High above the arena, beneath a pavilion carved from white jade and dark cedar, the elders watched in silence from within the VIP room.

  "Who's that?" Elder Han Qingsong asked, fingers tapping idly against the armrest of his chair as the first round of matches finally came to an end. His gaze remained fixed on the young boy who had just stepped down from the platform. Having defeated an older and stronger opponent rather easily.

  Another elder, thin-faced and sharp-eyed, unrolled the roster scroll.

  "Li Yuan," Elder Wei Lixun read aloud. "Seventh Stage Qi Condensation. Age… fourteen."

  A ripple of interest passed through the pavilion.

  Seventh Stage of Qi Condensation at the mere age of Fourteen.

  "That's… not bad," muttered Elder Luo Jian.

  "Not bad?" Han Qingsong snorted softly. "That's clearly a talent that belongs to the Inner Sect."

  Reaching the Seventh Stage before fifteen wasn't monstrous—but it was undeniably solid. With proper resources, such a disciple could easily attempt to Establish his Foundation before eighteen.

  Which raised an uncomfortable question.

  "If he's that talented," Elder Sun Meihua said, brows knitting together, "why wasn't he taken during the Sect Entrance Ceremony?"

  The pavilion fell quiet.

  "Perhaps he hid it." Wei Lixun's said, his expression hardening slightly. "It would not be the first time our rivals, or a demonic sect have sent someone to spy on us."

  "Or perhaps," Luo Jian said dryly, "we were blind."

  Han Qingsong waved a hand. "Find out."

  Two Servant Disciples were summoned immediately and sent down the mountain with instructions.

  The elders returned their attention to the matches, but the atmosphere had shifted.

  A few hours later, when Li Yuan's second opponent—a seasoned Peak Qi Condensation cultivator in his forties—was defeated in a minute, several elders leaned forward slightly.

  Despite his great talent, fighting across multiple minor realms was only something that true geniuses could do. Even then, the fight would've been difficult and long fought.

  Instead, the boy had split the older man's sword cleanly in half without much effort.

  Now, the elders had become truly interested in the boy.

  Eventually, the Servant Disciples returned, kneeling respectfully at the pavilion's entrance.

  "Well?" Wei Lixun demanded.

  The servants exchanged a glance. Then spoke up.

  "Reporting to the elders," one began carefully, "Li Yuan is… somewhat well-known in the Outer Sect."

  "In what sense?"

  "He frequently accepts hunting missions. Specifically, for Late and Peak First-Grade Spirit Beasts."

  Silence fell in the Pavillion.

  "That's absurd," Luo Jian said flatly. "A Seventh Stage disciple hunting Peak First Grade Spirit beasts. Do you take us for fools?"

  The second servant swallowed. "That is the reputation he has, honoured elders. Many outer disciples have witnessed him returning with the ears of such spirit beasts as proof."

  Murmurs broke out among the elders.

  "Perhaps the rumours are greatly exaggerated?" One elder offered.

  "Or maybe the disciple has some backing and used that to gather those spirit beasts' ears." Another elder said.

  "What else could it be? Do you really think a fourteen year old 7th Stage Disciple could hunt down a peak Stage Spirit beast?" Another elder asked in derision. "Have all of your senses left you?"

  One elder, however, remained silent.

  Elder Qin Zhen.

  He was the oldest among them tonight. His beard was long and silver and meticulously braided, his eyes half-lidded, as if he was half asleep, but his gaze was sharp.

  "I believe it," he said calmly.

  The pavilion quieted.

  Han Qingsong turned toward him, raising a curious eyebrow. "On what basis?"

  Qin Zhen gestured toward the arena below.

  "You saw his movements too when he split the older disciple's sword." He said, and the elders nodded in unison, albeit some did so more reluctantly.

  "He did not exert himself in either match," Qin continued. "Even against the Peak Qi Condensation disciple, he was at ease the entire time. Despite making it seem like he was pushed back, he was in control throughout the entire fight."

