At the crack of dawn, Yun entered into a large field of grass on the outskirts of his hometown. With him, he carried a large bag filled with gravel and a makeshift spear of sharpened forged steel attached to a long wooden carved pole. It had been just two months since the national championship. Already, rumours floated around the streets to claim that the nation's top-rated dueling academy would be travelling through the neighbouring city of Bei Ping in search of the next generation of worthy duelists. The word spread instantly, young teens everywhere rushed to the nearest weapon stores and began their training. Of course, Yun never forgot the excitement and exhilaration he felt as he watched Cao Pi and Sun Ce's duel. It seemed just like a spark followed by the ignition, something hidden in the depths of Yun's consciousness called for action.

Though it was only a single step in a much longer journey to come, with faith Yun proceeded into the excitement filled future ahead. He tightly secured the gravel bag to a sturdy, low-hanging branch and got into attacking position. Today's the day, he thought, he would definitely master the guard-breaking attack and use it to impress the academy representatives! His eyes lit up as he imagined the possibility…

Zhao Yun confidently stared down his randomly chosen sparring partner. There was no possible way his opponent could defeat him, mainly due to the gaping difference in their skills. So he resorted to playing a defensive game and trying to stall the match.

"Heh, you're pretty strong kid…" His opponent snarled in irritation at his obvious disadvantage. "…But, if you can't break through my defences, there's no way you can defeat me!"

"That's why I intend to do just that!"

"W-What? That's impossible!" The opponent quivered in fear, unsure of what Yun was going to try next.

"Guard break!"

Yun raised his spear, ready to strike. He wound up into his attack and rapidly swung at full momentum, the power of fire lit the way. Though his spear is little more than cheaply forged wood and steel, it sufficed to completely disarm his opponent and knock him to the ground.

"And the winner is, Zhao Yun! With that world-class performance, he will be accepted into the academy at once!" The academy's headmaster jubilantly announced for all to hear.

Yun smiled and waved to the crowd of students who shouted and cheered continually in his honour as they welcomed him among their ranks…

He returned to reality, stood in the same place as before. The bag swayed temptingly in the wind. First, he began by bending at the knees and spreading his feet slightly more than shoulder width apart – so to establish a low centre of gravity. Second, he gripped the pole end of the spear with his dominant hand closest to the head of the blade and aimed keenly toward his target.

"Alright!" The boy nodded his head. A short grin curled at his lips. His eyes gleaned with anticipation.

Now in position, he paused momentarily. Inhale…exhale…smoothly, he settled his breathing pattern into a steady rhythm. In a swift, slashing motion, he drove the tip of his spear into the exterior fabric of the bag. Before he could register what exactly happened next, the spear halted on the opposite side. A gaping wound spread horizontally down what was roughly the centre point of the bag. Gravel flooded out the bottom of the deflated bag in a rapid downpour, the results were evident.

"Good! I'm now ready for the academy entrance exams" Yun rejoiced to himself in satisfaction. He finished the remainder of his practice exercises and packed up to attend the entry examination.

The trek to the city took hours for the people of the northern countryside who often had to walk the entire distance. Today however, Yun was lost in his thoughts, and so the time that passed on his way felt like a distant memory as he finally made it to the city.

He stood on top of a hill at the very end of the city's outskirts. He took in the view of the massive congregation of skyscrapers in competition with one another to reach the heights of space itself. There were massive billboards that hung on the side of each skyscraper that displayed advertisements in an entrancing selection of bright neon colours. Even from here, he could listen to the constant horn sounding and the emergency sirens of a city in its daily routine. Further into the city's core, Yun navigated through the packed sidewalks and the terribly busy roads where only the hurried could get by. An older, brick layered building in the downtown area marked the end of his trip as he arrived at the Bei Ping Rec Centre.

It was precisely noon when Yun arrived on the scene. He entered a line of eager participants that stretched around the block. The blazing summer sun scorched down upon his head as he waited. The horrid conditions caused profuse sweating amongst the other people in line as some resorted to downing consecutive bottles of water in order to stay cool. One by one, they were admitted inside the building.

