With no choice, she stepped into the arena; there was no point in thinking about it any longer. The crowd was already tired of the previous fight.

  She climbed a few steps and entered the oval arena, looking at her opponent standing at the other end. She was grinning happily. Was it a sign of self-confidence?

  “I can't believe I'm going to fight such a star.”

  Do we really have to talk to each other before the fight? I don't like that we're just entertainment for these rich people.

  She sighed and decided to respond shortly.

  “And I didn't expect to fight the organizer's daughter.”

  Izzy frowned. After a moment, she waved her hand.

  “If you're worried about that, don't worry. It doesn't matter if I win or not. My main goal isn't winning anyway.”

  This time it was May who frowned.

  Then what is your main goal? She began to wonder, but decided not to ask. Everyone around was listening closely, and May had no intention of providing cheap entertainment.

  “Never mind, let's just fight and not waste any more time.”

  “I see you're not wasting any time. But that's fine, I prefer to cut to the chase myself. I'm not a very patient person.”

  The referee signaled for the fight to begin. May felt the adrenaline rush through her body, all her muscles tensed, and she was in a state of peak focus. She decided to activate her Qi Sensing.

  Her limit was about 3 meters, but she knew a trick she had kept secret until now. After all, she didn't want to draw even more attention to herself.

  Normally, after activating Qi Sensing, the user would spread the Qi in all directions to be able to sense everything in their environment. However, May didn't need to sense absolutely everything, only what was in front of her—her opponent, Izzy.

  She found it intuitive, but so far no one had mentioned it, so it didn't seem to be common knowledge. When she activated her Qi Sensing, it took the form of a tendril that expand when it touched Izzy.

  This allowed her to detect the Qi of an opponent standing as far as 10 meters away! She understood that if it became public knowledge that she was capable of this, it would surely astonish everyone.

  Unfortunately, the disadvantage of this technique was that she could only use it for a short time. That was because she had only recently learned it.

  Nevertheless, that short moment was enough for her. Based on her previous experience, she estimated that the other side had about 120 units of Qi energy. She currently had 290. Izzy had only 40% of her total reserves. This was not only due to her cultivation stage, but also a result of taking various rare herbal pills that were not accessible to people in this region. All thanks to the system.

  However, at such low cultivation stages, the amount of energy one possesses is not a guarantee of victory.

  She deactivated her Qi Sensing. After all, she could still only use one technique at a time. She activated her Qi Control and covered her entire body from head to toe with a thin layer of Qi. It was barely 1 cm thick.

  This was also something she shouldn't have been able to do yet. It was something intended only for people above the 5th stage of Qi Refinement.

  However, it wasn't because that stage was necessary, but because it required mastering Qi Control to a certain level.

  However, she was so talented that it took her much less time to master this basic technique, which is why she was able to use it in this way despite her lower level.

  Unfortunately, as a result, the layer she was able to cover was very thin. In fact, it barely protected her. If someone stabbed her with a knife, she would still die. However, at least it protected her from hits, at least in theory.

  Izzy looked at her with curiosity. Had she discovered her secret?

  No, that's impossible. She's too far away, and as far as I know, no one else can use Qi Sensing over such a long distance.

  The only reason she had decided to use these two techniques was because she was convinced that no one could discover her secret. Even if someone was at the Foundation Establishment stage, it shouldn't be possible. Izzy herself was standing about 10 meters away from her, and the audience was much further away.

  Her father's coverage was only 2 meters, and he was at the top stage of Qi Refinement. She doubted that anyone else would be able to use that ability over such long distance. Otherwise, she would never have revealed her techniques.

  Did I make a mistake? Since I can do it myself, I guess I was wrong to assume that no one else could.

  After a moment, however, she cleared her mind and realized that even if someone discovered her secret, it wouldn't matter that much because she could still explain it away with her talent. Either way, she had learned it herself and not through the system, so it wasn't something that couldn't be explained logically.

  Still, I'd rather keep it a secret for now. I have to be even more careful in the future.

  Suddenly, she felt her mind begin to whirl. She felt shivers all over her body.

  What the fuck.

  She sensed some kind of presence, but she wasn't sure what it was. She looked at the crowd.

  No, that's not it...

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Although she couldn't explain it, she had the impression that she could feel the presence of something next to her.

  After a moment, the feeling disappeared.

  Izzy seemed surprisingly calm. She didn't seem to have anything to do with it. However, she glanced at May, giggling quietly. It was weird.

  May thought that she really did not care about winning and that there must be some hidden motive behind it, but she still did not know what it could be.

  She didn't notice that Izzy had rushed at her with tremendous speed. In just a few seconds, the distance between them had decreased tenfold.

  Fuck. She had also mastered her martial arts to this level.

  She came from a wealthy family, so it was no surprise that she probably had expensive trainers who had been training her since childhood.

  Izzy struck with all her might, and May crossed her arms to limit the damage. The layer of Qi she had created was useless; the blow was so powerful that she was still knocked backwards by the impact. She felt a searing pain.

  Although she was prepared for it, it was still her first real fight. She knew she had to respond immediately or she would be in a hopeless position. She fought back, but she couldn't hit her. She was as quick as a fox. Finally, however, one of her blows landed on her stomach. Izzy let out a cry of pain. Her strength wasn't rated at 16 for nothing! A normal adult had an average of 10. Its impact was as strong as a bodybuilder's!

  Izzy clearly didn't expect this. Her strength was too ridiculous. It was thanks to the pills, potions, and various herbs she had bought from the system.

