Chương 52: The Duel

Rowan Evening light lit the streets, the shadows deep and extensive. Fross and five of his juniors stood in a semi-circle around Rowan. The bronze Dragon Forge statue loomed at Rowan's back, the sun hitting its engraved eyes at just the angle to make it seem as though it were glaring at the imposing group in defiance.

"Where do you want to have our duel?" asked Rowan quietly. His heart hammered against his ribs. He was nervous but unwilling to back down. The inner disciple spread his arms.

"Here is fine."

"Forgemaster Luzon won't appreciate trouble on his doorstep." The conceited humor in the man's eyes vanished, immediately replaced with a sharp, vicious anger. His lip curled.

"What do I care for what some blind old man thinks?! He doesn't own the street!" The sound of boots hitting the ground echoed as a small crowd ran onto the scene. Princess Feathertail came slithering across the cobblestones first, with Lee in hot pursuit. Decatour and Silvester were right behind him, both trying to act like they weren't completely winded. Lavinia and Pia followed behind them, alongside nearly a dozen outer disciples.

"Rowan! Fross announced he would be dueling you today during dinner at the Food Hall," panted Lee.

"The whole sect is on their way!" Rowan's lips thinned. How had he gotten such accurate information about the forging of Rowan's sword? Lavinia's brother, again? Mortals began to close up their shops and hide in their buildings as the yellow robes of Righteous Mountain Sect filled the streets. They had arrived in droves, eager for a good show. But it wasn't just them. Even members of Halfmoon House began to appear in dozens, some alongside Rowan's sectmates and others half-hidden in the shadows.

Behind him, Master Luzon's apprentices began to stream out of Stone Dragon Refinery. Lavinia's brother stomped his way over to her and dragged her away from the other outer disciples by the wrist. They made their way back towards the steps of the refinery slowly, weaving through the sudden sea of purple and yellow robes. Rowan glanced up along the rooftop of a nearby inn where three core disciples lounged - Senior Brother Mikael, Zarian Zanathmas, and Izar Icanthus.

They even passed a comically large jar full of wine between them. The excited chatter from the disciples blanketed the cobbled streets in a wall of sound.

"I didn't realize duels with such a discrepancy in cultivation ranks were allowed! This is a barbaric display!"

"I heard that Baudelain Fross tried to call off this fight personally. He even named a charity after Helsing, but you know how those noble scions are. The more talented, the more insufferable. And this one's already forced the sect to throw a parade in his honor."

"See that girl over there? That's the Junior Sister they're fighting over - Auctioneer Bruschard's daughter."

"That weapon in Helsing's hand is the first qi sword Master Luzon has made in years. Just in time for Fross to kill him and leave with it." The crowd wasn't even whispering. They conferred with each other, as though analyzing the qualities of two mutts in a dogfighting match. Rowan spotted Uxia Nevernight with a group of disciples from Halfmoon House. She was staring at Fross with a worried frown. The inner disciple and Rowan took their places across from each other.

It looked a little overly symbolic, with Rowan standing in the shadow of the Dragon Forge statue and Fross standing in front of the flock of juniors he was supposedly mentoring. Rowan spied Ignatius amongst them. The boy's posture was stooped, miserable. He couldn't even look Rowan in the eye. An inner disciple that Rowan didn't recognize walked into the street between them.

"As a neutral party," the man proclaimed, giving Rowan a nasty glance that didn't seem very neutral, "I will officially witness this duel." Lavinia's voice sounded from the steps of the refinery, behind Rowan.

"Isn't that Barrett's best friend? How could this duel possibly be fair?"

"Haven't you done enough?" whispered Lavinia's brother.

"If you can keep your mouth shut, there's still a chance Barrett Fross will forgive your insolence. I'll help father draft another letter of betrothal and start this process over again."

"As if I would want to marry that cavorting whore!" Fross snapped at him.

"Daoist Helsing is a known cavorter," said a girl from Halfmoon House standing beside Uxia. Rowan had enough.

