I decided to buy myself some time to properly assess the situation. Guo Xinyi clearly wanted to fight, but she also seemed confident enough to indulge in a bit of conversation first. That confidence might actually work in my favor.

"A pseudo-domain," I murmured, gesturing at the formations around us. "I have to ask; how exactly did you manage to break through to the Fourth Scale? That's quite a leap from peak Third Scale in just five days."

Guo Xinyi's smile widened, clearly pleased that I'd noticed her achievement. There was a hint of pride in her posture that reminded me she was still, at her core, a young cultivator who wanted recognition for her accomplishments.

"This vessel's natural affinity for advanced harmonics made the breakthrough possible," she explained. "She had already reached the absolute peak of Third Scale cultivation. All I needed to do was provide the final push through my own understanding of musical dao principles."

As she spoke, I let my spiritual sense explore the domain around us more thoroughly.

The formations weren't randomly placed; they formed a complex geometric pattern that amplified and redirected harmonic essence. The flowing musical notation in the sky above wasn't just for show either; those were actual technique patterns, ready to activate at her command.

"That's... actually quite impressive," I admitted, and I meant it. Breaking through cultivation realms was never simple, even when you had all the right conditions. "But isn't that dangerous? Having your vessel's cultivation exceed your own spiritual manifestation level?"

Guo Xinyi's expression flickered for just a moment; a brief crack in her confident facade that told me I'd hit close to home. She recovered quickly, but not before I caught that flash of uncertainty.

"I'm aware of the risks," she said carefully. "But even with all the advantages I have in this realm, something told me it wouldn't be enough to defeat you."

Her honesty surprised me. Most cultivators would never admit to feeling uncertain about their chances, especially not to their opponent. But there was something in her tone that suggested she was being completely genuine.

"That feeling of yours is correct," I said simply.

The words hung in the air between us for a moment. I could see her processing what I'd said, trying to decide whether it was arrogance or simple fact. Given everything she knew about the situation, it probably seemed like arrogance.

After all, from her perspective, I was a plant-based Pseudo-Elemental Realm cultivator possessing a mere Second Scale vessel in a realm specifically designed to favor musical cultivation.

"Master," Azure said quietly in my mind, "she's gathering energy for something big. The harmonic essence around us is starting to resonate with her spiritual signature."

I felt it too; a subtle shift in the musical currents that flowed through the bizarre concert hall domain.

"Well then," Guo Xinyi said, her voice taking on a more cold tone, "let's see if your confidence is justified."

The domain suddenly exploded into motion.

Every crystal began resonating at once, creating a symphony of destruction that built toward a single devastating crescendo. The musical notation in the sky rearranged itself into attack patterns, forming what looked like a massive sonic spear aimed directly at my location.

The air itself began to vibrate with such intensity that I could see visible distortions rippling outward from Guo Xinyi's position.

This wasn't just an attack; it was an attempt to end the battle in a single overwhelming strike.

"Divine one!" Mo Yuhang's mental voice cracked with panic. "That is a Fourth Scale finale technique! If that hits us..."

He didn't need to finish. Whatever Guo Xinyi was preparing would definitely be enough to obliterate us if it connected.

Time to change the rules of engagement.

Without warning, I released a controlled burst of red sun energy around our body.

The effect was catastrophic - for her technique, not for us.

The crimson aura erupted outward like a shockwave, and every single particle of harmonic essence in the domain recoiled in absolute terror. The carefully orchestrated symphony shattered into discordant noise as the musical energy fled in all directions, desperate to escape the red sun's dominating presence.

The formations cracked and went silent.

The attack patterns in the sky dissolved into random noise.

The entire domain structure, which had been held together by precisely balanced harmonic resonance, came apart like a house of cards in a hurricane.

"Impossible!" Guo Xinyi staggered backward as her technique not only failed but actively turned against her. The rebounding harmonic essence struck her like a physical blow, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth.

Reality snapped back into focus around us with an almost audible pop.

We were standing in the middle of a normal city street again, surrounded by the familiar architecture of residential buildings and shops. The artificial concert hall had vanished completely, leaving behind only confused-looking citizens who had been going about their daily business when the domain suddenly engulfed them.

"What in the name of the Grand Composer was that?!" a nearby shopkeeper shouted, looking around wildly for the source of the disturbance.