  Wei Lixun frowned. "Plenty of talented disciples in the Inner Sect can defeat someone a stage above them."

  Qin shook his head slightly. "Yes. One minor stage. Not three. And not like that." He replayed the moment aloud. "When he cut that sword… there was no wasted motion. No excess Qi. That was precision on a level that I've not seen from a disciple in a long, long time."

  His eyes sharpened.

  "Whatever Sword Art he is using, he has reached Major Accomplishment in it at the very least. And he has done so at the age of fourteen, while also reaching 7th stage in Qi Condensation Realm."

  A few elders inhaled sharply at his words. They too had seen what Elder Qin had seen. But they had not believed.

  Major Accomplishment in sword arts at fourteen?

  That was a realm that many disciples struggle to achieve for decades even in the most basic of sword arts.

  Talent in cultivation was common enough. Talent in combat however, was rarer. Talent in swordsmanship? Even more so.

  For a disciple to be talented in both cultivation and swordsmanship…

  "I retract my earlier words." Wei Lixun suddenly spoke up. "That boy cannot be a spy. No sect would be foolish enough to waste the talent of a disciple this prodigious by making him work as a spy."

  "You speak the truth. But it still makes one question what the boy is doing in the Outer Sect?" Elder Han Qingsong asked then looked at the servant disciples gathered around. "Do you have any more information on Disciple Li Yuan."

  "Um… reporting to the elders. While this servant has not yet confirmed this knowledge, I've come to learn that Disciple Li Yuan was at the Early-Stage of Qi Condensation Realm up till the a few months ago."

  "That's absurd!" Elder Sun Meihua snapped. "Even the most disciple in our sect cannot raise his cultivation that fast."

  "Except for one." Elder Qin spoke up and his words caused a deep silence to fall in the pavilion as the elders suddenly found the ground rather interesting to look at.

  A long silence fell in the pavilion as the elders thought about that one particular disciple who'd shot through the ranks like a star, and had then fallen even faster.

  Till this day, many of them regretted that the boy hadn't joined their Sword Peak. If he had, then perhaps…

  "Maybe…" Elder Luo Jian spoke up. "The boy has awakened a physique of some kind? It wouldn't even be the first time a disciple in our sect awakened his special physique much later in life."

  "Or maybe the boy got his hands on some kind of heavenly treasure." Elder Sun Meihua said, though his lacklustre tone suggested that even didn't believe his own words.

  "Doubtful." Elder Han Qingsong said, softly caressing his beard. "Heavenly treasures that improve a cultivators cultivation talent are incredibly rare. But treasures that improve a disciple's comprehension abilities are like a phenix in the sky. Not seen for hundreds of thousands of years. Finding both at the same time…" The Elder trailed off, shaking his head.

  "The question about how the boy gained his new abilities is pointless." Elder Qin spoke up once again. "For now, we need to discuss what's to be done with Disciple Li Yuan."

  "I say let the tournament continue as it should." Elder Wei Lixun said. "If the boy's truly as talented as we think he is, then he should have no problem winning this tournament."

  "Is that truly your suggestion?" Elder Sun Meihua snapped. "Do nothing? After we nearly let a sword prodigy rot in the Outer Sect!?"

  Elder Sun Meihua's words brought another uncomfortable silence to the Pavillion. After all, had this not been the year Sword Peak held the tournament personally, Li Yuan might have remained unnoticed for years. Perhaps joining some other Sect Peak where his sword talent would have gone to waste.

  Han Qingsong's expression darkened. "We have been too careless regarding the matters of the Outer sect."

  "That cannot be helped." Elder Luo Jian said somewhat resentfully. "It's the Sect Leader who himself—"

  "Enough." Elder Qin's soft voice resounded through the pavilion, silencing Elder Luo and any other Elder who wanted to protest the matter. "Let's not discuss topics that are above us, and focus on the task at hand."