"Fross. You said you wanted to duel me? Let's get it over with. I have places to be." The crowd went silent and the tension started to ramp. On the sidelines, Fross's friend raised his hand. Rowan readied his sword, breathing out slowly. Fross had his hand on his hip, smirking at his buddies in the crowd. He wasn't taking this seriously at all. His attitude flamed the hatred sparking in Rowan. He doesn't see me as a real threat. Whether I live or die, I'll make him regret underestimating me.

Sensing his intent to kill, the blade of his qi sword became even colder, emanating soft winds that whispered against his knuckles. For a breath of time, no one seemed to move. Then, Fross's friend swept his arm downward.

"Begin!" Fross lifted his arm, slowly clenching his fist, the tendons in his hand bulging like he was trying to crush a stone. Ten chunks of earth ripped from the street and rose into the air. They narrowed into hard spikes and launched at Rowan. Rowan didn't hesitate. From hilt to tip, the imprints of flowers etched into the grooves of his sword bloomed in blood red as he channeled his qi through it. Wind From Eight Directions, Third Form. The Infiltrating Wind!

His sword sliced deftly through the air as he executed the Third Form. Winds wailed around him and shot outward in thin lances. The earthen spikes didn't slow, but small holes shot through the spikes, destabilizing them and causing them to crumble in the air. Rowan threw his forearm over his eyes as small rocks peppered him. The crowd began their speculation.

"What kind of technique did Junior Brother Helsing just use? Wind? How rare. Wonder where he found it."

"Wind isn't an element. It's very hard to master. See how he did all that twirling, yet the sword technique was unable to even push the spikes away. Arts outside of the five elements and six polarities are simply not worthwhile to practice."

"Incorrect. Remember the power difference between them. Any technique that lets a second layer cultivator counter a fourth layer cultivator is incredible." Rowan gritted his teeth, shutting the buzz of the onlookers out of his mind. He couldn't afford to get distracted. He needed to close the gap between them. Good thing he had a qi sword. Rowan tossed his sword into the air. It wobbled in the air as Rowan tried to direct it with his Divine Sense. The sword resisted the link for just a moment, and then stilled.

The sword turned to point at Fross and then tore through the air, many times faster than Rowan could have thrown it. Fross raised his arm leisurely, pulling the cobbles off the street to form a wall of stones, only for the sword to rip through it, shattering them into chunks of ricocheting rock. A fist-sized fragment whistled past the "neutral" witness, slicing the sleeve of his robe.

Fross stepped back, dodging the flying sword, and raised more cobblestones into another solid wall between them, blocking him from view. Rowan's sword hung in the air above the wall, but not because Rowan could no longer see him. Rowan pushed off the ground with a running leap. A foot met the top of the wall, and he vaulted himself up and over with a flip. He grabbed the waiting sword out of the air, borrowing his momentum to slash downwards furiously at his opponent.

Fross's eyes widened in shock at the sudden attack. He skidded back several feet, and the slash missed him narrowly. Sparks flew as Rowan's sword glanced off the shattered rocks on the road as he landed on the ground right in front of the inner disciple. Rowan followed forward with a lunging stab. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Fross ducked with a sharp intake of breath and backpedalled. Rowan chased him down, slashing.

The man hadn't been ready for such a quick series of attacks. When Fross finally outranged Rowan's reach, he clapped his hands with a snarl. The echo resounded off the faces of the buildings that surrounded them. Rowan's footing shook as the ground rumbled. Cursing, he embedded a Spring Sprout with half the volume of his Qi Sea into his sword, and the sword flew off. He didn't bother throwing another Spring Spout at Fross himself.

The technique was expensive, and it would be slower than the sword - and he hadn't managed to hit his opponent even with the element of surprise. If the sword could just graze Fross, Rowan was sure he would see the man bleed. Fross's gaze swapped between Rowan and the sword, unsure of where to focus his attention. If he focused on Rowan, the sword could perform a sneak attack. If he focused on the sword, the cultivator would make a move. Rowan took advantage of the momentary hesitation.

