“You lost?”

A surprised voice came from behind the curtain.

The voice was alluring and had a magnetic charm to it. It sounded like it could have either come from a woman or a gentle-sounding man.

“Tapio, you’ve already ascended the Third Stair of the Skyward Stairway and yet you still lost to James?”

Tapio knelt on the ground with a frustrated and helpless expression clouding over his pale face.

“I don’t know what kind of martial art James was practicing. Not only did his body suddenly take on a bronze sheen, but his defenses also increased exponentially. He had a sort of Energy Wall covering the surface of his body, and my sword could not penetrate it even after putting all my strength behind the strike. The Spiritual Palm could only damage him to the extent of coughing up blood.”

He paused and continued as he selected his next words carefully. “Prolonging the fight would only be detrimental to us both. Your instructions were to test him and not kill him, so I admitted defeat.”