  For a moment, there was silent, then Elder Wei Lixun folded the scroll thoughtfully. "If the matter about this boy hunting Late and Peak stage Spirit Beasts is true, then he won't have any difficulty in the next exam. And if his sword talent is truly as heaven defying as we think it to be, then the same will be the case for the Third Exam."

  "What you said makes sense." Elder Luo Jian admitted, reluctantly changing over to the new topic. "But what's wrong with that. Isn't it a good thing that the boy joins our Peak without any dilemma."

  "No." Elder Han Qingsong spoke up. "A genius that has never encountered true danger and has only coasted through life under the protection of his elders is nothing but a decorative vase. Good to look at but otherwise useless."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Well said." Elder Sun Meihua nodded in agreement. "And isn't the main reason why the boy joined this tournament because he wanted to face a challenge. To test himself. Otherwise, he could've simply waited another year to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment and then joined any Peak of his choosing without much hassle. The fact that he's here clearly shows that he craves a challenge."

  Elder Sun Meihua's words caused murmurs to rise among the elders.

  "This means… if we want to assess his true combat ceiling, and provide him with an adequate challenge." Han Qingsong said slowly, "It must be now. In the third round of the battle arena. And it must be against someone of sufficient strength."

  They all understood what that implied.

  In the second round, Li Yuan had already faced a Peak Stage Qi Condensation disciple and defeated him effortlessly. If they wanted to test him, then they needed someone who could actually threaten him.

  All eyes shifted toward the three figures seated apart from the rest of the participants. The Foundation Establishment disciples.

  Namely Chen Yu. Mo Tian. And Gu Lan.

  "Which one?" Elder Luo Jian asked.

  Elder Wei Lixun unfurled another scroll and checked the details on the three Foundation Establishment Disciples before sharing it with the rest of the elders.

  Disciple Chen Yu was steady but conservative.

  Disciple Mo Tian was aggressive, but far too reckless.

  Disciple Gu Lan. Just like the other two, he was also at the 1st Stage of Foundation Establishment Real. But his foundation was exceptionally stable. And he had even managed to develop an embryonic form of a Sword Intent. All in all, he was the strongest among those three.

  "How about Gu Lan?" Elder Wei Lixun asked.

  "Wouldn't that be a bit risky?" One of the elder asked.

  "If we pit him against someone weaker," Luo Jian said, "we learn nothing."

  "But if we pit him against the strongest," Sun Meihua countered with slight worry, "we risk crushing him too early."

  Qin Zhen stroked his beard. "If he is truly as strong as I suspect," he said quietly, "then he will not break."

  Silence fell in the pavilion once again.

  In the end, the elders decided to vote on the topic. And after the votes were cast, a single name emerged, and the decision was made.

  Wei Lixun rolled up the scroll. "So it's decided. In the third round of the 1st stage of this tournament, Disciple Li Yuan will face Disciple Gu Lan."

  Below, the 3rd and final round of battle started. And somewhere among the participants, Li Yuan sat in quite solitude, unaware that his next opponent had just been decided.

  —————

  Li Yuan stared at the platform as the referee's voice boomed across the arena. "Gu Lan." A murmur rolled through the stands as one of the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood up and jumped over to the platform before the referee called out the second name. "And—Li Yuan!"

  'Did I really jinx myself?' He wondered as he jumped up to the platform as well. Coming face to the face with the Foundation Establishment disciple who was looking at him with a bored gaze.

  Gu Lan was tall and sharp-featured. In his late teens or early twenties. His robes bore the insignia of early Foundation Establishment. And a dense spiritual pressure radiated from him, putting his own Qi in slight disarray and pressing onto him, making him feel like he was standing underwater.

  He frowned at that and brought his Qi under control.

  'So this is what going against a Foundation Establishment cultivator feels like.' He thought. It was not just that the other cultivator was faster, stronger and more durable. But there was also an element of Qi suppression. 'No wonder lower Realm cultivators are so respectful to higher realm cultivators.'

