What does "I alone reign" really mean?

"Lord Xu, Lord Xu..." Grand Historian Hong Li rushed into the governor's office in the Moon-Watching Tower, where Xu Yuanqing usually handled official business. The moment he saw the governor, he dropped to his knees. "I have failed in my duties!"

"What is this..." Xu Yuanqing frowned. "Tell me what happened first. We'll decide whether you're at fault afterward."

"I heard today that someone was holding arena matches outside the southern outskirts of Chang'an City, drawing a large crowd. Since the Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Sect is to the south, I sent a subordinate to investigate, and he discovered... something terrible! The girl defending the arena was wearing a mask, but my subordinate checked repeatedly. She's your daughter, Xu Xuanling!"

"What?" Xu Yuanqing sprang to his feet. "Xuanling is fighting in an arena?"

"Yes... and under the rules, she has to face ten opponents in succession!"

Xu Yuanqing could no longer sit still. "Come, we're going to take a look!"

Although cultivators often sparred, and sects occasionally arranged matches with one another, such contests were ultimately quite dangerous. Even the inter-sect tournaments organized by the Immortal Alliance could not entirely prevent accidents. Every year, there were several cases of cultivators suffering injuries that ruined their futures, or dying on the spot.

He had complete confidence in his daughter's abilities.

But cultivation talent was one thing, and actual arena combat was nothing like practicing with family members who fed her moves. Sometimes, once tempers flared during a spar, it was hard to say how it differed from a fight to the death.

The two went outside, mounted their horses, and rode toward the southern city gate.

"And why did you say you were at fault?" Xu Yuanqing asked as they rode. He knew Xu Xuanling had decided to