Chapter 1: Battle of Pridefulness
Loud noises echo through the air near the training field of the university. Hundreds of teenagers are lined up in a queue for this year's entrance examination. Naturally, most of them knew that they had no chance to be accepted whatsoever, but they nevertheless wanted to give it a shot.
"NEXT! Number 365! Choose a puppet opponent!" A middle-aged examiner called Bai Long in shiny white and red battle attire shouted towards the front of the line with a stern voice, lacking any form of emotion. His sleepy, stone-grey eyes never left the paper in his hands as he addressed the next examinee. From his posture, one could clearly see his disinterest in this exam.
With the examiner's call, a teenager with snow-white hair and icy blue eyes shot his eyes open and set up a big grin, spanning from ear to ear. He took a wide step forward from the queue and made a military salute. His leather battle armour rattled with those motions which drew the attention of those around him.
"Who's that beggar?"
"Can't he afford new leather armour?"
"What is someone like him doing here?"
The white haired teenager gave those people no heed and let them talk. He only shot them a judging glance before focusing his attention back to the examiner. With his hands behind his straightened back and his chin slightly raised, he reported to the middle-aged man, "Number 365 – Duan Jian. Puppet LV60C13!! "
". . ."
Silence filled the examination ground. Even those who belittled him earlier didn't make the slightest noise.
The examiners prepared puppets numbered from Level 30 to Level 60 where only one Level 60 puppet existed. Until this day, nobody defeated the Level 60 puppet, whereas numerous people defeated Level 59 puppets. Rumours say that it is a failed product and only stops a fight after it crushed the mind of the opponent. Not even the examiners are able to stop it; apparently, if you defeat it then the university will gift that person a lot of cultivation resources and much other good stuff.
Shouts and whispers again rang out from the examinees.
"What is he doing?!"
"Is he insane?!"
"Nobody dares to challenge < The Owl >!"
"365! Puppet LV60C13!" Bai Long announced ever so expressionless and stamped heavily on the dusty ground which made the ground vibrate. Some examinees even lost their balance and fell on the ground. An earthen cube of the size of a grown adult shot shortly after his stomp out of the middle of the training field and stood there like a boulder. Bai Long placed his hand on the earthen cube and in a split-second one side of the cube slid back into the ground like a door.
A humanoid figure proudly stepped out from the cube. From sole to neck it looked like it was made from earth and stone. Its head was the only part which wasn't from earth or stone but instead made from cold ice. Its face was round, and a beak and eyes like an owl decorated it.
The puppet straightened its right hand and made a threatening grabbing-motion towards Duan Jian's neck. It seemed as if it wanted to crush Duan Jian and it would do everything to achieve that. It put its hand down again and dragged its right foot backwards. Its foot made crunching noises while it got into its battle stance.
"365! Forward!" the examiner commanded Duan Jian and left the field.
Duan Jian proudly moved towards < The Owl > and halted a few meters in front of it. He also drew his foot a step back so that he can manoeuvre more freely and move faster. Both Duan Jian and the puppet were now in the same battle stance. The puppet's cold eyes stared deeply into his eyes and penetrated his prideful spirit and soul. A shudder crept down his sweated back.
"DRAW YOUR WEAPONS!!" Bai Long shouted from afar and stood in front of the other examinees in case that he has to protect them from collateral damage of the fight.
Rattling chains creeped out from Duan Jian's sleeves like snakes and with each hand he grabbed one end of the chain which has a sharp silver blade attached to it. It seemed that he can contract and extend the chains from his sleeves as he wills.
With a slight hand motion he shot the chain-blade out from his sleeve towards the clouds. After they reached roughly the height of ten meters, he grabbed the moving chain and pulled it back down. Like lightning, the blade shot down and struck the ground before him, accompanied by a thunderous noise. Dust flew into the air and covered the near area around him and the puppet.