Being near the back of the line, Yun spent an indeterminable amount of time in direct fire of the sun where he surely burned to a crisp. His bland grey shirt grew ever damper with the thick layer of sweat that dripped from his pores. The soles of his feet wildly cried for a break from the constant movement which had taken up much of his day. Every now and then, somebody nearby would also moan and complain about having to tolerate the ungodly heat, which only reminded the others of the unfortunate circumstance. Fortunately the queue did move along, he thought, there was no telling what horrible affliction would have become of them had it not.

Before long, he too arrived at the front of the line. The young boys, such as himself, who had toughed out the sweltering heat were to be admitted through a single, narrow doorway. Though it was just a small glimpse, Yun was able to curiously peer inside the entrance of the building. At the front was a dimly lit corridor, but its radiance increased the further he looked ahead. A series of peppy conversations carried on inside as the other duelists flaunted their weapons like trophies of worth. The view was obstructed by a large figure that stood directly in his line of sight.

"Name?" A bald-headed man in a silky purple suit peered down at him with a pair of stern, interrogative eyes. His expression was blank and his movements were almost soulless and robotic.

"My name is Zhao Yun sir" He replied in kind.

"Proceed to duel field one and wait your turn" The man checked something off his clipboard and moved on to the next person. Another man positioned closer to the doorway gestured for Yun to enter, which he kindly did with a small bow of gratitude.

He continued forward. A sizeable cluster of students gathered in social groups along the walls of the corridor, only briefly did they glance in his direction before they returned to their usual conversation. Yun took careful note of the weapons people held as he proceeded further down the hallway. Swords and spears made up the majority of the weaponry present. The heavy-weights lugged around their gigantic clubs seemingly with ease. The smaller kids often wandered alone, they timidly carried small battle fans by one hand and skittishly surveyed the competition with a pair of beady little eyes.

At the end of the corridor was another room that was separated in an open concept by a blank doorway. The room was arranged with five dueling fields lined vertically across; each one was numbered in order from left to right. For every field there were also two duelists already in the middle of their fights, along with a lengthy lineup that lead to each one. Yun glanced back and forth as he intently watched the other contestants in action.

"Hey look! It's the regional champ, Yue Jin, fighting in field 3!" One of the contestants gawked in the background.

Yun spotted a short, muscular boy in the midst of a duel with a much larger, club waiving opponent. Both duelists had already broken a sweat and now stared each other down from opposite ends of the field in a rise of intensity. Jin's choice of weapon was the rather exotic, silver coated dual hook blades with razor sharp edges. Anyone who carried a weapon like that automatically separated themselves from the crowd in both wealth and, typically, skill. However, his opponent was about thrice his size and wielded a mammoth sized club to boot.

"Smallfry, surrender now if you'd like…otherwise I'll enjoy beating you to a pulp!" The boy with the club boisterously threatened him.

"Silence! I won't let you demean me anymore!" He yelled in defiance, a fire seemed to be lit in his eyes. He lowered his hook blades to his sides and took off in a quick beeline sprint toward his enemy. Step by step he drew closer, yet showed no signs of making an attack. His opponent was content to remain still and watch his opponent run straight into his demise. Only a few feet separated the two of them now, it was clear somebody had to attack the other.

"What could he be thinking…?" Yun wondered of the tactical reasons for his hesitation to attack at the current time.

"You're mine!" His opponent shouted as Jin charged madly into a sure defeat. If this connected, the boy would be praised for being able to defeat the regional champion in a single swing of his club.

He raised his spiked club to the apex of his attack; it looked as though it would descend directly onto Jin's head! With the absolute power of force, he descended into a game-breaking attack. Yue Jin responded with an execution of a perfectly-timed double jump, a rare evasion move known only by elite duelists. The plan worked perfectly. The attack passed him harmlessly and now he faced his opponent's exposed back for the counterattack.

"Swift as the wind, deadly as the hidden strength within. Musou Ranbu! Instant Charge!"