  However, Izzy quickly came to her senses and did not play with her any longer. With a quick movement, she hit her more than four times, and although her force was not great, May still felt pain despite the protective layer.

  Her speed is way better than mine. Speed is my worst statistic, with a value of 12...

  The statistics weren't everything, of course. In real life, it wasn't just about the numbers, but also about skill.

  But she's better in that respect, too.

  She attempted to use Water Knight Art, but she wasn't even able to get into the proper position.

  As soon as she tried to place her feet correctly, Izzy attacked her, not allowing her to prepare.

  I have to forget about this martial art, it's not going to work for me.

  She bent and jumped far back, which was thanks to her high strength stat. Many people in the audience seemed shocked by how far she could jump. It was indeed quite an unnatural sight.

  My advantage is pure strength. Even if she's better in terms of technique, so what? As long as I hit it a few times, I'll win.

  Suddenly, a voice appeared in her head. It was the system's avatar, an artificial intelligence she named “Minnie.”

  "And that's your plan? Pure force? What a joke. If you improve your Water Knight Art technique, you will save months of training. Improving this technique to 100% beginner level will only cost you 10,000. This is a special discount for your first fight. Rely not only on luck, but on your abilities. If you buy this, you will win the tournament without any problems and earn a pill worth 35,000."

  She had to admit that her heart beat a little faster. It wasn't just the savings of 4,000, but also months of training. She knew Minnie wasn't lying and that her progress would indeed slow down and take months.

  It was a tempting offer. Who wouldn't want to take a shortcut? But she knew she couldn't accept that offer. And she had good reasons for it. It wasn't just about being over-dependent.

  First of all, she's already shown the level of her skills to the public here. If she suddenly got way better, it would be hard to explain. Secondly, she still had two whole years left at the academy, so she didn't want to rush things. And thirdly, she believed that this martial art would not be useful even with 100% beginner's mastery.

  However, she still wanted the grand prize, the Scarlet Pill of the Lesser Heaven, so she wanted to win.

  However, I will do it without the system's help. So, for now, get lost.

  She regained control of her thoughts and began to charge forward.

  She began to swing with all her might, hoping to hit her at least once. Unfortunately, she was too good.

  “You've got talent, but you've got a long way to go,” she said, kicking her in the stomach. May flew back.

  She started walking toward her. She had to think of something, because at this rate she was going to lose. She decided to check something.

  “Was that you?”

  Izzy made a strangely expression.

  “What are you talking about? The madness of someone who is about to lose?"

  “A moment ago, I felt something... Some kind of presence... Is that some kind of technique you use?"

  To be honest, she didn't believe it herself, but she knew that Izzy was aware of something. So she decided to test this hypothesis and see how she would react.

  Izzy fell silent. She began to wonder about something. Seeing the look on her face, May knew she knew something.

  “To be honest... I don't know how to react to that.”

  “You don't know... How to react? What does that even mean?” May was surprised by her response; something was going on.

  "I shouldn't say anything. Just forget about it. It's not worth it. And I thought I was going to beat number one! Haha!"

  Izzy started laughing like a maniac. People looked at her as if she had gone mad. Finally, she raised her hands in the air.

  “I surrender."

  The crowd reacted with a shout. No one expected that! She was already in a winning position, why did she suddenly give up?

  What were they talking about? They all had a lot of questions. May herself was confused. Izzy approached her, bent down, and whispered in her ear, “Let's meet in the garden at midnight.” The request itself raised doubts in her mind. But did she have any choice?

  Izzy left, leaving her alone in the arena.

  After it was over, everyone rushed over to her and started asking questions. May didn't answer any of them because she didn't know the answers herself.

  She left the arena and returned to the estate.

  The fighting continued, but she didn't watch it anymore; she had to recover.

  She went to the medics, where they gave her first aid. They also gave her some potions. She still felt pain, but she knew that most of her injuries had been healed. This world was truly amazing. In some ways, it was superior to Earth—21st-century medicine was not capable of healing broken bones in a matter of minutes.

  She returned to her room and went to bed. She had no idea how long she slept. Finally, she woke up when Senlin entered the room.

  “What happened?” May asked, seeing the devastated look on Senlin’s face.

  “Nothing. I’m going away.”

  “What?” The event was supposed to last a few days, so she couldn't understand why she was returning to the academy.

  “I lost. Only the winners can stay longer... But that doesn't matter, can you tell me what happened during your fight?”

  She began to apologize to Senlin for not being able to support her when she needed her, but seeing that it didn't bother her, she finally replied.

  “I... I don't know. She wants to meet me today.”

  “Who? Izzy?”

  “Yes. At midnight. In the garden.”

  Senlin frowned and fell into deep contemplation.

  “Even I have to admit that's strange. I don't know if it's a good idea,” she said after a moment.

  May just shrugged.

  “Do I really have a choice?”

  Shortly afterwards, Senlin left and May was left completely alone in the room. She didn't feel like seeing anyone else, so she decided to wait in her room until midnight.

  When the big wooden clock pointed to the right time, she left her room.

  Interestingly, no one was guarding the estate, no guards or maids were in sight. She went out into the garden. Izzy was already waiting for her, sitting on a bench. She stood in front of her, but Izzy remained silent. She only pointed to the place next to her, motioning for her to sit down.

  With no choice, she sat down next to her.

  “Hey... Tell me... Do you believe in ghosts?”

  “What now?” said May.