Everyone from the crowd showed an expression of disdain. They couldn't believe how dumb he was. Who would show their opponent how far they could reach with their weapon before the fight? Wasn't this showing his weakness to everyone present?
"What a show-off. He will pay the price for that." People shot him glances and shook their heads while others were holding their laughter back.
Meanwhile, the puppet didn't draw its weapon but started to act prideful too. It moved one hand behind its back and stretched its other hand towards Duan Jian. Its outward stretched hand gestured Duan Jian to come at him at full force.
Duan Jian's brow twitched from the puppet's actions. 'Does it really believe that it can defeat me with one hand and without a weapon? I know I acted full of pride and looked down on it, but this is too much. Aren't you just a puppet?!'
He just couldn't stand the puppet's pride anymore and shouted at it while fully aware that it was just a lifeless puppet and maybe didn't even understand him.
"Is this all?! The high and mighty Owl, which crushes the spirit of its opponents, decided to use only one hand for that? What do you want to do? Give me a high-five with that?!" A smile crept on his mouth and a small laughter of mockery escaped his lips.
"But yeah, maybe - just maybe - you're able to defeat me with one hand. Are you sure the fight will be so easy for you that you are able to crush me?" With those words, blades of ice formed on his forearms which looked like a pair of scythes.
"Are you sure that you want to fight that way? Because maybe I am the one who crushes YOU!" Duan Jian snickered and imagined in his head how miserable he should damage the dumb puppet.
But to everyone's surprise, including the normally stone cold examiner, it seemed that the puppet understood Duan Jian's words of mockery. It moved its hidden hand forward again while parts of debris crumbled down from it.
Duan Jian, who regained a part of his pride again, couldn't help but lift his head slightly upward to look down on the disgraced puppet and scoff at it, "At least you know your limits."
He wanted to speak further, but what the Owl did next left him speechless. It raised its earthen hand and held it in front of its eyes as if it was saying: "Yeah right, fighting without a weapon and only one hand wouldn't do my reputation any good. I don't even need my eyes to break your prideful spirit into smithereens."
The examinees couldn't hold their laughter's anymore and started to laugh like crazy. They enjoyed the sight of how miserable Duan Jian must have felt right then. He just lost all the dignity he had left.
If the puppet would have left its hand behind its back, then it could be said that it didn't understand Duan Jian's words. That way, if he was defeated, it wouldn't look very miserable because he already stated that the powerful owl, who even defeats the high-level teachers and examiners, needs one hand to defeat a mere student. No, not even a student; he is only an examinee currently and not even an official student.
But now that it was blind, didn't use a weapon, and only one hand, all of Duan Jian's pride disappeared like smoke and not even his dignity remained.
On the 10th floor's terrace of the university stood an enchanting teenage girl in golden battle armour which glittered in the setting sun. Her long Valkyrie-golden hair swayed in the slight breeze and accented her teary, golden eyes even more. Her sorrow could be clearly seen from miles away. "Those people may not see your despair or sadness, but I do. I do see your despair. I do see your sadness. *sigh*. I do. But you are trying too hard."
The examiner gave a cold laugh at Duan Jian and immediately returned to his stone-cold expression. "365! Are you ready?"
Duan Jian gnashed his teeth in anger and tightened his grip on the blades so hard that veins bulged on his hands. He couldn't let this end like this. Even if it means his death, he is not willing to be defeated in this way.
He clicked his tongue and removed his leather battle armour where his chain-blades were attached to. Accompanied by the rattling of the chains and the creaking of the old leather armour, he cast it aside.
With his hands in front of his body, he formed a sword of ice and clutched it with his strong grip.
"I'm ready!!" he shouted back to the examiner and got into his battle stance.
With Duan Jian's focus back on the puppet, he saw that it was doing the threatening hand motion again, inviting him to go at it with all he had.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
NineNetherBird
NineNetherBird Starting with the second chapter, I started using more writing styles and tried to make the story more immersive.
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