The sun of dusk shone gently on the imperial palace's training grounds.
Danho brought a flask of water to an exhausted Santa.
"Oye, brat, drink this slowly."
Santa's expression contorted.
"Who are you to call me a brat? I'm just as old as you."
A dull thud resounded in the air.
"You were a dumb ogre for the most part of your life."
Having no retort, Santa drank the water as he rubbed his head.
Danho dusted the ground beside Santa and took a seat.
"Despite all your yammering, you are making good progress. Now that we are done with working on your tempo, let's move the focus to distancing and tactics."
Santa laid down the flask after he was done drinking.
"Hm... Let's do that."
"Are you still sulking because I didn't call you for drinks last night? I'm sure I sent a bottle of the Lay Mou to your room."
Slight tremors ran through Santa's body; his brows were creased.
"That isn't the problem."
Danho's casual gaze dimmed.
"What is the problem?"
Santa gritted his fists; blood pumped through his veins violently.
"My blood is burning. Something big is about to happen."
With his hand on Santa's shoulder, Danho asked, "Are you afraid?"
"No... I feel insufficient."
Danho stood up and dusted his pants off.
"If that is the case, then let's start training now."
"Hm..." Santa responded as he got up off the ground.
The two walked back to the training grounds. The movements they practised repeated over and over again.
Morning dews obscured the surroundings. Low steps thrummed across the lake's basin. Vera had reached the Jiao's domain.
The battle hadn't begun, but blood pumped through his veins as though he were already fighting.
The beating of his chest vibrated in the air.
The sound of Vera's steps crossed the basin. A ripple formed across the water's surface, reaching to the lake's centre.
A pair of eyes snapped open from the depths.
The thumping of Vera's steps was overshadowed by a rumble.
The calm ripples grew turbulent; a pair of blue horns appeared.
A monolith beyond anything he had ever seen.
Light blue scales shimmered underneath even the dull sunlight.
Through the dense mist Vera could make out the demon's silhouette.
"Jiao." His tone was sharp.
The silhouette grew closer by the second; its obscured features grew clear.
Scales that put the cold iron to shame.
Even the mist made way for him.
Just then, its massive figure turned to a void. Mist rushed in to where the Jiao was; in its place stood a handsome young man.
His voice boomed; it bore the intensity of a raging wave.
"You have finally arrived, challenger. Did you save me for last?"
The young man stepped out of the lake.
Striations rippled through his skin as he moved. Muscles pressed through his skin, as though there were no space left for them.
Vera's eyes sharpened.
I understand what you meant now, Mei.
The Jiao's presence alone beckoned him to answer.
A grin grew on Vera's face.
"I did indeed save you for last." The calluses on his palms ground against the chiselled shaft of his halberd.
The aura of the guardians permeated Vera's body.
Qi flooded his meridians.
Thick black iron chains whipped through the air, wrapping around the Jiao's arm; at the end of the chain lay an anchor.
The Jiao's smile contorted.
"I won't waste words with you, challenger. I wanted to give you the mark before we fought, but... those damned dragon clan bastards!" The black iron chains creaked as he gripped them.
"I'm barred from giving you the mark before the battle. But rest assured—"
Vera cut off the Jiao.
"It doesn't matter." The blade of his halberd pointed at the Jiao's head.
"As you said, let's not waste words and fight. This is what you want as well, right?"
For a moment the air stilled.
The Jiao bore the same expression as Vera.
Vast Heavens wasn't wrong... We are fated to clash.
Vera shifted his halberd to an overhead stance; his feet dug into the ground.
The Jiao reeled the chain in; the anchor hung from his wrist like a flail.
"My name is Longwang. What is yours?"
"Vera."
The chirping of songbirds died down, as they had all fled. Fierce winds roared through the forest.
The earth beneath their feet burst into dust.
"Descending Crescent."
"Rising Wave."
Vera's halberd arched towards Longwang's skull.
Longwang's anchor rose from the earth and hurtled towards the halberd.
As the two blades met, the air exploded. The covers of mist that obscured them turned to null.
