The final day before the tournament passed in a blur of focused training. I'd spent most of it in one of the smaller practice areas, working on refining my techniques rather than learning anything new. At this point, adding more abilities to my arsenal would probably just create confusion when the pressure was on.

My main focus had been on reducing the spiritual essence cost of the tree manifestation technique. Through careful practice, I'd managed to bring down the energy requirement by about fifteen percent, which might not sound like much, but in a prolonged fight, that efficiency could mean the difference between victory and exhaustion.

I'd also worked on something Azure had suggested—seamlessly transitioning between different energy sources mid-combat. Switching from regular qi to red sun energy and back again without telegraphing the change to my opponent. It was trickier than it sounded, like trying to change gears in a manual transmission while racing down a mountain road.

"Your energy transitions are becoming much smoother, Master," Azure had commented during one of my practice sessions. "The delay between switching from spiritual essence to red sun energy has decreased to barely a tenth of a second."

"Still not fast enough," I'd replied, wiping sweat from my forehead. "In real combat, even that tiny delay could be exploited by someone like Wu Kangming."

"Perfection takes time. Remember, most cultivators don't even have different energy sources to attempt switching. The fact that you're managing it at all puts you ahead of ninety-nine percent of your peers."

That evening, my parents had surprised me by suggesting we go to one of the food stalls in the outer sect markets for what they called a "good luck meal." The gesture was sweet in a way that made my chest feel warm and tight at the same time.

We'd ended up at a small establishment run by an elderly mortal couple who were former disciples that never progressed further than the Qi Condensation realm. They specialized in comfort food that somehow managed to taste like home even when you'd never eaten it before. My mother had insisted on ordering entirely too much food, claiming I needed to "build up my strength" for tomorrow's battles.

"You're going to do wonderfully," she'd said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "I can feel it."

My father had nodded sagely while attacking a particularly impressive dumpling. "Your mother's instincts are usually right about these things. Trust me, I've learned not to argue with her when she gets that look in her eyes."

When the meal was finished and the proprietor had brought over the bill, I'd managed to catch his eye and subtly slip him enough spirit stones to cover everything, along with a generous tip. A few quiet words and a small gesture toward my outer disciple robes, and suddenly our meal was "on the house" in honor of me making it to the individual tournament stage.

Just like last time, my parents had been delighted by the generosity, though I'd caught my mother giving me a suspicious look that suggested she might have figured out what had actually happened. She hadn't said anything though, just smiled and thanked the owner profusely.

Now I was walking back to my quarters alone, taking the longer route that wound past the sect's central lake. The evening air was pleasantly cool, and I was feeling genuinely relaxed for the first time in days. Tomorrow would bring whatever challenges it brought, but tonight I could just enjoy the simple pleasure of a good meal and my parents' company.

That's when I heard the singing.

It was coming from the direction of the lake, a melodious voice that seemed to drift across the water. The voice was unmistakably female, and there was something almost hypnotic about the way the notes seemed to hang in the air.

I slowed my steps, trying to place why the sound was making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It wasn't that the singing was bad, quite the opposite, actually. It was beautiful in the kind of way that made you want to move closer without really thinking about why.

"Master," Azure said quietly, "are you sensing what I'm sensing about that singing?"

"You mean the fact that it sounds like it's specifically designed to draw people toward it?" I replied mentally. "Yeah, I noticed that too."

The Azure Peak Sect had proper bathing facilities scattered throughout the different districts. Private chambers with hot springs fed by natural formations, communal baths for those who preferred company, even gender-separated pools for more traditional cultivators.

There was absolutely no reason for anyone to be bathing in the central lake unless they specifically wanted to be discovered. But with cultivators, one could never be certain, they always found a way to do the most illogical things and rationalise it.

I paused at the edge of the path, listening more carefully to the singing. Now that I was paying attention, I could pick out subtle qi fluctuations woven into the melody. This wasn't just someone enjoying a pleasant evening swim and happening to sing while they bathed. This was deliberate.

My mind immediately went to the cultivation novels I'd read back on Earth. This was such a classic setup it might as well have come with a warning label: Beautiful Girl Bathing In Secluded Location, Male Protagonist Walks In By "Accident," Drama Ensues.

The typical progression was painfully predictable.

Guy stumbles upon girl bathing, usually naked. Girl screams and covers herself, then attacks guy for being a pervert. Guy insists it was an accident, but girl doesn't believe him. This leads to a toxic relationship where she constantly beats him up while he gradually falls in love with her. Somehow, after a few hundred chapters of abuse disguised as "tension," they end up married.

I'd never understood that particular trope.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

First, why would any self-respecting woman want to marry someone she genuinely believed was a pervert? And second, why would anyone want to be in a relationship with someone who regularly tried to cause them physical harm? The whole dynamic seemed deeply unhealthy from every possible angle.

But more importantly, I had absolutely zero intention of playing the role of the accidentally-perverted male lead in this particular scenario.

"Master," Azure said with what sounded suspiciously like amusement, "are you seriously going to run away from a potentially beautiful woman because you're afraid of cultivation novel clichés?"

"Azure, my friend, there are times when paranoia is just good sense wearing a disguise," I replied, already turning away from the lake. "Besides, even if this particular scenario doesn't follow the typical pattern, there's still no good reason for me to go investigating mysterious singing coming from someone's bath time."

What followed could generously be described as a strategic withdrawal. Less generously, it was me running for my life from a perfectly innocent-looking body of water. I activated Blink Step twice to put as much distance as possible between myself and whatever trap was waiting by the lake.

"Master," Azure laughed, "I believe you may have just set a new record for fastest retreat from a potential romantic encounter."

