Bing Meilu thrust her spear forward with indomitable power. Harsh steam exploded as the Boss slammed a flaming fist into her spear, shattering it into an explosion of dust.

"Courting Death!" he shouted, bronze skin erupting with a swirling red flame.

His leg shot out towards her stomach, blazing with a red, draconic aura. Bing Meilu's feet gracefully slid across the ground as if made from ice, strafing around the body cultivator.

"Grand Frozen Xia Matrix!"

Swirling Runes of ice appeared around her palm, forming the shape of a fractal snowflake. She slammed her hand into the man's back, skin steaming as her ice met his blazing flesh.

The rune matrix glinted and attached to the man's skin as he twisted around with a mighty roundhouse kick. Her body boiling with Qi, Bing Meilu ducked under the kick. Only a split second later he smashed a flaming fist into her jaw, sending her flying with a mighty crack.

Her body slid across the grassy ground, leaving a trail of ice across it. Bing Meilu stood, eyes staring coldly at the faction leader.

The man's face was sweltering red with rage at her lack of reaction. "Such incredible arrogance! Who the hell do you-"

He paused, as a white aura began to pulse around Bing Meilu, rising to clash with the man.

It was killing intent. Whereas the man was fiery and wild, like a feral beast ripping apart its prey, hers was cold and impassive and all-devouring, like an apocalyptic snowstorm that sought to snuff out all life and yet was empty and impassive.

"A killer at your age?" the man said, face serious. "What the hell are they feeding the kids this generation?"

"Boss!" one of the two Lieutenants spoke up, only to be cut off.

"Don't interfere, Liu. If I can't even defeat a child in Qi Condensation alone, then I might as well just kill myself because I'd have cultivated for nothing!"

This wasn't only meaningless pride. Cultivator psychology was of utmost importance. They had to have absolute certainty in their own strength or they would falter in face of tribulation. Relying on the strength of others might only weaken that resolve.

"You're incredibly strong for your cultivation rank, little girl." the man nodded, skin glinting with fire. "So let's make this a real fight. My name is Jiang Hu, leader of the Crimson Dragon Faction and Lieutenant in the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada."

"You're not worthy to learn my name, but you may call me Master, Lady, Queen or Goddess. Whichever you prefer, mortal."

This was a sign of Bing Meilu's tentative and slight decrease in her disdain towards this mortal. Back in her days as a mighty Celestial, even being addressed directly by her would be an honour people would kill their own mothers for.

Unable to comprehend the depth of her magnanimity, the man simply scowled at her, as if disrespected. Sadly an ant like him could not comprehend how little respect he was due.

"Red Dragon Fang!"

The largest difference between those in Foundation Establishment, like Jiang Hu, and those in Qi Condensation, was the regulation of one's Qi by their foundation.

It allowed them to manipulate and condense their Qi to a degree categorically beyond those of a lower cultivation realm. With it, complex and powerful forms of Qi Manipulation and magical techniques could be unleashed.

Two blazing fangs of fire formed, one in each of Jiang Hu's hands. The air thrummed with heat at the incredibly dense fire Qi blazing in his hands.

"Saber Art - Thirteen Strikes!"

Jiang Hu exploded towards Bing Meilu. A poleaxe axe of blue crystal appeared in her hands as she met him for battle.

His wild blows slammed into the haft of her pole axe, parried. She deftly swung the long weapon, bashing away the blitz of sabre swings.

Each time the weapons clashed, Jiang Hu's attacks increased in speed, until it was as if he was a blur, launching barely visible swings.

A drop of sweat poured down the back of Bing Meilu's head as she began to be forced back, unable to deflect the flurry of attacks.

Even with her incredible reserves of Qi reinforcing her senses to the max, she could barely keep up with the man. Still, she was not worried. Only slightly pressured.

"Aaargh!" Jiang Hu's body weaved and whirled as his twin sabre swung and slashed down at the retreating girl.

His right dragon fang lashed out against her, cracking her icy spear in twain with a hiss of steam as fire met ice. His left blade stabbed forward with brutal intent, trained directly toward her stomach.

"Grand Frozen Xia Matrix!"

The formation of runes that clung to his back suddenly glinted, as Qi poured through the air, from Bing Meilu into runes affixed to the faction leader.

Ice was of Yin, and Yin could manifest itself in myriad fashions. After all, everything in heaven and earth was born from the marriage of Yin and Yang - The Liangyi. Yin could represent reversion, the retreat of all things.

