Severing Time & Space

Accepting a Loss

With her loved ones cheering for her, Wu Meiying could not stop herself from smiling as she walked to the center of the stage.

“Your friends are quite enthusiastic,” Zhou Lihua said. Even her voice was beautiful and lilting.

Wu Meiying smiled brightly. “Yes, they are. But you’re mistaken about our relationship.”

“Oh?”

“Jian is the man I am going to marry in the future, and Hou Jingshu is going to become my sister when she marries him too,” Wu Meiying said proudly.

“So you are both engaged to Wu Jian? I suppose it is natural to be engaged at this age, but aren’t you a little young to be thinking about marriage?”

“Not at all. Marrying Jian has been my dream for as long as I can remember.”

Even if she didn’t understand why her feelings for him were so powerful, it did not change how she felt. Wu Jian had been with her for as long as she could remember. He was her light in the darkness, her bastion and haven. She only felt comfortable and save when in his presence.

That was all that mattered to her.

“So I see. Well, far be it for me to try and talk you out of achieving your dream. I am actually very envious of you for feeling so strongly about something. Now, let us instead enjoy a good battle together.”

“Yes! I’m looking forward to learning from you!”

Wu Meiying knew this girl was strong. She was easily the strongest competitor in this competition. Defeating her was not going to be an easy task. That was why Wu Meiying was so excited for this battle. She wanted to see how far she had come, and how far she could go.

Zhou Lihua and Wu Meiying got into position as a Zhou Clan elder came up to serve as their referee. He had them bow to the audience, to him, then to each other. This was a tradition cultivations across the continent had done since ancient times. No one remembered when this form of bowing had become commonplace, but Wu Meiying had a feeling she knew and just forgot.

“And… begin!”

Wu Meiying rushed forward the moment the fight began, spinning her body around on the balls of her feet as she closed the distance and launched a powerful kick. Zhou Lihua did not dodge. She raised her leg and caught the kick on her shin, then shifted her leg and redirected the attack to the side. As Wu Meiying stumbled, Zhou Lihua grabbed the hand she stretched out to reclaim her balance and tried to toss her, but Wu Meiying twisted her body and landed with her feet on the ground, legs bent and body parallel to the arena floor.

They were still connected via their hands, and while Wu Meiying was not in an advantageous position, she used the strength in her arms, legs, and core to counter throw Zhou Lihua. The other girl flew through the air. However, just like Wu Meiying, she landed on her feet.

That was just the opening act. The two quickly traded blows one after the other. Wu Meiying’s style relied primarily on kicks and throws, and it seemed Zhou Lihua had a similar style of fighting, though her attacks were far more aggressive and she launched more punches. Wu Meiying’s style was based on predicting her opponent’s and counterattacking. Her opponent’s style was all about maintaining the initiative by launching a barrage of powerful attacks, then going for a grapple when her opponent least expected it.

Wu Meiying was impressed by Zhou Lihua’s talent. She was exceptionally skilled and powerful. At a guess, Wu Meiying would have said her opponent was a little stronger than she was. Of course, Zhou Lihua was also older than her by several years, so anyone else would have said that it was natural for her to be stronger.

“You’re… huff huff… really good…” Wu Meiying complimented as they separated.

Zhou Lihua smiled even as her chest heaved with every breath she took. “You’re not… so bad… yourself.”

“I hope you don’t think I’ll lose… to you.”

“Hmph. I don’t intend to lose either.”

Zhou Lihua really was talented. That was good, very good. Wu Meiying didn’t know what role this woman would play, but she knew the talented young clan heiress would become important to her, Wu Jian, and Hou Jingshu. This battle was not only a good opportunity to test herself, but a chance to test Zhou Lihua, to see if she had what it took to stand beside them.

The two remained in place for one second, then threw themselves at each other again. Their feet flew as they launched low and high kicks at a rapid-fire pace. Each attack was countered by their opponent. The sharp thud of impacting feet echoed across the arena.

She really is strong! Not even Jian’s kicks hit so hard.

Every attack Wu Meiying blocked rattled her bones. She could already feel her arms becoming numb.

She switched things up, relying on her advanced perceptions to avoid attacks instead of take them. She couldn’t predict the future mid combat, but she could tell how her opponent would attack by the twitching of their limbs. Yet even with this advantage, several punches and kicks still slipped through.

Wu Meiying leapt into the air, performing a backflip, which she used the momentum of to kick at Zhou Lihua’s face. The attack would have taken a normal person out. Zhou Lihua simply moved back to avoid it, then launched a high kick at the still airborne Wu Meiying.

“You’re wide open!” Zhou Lihua shouted.

“Hmph! Says you!”

Wu Meiying snorted as she met the girl’s kick with one of her own. Of course, because she was airborne, her kick lacked any power, but her intention was not to meet power with power, force with force. She used the other girl’s attack to throw herself higher into the air, flipped around, and landed on the arena several meters away.

“I had no idea you were so skilled at acrobatics,” Zhou Lihua said as she raced forward, her veil fluttering about and revealing a hint of beautiful red lips. “But being able to jump around like a rabbit won’t save you from me.”

“A rabbit, huh? I guess that’d make me a rabbit goddess.”

Wu Meiying met Zhou Lihua’s attacks head on without a hint of hesitation. Their clash reverberated around the dead silent arena.