Chapter 10: Chapter Ten: The Grand Tournament

Luo Shan had never lived in such a luxurious room; even before his parents were taken, Ai Mi Duo De Town had never seen such high‑end housing. A five‑story building, with corridors adorned with beast heads, murals and armor, rooms resplendent in gold and jade, and a huge soft velvet mattress—each was something he had never seen before.

Just after waking, the servants had already pushed in a silver food cart; a small golden basin held clear water scented with rose petals and a pink‑white towel. A quick wipe of his face instantly refreshed him. New clothes, shoes, socks were all ready from head to toe. Luo Shan felt the sunlight streaming through the half‑open window on his face and thought everything was so wonderful.

He still had Qin Yan on his mind, so after hurriedly changing clothes he rushed out of the room. Yet the houses of Luo Fu Gu De Villa were so massive and labyrinthine that after only a few steps he became hopelessly lost.

"Anyone there?" The servants who had just crowded at the doorway were now nowhere to be found. Luo Shan shouted bewilderedly a few times, but no one answered. With no other choice, he kept walking down the corridor. After much effort he found a staircase, went down one level, only to discover he had entered an even larger maze.

Qin Yan, where could she be? The Viscount Luo Fu Gu De had clearly said last night that their rooms were close, yet why had he walked so far without meeting a single servant?

He walked another few dozen steps forward, turned a corner, and a broad swath of sunlight suddenly flashed into his eyes.

It was the doorway. Luo Shan thought with joy, quickened his pace, and headed for the open door. The azure sky reappeared, together with a wide meadow. Dozens of people in cloth robes gathered here, pairing off to practice their spells, occasional flashes of light cutting the sky. Most of them were only low‑ to mid‑level "disciple" cultivators, and their spells were modest, yet the sight of dozens casting simultaneously was still quite spectacular.

A little farther away stood a huge wooden platform, on which two swordsmen were dueling. Their exchange was fierce. Below the platform a crowd of over a hundred people surrounded them; some were clearly the villa's servants, some were warriors in mail waists with long swords, and a few were mages wielding long staffs, all pointing and commenting on the duel. On the north side of the platform were dozens of gold‑lacquered wooden chairs; seated in the very center was Viscount Luo Fu Gu De, holding a silver cup and smiling at him. Beside the Viscount stood a girl in white dress and blouse, pouting—she was not Qin Yan, but who was she?

Luo Shan felt a surge of excitement, pushed through the spell‑casting mages, and hurried to the platform. Qin Yan also saw him, but only gave a slight smile, gesturing for him to sit beside her. As soon as Luo Shan sat down, a servant brought a sweet honey wine and a fruit platter. He casually picked a grape, found it sweet and refreshing, almost surpassing all the delicacies he had ever tasted.

"Today is the semi‑annual estate tournament," Qin Yan whispered, explaining. "Our villa holds a competition each year, judged by swordsmanship or spellcraft; the ultimate winner receives a prize of one hundred gold coins. The warriors' contest is already halfway through; the one in the red helmet on the stage is Si La Ke Li, the other is Xie Fei Er De, who has already won four rounds. I've wagered twenty silver coins on Xie Fei Er De—do you want to try as well?"

"Me?" Luo Shan laughed. "I don't have any silver coins." "That's fine, I have money," Qin Yan said, pulling out a small pouch. "Here, take it—four gold coins total, I'm giving you two, which is equivalent to sixty silver coins. Take them and play."

"I'll return the money when I win," Luo Shan took the gold coins, saying sheepishly. Since entering Luo Fu Gu De Villa, he had grown accustomed to the lavishness of wealthy families and felt a surge of inferiority. Now Qin Yan insisted on giving him money, and he felt oddly uneasy. "Qin Yan, did you bet on the one wearing the green helmet?"

