A human shadow came crashing through the wall, falling amidst the dust. Since she was not wearing a skirt, it was not San Zhenghe.
Even as his body slid back from the blows, Li Changan's mind remained lucid. His fingers dug into the ground, stopping his momentum as San Zhenghe leapt through the breach.
Though the strain on his arm muscles was immense.
Had San Zhenghe not pursued him immediately, Li Changan might have preferred to slide a bit more; but with her already upon him, intent on dealing a fatal blow, he had no choice but to regain control of his body. Unchecked sliding was suicidal.
"You really are strong," Li Changan said, licking his split lips. The wound came from the backswing of San Zhenghe’s blade.
"So are you," San Zhenghe held her swords at the ready, a wariness in her expression that Li Changan had not seen when she faced other opponents. She bore a bloody gash on her shoulder, left there during Li Changan's first sneak attack.
A shard of rock the size of a palm was embedded three centimeters into her shoulder bone. Had she not deliberately collided with it in the split second available, it would have pierced her heart instead.
Li Changan crouched low, arms dangling. His gaze was cold and empty of human emotion. San Zhenghe saw not even her own reflection in those eyes, only a singular desire.
"Why won't you talk to me? I just have some questions I want to ask you," San Zhenghe said, holding her sword defensively across her body.
Li Changan hunkered down further. Though seemingly a submissive posture, San Zhenghe's hackles rose immediately - it was the hunting stance of a wild beast.
"If I'm still alive later, ask me then," Li Changan said, his form vanishing instantly from San Zhenghe's sight.
Now San Zhenghe was certain Li Changan had grown even stronger since their last encounter, his speed astonishing. She could barely keep up. Out in the open, she found herself at a disadvantage.
Without needing to think, San Zhenghe slashed again and again at the empty air around her, each swing faster than the last. In ten seconds at most she could blanket the area in an impenetrable web of sword trails.
Yet she did not unleash her full prowess. At the last moment she left an opening - a hole that led straight to her heart.
Set out bait to lure the beast. Deliberate vulnerability surely hid deceit, but she meant to provoke Li Changan, force him to reveal himself. Her abilities were best suited to counterattack, to methodically slay her opponent while bunkered down.
You want me dead, but there is only one path that leads to my heart. Will you strike or hold back? Be a reckless gambler or a spineless coward!
A stone came hurtling at San Zhenghe’s chest. Even as he unleashed the projectile Li Changan remained invisible, moving too swiftly for San Zhenghe to track.
“Couldn’t resist, could you?” San Zhenghe smiled as she shattered the stone with her blade. It was the contemptuous smile of one who sits high above, long since schooled in regal mannerisms from repeated exposure.
An enraged beast loses all reason. And a mindless beast is easily dispatched.
The stone fragments pelted San Zhenghe like rain. Unperturbed, she raised her sword and cut them from the air, an obvious ploy already attempted during their first clash. Not only was it ineffective against her, it left even more trails for her to exploit.
No, if it were useless he would not resort to the same trick.
Damnit! San Zhenghe ignored the tempting gap she had deliberately left undefended, whirling to find Li Changan soundlessly poised behind her, palm already halfway through the screen of sword trails, aimed at her heart.
“How did you get past my blade paths!” San Zhenghe exclaimed in shock. Borrowing momentum from her turn, she slashed upward without hesitation.
“Because I memorized where each of your strikes landed!” Li Changan plunged his fist through her defenses towards San Zhenghe’s face, then hastily pulled back to evade her riposte. The sword tip did no more than split the skin of his arm.
The heavy blow to her face assured San Zhenghe of a broken nose, and likely hairline fractures across her cheekbone. Still she did not retreat an inch, stubbornly guarding the increasingly unreliable sanctum of her sword paths.
Wiping the blood from her face, San Zhenghe regarded Li Changan coldly. “So you memorized where each of my blows landed?”
"That’s right.” Li Changan was in no hurry to resume his attack either, the all-out blitz having drained much stamina. He would not complain if she insisted on wasting time taunting him.
“Finding openings smaller than a finger width amidst the dense criss-cross of my sword trails, your battle instincts exceed any I’ve witnessed. You have an astounding gift for combat," San Zhenghe said sincerely, never one to stint on praise even for her opponent.
The corner of Li Changan's mouth turned up slightly. “How interesting, that you’re not rushing to kill me but have time to admire my talents. You seem less a trial-taker than a martial arts fanatic seeking enlightenment.”
“You’re half right,” San Zhenghe sheathed her weapon as her aura intensified dramatically. “I did not come here for the trial. Yet my purpose differs from pursuing martial breakthroughs as well. You were an unexpected bonus, rousing my interest to experiment with an alternative battle approach.”
Damnit! Without hesitation Li Changan turned to flee. From the eruption of her energy, he was certain this woman wielded more than one Meta ability, and the one she had just unleashed was exceptionally formidable.
“Too late,” San Zhenghe shook her head. In an instant her sword was drawn...
Yet nothing happened. Shocked, San Zhenghe sensed the strange muting of her ability's output, as if muffled by cobwebs. Then her gaze fell upon the gloves now adorning Li Changan’s hands - absent during their first clash!
A thoughtless rogue would shun unnecessary encumbrances that might hamper him. So there was something special about those gloves. And his Meta ability likely strengthened attributes across the board.
Able to hamper my talent’s activation...the gloves must hold the secret. A 'Gift from Heaven', and he managed to secure this trial ground's hidden ace!
San Zhenghe hesitated over whether to give chase. His gloves' potency was unknown; she would be in danger, her full powers suppressed.
Could he be dual talented? But if he had a second ability, why hasn't he used it already!
No, if there were another talent he would have employed it by now!
What astounding intuition and reflexes, yet ultimately bounded by the limits of an [All-Round Enhancement]. Your destiny was sealed from the outset.
San Zhenghe sighed, abandoning thoughts of continued pursuit. Of everyone she had encountered since entering the trial grounds, Li Changan alone could engage her interest. Not even Charles compared. She felt sympathy for the weak, especially those struggling desperately to improve their station, defying the fate allocated to them yet still clinging to hopes of a miracle.
The meek deserved respect. These reckless souls gambling their lives on a chance to rise above their ordained lot - their bitter destiny was already writ.
“A pitiable life. Pitiable, all of it.” Turning away, San Zhenghe had barely taken two steps when her Meta ability surged to full potency once more.
Only thirty seconds duration?
Glancing back towards Li Changan’s retreating figure, San Zhenghe was tempted to give chase but restrained herself repeatedly.
“Go illuminate your brightest flare before burning out. My hand is not worthy of snuffing out such dazzling radiance. Alas, a sad ending was prescribed for you. But let your fleeting sparks at least shimmer brilliantly across the water!”