The Advent Of A God

"The food was certainly up to the mark, as you claimed," he complimented. He hadn't expected the food provided by Lady Biáshí to be this good.

Thank Goodess the food here isn't trash…

He was genuinely relieved by that fact. After all, he couldn't cook for himself, and it would've been quite a trouble if he had to worry about making or finding decent food every day.

"It had to be. The food of GreatSilk Embroidery City is second to none—only rivaled by what is served in the imperial capital," Lady Biáshí replied with pride, as the servants quietly stepped in to clear away the empty plates one by one. She continued, "As for the quiz competition, I've already sent my messengers to the major cultivation families—specifically those with children of the age range you requested."

"I see. Though I must ask… what about the children of commoner roots?" he asked.

"I believe it's better not to involve them. They don't possess much knowledge of cultivation anyway," she answered calmly.

He nodded, somewhat agreeing with her. After all, it made sense—children from cultivation families would naturally have better understanding and education when it came to such matters. Still, he couldn't fully ignore the common folk either.

Because if the cultivation stories and novels he had read were anything to go by—then cutting off the roots of the commoners was unwise. Who knows? Perhaps a child from humble beginnings might carry knowledge, experience, or even potential that the elites had long forgotten or overlooked.

"How many major families are there in this city?"

"About twelve…"

"And the minor families?"

"Around thirty-five…"

"I see…"

He wondered, among the hundreds he saw burned to death by the dragon, who belonged to the major families and who to the minor ones.

"Though… where were they," he said slowly, "when your whole city was drowned in fire? I didn't see anyone eye-catching among those who tried to fight it. They all died pretty quickly… like flies." He paused, then added, "Except you."

"They were there. But the dragon had cast a barrier—no one could escape the city. I was outside at the time, searching alone for rare materials. When I saw the fire and smoke, I rushed back immediately, but I couldn't break through the barrier on my own."

Zhíâ Xìn's expression turned grave as she continued, "It wasn't until all the major and minor families offered their qi to temporarily empower me that I was able to break through. Unfortunately, that left many of them powerless for a while, and they couldn't assist in the fight. Not that it would have made much difference… the dragon was in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Most of our city's cultivators are only at the Core Formation stage—some late, some mid, some early. As for the minor families… most don't even have cultivators above Foundation Establishment."

She looked down for a moment. "I'm the only one in the city who's a half-step into the Nascent Soul realm. If only I had broken through… I might have been able to defeat that Great Dragon. Or, at the very least… put up a proper fight."

He didn't answer immediately—his mind was lost in thought.

I recognize some of the terms she mentioned... like Nascent Soul and Half-Step. Pretty common realm names in Xianxia worlds. This conversation unknowingly gave me some of the insight I needed. I still need more, though, for a clearer understanding. But at least one thing is certain—no one in this city is above Level 70. No threat to me for now… unless proven otherwise.

He brought his attention back to Biáshí and asked, "Now, there's something I want you to do for me."

"What is it, O Great Immortal?" she replied respectfully.

"How about we have a spar?"

"Huh? Why? I don't understand why you'd want to spar with me… we both know you'll win the fight."

"I know that very well myself," he said calmly. "But there's another reason I want to spar with you—though I won't tell you what it is."

Biáshí paused, thinking carefully, then sighed and answered, "I suppose we'll do it. I already know if I were to refuse your request to spar, you'd likely kill us all. And that's a fate I would rather not bring upon anyone."

She rose from her seat and said, "Let's head to the outskirts of the city. There's an open field nearby where we can fight without disturbance."

"Well then, lead the way," he said with a neutral look.

....

This will be my first time engaging in PvP with this body. I just hope I can control my strength—I don't want to accidentally kill her. She still has some usefulness I can exploit…

He readied himself, slowly opening and closing his hands, feeling the strength in his limbs. Then he rolled his neck with a satisfying crack.

From his dimensional storage, he drew his Dao Sword, gripping it firmly in his right hand. With a smooth motion, he pointed it at her.

"Don't hold back. Use every trick and technique you have in your arsenal," he said, as the wind began to stir. The grass swayed like a shimmering ocean beneath the silver glow of moonlight.

"I will…" Biáshí answered, then shot toward him like a bullet, leaving behind a sonic boom.