"Yes," Qin Yan smiled. "Unfortunately you arrived late and missed this round; otherwise, betting on Xie Fei Er De would have earned a small profit. Look, he still holds the advantage; Slark won't be defeated for long, right?"

"Not necessarily."

However, Luo Shan examined the two on the stage and shook his head. Though he didn't understand swordsmanship, the magical power was strong, so his eyes were sharp. The swordsman called Si La Ke, though blocked left and right and seemed outmatched, kept a steady gait, and each thrust was perfectly timed. Xie Fei Er De, while launching relentless attacks and seeming to dominate, could not break the opponent's defense, and several times almost got injured by Si La Ke's counter‑strikes. Thanks to his swift movements, he remained unharmed, and most of the audience failed to notice his peril, assuming Xie Fei Er De was in the lead. After watching a while longer, Luo Shan became even more convinced that Si La Ke was deliberately feigning weakness, waiting for Xie Fei Er De to expose a flaw from his fierce assault, then launching a full‑scale counterattack to defeat his opponent in one blow!

"Xie Fei Er De is about to lose," he whispered.

"How could that be?" Qin Yan exclaimed, staring at the stage. At that moment, the silent Viscount Luo Fu Gu De suddenly turned his head, looking at Luo Shan, his eyes full of approving smile.

Almost simultaneously, the situation on the stage shifted: Xie Fei Er De's rapid assault was entirely blocked by Si La Ke, whose swordplay grew uneasy. Seizing the chance, Si La Ke thrust a sword straight at Xie Fei Er De's face. Xie Fei Er De stepped back, barely dodging, but his footing became unsteady; Si La Ke pressed forward, delivering three consecutive swords, each step forward. Xie Fei Er De struggled to defend, retreating step by step; when the third sword came, his right foot slipped, landing on the edge of the platform. With no escape, Si La Ke's sword struck his chest; his face turned ashen, he stood mute for a moment, let out a long sigh, and his long sword clanged to the ground.

The audience gasped in amazement; they hadn't expected Si La Ke, after being on the back foot for so long, to land a decisive blow and defeat the four‑round winning Xie Fei Er De. Qin Yan glanced at Luo Shan and coquettishly said, "Well, my twenty silver coins are lost."

Luo Shan forced a bitter smile. "Losing is no use; I'll have to bet more accurately next time. By the way, who are the two fighters in the next round?" "There aren't many swordsmen this year; the final round is imminent," Qin Yan replied. "Since Si La Ke just won, this round will be him against Rui Ge."

As they spoke, the two combatants for the final round already stepped onto the platform. Rui Ge was a towering brute, wielding a sword a half‑length longer and broader than ordinary longswords, a relic from ancient times. Only someone of his massive build could wield such a weapon; for an ordinary person merely holding it would be exhausting. In contrast, Si La Ke was much slimmer, and though he was relatively unknown in Luo Fu Gu De Villa, despite having defeated several opponents in the tournament, including the highly‑favoured champion Xie Fei Er De, most people thought his victories were merely luck. Facing the powerhouse Rui Ge, almost everyone expected him to lose, flooding bets on Rui Ge's side. At one point, nearly thirty gold coins were wagered on Rui Ge, while the other side had a pitiful three or four.

"Luo Shan, who do you think will win this time?" Qin Yan took out the pouch, a glittering gold coin dancing between her fingers. "Where you bet, I'll follow."

"I haven't seen Rui Ge fight, so I can't tell who's stronger," Luo Shan said sheepishly, smiling. "But I think Si La Ke is impressive; when he faced Xie Fei Er De, he kept his composure, waiting until the opponent was exhausted before counter‑attacking. On that basis, I think he could win the competition."

"Really?" Qin Yan widened her eyes. "Then let's bet on Si La Ke to win, okay?"

"I was already planning to bet that way, you don't have to follow me. Rui Ge is obviously immensely strong; he might crush Si La Ke outright."

