Sorry but I only accept female disciples!

*clak* *clak* In a private arena, four women are fighting against each other, the noises of battles echoing in the air.

Long Yue quickly ducked under Chen Zin’s slash, the wooden blade grazing the tips of her hair. "Oh, that was close," she said with a teasing chuckle, her golden eyes twinkling with amusement.

Chen Zin smirked, resetting her stance. "Don’t get too confident, Yue. I’m just warming up."

With a quick step forward, she brought her sword down in a sharp, controlled arc.

Long Yue sidestepped smoothly, her movements as fluid as water and the air hummed with the sound of the wooden blade slicing through it.

"Warming up? Is that what you call almost missing entirely?" she teased, spinning gracefully on her heel and countering with a quick thrust toward Chen Zin’s midsection.

Chen Zin twisted her body just in time, deflecting the strike with her own wooden sword.

*clak* The clash echoed in the training hall as the two women exchanged blows.

"Not bad," Chen Zin stepped back and feinted to the right before lunging to the left, aiming for Long Yue’s shoulder.

Long Yue barely managed to bring her sword up in time, the wooden blades colliding with a sharp crack.

She grinned, her arms straining slightly under the force of the attack. "You’re stronger than you look, Zin," she said, pushing back and creating a small distance between them.

The two women circled each other, their wooden swords raised, watching for any opening.

Long Yue darted forward with a flurry of quick, light strikes, testing Chen Zin’s defenses.

"You’re getting predictable," Chen Zin said, deflecting a particularly aggressive swing and countering with a low sweep aimed at Long Yue’s legs.

Long Yue leaped into the air, flipping backward and landing lightly on her feet.

"Predictable, huh? Let’s see how you handle this." Without missing a beat, she surged forward with a powerful overhead strike.

Chen Zin braced herself, blocking the strike with her sword.

The force of the impact sent a shiver through her arms, but she held her ground. "Better," she admitted, her lips curling into a grin.

She pushed Long Yue’s blade aside and spun, her sword slicing through the air in a diagonal arc.

Long Yue bent backward at an impossible angle, the tip of the wooden blade passing just inches from her face.

"Impressive flexibility," Chen Zin remarked, stepping back to reassess her approach.

Long Yue straightened and took a deep breath, her smile never wavering. "Thank you."

Their sparring continued, each exchange more intense than the last.

Sweat began to bead on their foreheads as they pushed each other to their limits.

Chen Zin launched a powerful downward slash, but Long Yue sidestepped and spun behind her, aiming a precise thrust at her back.

Chen Zin twisted just in time, bringing her sword up to block.

The clash sent a sharp vibration through both their arms, but neither relented.

"Let’s finish this," Long Yue said, stepping back and assuming a defensive stance.

"Agreed," Chen Zin replied, her grip tightening on the hilt of her wooden sword.

With a simultaneous burst of energy, they both charged forward, their swords colliding in a resounding crack that echoed through the hall.

Finally, with a clever twist of her wrist, Chen Zin managed to disarm Long Yue, sending her sword flying across the room.

Long Yue blinked in surprise but quickly laughed, raising her hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright, you win this round," she said, her voice light and cheerful.

Chen Zin lowered her sword, a satisfied smile on her face. "You fought well, Yue. You’re definitely improving."

"Thanks," Long Yue replied, brushing a strand of damp hair from her face. "But don’t get too comfortable. Next time, I’m taking you down."

"I’ll be waiting," Chen Zin said with a smirk, offering her a hand.

With a soft sigh, Long Yue spoke "But still, I lost before managing my way into the semi-finals."

Chen Zin smiled dryly "I entered the semi-finals, and Hong Shi easily defeated me.. haah... she really is the Holy Maiden."

"And the people who went through the semi-finals."

As she spoke, she turned her head to the side, where she saw Ming Yuelin and Xue Hua smacking each other ruthlessly.

*thoom* Xue Hua’s punch landed squarely on Ming Yuelin’s jaw, snapping her head to the right.

"Ugh, that hurts… haha," Ming Yuelin said with a grin, straightening her posture as she rubbed her jaw.

Without hesitation, she lunged forward, her fist cutting through the air.

"Here, take this!"

*BAAM* Ming Yuelin’s punch connected with Xue Hua’s shoulder, forcing her to take a step back.

"Not bad," Xue Hua replied with a smirk, shaking off the impact.

"But it’s my turn now..." She darted in low, her fists turning like a blur as she launched a rapid barrage at Ming Yuelin’s midsection.

Thud, thud, thud! Ming Yuelin managed to block most of the punches with her forearms, but the force of the hits made her stumble.

"Too slow..." Xue Hua taunted, throwing a sharp right hook that Ming Yuelin barely dodged.