  Their eyes met. And Gu Lan's lips curved faintly.

  But when Li Yuan stepped onto the platform instead of bowing out, that faint smile faltered.

  "You're not conceding?" Gu Lan asked, looking mildly surprised and a tad bit confused by his decision.

  "Why would I?" Li Yuan replied with an innocent smile. Even though he knew well enough that all the disciples who were paired up against the three Foundation Establishment cultivators had done just that.

  Well, except for that one particular disciple who wanted to exchange a few tips. The Foundation Establishment cultivator had killed him with one stroke of his blade, and had walked off the stage without another word.

  The arena to the lef still bore a faint brown mark where that disciple had died. Serving as a warning to others to not challenge the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

  A flicker of irritation crossed the other man's face as he took out his sword and took on a lazy stance.

  The referee himself showed a surprised expression upon seeing his intent to fight. Then, he signalled, and the fight began.

  They clashed and the impact sent a jolt through Li Yuan's arm. Anyone else would've been disarmed right that instant. But for someone like him, who fought Peak stage Spirit Beasts on the regular, he felt right at home.

  'So this was Foundation Establishment.' He thought as he struggled.

  The difference had become clear immediately, as Li Yuan got pushed into a corner near instantly. Gu Lan was not only far faster and far stronger. But he was also highly skilled with his blade.

  Every strike carried weight far beyond that of a Qi Condensation cultivator. The Qi emanating from Gu Lan's attacks felt thicker and more cohesive. Like, honey, compared to his own water.

  Gu Lan gave off a fierce smile as he finally cornered him, before raising his blade for one last strike. Except, by the time the blade fell, he was no longer there. Having used his Shadow-Cloud Steps for the first time in this tournament to manoeuvre around his opponent.

  He moved to the other side of the arena and glanced at his trembling arms before channelling his qi through those arm meridians to bring them under control. A smile formed on his face as he came to terms with his current situation.

  A very difficult fight, but now that he'd finally started using Shadow-Cloud steps, it was not impossible to win.

  Good. Finally the challenge he was looking for.

  Gu Lan rushed forward and steel rang again and again as they exchanged blows at increasing speed. Using Shadow-Cloud Steps, he was finally able to more than keep up with Gu Lan.

  But Gu Lan himself proved that was no easy opponent as he changed his battle style quickly to keep up with him. Gu Lan's footwork was immaculate, and despite the pressure, he did not overcommit in any of his strikes, showing little to no vulnerabilities.

  For the first time tonight, Li Yuan was forced to focus. Truly focus on the fight. And as the exchange lengthened, realisation crept in, and he identified two of his own weaknesses pretty quickly.

  First—

  He lacked battle experience against humans.

  Spirit beasts had a different way of fighting that was inherently quite different from a human's. And while he had adapted to fighting spirit beasts, it still left him unprepared to fighting other cultivators.

  Unlike Spirit beasts. Humans feinted. They used layered techniques, and baited reactions. They also studied and recognised the flawed patterns in his own attacks rather quickly. Forcing him to adapt or fall in the battle.

  All, in all, there was a depth, a complexity to fighting cultivators that hadn't been there when fighting Spirit Beasts. And this wasn't even Gu Lan fighting at his best. A real fight would be even more complex with the use of formations, talismans, offensive and defensive artefacts, traps, Qi burning pills and what not.

  It pointed out a huge flaw in his repertoire that he had never even realised was there before.

  The understanding of this fatal flaw alone made joining this tournament more than worth it.

  But there was a second flaw…

  That flaw being that his Mountain—Splitting Stillness Sword was built to fight against larger, tougher opponents and putting them down in a single powerful attack. And while that worked wonderfully when he was facing spirit beasts, the sword technique didn't work nearly as well against a cultivator's much smaller frame.

  Not to mention that unlike a spirit beast, Gu Lan was able to dodge, or parry his strikes. And doing any of those left him in danger as using such a powerful strike left him defenceless afterward.

