Xiao Fang slowly released the blade.
"You've already lost," he said. "Don't make this more humiliating than it needs to be."
Her body trembled, sword still outstretched—but she no longer tried to reclaim it. Not against him. Not after that. Not with the entire dojo watching.
Xiao Fang slid the blade from her limp grasp, then tossed it across the floor with a casual flick.
"Anyone else?" he asked, his voice calm—yet cutting.
No one stepped forward.
The dojo remained silent, save for the faint clatter of the fallen sword still echoing in the background. Though the Phoenix Jade Hairpin shimmered temptingly on Xun Wei's head like a divine treasure waiting to be claimed, no one dared to reach for it now—not if it meant facing him.
They had all seen it. The minimal movements. The effortless dodges. The way he disarmed his opponent and caught a blade mid-air—all while he had his back turned to her and blindfolded.
What they saw wasn't just talent. It was mastery veiled in mystery.