Vera freed his right arm from the halberd to release a palm strike; manifestations flooded to the tip of his fingers.
As the anchor's chains lost their tension, the two dashed into close quarters.
Their palms met.
"Incinerate."
"Flood."
An intense light irradiated from their palms.
For a moment the world stilled.
Vera could feel the ground beneath him doming in. Longwang felt the lake's surface sink.
Not a single thing was heard, then...
An earth-rending boom ripped their battlefield apart; steam bludgeoned their surroundings.
Vera's eyes shut from the pressure alone.
The lake turned into a single wave, consuming the lands behind them.
The canopy of trees that surrounded the lake tore away from their roots.
Vera's eyes fluttered as he lay on a bed of mud.
The morning sun was nowhere to be seen; his eyes only met a grey smokescreen.
Blood seeped through his ears; the air felt heavy.
He could feel Longwang's presence; this was the battlefield they were fighting on, but...
The terrain was far too different to be the same.
Is this really the battlefield?
The sound of an anchor dragging through earth permeated the smokescreen.
As the sound drew closer, Vera's gaze sharpened.
Does it even matter?
The grip on his halberd tightened; the pace of his steps grew.
The air whistled as Longwang's anchor blew through the air.
Vapour parted as he dashed towards Longwang.
Before they saw each other, their blades had already met.
Vera's halberd arched upward, smashing into the anchor that flew toward him.
A resounding boom made the air thicken.
Longwang closed the gap; his arm crashed into Vera, cracking his ribs.
The butt of Vera's halberd swung into Longwang's nose, disfiguring his face.
Both had taken serious blows, yet their momentum didn't stall.
A flurry of fists and blades; the vapour around them was tinged red and gold by their blood.
The concept of evasion was far away.
Their thoughts said the same thing.
Who would waste such a blessing by evading?
Sparks illuminated their dull surroundings. Each clash held nothing back.
The flurry of blades and fists orchestrated a deafening symphony, a rhythm graced by blood and iron.
Fierce winds shrieked as they brushed against the cliff's jagged edges.
The sun peeked over the horizon of the sage's mountain.
The Divine Scholar, First Ascender, and Vast Heavens sat at the edge of the peak; their gazes were fixed on the Jiao's domain.
"It has started," Ezra spoke with a solemn tone.
"Hm..." Dao Tian acknowledged Ezra's words as he took a sip of his liquor.
Vast Heavens looked at Dao Tian with curiosity.
"Father, why are you drinking dukuang instead of whisky?"
"I don't come down very often... The flavour of home is only in this cup. " Dao Tian responded; his tone was cold and uncaring.
Despite his reminiscence, his eyes carried no emotion.
"Why are you so unbothered? Isn't that child the warrior you chose?"
Vast Heavens laughed at his father's words.
"'Chose' is a strong word. He is one of many promising warriors I've invested in. The Longwang he is fighting is also one of the people I've selected. It doesn't matter to me if he dies here. As in the end, only the stronger warrior will emerge."
Dao Tian laid his cup down and walked to Vast Heavens.
"You know that Ezra is attached to that child, yet you speak of his death so casually. Apologise to your grandfather."
Vast Heavens turned to Ezra and bowed.
"I apologise for speaking so thoughtlessly."
Ezra walked up to Dao Tian. His hoof bit into Dao Tian's foot.
"Don't chastise him in front of others for such petty reasons. You used to be like this as well before you practised that damned technique."
"And, Long, you seem to be underestimating that child. Unlike you, I raised him through the ranks. The battle won't end as cleanly as you think it will."
Both father and son apologised to the Divine Scholar.
"By the way, Grandfather, where is Senior Bao?"
Ezra turned to face the western end of the continent; a smile grew on his face.
"He was held up. Something about christening a young Zhuyan."
The three of them watched the battle from afar.
Despite feigning disinterest, their sights were fixed on the fight.
Two domineering talents of the era were clashing at this very moment. Each carried a promise that called the attention of immortals, human and divine beasts alike.
Now only one question stood.
Who would win?