Yue Jin released a barrage of attacks upon his opponent's defenseless backside. His hook blades sliced his opponent one shot after another. Graceful as a skaters turns on ice, he juggled and toyed with his opponent until the final slash that sent his sparring partner out of the duel field. The remainder of his boastful opponent laid unconsciously on the floor beside his bludgeoning weapon. With that, Jin had skillfully claimed his well-earned victory and certainly a spot in the academy's ranks.

The judges, a panel of ten men total, watched from upon high on a balcony. Their heads nodded in approval of Jin's tactically sound performance in that fight which likely followed by low key comments of praise. From an elevated position, the judges could easily watch over the duels in their simultaneous occurrence and pick out the best of the bunch.

"This is it, my only chance…I must win!" The thought of being constantly watched with a critical eye jolted Yun to life. He quickly proceeded to his assigned duel field; a small group of students sat along the sides of the ring and carefully observed the match in progress. This time it was a sword wielder who faced off against a tall and slender individual carrying an exotic wheeled halberd. A calming vibe filled Yun's immediate senses, a stark contrast to the previous battle.

"I was kinda hoping this was going to be more interesting" The slender boy sighed in boredom as he passively styled his hair in the middle of the match. "…Well, I guess it can't be helped"

"Bastard! I'll make you pay!" His opponent suddenly erupted from the top of his lungs. Short and restless huffs made up his chaotic breathing patterns.

His opponent charged furiously in hopes of exacting his revenge. The other boy simply shrugged in mock confusion and raised his weapon in order to meet with a counterattack.

"Face the flames of your own demise, Musou Ranbu! Imperial Fire!"

He swung his halberd and in an instant, two spiky, metal disks shot out from the inside compartments. Their sharp, piercing blades rolled along the field on both sides and cutting everything in its path. His opponent froze in panic, unsure of how to best defend himself from the two-sided attack. Struck in both legs by the disks, the electrical currents sent him to sleep in a prompt end of the match. A light-hearted laugh escapes the victor as he exits the duel field. A crew of men enter the field to drag the loser's body from the ring where they proceeded to line him along the sidelines with the other defeated foes.

"Amazing! Li Dian completely controlled the duel!" Somebody calls out.

"As expected of the regional finals runner up!" Another contestant adds.

Li Dian confidently strutted passed his audience without as much as a glance in their direction. Yun looked up at the judges again and saw they furiously scribbled something down on their papers. The competition at these entrance exams grew more and more interesting as time went on. What other recognizable face would appear in these fields today, Yun wondered.

Meanwhile, hidden quietly from the commotion, Cao Pi contently lorded over the dueling subjects from a separate balcony. He sneered at their general incapability while they were none the wiser. An entourage of wealth, power, and status stood by his side to clear his path to one day ruling over the entire world. Though, of course, it had always been this way for the son of Cao Cao

"This is an utter waste of my father's precious time; I don't know why he subjects himself to this nonsense…"

Everywhere he looked, amateurs filled the fields. They acted with arrogance although it was clear that none of them possessed even a shred of knowledge of the art of dueling. No strategy or tactics were involved in their duels, a chaotic mess of emotions and sudden whims dictated their disastrous attempts. It sickened him to the very core to think the future generations would not be capable of anything more than being the misguided subjects of inadequacy.

"Cousin has gone a long way to establish the ties between Han Academy and Cao Corporation" Xiahou Yuan asserted.

"Han Academy will become nothing but dead weight latching onto father's company if they're so willing to recruit trash duelists and call them elites" Cao Pi replied disdainfully.

"Then perhaps it's time I demonstrated our point…" The voice of Cao Cao's right hand man, Xiahou Dun, boldly declared before he jumped from the upper balcony onto the duel field below where Yun happened to stand nearby.

"I-It's the One Eyed Demon!" People gasped at his sudden arrival. The nickname was a cruel indication of his missing left eye covered by the thin fabric of a black eyepatch. He held a podao whose blade was large enough to cleanly slice through a line of several pig carcasses.