A glowing green light ventured from his fingertips as he sent a weak Germination in Fross's direction. Barrett Fross laughed. He met the seed of qi with his hand. A ring on his forefinger glowed as it absorbed the attack. The qi sword had launched at the same time. Fross spun, drawing his own sword with a brandish, but it was just a piece of mortal steel. The tip of Rowan's sword met the face of the other blade, shattering it and then piercing through Fross's shoulder, with no resistance at all.

"Peck him, Assistant Helsing! And spit into his wounds!" The blade had been forged and named by Rowan, imbued with his will and dao path - even without any conscious prompting or directing, it followed his will. The second the blade sliced into flesh, it released Spring Sprout. Fross cried out as he stumbled to his knees, curling over himself in pain. His Qi Sea fluctuated wildly. The sword Rowan had named Promise swung around and landed in his grasp once more. His blood raced in his veins.

This was his opportunity to end the duel. His opponent's qi was disturbed. It would be hard for Fross to cast any spells. Rowan did not hesitate. Evening light gleamed along the blade's sharp edge as Rowan swung at his opponent's neck with all of his strength. Rowan saw the flash of a smile. Boom! Rowan was flung back as the ground beneath him detonated. A bomb? Had Fross booby trapped the street in advance? Just as he thought the inner disciple couldn't go any lower…

"That Fross guy knew he'd be fighting here so he dug up the cobblestones and planted explosive talismans beneath them," came the voice of Zarian Zanathmas from the rooftops, who Rowan could hear perfectly despite the distance.

"Or maybe he made his juniors do it for him."

"Impressive," Izar drawled coldly.

"Practicing the infamous Vast Mountain Sealing Sutra while having a D-Grade Qi Sea? I'm shocked the half-wit is sane enough to blink his eyes, let alone plot something in advance." Fross glared up at the core disciples. He might have shouted at them, but he continued to clutch his shoulder. Rowan picked himself up slowly. His hair fell around him, the white ribbon he'd tied his hair up with slipping off his head. D-Grade Qi Sea? Rowan repeated faintly in his mind.

He'd been baffled as to why Fross had bothered to plant explosives when the man was so much more powerful than him. It seemed… paranoid. Knowing of the Fross madness, and now of his weak foundation, maybe the inner disciple was simply used to cheating, and did it today, against Rowan, out of sheer habit.

"I underestimated you," he hissed, his voice strained and low.

"Not any more. I'll give you the honor of dying inside my family's Vast Mountain Sealing Sutra." He stuffed a handful of pills in his mouth and swallowed them. Before Rowan could even take a single step, a pyramid of earth erupted from the ground, sealing him inside of it. Darkness. It was so pitch-black that Rowan couldn't see the walls around him. Qi pressed down. All around him, he felt crushing pressure. He gasped out a breath, coughing a splatter of blood onto the ground.

The qi was stronger than anything he had ever faced before. Stronger than Daoist Apex. Stronger than the matron. A fire burning out and joining the world. Metal which arose from the compacted ground. These were the neighboring elements. Wood decaying into the soil. Water was entrapped within it. Those were its enemies. A Greater Yin Earth technique. This qi was going to crush him to death. Rowan was brought to his knees, unable to fight the pressure even an inch.

He could hear Fross laughing wildly beyond the walls and the crowd's shouting. He dug the tip of his sword into the ground, forcing himself to his feet. He could feel the Dao Marks within his Qi Sea pulse. They cried out for the Greater Yin Earth qi that surged over him. Rowan wasn't exactly sure what the two Dao Marks inside of him represented. He couldn't find them in any books he had access to. But, they had been part of the Twin Earth Cage Formation. A formation meant to keep things inside.

And wasn't that the purpose of this Vast Mountain Sealing Sutra? To keep him inside? To crush him? As a last ditch effort, he tried to direct his sword to pierce through the wall. He couldn't see his sword, but he could feel it. He could feel Promise struggling on the ground like a bird with broken wings, trying desperately to obey but unable to. If he absorbed the Greater Yin Earth qi to grind it down, the way he'd done with the Twin Earth Cage Formation, he knew his two Dao Marks would drink in the power.

