A Well-Matched Opponent

(3.15, the second review failed again, leading straight to a full tribunal. I passed out from revising the draft. Meanwhile, a bunch of apocalypse-themed novels next door seem to get a free pass—what’s up with that?)

Su Qi’s drowsy eyes snapped awake in an instant.

The air trembled with a sharp, piercing shriek.

A blade sliced through the night, leaving behind ghostly afterimages.

Before the metallic hum of the blade faded, Su Qi had already flipped a card into activation.

A crackling azure flash, like arcing electricity, took barely half a moment to materialize into the faint outline of a sword in Su Qi’s hand.

[Card Name: Earth’s Harmonic Seal]

[Type: Illusion]

[Rarity: Primordial]

[Energy Tier: ? (Tier 1)]

[Description: The very earth humanity treads upon will sing praises when His gaze falls upon it.]

[Special Skills: Morning Dew’s Grace / Shattered Land / Soaring Kites and Dancing Warblers / Thunder and Judgment / Snow-Clad Lament]

[A portion of ‘World’s Power’ can be actively wielded by the bearer. Alternatively, it will autonomously block one fatal strike at the cost of imposing a stacking debuff. To dispel it, the bearer must complete an ‘amusing’ task as ‘equivalent exchange.’]

Truth be told, Su Qi really didn’t want to fight.

As mentioned earlier, Su Qi had spent three months crafting a total of four cards:

One cultivation manual—[Heaven’s Forged Chord]

One passive defense—[Earth’s Harmonic Seal]

One single-target nuke—[Tidal Moonfall]

One AoE wipe—[Mountain and Starfire]

And yet, they were utterly useless.

Not because the cards were weak.

In fact, each one was more absurd than the last.

As for the displayed Tier 1 energy rating, Su Qi suspected it wasn’t some pretentious flex—just that the cards required only Tier 1 energy expenditure to achieve what humans would deem ‘impossible.’

So, what was the catch?

Complete an ‘amusing’ task.

Not every assignment would be as lucky as the last one—flirting with a 160cm girl.

What if the next task was: ‘Publicly share your browser history with every contact’?

Su Qi would like to see you handle that.

But in this moment, hesitation wasn’t an option.

Survive first, worry about browser history later.

The killing intent radiating from the assailant wasn’t even concealed.

They wanted Su Qi dead.

The sword flashed like lightning, surging like furious tides.

It clashed with the descending blade behind Su Qi.

A rapid series of clangs rang out, sparks blooming like ephemeral night-blooming flowers. The scorching shockwave curled the strands of hair on Su Qi’s forehead.

Then came a violent whirlwind of displaced air, sending debris and foliage spiraling into the sky from the aftermath of the clash.

The sword tip quivered, and with a thunderous roar, it sent the enemy’s blade flying several meters back.

Only then did Su Qi get a chance to see who had attacked.

But the opponent seemed intent on staying hidden.

Under the moonlight, all Su Qi could make out was a shadowy figure shrouded in a black cloak.

“Intel was wrong?”

The voice was deliberately hushed, genderless.

Su Qi detected no trace of panic or fear—just puzzlement.

So, what was this person here for?

Why strike suddenly?

Hired by the Yun family? Surely they wouldn’t go this far?

Or was the target Li Hu or one of the students he brought along?

Su Qi didn’t bother asking.

Even if they answered, it’d likely be half-truths meant to mislead.

The only certainty was that the attacker was Tier 7—a top-tier one at that, bordering on Tier 8.

That clean parry just now? It drained half of Su Qi’s soul force in an instant.

Fighting a Tier 7 as a Tier 6 and holding back?

Suicidal much?

Of course, Su Qi still had a last resort, but that was a scenario best avoided.

Yet the enemy didn’t press the attack either. What were they thinking?

They—

Their sword arm was seared as if struck by lightning, the pain bone-deep, nearly knocking them unconscious.

What were they thinking?

They wanted to run.

They could block two strikes at most. The third would be fatal.

But turning their back now meant certain death.

And so, the two stood locked in a stalemate, each lost in their own calculations.