Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
143. Stronger Today Than I Was Yesterday

Elder Di Ti appeared once more on the screen above the stage.

“That match was electrifying!” she said, beaming. “I heard many of you were confused about what happened during the fight. Would you like me to explain?”

“Yes!” the crowd shouted in unison.

“What most of you were puzzled about,” she continued, “was Zhu Ren saying her weapons spoke to her, right?” She didn't wait for a response. “She wasn’t lying or trying to make excuses for her techniques. She really can speak with her weapons—as long as they’re daggers—thanks to her Dao Spirit. Though, it’s not quite like having a conversation with another person. It’s more like... a strong instinct, as if she just knows what they want.”

The video feed shifted to display an image of Zhu Ren’s Dao Spirit while Elder Di Ti’s voice continued to echo across the arena.

“Dao Spirits have many wondrous abilities, but they are among the most difficult to cultivate. Like all spirits, you don’t get to choose which one you awaken upon reaching the Spirit Realm. However—” her tone became more conspiratorial “—there are ways to increase your chances of awakening a Dao Spirit. One of those is by focusing your cultivation on a specific Dao. Weapon Daos are the most accessible, but remember: under the heavens, there are infinite Daos.”

The illusionary display returned to Elder Di Ti, now standing beside another woman—older and much taller than Zhu Ren, yet bearing a striking resemblance.

“If you’d like to learn more about cultivating a Dao—especially the sword Dao—come find Elder Zhu Jian here. She’s usually at the... punishment hall.”

At the mention of the punishment hall, the crowd’s excitement wavered.

“Uh… do we really have to go to the punishment hall?”

“I always dreamed of becoming a sword mistress… but not if it means going anywhere near there…”

“The punishment hall? That’s asking too much…”

Elder Di Ti elbowed Zhu Jian. “Say something.”

Zhu Jian let out a sigh. “Was it not enough that I came up here for you?”

Di Ti shook her head. “You were the one who said you wanted to teach more disciples about the Dao. Now’s your chance.” She gave Zhu Jian a firm nudge forward.

With another sigh, Zhu Jian finally addressed the crowd. “I will be imparting Dao teachings at the inner sect’s auditorium. All disciples—outer, inner, and core—are welcome. Classes will be held every other day, starting after the tournament and going for one month, at noon each day.”

Relief swept through the crowd, followed quickly by cheers.

She scratched her cheek, suddenly self-conscious. “Also... I would like to ask everyone to stop calling me the One-Armed Swordswoman. I’ve completed my training now, so… it feels a bit strange to keep using that title.”

A faint blush colored her cheeks before she quickly turned and stepped off the platform.

Elder Di Ti chuckled. “She’s unexpectedly cute, isn’t she?”

The crowd went quiet—no one quite sure how to respond. Zhu Jian was notorious for never leaving her enemies with a complete corpse… and yet, she was just called “cute”?

“Anyway!” Di Ti clapped her hands. “Let’s move on to the next match, yes? Next up, we have the unpredictable Jin Shu versus the frosty Bing Hou!”

The stadium erupted with cheers.

“Finally! We get to see the Icy Phoenix again!”

“I wonder who’s stronger?”

“Obviously it’s Senior Sister Bing!”

“No way! Those weapons of Jin Shu’s and her ability to teleport are unbeatable!”

“Hmph! I’d like to see her teleport when she’s frozen solid!”

Jin Shu took a deep breath, stood, and made his way down to the arena.

If this were yesterday, he might have had reservations. Bing Hou's cold flame was notoriously difficult to deal with—especially for someone like him, whose arsenal consisted of little more than weak pellet guns, a slightly stronger riot shotgun, and his Ripple Walk Technique.

But a lot had changed since yesterday.

First, Long Jinshu had granted him access to the epiphany he’d nearly missed at the start of the tournament—an insight he’d used to strengthen his weapons and expand his repertoire. Then there were the lessons he'd absorbed from both watching and participating in the matches. Altogether, his combat ability had grown significantly in just a day.

Nothing accelerated growth like real combat experience. Even if this wasn’t a life-or-death battle, just a small tournament, it was still a crucible for improvement.

As he stepped onto the stage opposite Bing Hou, Jin Shu extracted his weapons from his earring and holstered them—he wasn't going to be caught unprepared… again. Then he gave a nod to both her and Elder Li.

“Are you both ready?” Elder Li asked.

Bing Hou nodded.

Ch-chk!

Jin Shu racked the shotgun. “Ready.”

“Begin!”

Jin Shu advanced, not bothering to hide in slipspace this time. He felt confident enough to face Bing Hou head-on without any trickery—well, with less trickery, at least.

The spectators were puzzled. From their perspective, he was the same fighter they saw yesterday. And technically, he was… just a much stronger version.