The delicate balance of his Supreme Five Element Physique might tip over. But maybe he didn't have a choice. Rowan let out a breath and began absorbing the qi into him. His Qi Sea flooded with Greater Yin Earth qi. A raw scream left his throat as his organs began to burst inside of him from the crushing pressure. His vision swam black. He didn't stop. Thump thump thump. The Forgegod Spirit Root beat in his spiritual system, refining the qi into his twin Earth Dao Marks. They grew stronger. Stronger. Stronger.

Rowan's head snapped up, pupils constricting. A flash of insight struck him. He thought of the two corpses huddled together in Blackscale Cove. Initially, he and Blaise assumed the formation had been set up to keep outsiders from disturbing the pair. That wasn't the case. He knew it in his blood and bones. The formation had been drawn after the Flood Dragon realized that she would die. Her Water Essence would outlive her, she knew. She needed to bind it.

Suppress it to protect the innocent locals from its destructive, primal instincts - to bury it in a grave, to contain it, until it naturally dissipated on its own. He suddenly understood the meaning of the twin Earth Dao Marks in his Qi Sea. They weren't opposites, but a pair: Suppression, and Containment. Two paths of Binding Earth. A crack in the ground that could hold water long after the rains had gone. Slowly, the crushing qi waned. Rowan forced himself up as his organs repaired themselves.

His eyes gleamed, hot and fierce. His qi sword cried out with new strength. That was because… Rowan's cultivation had hit the peak of the second layer. Before this, he hadn't been close to a breakthrough. It would've taken him dozens, if not over a hundred, spirit stones to bridge the gap. But absorbing this qi, along with the hint of insight into the dao that he had received, had caused his cultivation to rise dramatically. He siphoned the last of the Greater Yin Earth qi.

His Qi Sea roiled unstably, when suddenly - The twin Earth Dao Marks lit up. The pyramid of earth surrounding him shattered. The darkness broke apart, evening light filtering over Rowan. He breathed in ragged breaths. He had broken through to the third layer of Qi Condensation. So much qi - he was sure this Vast Mountain Sealing Sutra was similar to his Germination, where it took incredible amounts of qi to cast properly. That must be why Fross had stalled for so long before using it. Rowan let out a harsh laugh.

He had survived the ultimate attack from a fourth layer cultivator. He hadn't even used that much qi yet. Not that it mattered anymore. After breaking through, his Qi Sea was completely full again. The crowd stared at him with various looks of shock and disbelief. Some, even, with fear. Fross glared at him, breathing as heavily as Rowan, his hair sweaty and sticking to his face. The wavering light in his eyes oscillated wildly.

"Helsing!" Fross roared.

"What kind of abomination are you? A demon? Maybe it takes a demon to kill a demon?!" Rowan bared his bloody teeth. His body was in motion before he even consciously realized it. The sword was even faster and smoother than usual, like the fin of a shark cutting through water. His Infiltrating Wind attack produced a gust of wind that knocked the inner disciple off balance. Cuts appeared all over his face and body. Fross did not hesitate.

He pulled out a black paper talisman with an intricate series of red characters glowing on it.

"A demonic talisman," murmured Izar, intrigued.

"Isn't that a Talisman of a Thousand Nights?" countered Zarian.

"It's not demonic—well, it's technically demonic, but there are levels to—" At Rowan's wrist, the bead of conviction on his rosary suddenly warmed. Demonic cultivation! A sharp grin cut across his face. Just as Fross was about to release the talisman, Rowan soared forward, his sword Promise in hand. [Chanda] A deep tone resonated through the street. The road split beneath Fross's feet - a spiderweb of cracks expanding outwards until they reached the far edges of the crowd. The earth rippled.

A dozen hidden bombs detonated, adding to the spectacle. The man screamed, unable to move, bound in place by forces beyond his comprehension. A few chunks of earth hung suspended in the air above him, frozen. Shrieks rang out as the crowd scrambled back. Rowan's grin widened. In the red of the evening, as he closed the distance between them, Fross's terrified face shone across the blade. The sword pierced through his outstretched fingers, burying into his beating heart.