Ten Thousand Tragedies

Wang Bin had a particular way of teaching arrays. He had started with simple, basic arrays, consisting only of a few lines. He then added to the arrays, little by little, making them grow more complex while making sure that the earlier knowledge was kept active and useful for understanding what the new bit was or did.

They'd started with a single line of an array, while the last one he'd given Wu Hao had been a sprawling behemoth consisting of dozens of brushstrokes, that had to be fitted across multiple sheets of paper. In fact, that was how Wang Bin had said they'd learn the technique for multi-page arrays.

Hua Lixin felt like that final array. It was as if someone had taken the best parts from Wu Hao's previous opponents and grafted them onto a single person.

He had the completeness of Su Biao, where all of his techniques worked flawlessly together. He had the defense of Ye Yue, even though he didn't actually defend that often, but he also had Ye Yue's endurance and his seeming inability to tire, as well as his unperturbed mindset whatever Wu Hao did.

And, worst of all, he had a Heaven-grade technique like Du Linglong. Wu Hao had thought that those were supposed to be impossible for third-grade martial artists like him.

It was a lot less fun being on the opposite end of an impossibility, he had discovered. It unfortunately made sense, though, because apparently Hua Lixin had been taught martial arts directly by a Sovereign, and a Sovereign could do anything.

Lacking a Sovereign, Wu Hao had to improvise.

The second time around he tried the spear again. The One-Shot Kill Art had saved him once before, so he hoped that it would again.

He just needed a little bit of time, that was all. He just needed enough time to activate the Heart Seeker, and then the Jade Orchid would be his. Everything he'd ever wanted would be his.

Hua Lixin, unfortunately, knew that as well as Wu Hao did, and didn't allow him that time. This time, Wu Hao couldn't meet his charge head-on.

Even as he'd tried to draw out all the qi he could and shove it into his spear, the thunder crackling around him as he wasted qi on converting it to the lightning attunement, Hua Lixin took a single step and arrived in a haze of fire next to Wu Hao's corner where he'd fled to.

There wasn't even much of a chance to defend himself. It was all he could do to simply hang on and try to twist his way through a block, but Hua Lixin had simply murmured the name of his technique in response.

"Wildfire Swift Sword Art: Firebrand."

His sword had cut straight through Wu Hao's spear, and that had been all for that fight. Wu Hao didn't have any techniques for two halfspears, and even if he had Hua Lixin stabbed him in the arm afterwards and the point would've been moot anyway.

After that, there wasn't much he could have done. He tried, but then Hua Lixin's sword was at his neck.

The ass hadn't even had the bravery to actually do more than pull his sword slightly when Wu Hao had tried to cut his own neck with the blade.

Tai Buzhou had sounded very, very happy that Wu Hao had lost. He was practically chortling with glee as he announced that the dark horse had been brought down. Order had been restored, presumably.

Wu Hao had killed himself with a single knife thrust into his heart again, had sat back in his chair after gasping for air, and he had brooded.