Even Bing Hou blinked in surprise, clearly expecting him to vanish at the start. But she didn’t hesitate—her icy blue flame surged forward, racing straight for him.

Jin Shu smirked. He had only two potential opponents left in the tournament, so he'd spent the night and most of the morning crafting specific strategies for both. While Liu Hua still posed a challenge, Bing Hou? He had several counters ready.

He raised his shotgun, took aim at the oncoming flame, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The shell burst from the barrel with a flash of fire. It collided directly with the cold flame, detonating in a brilliant ball of red fire that engulfed and overwhelmed the smaller blue flame.

It was a new round he’d crafted the night before—what he called: the Dragon Breath Slug.

But one alone wasn’t going to be enough.

From within the burst of orange flames, Bing Hou’s cold blue flame reemerged—diminished, but not extinguished. It shot forward again, slightly smaller than when it had first appeared.

Bang!

A second Dragon Breath Slug exploded on contact, engulfing the icy flame once more. When the fire cleared, only a flickering ember remained. Jin Shu reached out and grabbed it—barehanded.

The crowd gasped, many thinking he’d just signed his own death warrant. Even Bing Hou raised a curious brow, her lips curling into a slight smirk.

Then Jin Shu’s hand glowed bright orange. When he opened his palm, the cold flame was gone—transformed into a pulsing orange flame.

“What?!” Bing Hou exclaimed. “You also have three elemental affinities?!”

The crowd erupted.

“What did she say?!”

“Three elements?! That’s fire, right?!”

“No way!”

“Doesn’t that mean Jin Shu has the same affinities as Liu Hua?!”

“All but lightning… but Liu Hua’s lightning is special—it’s something she created by combining other affinities. So… actually, if Jin Shu learns to combine his elements too—he could catch up!”

Jin Shu gave a calm nod. “That’s right. Actually,” he raised the flame in his hand, “I have you to thank for this.”

Bing Hou furrowed her brow. “Me?”

“You, Grand Elder Feng Lian… and the atmosphere,” he said with a shrug.

When Long Jinshu had granted him the epiphany again, he’d mentioned it was tied to the Grand Elder. But he hadn’t explained exactly how—only that it was connected to her leaking aura.

The truth was, the original epiphany had been useless to him.

It wasn’t about the fire element at all—it was about phoenixes. About their connection to fire, rebirth, and immortality. Long Jinshu had taken that epiphany and repurposed it, stripping away the mythic layers until only the elemental insights remained—something Jin Shu could actually use.

The night before, Long Jinshu had left him with one final warning: With your three split souls, you're experiencing too many epiphanies too quickly. If this continues… you might lose your sense of self. 

Whatever that meant…

Jin Shu hadn’t entirely understood it. Not in one night. It was a lot to take in.

He shook his head, brushing aside the intrusive thoughts.

“You’re welcome,” Bing Hou said, completely sincere.

“Uh… thanks?” he replied, caught off guard.

She nodded once. “Now, let’s get back to the battle.”

“Good idea.”

Ch-chk!

Jin Shu racked his shotgun, ejecting the spent shell and loading a fresh round.

“If one cold flame wasn’t enough…” Bing Hou raised her hand as five identical blue flames shimmered into existence around her. “Can you handle five?”

Jin Shu gulped. “Uh… that might be one—or four—too many…”

You two. It's time. he said internally.

Okay, both souls replied in unison.

He popped out the twenty-round magazine, ejecting the remaining shell, and swapped in a smaller ten-round mag.

“I didn’t plan to use these… They’re a bit hard to control with my limited fire affinity,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “So be careful.”

“Don’t worry,” Bing Hou said calmly. “I can control my flames perfectly. So there’s no need to worry about accidents.” She paused. “You’ll only die if I want you to.”

Jin Shu blinked. Her tone was perfectly flat. He couldn’t tell if she was joking… or serious.

Not that he had time to figure it out.

The five cold flames launched toward him at breakneck speed.

Jin Shu didn’t aim precisely—he didn’t need to. He pointed the shotgun toward the center of the incoming flames and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A roaring wall of fire erupted from the barrel—like a tidal wave of flame. This was the True Dragon’s Breath round.

The massive flame swallowed all five cold flames—and then erupted with a series of rapid, concussive blasts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dozens of explosions went off within the fire cloud in a rolling chain. The sound was deafening—so loud that the elders in charge of the amplification formation scrambled to shut it down before the audience went deaf.

But Jin Shu wasn’t satisfied. He knew this fight wasn’t over.

He glanced down at the shotgun. Just ten of these rounds—nine now. The twenty-round mag only had the slug versions left. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Ch-chk!

He racked the next round and raised the barrel, ready for whatever came next.