"Divine beings!" another voice called out. "The gods are fighting in our streets!"

The crowd's reaction was a mixture of terror and excitement. Some people immediately dropped to their knees in reverence, while others began backing away with obvious fear. A few of the braver souls actually moved closer, apparently hoping to witness a battle between divine powers.

The city guards were the most conflicted of all. I could see them pushing through the crowd, their armor gleaming with protective formations, but their expressions showed complete uncertainty about what they should do. They clearly knew they couldn't interfere with a battle between gods, but they also had a duty to protect the citizens.

"Captain!" one of the guards called out to a grizzled veteran with commander's insignia. "Orders, sir?"

"Start evacuating the civilians," the captain replied grimly. "Form a perimeter ten blocks out and get everyone to safety. We can't stop divine beings from fighting, but we can damn well make sure they don't take innocent people with them."

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"But sir, what if the gods consider the evacuation an interference?"

The captain was quiet for a moment, clearly weighing the risks. "Then we'll face the consequences. But I won't stand by and watch my people get caught in divine crossfire."

I felt a flicker of respect for the man. That kind of courage, choosing to do what was right even when facing impossible odds, reminded me of the better aspects of humans.

Guo Xinyi wiped the blood from her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and something that might have been fear. "What kind of technique was that? I've never encountered demonic qi that could disrupt other energy types so completely."

I didn't correct her assumption about the red sun energy being demonic qi. Let her think whatever she wanted; the misunderstanding might actually work in my favor later.

"You really weren't prepared for me, were you?" I said instead, letting a hint of amusement color my voice.

Her jaw tightened with frustrated anger, and I could see her preparing to channel another technique. Her lips began moving in the opening notes of what sounded like a combat song, harmonic essence gathering around her like a storm cloud.

"Wait," I said, raising my hand. "Before we continue this fight, you might want to consider where we're standing."

She paused, glancing around at the civilians who were still in the process of being evacuated. The guards were working efficiently, but there were still hundreds of people within potential blast radius of our battle.

"So?" she said after a moment's hesitation. "What's your point?"

"My point is that any serious techniques we use here are going to cause significant collateral damage. A lot of innocent people are going to die if we fight in the middle of a populated area."

For just a second, I saw uncertainty flicker across her features. But then her expression hardened again.

"You know what? That kind of thinking is exactly why you're going to lose," she said, her voice carrying a cold dismissiveness that reminded me of the brutal reality of the cultivation world. "You're treating this realm like it's real, like these people actually matter. But this is nothing more than a battleground designed to determine which of us advances to the next round of the tournament."

My eyes narrowed at her words.

She really didn't see the inhabitants of this realm as people. To her, they were just props in a game, no more important than the furniture in a cultivation trial.

"Let me ask you something," I said, my voice taking on a much sharper edge. "Even if you're willing to use these people as collateral damage for a tactical advantage, have you considered the bigger picture?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it logically," I continued, pressing my advantage. "Back in our world, I'm at Pseudo-Elemental Realm while you're at Qi Condensation Stage 8. I've been cultivating for maybe a year, while you've probably been at this for a few good years. Despite all those disadvantages on my side, you still felt like you needed to risk vessel possession instability just to have a chance against me."

I could see her processing this information, her confidence beginning to waver slightly.

"But here's the part you really need to consider," I said, my voice dropping to something much more dangerous. "Even if you somehow manage to eliminate me by using these people as weapons, you still won't be able to defeat both Wei Lin and Wu Kangming. Which means you won't win the tournament. Which means you won't get access to the Elemental Chamber."

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized where I was going with this.

"Without that breakthrough opportunity, you'll remain stuck at Qi Condensation Stage 8 for who knows how long. And when we both return to the cultivation world..." I smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Well, let's just say I tend to remember people who murder innocents for tactical advantages. You'll have to deal with a very motivated Pseudo-Elemental Realm cultivator who has a personal grudge against you."

The color drained from her face as the full implications hit her. She'd been thinking short-term, focused only on winning this single battle. But cultivation was a long game, and enemies made along the way had a habit of becoming much bigger problems later.

"You're threatening me," she said, though her voice lacked its earlier confidence.

"I'm explaining consequences," I corrected. "Actions have results that extend far beyond the immediate moment. You can choose to be the kind of person who sacrifices innocents for convenience, but that choice will define every interaction we have from now until one of us dies."

