual Space Law.
Merin suddenly flicks his sword sideways.
From the blade, hundreds of needle-thin miniature swords shoot outward.
They streak through the air like a storm of silver rain.
Toward empty space.
But in the very next instant,
The Red Boar leader appears there.
His eyes widen.
The attack predicted his movement perfectly.
Hundreds of miniature swords rush toward him.
He thrusts his spear forward.
Red energy explodes outward.
It forms a spinning shield around him.
The shield rotates violently, generating waves of scorching heat that melt the surrounding frost midair.
The mini swords collide against the shield.
Spark after spark flashes.
The shield holds.
When the attack fades, the redness coating the warrior's body disappears briefly as he stabilises his energy.
Merin does not pursue.
Instead, his gaze shifts beyond the battlefield.
His senses lock onto two other presences hidden within the enemy ranks.
Two more half-step Origin Realm warriors.
Leaders of the other attacking tribes.
He already knows they are watching.
Waiting.
Calculating.
Merin's strategy becomes clear.
He intentionally restrains his strength.
Just enough to overpower the Red Boar leader.
But not enough to end the battle.
He wants the others to believe they can still win.
If he defeats all three together,
The message will spread across the Northern Mountains.
Tribes will fear him.
Tribes that already surrendered will fear betraying him.
And undecided tribes will come seeking refuge beneath his protection.
Power must be displayed.
Overwhelmingly.
The Red Boar leader spins his spear rapidly.
Red energy erupts outward.
Behind him forms the phantom of a colossal red boar.
Its tusks curve like mountains.
Spiritual energy pours into the phantom body.
The warrior lowers his spear.
The phantom merges with him.
He roars and charges toward Merin like a living avalanche.
Merin calmly raises his sword.
Behind him, the phantom of a massive virtual dragon materialises.
Its scales shimmer violet and bronze.
The dragon lifts one enormous claw.
The boar charge slams into the dragon's open palm.
The impact shakes the sky.
The Red Boar leader pushes forward with all his strength.
His spear drills into the dragon's palm.
Energy screams as it tries to pierce through.
But the dragon's claw remains unmoving.
An immovable wall.
Realising the attack cannot break through, the leader releases the charge and steps back.
His spear spins once in his hand.
Then he flicks the spear tip outward.
"Scarlet Tusks Lash!"
Red energy erupts from the spear tip like a blazing whip.
The attack slices across the dragon's claw.
The phantom limb is severed instantly.
Energy fragments scatter across the sky.
Without pause, the Red Boar leader thrusts again.
His aura explodes.
The phantom boar behind the Red Boar leader opens its enormous mouth.
Inside it,
A massive sphere of red energy begins to gather.
The air trembles around it.
Heat distorts the sky.
Merin immediately senses the danger.
The energy density is enormous.
His eyes narrow.
For a moment, he calculates.
Below him,
The newly built city floats upon the lake.
If he dodges,
The attack will fall directly into the city.
Hundreds will die.
The entire war is being fought because of that city.
If he fails to defend it,
The war itself will end in defeat.
Merin lifts his sword.
His voice echoes across the sky.
"Scale Wing Defence."
The virtual dragon instantly coils around him.
Its massive body curls inward.
Two enormous wings sweep forward.
Layer upon layer of violet scales overlap.
Each scale forms a defensive array of compressed virtual energy.
The dragon wraps itself around Merin completely.
Encasing him within its wings like a living fortress.
The Red Boar leader thrusts his spear.
The energy sphere fires.
The massive ball of red energy streaks through the sky.
It slams directly into the dragon's wings.
The explosion erupts instantly.
Blinding crimson light engulfs the sky.
Heat spreads outward like a tidal wave.
The temperature rises violently.
Below them,
The frozen lake reacts.
Ice cracks apart.
Snow vaporises.
Water beneath the ice begins to boil.
Steam bursts upward in enormous clouds.
The shockwave spreads across the battlefield.
Soldiers on both sides are forced to shield their eyes.
Snow melts into slush across the ground.
The high temperature radiates outward in a scorching wave.
Inside the dragon's wings,
Merin feels the law behind the attack.