"The former pro league duelist, what is he doing here?!" Another person exclaimed. The man turned to the extended line of duelists who stared upwards at him with the shock equivalent to the first sightings of a deity.

"I grow bored of these games. Now who here is brave enough to challenge me?!" He boldly declared for all in the room, perhaps even the entire building, to hear. There was a sudden halt of action, people from the other duel fields paused to watch the new scene unfold.

"N-No thanks, I'm not interested" One boy meekly backpedalled to the closest wall.

"I wouldn't stand a chance against him!" Another boy said in a defeated tone as he quivered in his boots. The looks of fear and panic in the audience brought a smug grin on Dun's face as he scanned the room left in silence by his yet intimidating figure.

"I will challenge you!" Zhao Yun jumped to his feet. His blood boiled, his body shook, a euphoric sensation gripped at his very essence like a persistent high. A duelist's energy ran through his body for the first time, he could feel the power intensify to a breaking limit. He felt absolutely invincible at that very moment.

"Sounds interesting. I will show you no mercy!" The former pro duelist sternly warned.

The two changed into their battle suits and prepared for battle. A large crowd of people from the other fields gathered around in the sheer wonder of the sudden turn of events. People were conversing furiously with each other about the details, even the judges seemed to be fully intrigued by the surprise entrance. Yun could feel the tension in the atmosphere thicken under the pressure of several hundred critical stares as he got into a fighting stance.

"So this is how a duelist feels huh? Amazing! I've never felt more alive! My opponent looks very strong! I wonder what kind of dueling he will show me?!"

By comparison, in both skill and weaponry, Xiahou Dun easily came out on top. Being aware of this, Yun concluded a victory against an opponent of this calibre would no doubt earn him an acceptance into the academy and seal his reputation as a great duelist. This was the chance he had been training for.

GONG!

The two charged towards one another with iron wills and blades of steel. Everyone else watched intently, including Cao Pi who appeared all too amused by Yun's unfounded gall to challenge a former pro league duelist. Still, the future remained undecided.

"Charge attack!" They shouted in unison.

Their weapons collided, the duelists are sent into a deadlock. Sparks and shards of steel fragments are blasted all around them. Yun struggled and eventually caved from beneath to his opponent's podao blade. He is sent to the ground with one swift kick of the boot into his stomach. With the opportunity to execute his attack, Xiahou Dun took to the air in an aerial charge attack. It was the very same strategy Cao Pi used in his duel to gain the initial advantage over Sun Ce. Recognizing this, Yun pushed roughly into the ground and pulled off a miraculous back flip to evade the impending attack. Dun grinned in satisfaction for Yun had fallen precisely into his hands.

"Shadow Sprint!" Dun shouted with an immense ferocity.

His body dashed forward in a great momentum. The brunt of his bulging shoulders clipped Yun in the chest to mark the first instance of damage. He was granted a personal experience of the battle suit's effects. Several volts of electricity crawled up the connection lines of his nervous system. The ensuing shocks sank into him like several sets of teeth feasting on his live body.

"Arrrgghh!" Yun screamed as his body was charred internally by the flames of malice in an excruciating torture.

"You feel that? The pain rushing through your body?! Embrace it. It's the only thing you have to look forward to. If you don't think you can handle it, now would be the time to surrender…"

"It looks like Xiahou Dun has this fight already won…" Somebody snidely commented.

"Huh?" Yun looked over to the audience, they were laughing at him, at the pain which he alone had to endure. These were the very same people who weakly declined the challenge out of fear, yet they still mocked him for trying. It was demoralizing, downright humiliating, to be demeaned by the masses in such a petty manner. Nonetheless, their insults continued, it appeared as though nobody thought he would be able to win.

In that case, the act of surrendering would only prove their preconceived notions right. However, that only left Yun with the option to fight and perhaps try to defeat Dun. It was unrealistic for him to believe he could continue to fight without taking another hit of damage. It may have even been unrealistic to expect anything but a loss in his first and only duel against a former pro with an immeasurable difference in their experience and accolades. But, could he really bear that intrusive pain once again?