  The realisation was frustrating. But it was also exhilarating. This— this why he had come. To see the cracks in his own foundation. To learn about his mistakes and to grow from that.

  And despite the fact that he was constantly being pushed back and forced to hold his own in the battle, he felt alive in a way that he hadn't felt in a long while.

  But while he enjoyed the fight greatly. Across from him, Gu Lan did not.

  In fact, the longer the fight dragged on, the tighter Gu Lan's jaw became and the more the frustration in his eyes increased.

  His pride at being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a being far above the likes of Qi Condensation realm cultivators was obvious. And yet…

  A Seventh Stage Qi Condensation cultivator was standing against him and holding his own for such an extended period of time.

  If the other Foundation Establishment realm cultivators learn of this, won't they simply look down on him for being someone who cannot even defeat a Qi Condensation realm cultivator. Won't he become an object of mockery in the entire sect. Being known far and wide as the weakest Foundation Establishment realm cultivator ever.

  Worse, as the fight progressed, more and more of the audience was shifting their attention to their fight. After all, it was not everyday that you saw a Qi Condensation cultivator challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator and hold his own for so long.

  Worse, as was the case in fights like this, the audience had automatically started cheering for the underdog. Shouting and chanting Li Yuan's name repeatedly.

  Some had even taken out recording crystals to record the entire fight. Making Gu Lan's face turn ashen.

  The longer the fight went on, the worse, and worse it became for Gu Lan. And when he was no longer able to defeat Li Yuan due to his frustrating Movement technique, his composure finally began to crack.

  His strikes turned sharper, heavier and far more aggressive. Then, finally… Killing intent.

  Li Yuan felt it clearly. Gu Lan's next slash did not come with the intent to wound him and force him to surrender. It was meant to kill him.

  His brows knit together at that. He had shown no intent to kill in this battle. Heck, he was actually quite enjoying himself. Yet Gu Lan had crossed that line without hesitation.

  Just as he was starting to wonder if he should return the favour and go for the kill, Gu Lan suddenly shifted into a complex technique.

  Just as he was about to use his Shadow-Cloud Steps to move away from Gu Lan's attack, Gu Lan's Qi surged downward into the platform. A moment later, the platform exploded, and the ground beneath him vanished as he was launched a few inches off from the ground.

  Before he could get his bearings, Gu Lan's blade descended. He twisted desperately, raising his sword to intercept but it wasn't enough.

  Impact.

  Agony tore across his body as he finally returned to the ground and swiftly used his Shadow—Cloud Steps to get away.

  Once he was on the other side of the arena, he checked his wound. From shoulder to thigh, a deep gash opened, blood spraying out from his body and leaking on the platform.

  He used his Qi to try and dampen the blood leakage, but having no experience in any form of healing, he was met with little success.

  And hence, he found another one of his shortcomings.

  Having no healing techniques whatsoever.

  It was understandable, as Healing Techniques were a completely different branch of techniques that required an entire lifetime to learn and master. Other cultivators would obviously not learn them beyond the basic skills to patch themselves up after a battle.

  But for him who had access to the Stele, it made no sense to not learn a few useful Healing Techniques.

  But all that could wait for later.

  After all, he was currently still in the midst of a battle. And if he did not end it soon, then he'll pass out from blood loss.

  For a moment, he simply considered surrendering. After all, with his abilities, there was no reason for him to risk his life just for a single Inner Sect spot.

  But then, he learned something else about himself. That he had a pride of his own. And that he did not want to accept defeat. Not when he still had another trump card to use.

  This surprised him as he had never thought himself a prideful person. Seemed like today was just full of surprises for him.

  He inhaled once. Then, Veil of Borrowed Heaven covered him, completely erasing his presence from the eyes and senses of Gu Lan.

  A ripple of shock spread through the arena as the audience tried to see where Li Yuan had went.

  Li Yuan meanwhile, moved silently, pain biting with every step as he manoeuvred around the arena till he was right behind Gu Lan.