"No, I trust you," Qin Yan smiled, tossing the gold coin. "One gold coin on Si La Ke to win." Then Luo Shan mimicked her, tossing his coin. "One gold coin on Si La Ke." The steward managing the bets came over, picked up the coins, looking a bit surprised. Si La Ke on the stage also glanced over subconsciously, his eyes showing gratitude.

In an instant, the battle began.

Sure enough, Rui Ge immediately exploited his massive strength, swinging his huge sword like a raging wind. Si La Ke, lacking comparable power, avoided direct confrontation, merely dodging and occasionally parrying, but each time he was shaken by Rui Ge's overwhelming force and forced to retreat several steps. Qin Yan grew anxious, instinctively gripping Luo Shan's hand, shouting, "Luo Shan, it's bad, Si La Ke is going to lose!"

Luo Shan watched from the audience, his mind clear. Rui Ge's advantage lay in his gigantic body and extraordinary strength, making each strike capable of cleaving mountains, impossible to block. Yet such ferocious offense meant his defense was correspondingly weak; the massive sword was heavy, and after a strike Rui Ge could not instantly recover. In those gaps, Si La Ke could exploit the opponent's defensive flaw and turn defeat into victory.

However, it was easier said than done to withstand Rui Ge's attacks and find a chance to counter; Si La Ke was already struggling to defend, and even if he saw Rui Ge's weakness, he might lack the strength to strike back. Luo Shan grew impatient. After watching so long, he realized Rui Ge's weak point was his back; if Si La Ke could use his mobility to attack from behind, success was possible. Yet he was merely a spectator, unable to speak out, lest Si La Ke would have already won.

A sudden thought struck him: although this is a principle of swordsmanship, isn't it the same for magic? When mages duel, the basic tactic is to concentrate magical power into a beam for a strike, and form barriers for protection. But if one can control one's magic, find a flaw in the opponent's defense or attack, and concentrate all power on a single point, isn't that a one‑hit kill? The logic mirrors swordsmanship, seemingly different but essentially identical.

Just as in warfare, when heavy cavalry and infantry engage the enemy head‑on, sending a light cavalry unit to flank from the side and rear can break the formation; this principle is common, yet few consider it in mage duels.

While Luo Shan wrestled with the magical theory, the situation on the wooden platform reversed again: Si La Ke seemed to have identified Rui Ge's weakness, just as Luo Shan predicted, and began dodging to Rui Ge's back, seeking an opening to strike. At this moment, Rui Ge's massive sword became a burden, nearly stabbing him several times. Enraged, Rui Ge roared, and when his long sword struck down, its force split the thick wooden platform, embedding deep into the timber. He was shocked, unable to pull it out. Si La Ke let out a clear whistle, swung his long sword gracefully, and pointed it at Rui Ge's throat. Thus, even with his brute strength, Rui Ge could only sheathe his sword and concede.

The audience erupted again; even Xie Fei Er De was stunned that the mighty Rui Ge fell to Si La Ke's blade. Most swordsmen, aware of Rui Ge's legendary power, praised Si La Ke's clever victory. The mages, however, were largely dismissive, arguing that swordsmanship and magic differ greatly; even an average mage could easily defeat a skilled swordsman, and only swordsmen of very high level could match magic in speed and power. Yet such swordsmen are rare. Though Si La Ke had won repeatedly, many mages believed they could defeat him. At that moment, Viscount Luo Fu Gu De cleared his throat and announced loudly.

"The swordsmen's contest has ended; the winner is Si La Ke‑Li. The prize is one hundred gold coins, to be collected from the treasury after the mage division concludes. Now, I declare the mage division competition begins!"

But then, from not far away, a long laugh rang out.

"Viscount, since I have arrived, may I ask that the mage division's contest be postponed for a moment?"

Everyone present exchanged puzzled looks; Viscount Luo Fu Gu De frowned, instinctively stood up. Luo Shan's mind suddenly thundered with a sound he would never forget.

Mingguang!