"So, what will you do?" His opponent's baritone voice barged in the way of his thoughts. People anxiously waited on this decision.

"Either result could end with defeat. The key to victory, there may only be one. I will have to bet on my future!" Yun thought to himself before he slowly rose to his feet. His spear rose to the occasion as the boy bravely regathered into a fighting stance. "I will fight you, in the name of honour!"

"Very well, come!" Dun replied with an engaged smile.

"Yeah."

Yun rushed to the offensive as Dun retreated into a defensive mode in preparation. Slash after slash, stab after stab, Yun's combos were meet with Dun's defensive skill – he couldn't do any damage through his usual strategies.

"Slash combo!"

"Counterattack!" Precisely on Yun's next attack, Dun parried the strike and sent him back with a hard slash in the stomach. The currents jolted into Yun's entire being as he yells in pain once again. His vision blurred considerably, it was followed by the desire to drop to the floor.

"No, I mustn't fall! As long as I'm able, I'll fight with everything I have!"

Yun's legs, fatigued and shaking, felt as if they might fall under his own weight. He struggled mightily to stay on his aching feet as the day finally took its toll on him. His body wheezed and begged for more precious oxygen. Just how much longer could he withstand this?

"As expected, Dun has the idiot backed into a corner" Cao Pi praised.

"Looks like he's already worn out…" Xiahou Yuan remarked, the two shared a chuckle at Yun's expense.

Dun analyzed his opponent's stance carefully and deliberated his next move. The scent of victory hung tantalizingly near his nostrils.

"It's only a matter of time before he falls, he will be desperate to end the fight quickly before that happens. I must be careful not to play into his attempts. Victory will be mine if I can simply defend against everything he tries" Dun contemplated.

Yun watched his opponent fall into a tight defensive stance and immediately thought of his next attack. Another bout of fatigue clawed at his body, he visibly winced in its slowly increasing pain. It would come down to a single gamble to determine the winner of the match. He used the same set of combo attacks as before to strike Dun's defenses, though they were all blocked in the same manner. In this match, the pieces had all been set now – this was his final chance to turn things around. He summoned the remaining power inside of him and prayed his next strike would have connected or he feared the match would end in his defeat.

"Guard break!"

It was funny how the match would be determined by the move which he had worked so hard to perfect over the last few months of rigorous training. Yun wound up, he slashed upwards with the all of the adrenaline in his body. His spear slammed into Dun's podao like a freight train collision. The force of Yun's attack knocked his guard off balance, then he smiled knowing it all paid off.

"My gamble has worked!" He called out to Dun, reinvigorated with a new sense of confidence in himself.

"What do you mean?"

"EX Attack: Spiral Spear!" With one powerful motion, Yun drove the tip of his spear into Dun's midsection. He lifted with the reserve strength in his leg muscles, they both rocketed their way into the air. Yun spun in circles while his spear drilled painfully into his opponent's stomach. "Dragon's Slash!"

A powerful green aura surrounded Yun's body. Everyone looked upwards in astonishment as he seemed to be simply hovered in mid-air. He juggled with Dun's body, cutting him with a string of hard hitting slashes before one last hit which sent his opponent's body in a free fall the ground. The shock in Dun's body intensified with each hit.

"Aerial charge!" Following the lead, Yun charged in from above. His spear led the way as he pierced the blade's edge into Dun's very skin beneath the metallic exterior.

"Clashing fates lead to a new light, engraved into the history of tomorrow. Musou Ranbu! Flying Dragon!"

In one final charge, powered by the confidence and the aura of a mighty spirited warrior, Zhao Yun pushed forward with his spear at the helm. Across the length of the entire dueling field, Dun's body fell into a state of unconsciousness in a room that went deafeningly silent in an instant. Cao Pi and his entourage, as well as Cao Cao and the judges, nobody could believe what they had just seen. Zhao Yun had pulled off the great upset victory. The other contestants erupted in an exuberant happiness at the brilliant fight shown before their very eyes.

And yet, Zhao Yun's true fight was just about to begin.