  One clean strike.

  He could've killed Gu Lan easily. But in the end, he decided to show mercy. Not because he was feeling merciful. But because he did not want to entangle with whatever powerful family stood behind Gu Lan.

  He did not want a repeat of having to deal with Shu family.

  Gu Lan's back erupted in blood as he stumbled forward and crashed to one knee.

  Li Yuan reappeared, sword at Gu Lan's throat.

  "Surrender," he said evenly.

  Gu Lan's face twisted in rage and hatred as the worst came to pass. Being defeated by a Qi Condensation realm cultivator. If he truly surrendered here, then what reputation would he have left in the Nine Peak Sect.

  "Go to hell." Gu Lan snarled and took out an artefact from his spatial ring.

  "Stop!" The referee's voice thundered from above. But Gu Lan had acted too fast. And the referee was too far away to interfere so quickly.

  Gu Lan activated the artefact instantly. A dense beam of compressed light shot forth toward Li Yuan.

  Li Yuan's instincts screamed and he used Shadow—Cloud Steps to manoeuvre sideways. Still reeling in confusion about why Gu Lan who break the rules in an attempt to kill him.

  He shifted sideways—

  —but the beam curved mid-flight and continued tracking him.

  His eyes widened as the beam finally reached him.

  'I should've used Veil of Borrowed Heaven again.' He thought, lamenting his inexperience and his naivety in dealing with humans who were so much more complex than Spirit Beasts.

  The beam finally struck.

  There was a moment of pain, and then his body disintegrated to ash.

  ——

  The vision ended and he blinked as his Pitch Black halo changed back to a white colour. His body still whole.

  Across the participant stands, Gu Lan still sat with a faintly superior expression, unaware of the death he had just inflicted in a future that would no longer happen.

  Li Yuan's gaze hardened. He'd been naive. Too naive.

  He had treated the entire battle as a learning experience while Gu Lan had been treating it as a battlefield.

  The moment Gu Lan showed killing intent, he should have responded in kind. Mercy toward someone who abandoned it first was stupidity.

  If Gu Lan had a powerful family behind him, then he could've dealt with it later. He should've focused on his own survival first and foremost.

  Most importantly, he had not even expected that Gu Lan would break the rules of the tournament in order to kill him.

  This once again reminded him that humans were far more unpredictable than Spirit Beasts. And once again reminded him of his inexperience in fighting other cultivators.

  His fingers tightened slightly around his sword hilt. This… has been a great learning experience. And next time—

  He would not make the same mistake.

  —————

  A while later, Gu Lan and his name were called out once again, and just like before, he stood against Gu Lan, refusing to step down voluntarily.

  The referee's hand dropped and the match begin.

  This time, Li Yuan moved first.

  There were no probing exchanges, no careful measurement of each other's abilities. He already knew what Gu Lan was capable of thanks to the vision, and used that to his advantage.

  His figure blurred as he used Shadow-Cloud Steps. Gu Lan's eyes widened slightly as Li Yuan closed the distance between them instantly, blade descending in a clean vertical arc.

  Clang—

  Gu Lan raised his sword to block.

  That was his first mistake.

  The impact exploded through the platform. The force behind Li Yuan's Mountain–Splitting Stillness Sword was not meant to be blocked.

  Gu Lan had learned this quickly the first time around and had shifted to dodging and parrying Li Yuan's strikes. This time, he didn't have the chance to learn that critical bit of information.

  His sword broke through Gu Lan's guard, and left a deep gash on Gu Lan's left shoulder.

  Gu Lan backed off and slashed his sword forward, launching a dozen Qi Blades toward Li Yuan in a desperate attempt to keep him away. But Li Yuan was already gone by then.

  Left? Right? No behind. Another strike. This one bit into Gu Lan's thigh before he could twist fully aside. Blood sprayed as Gu Lan suffered another deep injury.

  Gu Lan gritted his teeth and leapt back.

