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CLANG!

The sharp sound of metal against metal reverberated through the room, startling everyone. A thin, gleaming blade had intercepted Elder Xue\'s strike, its point hovering mere inches from Lucavion\'s throat. Mariel Farlon stood between them, her eyes cold and calculating, her sword poised with the same calm precision she was famed for.

"This," Mariel said, her voice low and firm, "is my inn. And no one raises a hand against my guests under this roof."

Elder Xue\'s hand halted mid-motion, her eyes narrowing as she met Mariel\'s unwavering gaze. The tension in the room was suffocating, the air charged with unspoken challenge as the two women faced off.

"Mariel Farlon," Xue said, her voice laced with venom. "Do you truly intend to shield this rogue? To stand against the Cloud Heavens Sect for a nobody?"

Mariel didn\'t flinch, her grip steady on her blade. "I\'m not shielding anyone," she replied evenly. "But I won\'t tolerate this kind of behavior in my establishment, no matter who it comes from. You know the rules of Andelheim, Xue. Violence here comes with consequences—even for an Elder of your rank."

Lucavion, still seated, tilted his head slightly, his smirk returning as he observed the standoff. "My, my," he drawled, his tone light but edged with mockery. "Two powerful women fighting over little old me. I feel so flattered."

"Silence!" Xue snapped, her voice cutting through the air like a whip. Her hand trembled slightly, hovering just inches from Mariel\'s blade as she struggled to rein in her fury.

Mariel\'s expression didn\'t change, her calm confidence a stark contrast to Xue\'s simmering rage. "Leave," she said quietly, but the authority in her tone was unmistakable. "Before you do something you\'ll regret."

Xue\'s teeth clenched, her gaze flickering between Mariel and Lucavion. Her disciples stood frozen behind her, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and fear at the sight of their Elder being challenged so openly.

Finally, with a sharp intake of breath, Xue pulled her hand back, the tension in her posture barely easing. "This isn\'t over," she said coldly, her eyes boring into Lucavion with a promise of retribution. "You may have allies here, but you won\'t always have someone to hide behind." Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net

Lucavion raised a brow, his grin widening. "Hide? Oh, Elder, I think you\'re giving me too little credit. But I\'ll take it as a compliment."

Mariel lowered her blade slightly, keeping it ready in case Xue tried anything further. "Good night, Elder," she said pointedly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Xue turned on her heel, her robes swirling around her as she stalked toward the door. Her disciples followed in her wake, their heads lowered, their anger simmering beneath their obedience. As the door slammed shut behind them, the inn let out a collective exhale, the tension slowly dissipating.

Lucavion leaned back in his chair, his smirk firmly in place as he glanced at Mariel. "Well, that was dramatic. My thanks, Miss Little Bear."

Mariel shot him a sharp look, though there was a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "Don\'t push your luck, Lucavion," she said evenly, sheathing her blade. "I only stopped her because I won\'t have this place turned into a battleground."

Lucavion chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Of course. I\'m eternally grateful for your hospitality."

Mariel shook her head, turning back to the bar as the patrons cautiously resumed their conversations. "Keep it up, and you\'ll need more than my sword to keep you alive," she muttered under her breath.

Lucavion\'s grin widened. "Wouldn\'t have it any other way."

And then he returned to the table with a leisurely stride, as if the life-or-death standoff moments ago had been a mere distraction. His smirk was firmly in place, his posture as relaxed as ever as he slid into his chair, leaned back, and propped an elbow on the table. The faint hum of resumed conversations filled the inn, but Valeria could still feel the tension lingering like an aftershock.

She watched him carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to make sense of what she\'d just witnessed.

How does he do it?

she wondered, her grip tightening on the edge of the table.

How does he stay so calm—even when facing an Elder of the Cloud Heavens Sect?

Valeria exhaled sharply, crossing her arms as she leaned forward. "You\'re unbelievable," she said, her tone low but laced with incredulity.

Lucavion raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Why, thank you," he said, his grin widening. "Though, I didn\'t realize you\'d be so quick to compliment me."

"That wasn\'t a compliment," she snapped, leaning closer. "You just provoked an Elder of one of the most powerful sects in the region—and you did it on purpose. Why?"

His grin didn\'t falter, but his eyes gleamed with something sharper, something Valeria couldn\'t quite place. "They deserved it," he said simply, his tone light but carrying an undercurrent of something colder.