"And I'm proud of that record," I replied, not slowing down until I was safely within the outer disciple residential area. "Some tropes are better avoided entirely, and even if I'm completely wrong about this being some kind of setup, I still made the right choice. There's no scenario where 'accidentally' walking in on someone bathing ends well for anyone involved."

"I suppose that's a fair point," Azure conceded. "Though I have to admit, your danger sense seems to extend to areas I wouldn't have considered."

"It's called pattern recognition," I replied, settling into a comfortable walking pace now that I was safely away from whatever had been happening at the lake. "And in this particular world, beautiful women who seem to appear out of nowhere are usually either trying to kill you, manipulate you, or both."

My quarters felt like a sanctuary when I finally reached them. I went through my evening routine methodically: checking my equipment, reviewing my techniques one final time, making sure everything was prepared for tomorrow's battles.

As I settled into my bed, I felt confident with my decision.

Whatever game was being played at that lake tonight, I was perfectly content to let someone else be the protagonist of that particular story.

***

The young woman emerged from the lake, water streaming from her perfect form as she reached for the purple robes she'd left carefully folded on the shore. The moonlight caught the droplets cascading from her long black hair, creating an almost ethereal effect that would have stopped any normal man in his tracks.

Her natural beauty was breathtaking - the kind of otherworldly perfection that made mortal women seem plain by comparison. Every curve, every line of her body spoke of divine craftsmanship, enhanced by years of cultivation that had refined her physical form to impossible standards.

But that beauty was completely ruined by the furious scowl twisting her features.

Wu Lihua pulled her robes around herself with sharp, angry movements, her golden eyes blazing with frustrated rage.

When she'd first encountered Ke Yin practicing the Phantom Strike technique months ago, it had been nothing more than idle amusement. Another outer disciple to add to her collection of admirers, useful for gathering information or handling minor tasks that were beneath her direct attention. And then perhaps one day, if they were worthy, they would turn into fuel to advance her cultivation.

But after Ke Yin had chosen the World Tree Sutra and had some success with it, everything had changed. Her master had given her a direct command: bring the World Tree cultivator under her control.

So, she had decided to test the waters by having Wu Kangming attempt to kill Ke Yin.

She hadn't expected him to actually succeed, her ex fiancé was skilled, but the village boy had proven himself resourceful enough to handle worse threats.

The real goal had been to force Ke Yin into revealing his full capabilities in a life-or-death situation. Knowledge was power, and understanding her target's full capabilities was essential for developing effective countermeasures.

And if Wu Kangming had somehow managed to actually kill him, well, her master had no use for dead cultivators anyway. The World Tree Sutra user had to be alive and functional to be of any value.

Wu Lihua's hands clenched into fists as she remembered how that plan had failed spectacularly.

For a brief moment, that ordinary-looking ring of his had activated and her hold over Wu Kangming's mind had been completely shattered, even allowing the real Wu Lihua to surface and beg for help.

The memory of that terrified, desperate voice still made her uncomfortable in ways she preferred not to examine.

After that failure, she'd decided to target the problematic outer disciple directly.

Her cultivation method was incredibly effective, but it had one crucial limitation: she needed her targets to have some kind of emotional connection to her before she could sink her mental hooks into their minds.

With Wu Kangming, that had been embarrassingly easy.

The fool still loved her despite everything that had happened between them. His genuine feelings had made him vulnerable to her influence, allowing her to push and manipulate his emotions until he was ready to commit murder at her suggestion.

But Ke Yin... Ke Yin had proven frustratingly immune to her usual methods.

She was naturally beautiful, that was simply fact. But her cultivation method enhanced that natural allure, making her seem irresistibly desirable to almost anyone who looked at her. Men and women alike found themselves drawn to her, their thoughts becoming clouded with admiration and longing that she could then shape and exploit.

Yet somehow, Ke Yin had consistently avoided her like she was diseased. Every time she'd tried to approach him, every attempt at casual conversation or seemingly innocent interaction, he'd found excuses to escape.

It was baffling and deeply frustrating.

But since love and admiration weren't working, she'd decided to target a weakness that all men supposedly shared: lust.

The plan had been elegantly simple.

She'd had one of the outer disciples who worked for her, there were always a few desperate souls willing to curry favor with a Core Disciple, clear the area around the lake and keep other disciples away.

Then she'd positioned herself in the water, timing her bathing to coincide with when Ke Yin would be returning from his evening meal with his parents.

Even the song itself was carefully chosen. It was a technique that wove spiritual energy into each note to lower inhibitions and spark curiosity.

And then once he saw her naked form, a seed of lustful desire would be enough for her to sink her claws into his heart.

But instead of being drawn to her voice like every other man who'd heard it, Ke Yin had done something completely unexpected.

He'd run away.

She'd tried to intercept him, of course.

Rising from the water in hopes that even a glimpse would be enough to plant the necessary seed of desire, but before she could even move, he was long gone.

The speed of his retreat had been insulting.

Wu Lihua's steps slowed as she approached her quarters, a familiar chill running down her spine. There was something wrong with the spiritual energy around her residence.

As she drew closer, the source became unmistakable: a Civilization Realm aura, vast and terrible and utterly controlled, emanating from inside her private chambers.

Her master was here.

Wu Lihua's face went pale. This was supposed to be a simple recruitment mission. She was supposed to have Ke Yin under her control by now, ready to be delivered to her master's larger plans.

Instead, she'd failed twice, and now she was going to have to explain those failures to one of the most powerful cultivators in the sect.

Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the door to her quarters, knowing that whatever waited inside would determine whether she lived to see another sunrise.

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