  "What—"

  Li Yuan gave his opponent no time to think. To adapt and counter-attack. He pressed forward relentlessly.

  He already knew most of what there was to know about Gu Lan while Gu Lan knew nothing about him. He had to take advantage of that as quickly as possible before Gun Lan learned and adapted to his tactics.

  A third heavy collision. Once again, Gu Lan made the mistake of attempting to block his trick. And once again, his guard faltered.

  Li Yuan's blade carved a shallow line across Gu Lan's ribs and the crowd erupted in cheers at seeing the underdog getting the upper hand.

  Finally, Gu Lan learned and adapted. Fully abandoning his blocks in exchange for angled deflections and evasive footwork. But by then, it was too late. The damage was already done.

  Blood soaked into his robes and his breathing grew uneven as every single movement sent a jolt of pain through his wounds.

  Worse, Li Yuan did not relent. He kept moving. Kept pushing. Not giving Gu Lan any chance to even think of a way to counter-attack him.

  Gu Lan had lost the initiative in this fight, and Li Yuan had no intention of giving it back to him. So Gu Lan retreated, and kept retreating.

  The proud Foundation Establishment disciple was forced on the run by a Qi Condensation disciple.

  The audience quickly took out the recording crystal and started recording the entire fight.

  "You—!" Gu Lan snarled, fury overtaking composure. But it meaningless as Li Yuan didn't even give him any time to take advantage of his anger.

  Instead, Li Yuan simply kept attacking with greater and greater savagery. Putting the experience he had gained from battling Spirit Beasts to great use for once.

  Gu Lan's wounds flared and he barely twisted aside as the blade grazed his thigh instead of piercing through. Another exchange. Another wound.

  They exchanged a few more strikes before the injuries flared again, and Gu Lan stumbled.

  Li Yuan stepped in, blade thrusting toward a vital point.

  "I surrender!" Gu Lan shouted desperately. And the blade stopped a hair's breadth from his throat.

  Silence fell on the arena as the audience stared in disbelief at the sudden victory. Then, they broke into cheers.

  Gu Lan looked at the cheering audience and the recording crystal, and a look of utter despair crossed over his face. His image, his reputation, it was all gone.

  He glanced up at Li Yuan and a hateful snarl appeared on his face. He reached into his Spatial Ring and took out his offensive artefact, fully intending to kill Li Yuan.

  "Stop!" The referee roared. But Gu Lan had already aimed for Li Yuan… except, Li Yuan was no longer there. Having already vanished from his sight and senses.

  Gu Lan's Qi exploded outward in a frantic pulse, sweeping across the platform to locate Li Yuan. But he simply couldn't find him anywhere.

  His artefact hovered in his palm, half-activated. It required him to find the target before it could activate its lock on function before finally getting to work. Without him knowing where the target was, his artefact was useless. Worse, the referee was already descending from above.

  And then—

  Gu Lan gasped as a blade pierced through his back and emerged from his abdomen.

  He looked down at the steel protruding from his body. The strike had been precise. It had avoided his heart, lungs and other vital organs. But what it had not missed… was his dantian.

  The core of his cultivation was shattered.

  He tried to circulate Qi and was met with a blinding agony.

  His Qi no longer responded to him. And the vast, stable reservoir he had cultivated for years was gone—ruptured and leaking into nothingness.

  His fingers trembled as the realisation finally dawned on him.

  'I… I'm crippled.' The thought was more terrifying than death and his legs buckled as the sword withdrew.

  The referee landed before him, face dark with anger and disgust.

  "Attempting to use lethal artefact after surrendering," the referee said coldly. "Shameless. Utterly Shameless. The Sword Peak has no use for a dishonourable curr like you."

  Gu Lan tried to speak but blood filled his mouth and what came out was a wet, gargling cough.

  Then, the referee's palm descended with a heavy slap that shattered most of his teeth and jaw.

  Gu Lan flew across the arena, and the ground rushed to meet him before the darkness swallowed him whole.