Valeria\'s brow furrowed. "Deserved it? Sure, they\'re not exactly saints—I can tell that much. But that doesn\'t explain why you\'re so... hostile toward them. You didn\'t just stand your ground—you went out of your way to provoke her."

Lucavion\'s smirk turned slightly rueful as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "And here I thought you\'d appreciate a little entertainment," he said lightly. "But if you must know….."

"Know what?"

Lucavion\'s smirk lingered, but there was a sharpness behind it, a subtle edge that hinted at something far deeper than his playful demeanor. "I despise people like them," he said again, his voice soft but weighted, as though every word carried the force of an unspoken history.

Valeria frowned, leaning slightly forward. "And just because you despise them, you act like this? Provoking them, challenging them openly?" She paused, her voice taking on an almost curious tone. "Why? Why do you despise them so much?"

For a moment, she thought he might actually answer. His eyes flickered, his gaze turning inward as though caught on the edges of a memory. But then, with the ease of a practiced deflection, his smirk returned in full force, his expression once again unreadable. "Let\'s just say it\'s personal," he said lightly, brushing her question aside.

Valeria\'s frown deepened. "Personal enough that you\'re willing to risk everything? Just because you don\'t like them?"

Lucavion tilted his head, his grin shifting into something faintly mocking. "You make it sound like I need someone\'s permission to act. I don\'t need rights handed to me, Valeria. I earn my rights—with strength."

The conviction in his words startled her, and for a moment, she was at a loss for how to respond. She leaned back, crossing her arms as she considered his statement. "You\'re wrong," she said finally, shaking her head. "It\'s not about earning the right to do something. People should act based on principles, on standards. Otherwise, it\'s just chaos."

Lucavion chuckled softly, tapping a finger against the table. "And what makes you think liking or disliking someone isn\'t a standard of its own?"

His words gave her pause. She studied him, her expression thoughtful as she considered his point.

I guess... in a way, he\'s right,

she admitted to herself.

Choosing to act based on how you feel about someone is still a standard—it\'s just not the kind I\'d ever follow.

She exhaled softly, letting go of her earlier irritation. "Fine," she said at last. "I don\'t agree with how you handle things, but I won\'t judge you for it."

Lucavion raised an eyebrow, his grin widening slightly. "That\'s unusually magnanimous of you."

"Don\'t push it," she retorted, though her tone lacked the usual bite. She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze lingering on him.

This guy,

she thought,

he\'s insufferable. He\'s reckless. And yet... there\'s something about him—something solid, something unwavering, beneath all the teasing and arrogance.

*******

And just like that, the next day, the tournament started once again, with their opponents shown.

Varen Drakov

(Silver Flame Sect) vs.

The Monk

(Unaffiliated)

Zerah

(Cloud Heavens Sect) vs.

Valeria

Olarion

(Olarion Household)

Lira Vaelan

(Cloud Heavens Sect) vs.

Maelis Arvon

(Cloud Heavens Sect)

Lucavion

(Unaffiliated) vs.

Joel Rythan

(Silver Flame Sect)

As the matchups for the quarterfinals were announced, a wave of murmurs rippled through the arena.

The crowd\'s excitement quickly gave way to speculation, with many spectators noting the peculiar alignments. While match fixing wasn\'t unheard of in tournaments with such high stakes, the sheer improbability of the draw left even the most neutral onlookers raising their eyebrows.

The loudest whispers revolved around the Silver Flame Sect\'s perceived misfortune. Not only had Varen Drakov, their strongest disciple, been forced to eliminate one of their own in the previous round, but now he was matched against The Monk—a fighter whose calm, unorthodox style had proven to be a perfect foil for the Silver Flame Sect\'s aggressive combat techniques.

And as if that wasn\'t enough, Joel Rythan, their second-strongest disciple, was now pitted against Lucavion, the enigmatic swordsman who had dispatched every opponent with chilling efficiency.

On the other side of the bracket, the Cloud Heavens Sect seemed to fare slightly better, though not without its own controversy. Zerah, a rising star within the sect, was now matched against Valeria, whose relentless style and resilience had earned her a reputation.

Lira Vaelan, the Silent Thunder, had drawn Maelis Arvon—a fellow disciple of the Cloud Heavens Sect. While sect members fighting each other wasn\'t unheard of, the optics of the strongest Cloud Heaven disciple being matched against her own seemed too convenient to some.