The silence stretched between us for several long moments as she considered my words. I could practically see the calculation happening behind her eyes, weighing the short-term advantage of using civilians as weapons against the long-term implications of making a permanent enemy out of someone who had already surpassed her cultivation level.

Finally, she let the harmonic essence around her dissipate with a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "The Resonance Peaks. We'll settle this at the location we originally agreed upon."

I held back a sigh of relief. I really didn't enjoy threatening other people, even when they probably deserved it, but sometimes it was necessary to protect innocent lives. I was just glad that common sense had won out over her desire for a quick victory.

As we began walking toward the city's northern gate, the captain caught my eye and nodded respectfully, apparently understanding that the immediate danger had passed.

The walk to the Resonance Peaks would take the better part of an hour, and neither of us used any movement techniques to speed the journey. We were both conserving energy for the real battle that was coming.

"Divine one," Mo Yuhang's voice whispered in my mind as we climbed a particularly steep section of trail, "thank you for remembering. These people, they are my neighbors, my friends. The baker who gave Xiaoxiao free sweets when we couldn't afford them, the street musician who taught me my first proper harmonic scales... You could have just fought there and focused on winning, but you chose to protect them instead."

"You don't need to thank me for basic decency," I replied. "Protecting innocent people isn't mercy; it's just the right thing to do."

"I'm worried though," Mo Yuhang continued, his voice tight with anxiety. "She's reached Fourth Scale cultivation. Even with the Symphony Core you helped me achieve, the gap in raw power..."

"Mo Yuhang," I said. "What's the most important thing I've taught you about cultivation?"

"That... that talent and natural gifts aren't everything?" he replied uncertainly.

"Exactly. Guo Xinyi has advantages - a stronger vessel, environmental compatibility, raw power. But do you know what she doesn't have?"

"What, divine one?"

"She doesn't have your story."

I could feel his confusion, so I elaborated.

"You've spent twenty years being told you weren't good enough. Twenty years of watching more talented people advance while you struggled. Twenty years of refusing to give up despite every setback, every humiliation, every reason to quit. That kind of determination can't be cultivated or inherited; it has to be forged through adversity."

I paused, letting the words sink in before continuing.

"Guo Xinyi is powerful, skilled, and intelligent. But she's never had to fight for everything she's achieved. She's never had to stand up against impossible odds with nothing but stubborn will keeping her going. When this battle gets difficult, and it will get difficult, she's going to falter. And that's when we win."

Truth was, I had no idea what Guo Xinyi's actual background was beyond being an outer disciple like me. She could have been born into wealth, or struggled with poverty, or anything in between. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was giving Mo Yuhang the confidence boost he needed.

And it seemed to have worked because I felt Mo Yuhang's spiritual presence straighten up, his fear transforming into fierce determination.

"You're right, divine one. When my parents passed away, I had to pull through situations worse than this."

"That's the spirit," I said, smiling internally. "Besides, we've got a few surprises prepared that she's not expecting."

***

The Resonance Peaks came into view as we crested a hill on the road leading north from the city. They were aptly named - the entire mountain range seemed to vibrate with stored musical energy, creating a low harmonic thrum that was audible even from several kilometers away.

The peaks themselves were carved into impossible shapes that defied normal geology. Towering trees formed natural amphitheaters, while deep valleys carved perfect acoustic channels between them. I could see formations and barriers throughout the range, probably designed to contain the effects of high-level musical cultivation techniques.

"Training grounds for advanced practitioners," I murmured, impressed despite myself.

We made our way to a large circular plateau about halfway up the main peak.

The area was perfectly flat and surrounded by natural stone walls that rose like the sides of a colosseum. Harmonic formations were carved into every surface, probably meant to strengthen and amplify sound-based techniques while preventing them from affecting the surrounding landscape.

It was an ideal battlefield for our purposes: isolated, reinforced, and designed to handle the kind of destructive power we were about to unleash.

Guo Xinyi and I took positions on opposite sides of the plateau, roughly fifty meters apart.

The distance felt both too close and too far, close enough that we could clearly see each other's expressions, far enough that we'd both have time to react to most techniques.

She straightened up and performed a short, formal bow. Despite everything that had happened, there was genuine respect in the gesture.

I returned the bow, acknowledging her as a worthy opponent.

The real battle was about to begin.

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