"Is that so?" Ming Yuelin’s eyes gleamed as she ducked under the swing and retaliated with an uppercut.

CRACK! The punch caught Xue Hua on the chin, making her stagger back a few steps.

"Nice one," Xue Hua admitted, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of her lip.

She dashed forward with incredible speed, her left fist aiming for Ming Yuelin’s ribs while her right came in for a feint.

Ming Yuelin saw through the trick, shifting her weight to deflect the real strike, but Xue Hua suddenly twisted mid-step, delivering a spinning backhand to Ming Yuelin’s cheek.

WHAM!

Ming Yuelin spun with the force of the hit but used the momentum to deliver a sweeping kick toward Xue Hua’s legs.

"Not falling for that..." Xue Hua leaped into the air, avoiding the kick and landing gracefully a few feet away.

Ming Yuelin smirked, panting lightly as she shook out her arms. "You’re quick."

The two women charged at each other simultaneously, fists flying.

BAM! BAM!

Each hit was met with a counter, their movements turning like a blur as they pushed each other to the limit.

Ming Yuelin managed to slip a punch through Xue Hua’s guard, her fist slamming into her stomach.

Xue Hua grunted but used the proximity to deliver an elbow strike to Ming Yuelin’s side.

The sound of their blows echoed through the training hall, neither woman willing to back down.

Sweat glistened on their skin as their breaths came in ragged bursts, but their determination only burned brighter.

Ming Yuelin suddenly feinted to the left, drawing Xue Hua’s guard, before spinning and landing a clean kick to her side.

THWACK!

Xue Hua skidded across the floor but caught herself before falling. She grinned through the pain, her eyes alight with fiery determination.

"Alright," she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Time to get serious."

"Bring it on," Ming Yuelin replied, a playful smirk on her face as she raised her fists.

...

"There they go again.. punching each other without hesitation." Jin Wei said with a wry chuckle as she glanced at Zhang Yuan, who was sitting beside her in the arena sidelines.

Zhang Yuan let out a soft chuckle upon hearing this...

Looking at him, Jin Wei asked "Who do you think will win in the finals, Yuan?"

"Hua or Hong Shi?"

Zhang Yuan shrugged cluelessly "Who knows.. Only fate can decide."

"I see..."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching their disciples train.

Jin Wei glanced at him in the corner of her eyes, and a faint blush colored her cheeks, her eyes trembling with hesitation.

Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her robe as her gaze flickered between him and the disciples fighting.

Finally, unable to contain her thoughts, she cleared her throat softly. "Y-Yuan uhm.."

Zhang Yuan turned to her and noticed her hesitation "Wei?"

Jin Wei’s blush deepened, and she quickly averted her gaze, her silver hair cascading like a shimmering curtain as she lowered her head.

Her lips quivered, and she hesitated for a long moment before trying again. "It’s… uhh… I mean, no… we…"

Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle softly "Don’t hesitate, just ask me..."

Clearing her throat, Jin Wei tugged a strand of her silver hair behind her ear "it’s just uhh I just found a beautiful restaurant around here and some people said the food there is good."

With a shy smile, she glanced up into his eyes "How about we go there... later, together...?"

For a moment, Zhang Yuan didn’t respond, and Jin Wei’s heart raced, as she immediately regretted her boldness.

Just as she was about to backtrack, he nodded, a warm and genuine smile spreading across his face. "Alright, let’s go..."

Jin Wei’s eyes gleamed in excitement and she hurriedly nodded her head "Then, it’s a date..."

But she soon realized her words and her hands shot up to cover her mouth, her cheeks turning a deep crimson. "A-Ahh! I mean… I just meant we’re going together, not a—"

Looking at her blushing face, Zhang Yuan laughed softly and nodded his head "Haha, it’s a date."

His words only made her blush harder, but she couldn’t hide the happiness that bloomed on her face.

She tried to regain her composure, straightening her posture and clearing her throat, but the giddiness in her voice betrayed her. "O-Okay then… a date it is."

Zhang Yuan leaned back slightly, resting one hand on his knee as he watched her with an affectionate gaze. "You don’t need to be so nervous, Wei. It’s just me."

"I-I know," Jin Wei stammered, clutching the fabric of her robe tightly in her lap. "It’s just… I don’t usually do this sort of thing."

He raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "What sort of thing? Going out to eat?"

She bit her lip, her blush deepening. "No… I mean… inviting someone… like this," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Zhang Yuan’s smile softened, and he reached out to gently place a reassuring hand on hers. "Then I’m honored to be the first."

Her eyes darted to their hands, and for a moment, her heart seemed to forget how to beat.

Jin Wei’s mind raced with thoughts of the upcoming evening, her excitement bubbling beneath her composed exterior. "It’s going to be perfect…"

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!