Of course, he dodged easily.

To him, her movements were predictable, even sluggish. Though he had a pure mage build, his physical stats rivaled that of a Level 80 warrior. In speed and reflexes, he held a clear advantage.

If she were anywhere close to Level 80 or higher, my head might've been separated from my shoulders. I need to be wary of cultivators in the mid to late Nascent Soul stage… or anyone beyond that.

He was certain: with his current build, direct clashes with high-level cultivators were dangerous. He would need preparation—setups, traps, overwhelming force at the start. He couldn't afford drawn-out battles.

Especially not in a world where a single mistake could cost everything.

"You've got speed—but I'm faster. Try something else."

Biáshí didn't respond with words. Instead, her body suddenly began to vibrate rapidly, and then she darted in a blur, circling around him at dizzying speed.

A cold grip of fear tightened inside him.

What the hell?! I can't even track her movements!

Several copies of Biáshí appeared, moving in perfect synchronization. He counted—there were seven of her now. All of them rushed toward him from different angles.

"[Slow]!"

Time twisted.

From his perspective, everything slowed just enough—enough for him to react. The speed of the incoming attacks decreased—not dramatically, but just enough to give him a window. He raised his Dao sword and blocked her strike in time.

"What was that? I felt like everything slowed down for a moment…"

"Nah," he replied casually, "more like I increased my own speed."

No way was he going to admit that he'd bent time to his will.

I'm really glad I picked Chronomancer as one of my three advanced classes. Its time-based crowd control spells are proving invaluable already.

He pushed her back with his blade, and raised his hand.

"[Electrocute]!"

A bolt of lightning fired from his palm, arcing toward her—but Biáshí deflected it with a flick of her arm, hurling the lightning right back at him.

He didn't flinch.

He took it head-on.

He had high elemental resistances, along with resistance to bad status effects as well.

Still, he frowned.

Should've put more power into that. Maybe 40% instead of the 30% I threw at her.

He slashed his sword forward. "[Hail]!"

Several massive shards of ice hurtled toward Biáshí. With a swift, fluid motion, she sliced through them mid-air, breaking them apart before they could reach her.

"I guess that's enough," he said, lowering his sword.

There was no point continuing the duel without unleashing full power. But if he did… she'd die.

That would be troublesome.

Still, he had to admit—she was no pushover.

That taught him something vital.

Level gaps mean nothing here. From now on, he'll treat everyone—even a level 1—as a potential threat.

"So," she asked, catching her breath, "how was it? Did I leave a good impression?"

"You did. Sort of," he said flatly.

"I see… though I could tell you were holding back—immensely. That surprised me. I thought you would kill me with a single attack," Biáshí said.

"I could have. But then it wouldn't be a spar, would it? I only wanted to test a few things. If I'd killed you at the very beginning, what would I have gained from that?"

Biáshí nodded slowly. "Should I prepare fresh clothes for you and get your current ones washed?"

"No need. I have plenty in my personal storage. And these clothes?" He smirked. "I've got something that cleans them in seconds."

He returned his Dao sword to his dimensional storage, then looked up at the moon.

"You know, I really don't like being stared at without my permission."

Biáshí flinched slightly. "Wait... are you saying someone's watching us? From the moon?"

"Yes. Most likely using divination techniques, or a relic, or perhaps something else entirely. But one thing is certain—they've been observing us. Watching me specifically."

He had sensed it from the very beginning. Someone—or something—had been gazing into him. But only just now, when he was speaking with Biáshí, had they tried probing a little too deeply. That was their mistake.

And thanks to his Sage senses, it was enough to trace them back.

"I know you can hear me," he said aloud. "So what's it going to be? Will you come to me on your own… or do I need to find you one day and beat the crap out of you?"

There was no response. Nothing but silence from the moonlit sky.

"Fine. I'm adding you to my threat list."

He pulled out a scroll from his dimensional storage, unrolled it, and tore it in half.

The scroll vanished in a burst of glowing light.

"Let's go. They won't be able to spy on us for a while. I've temporarily blocked their methods."

Then he muttered, more to himself than to Biáshí, "If this behavior continues, I'll have to take a more direct—and far more drastic—approach."

With that, the two of them turned and left the field.