High Temperature.
Strength.
He understands it now.
Through the battle, he has already captured fragments of that law.
With his current comprehension, he could neutralise much of the heat.
He could dismantle the attack from within.
But he does not.
He keeps the ability hidden.
The overwhelming heat destabilises the dragon's wings.
The virtual energy begins to fluctuate.
Cracks spread across the scale structure.
Then,
The explosion shreds through the defence.
The dragon phantom collapses into fragments of violet energy.
The remaining force slams into Merin.
He is blasted backwards across the sky.
Wind tears at his robes as he shoots away from the explosion.
But Merin stabilises himself instantly.
His feet press against the air.
He regains balance in mid-flight.
The Red Boar leader has already followed.
His spear thrusts forward like a blazing comet.
Merin raises his sword and blocks.
Steel meets spear.
Their weapons grind together in a burst of sparks.
They clash again.
And again.
While defending, Merin quietly gathers energy.
Sword qi accumulates within the blade.
Each clash feeds more power into it.
Each deflection buys another moment.
The Red Boar leader roars and presses forward with brutal strikes.
But Merin continues gathering.
Gradually,
The sword fills with condensed virtual energy.
When it reaches its limit,
Merin moves.
His blade sweeps outward in a single decisive arc.
The accumulated sword energy detonates.
A violent violet slash tears across the sky.
The Red Boar leader is struck before he can fully react.
The attack explodes across his chest.
A deep gash rips through his armour and flesh.
The force throws him backwards.
Blood sprays into the air.
His arms are torn open by the expanding sword energy.
The leader staggers in midair, his body reeling from the strike.
The battlefield below falls silent for a heartbeat as the wounded tribe leader struggles to regain control.
Then the clash resumes.
Merin and the Red Boar leader collide again in the sky.
Violet light and blazing red energy streak through the air like comets. Their figures blur, appearing and disappearing in rapid bursts of motion. Each collision sends shockwaves rolling across the battlefield.
Below them, soldiers from both sides hold their breath.
No one dares to speak.
Above, the sky becomes a battlefield of flashing lights, violet sword arcs colliding with blazing red spear strikes. Sparks scatter like meteors while wind bursts ripple through the clouds.
Merin parries.
The Red Boar leader counters.
Their weapons strike again and again.
Among the princess's convoy standing on the hill, Elder Mu watches the battle intently.
Her eyes narrow slightly as she observes the rhythm of the clash.
She turns her head toward Princess Song Xingli.
"Do you understand now," Elder Mu says calmly, "why you must marry him?"
Xingli stands frozen.
Her breath catches in her throat as she watches the fight.
Part of her wishes for Merin to fall from the sky.
If he dies here, the marriage ends.
She will be free.
Yet another part of her heart cheers silently every time Merin blocks an attack.
She is a princess of the Song Kingdom.
As a child growing up in the palace, she heard countless reports of the northern mountain tribes, villages burned, caravans slaughtered, border towns destroyed.
She knows what these wars mean.
Elder Mu's words linger in her mind.
Xingli does not answer.
But she understands.
Her father.
The royal family.
Even the sect.
They all want this marriage for the same reason.
In the sky, the two figures move faster.
To Xingli's eyes, they flicker like lightning.
Appearing.
Disappearing.
Striking again.
She cannot fully follow their movements with her cultivation.
But she sees enough.
Several of Merin's strikes land.
Each one forcing the Red Boar leader back.
Then,
Merin senses it first.
Two powerful auras ignite within the enemy army.
From the positions of the other tribes.
Half-step Origin Realm leaders.
Their power rises into the sky like pillars of fire.
On the battlefield below, warriors of the three tribes suddenly erupt in cheers.
Their morale surges.
Reinforcements are coming.
On Merin's side, expressions darken.
Some soldiers lower their weapons in worry.
Faces fall.
Elder Mu's eyes sharpen.
She speaks quietly but firmly.
"Be prepared to escape."
But high above the battlefield,
Merin smiles inwardly.
Plan successfully.
He has baited them.
The other two leaders are finally stepping forward to attack him.