And so the Runes on the man's back harshly tugged him backwards. His blade froze an inch from the flesh of her stomach, before flying backwards, as the man rolled over the ground towards the spot where Bing Meilu had initially branded him with the matrix.

The runes began to shudder as flaming Qi poured from him, assaulting them. However, one thing Bing Meilu had to spare was Qi. Cultivating the Crystal Providence Absoilute Tome, each aperture point in her meridians was akin to a full system of meridians. She had the qi of nearly seventy-two cultivators of her rank combined.

Qi endlessly drained from her, constantly repairing the Rune Matrix. The man gave up after a moment, leaping at her, ground cracking as he exploded into the air, only to pause, before flying back down to the ground. The incredibly complex Rune Matrix couldn't be subverted so easily.

However, stopping his attacks couldn't win a fight by itself. Bing Meilu had to take offence as well.

"Not that you deserve this honour, but you'll be the first person I use this weapon against!"

Being only in Qi Condensation, Bing Meilu's attack options were fairly limited. Nearly all of the offensive techniques she knew would be fairly useless at this level. A normal Foundation Establishment cultivator she was confident she could beat with weapon arts, but Jiang Hu was a body cultivator and would likely just ignore attacks of that level before counter-attacking.

Perhaps she could overcome said defence via a battle of attrition she would win, but this victory had to be decisive enough to make him submit. A 'cowardly' tactic would earn less respect than crushing an enemy with lethal force.

"Xin Shui, come out."

A silvery metal poured from her sleeve, coiling around her fingers and hand to form a small orb.

Bing Meilu had pondered what kind of soul-bound weapon to create. In her near-infinite years, she had mastered near every weapon conceivable. She was particularly fond of long polearms, greatswords and javelins.

So the answer was obvious, in the end. Her life-bound weapon would be- All of them!

"Greataxe form."

The silver metal bulged and expanded, slowly taking the form of an entirely metal, seemingly liquid great axe. Ripples spread out across the surface of the implement as she gripped it in two hands.

She graced him with a polite smile. His defeat was inevitable.

"Great Dragon's Conflagration!" Jiang Hu roared.

His belly swelled and he leaned forward, mouth opening to erupt with a river of sticky flaming fluid. The white flaming fluid danced through the air, homing in on the still girl.

"Useless."

A white light exploded from her as her mighty frosty Qi filled the air. The flaming liquid froze and fell to the ground, uselessly shattering.

The Grand Frozen Matrix was activated once more. Only this time the reversion was towards the origin of the Runes, Bing Meilu's left hand.

Jiang Hu was tugged through the air, He hefted his sabres, preparing for a devastating slash. Bing Meilu did the same.

Then she swung. Her axe momentarily met his flaming daggers- then she pushed forward. An explosive crack filled the air as her weapon cracked down on Jiang Hu's back. His torso caved downwards, bending and deforming as if made from bronze rather than flesh. A wheeze, unable to even be called a scream tore itself from his mouth as the air was driven from his lungs and his body was driven to the floor.

It only made sense. Xin Shui was a Soulbound weapon, containing fragments of Bing Meilu's own soul and spirituality. Compared to a measly Qi COnstruct, it was far better. Rather than simply being formed of her power, it actively enhanced her strength to a great degree.

Bing Meilu stared down the wheezing Jiang Hu.

"Concede."

His body and shoulder shook as he slowly pushed himself up, eyes blazing with rage.

"I-I'm not doone-"

Bing Meilu's axe slammed down onto the back of his neck, and he froze, as the blade tore through flesh, only to pause just before his spine.

"If I even lean forward slightly my axe will sever your spine," Bing Meilu stated. "At your stage of Cultivation, that would be fatal. Concede."

The former faction leader stared up at her, eyes red with unwillingness. After a long silence. he inhaled, gathering his resolve.

"I- I con... -I concede."

Bing Meilu smiled politely.

"Wonderful. Then why don't we go get you some medical treatment? It wouldn't do for my subordinate to be so badly injured, now will it?"

---

Jim Hu, a worker at the sect ranking office, frowned at the reported victory. This had to be a bug, or a case of cheating. How else could a mere Qi Condensation cultivator defeat someone so much higher in rank?

All fights within the sect were carefully tracked to properly rank and promote disciples on the basis of strength. Occasionally you would get some wealthy scion 'cheating' by paying a stronger disciple to lose on purpose, in hopes they would still get promoted. The Armada didn't look too kindly on those who did such a thing.

On the other hand, there were genuine geniuses capable of defeating those much stronger than them...

"Case Nineteen. Send an investigator to question a newly joined disciple, rank of Private, one Bing Meilu."