The crowd stirred as the next match was about to begin. The bright light of the giant lamps shimmered on the vast arena, the air tense with expectation. From the Twin Soul Sect's side, a slender youth stepped forward, clad in the Twin Soul Sect's black and white robes that fluttered in the wind. His dark eyes held no fear—only calm. Dong Chen had finally stepped onto the stage.
A wave of murmurs spread across the stands. Many eyes, skeptical and mocking, turned to him. Twin Soul Sect had always been considered the underdog—a reclusive sect with little fame and even fewer disciples. Compared to the legendary clans and sects present today, they were mere shadows.
But Dong Chen didn't pay much attention to them, as it would have been a waste of his energy.
Then, from the opposite side, a radiant presence emerged. She strode with poise, grace in every movement, yet the fierce aura around her made it clear—she was a predator, not prey. Her tan skin seemed to glisten, her long orange hair rippling like wildfire. A low hush fell over the crowd as she entered. The elegance of her figure, especially her swaying hips, drew the attention of many lecherous eyes in the stands—noblemen and rogue cultivators alike watching with hidden hunger.
Gasps echoed as some among the audience recognized her identity.
"That's… that's the daughter of Beast Chief Wen Tu…"
"Yun Lan? The direct daughter?"
"No wonder she's so beautiful and strong. Beast blood flows in her veins!"
Whispers gave way to open awe as the name passed from mouth to mouth.
High above the arena, seated upon a Qi platform alongside the World Lord and the ten great sect leaders, Sword God Sect's master, Jian Weihuang, turned to his peer. "Chief Wen Tu," he said with an approving nod, "your daughter is truly a prodigy. To reach the Ninth Layer of the Nirvana Realm within a hundred years… a feat worthy of legends."
The remark caused even greater uproar across the stadium. Members of other sects sat up straighter. Many contestants exchanged uneasy glances. It was rare—extremely rare—for someone to ascend so fast, even among the top sects. Even other Elysian realm cultivators were surprised as well.
Beast Chief Wen Tu gave a hearty laugh, stroking his beard. "I won't take credit for it. Yun Lan has always been favored by the heavens. It is her destiny to rise above the rest."
But before another compliment could fall his way, a low, gravelly voice cut through the cordial mood. Xue Linghun, one of the two sect masters of Twin Soul Sect, calmly stroked his black beard, a faint smile on his lips. "It's far too early to predict the victor, brother Wen."
The other sect leaders glanced toward him. Beast Chief Wen Tu's smile tightened.
He spoke, masking irritation beneath a courteous tone, "Of course, no outcome is certain. Still brother Xue, your disciple is only at the Eighth Layer. Between each layer lies a chasm… and from eight to nine, it's a storm no ordinary youth can weather."
Xue Linghun closed his eyes and leaned back with a smirk. "Then quit yapping and enjoy the show."
A subtle tension crackled in the air. Wen Tu's jaw clenched ever so slightly, but the presence of the World Lord and the other sect leaders kept him silent. He merely gave a tight nod and turned his gaze to the arena.
With a hum, a translucent golden dome shimmered into existence over the stage—the activation of a Grade 7 defensive formation. The crowd's voices dulled beneath it, a signal that the battle was about to begin.
Steward Yan raised his hand. "Begin!"
Yun Lan's aura surged instantly. Her human form twisted as her beast bloodline awakened. Fur ran along her arms, her pupils slit into sharp vertical wolf like, and curved claws extended from her fingers—sharper than any blade, gleaming with latent power. Compared to Yun Tian from the early rounds, her transformation was smoother, more graceful and controlled.
In the audience, nobles whispered among themselves.
"Look at that… even her transformation is perfect. She's a clear direct heir."
"Unlike Yun Tian. She didn't just receive Wen Tu's blood. She was born of it."
Inside the arena, Yun Lan narrowed her golden eyes. "Why are you even here?" she asked, voice calm but condescending. "Your leader hasn't even shown up. Without Shen Yuan, what are you struggling for?"
Dong Chen's eyes didn't waver. "Shen Yuan doesn't need to be here to deal with you," he said. "I am enough and it would be quite a waste of his time to fight you."
A sharp annoyed grin stretched her lips. "Arrogant fool."
With a violent roar, she dashed forward, vanishing in a blur. Her claw slashed toward Dong Chen with terrifying force. But before it could connect, Dong Chen leapt back, spinning mid-air and landing with a light tap several meters away.
Without hesitation, he gathered Qi in his fist and slammed it into the arena floor. The ground groaned and cracked violently, tremors rippling in all directions. A dense cloud of dust exploded upward, thick and dark. The crowd could see nothing as the inside of the barrier was now a haze of smoke.
"Smart…" murmured a sect elder among the ten great sect leaders. "He's using the defensive array to trap the smoke inside."
Inside the smokescreen, Yun Lan's sharp eyes darted in every direction. Her divine sense stretched out, but she felt… nothing.
"No aura… no scent… and no… qi fluctuation either… he erased it all?" she whispered.
Then came a flash from her right, she was quick and instinctively she dodged. A blade of condensed Qi sliced through the air, barely missing her. She turned.
"So, you're there."
But as she lunged toward the source, her beast senses screamed.
Then came a rain fall of qi blades from every direction, even from underneath!
They shot toward her like lightning, dozens at once. She twisted, ducked, jumped—several missed, but others struck true. One grazed her thigh, another her shoulder. A third embedded itself in her abdomen.
She grimaced but didn't stop. Her wounds closed almost instantly—but then a blade sliced across her cheek and another one pierced through her right eye.
"AGHHH!" she shrieked, fury overtaking her. Her elegant face twitched in rage.
As she fell on the stage, her cheek and eye too almost quickly healed itself, but the pain.. it still lingered as tears streamed down from her other eye mixed with rage.
Then—silence. The storm of blades had ended.
She smirked.
"You leave me no choice… you dare hit my face! Bloodline Special Art: Wind Slash!"
Her voice echoed through the barrier. The crowd outside fell silent. They hadn't expected this. A direct descendant of the Beast Chief… forced to use her bloodline art?
Within the haze, cyan light engulfed her claws. Then she slashed.
A wave of wind, impossibly sharp, burst outward. It tore through the dust like a typhoon, annihilating the smokescreen in a single sweep.
When the dust cleared, all eyes turned to the arena.
Dong Chen stood tall, cloaked in a subtle flame-like aura, unflinching. Before him, Yun Lan's once-pristine form was torn and bruised—her expression twisted with fury. Her healing powers though still there seemed much slower than before
"You bastard!" she shrieked. "You stabbed my eye and almost destroyed my face! I'll KILL YOU!"
She lunged again.
Dong Chen remained calm, Qi gathering around his hands.
Yun Lan scoffed. "Qi blades won't work again…."
"Who said it's Qi blades again?" Dong Chen interrupted.
The swirling Qi twisted in his palms—then ignited. Flames burst forth, spiraling into a long, elegant spear.
Yun Lan's eyes widened—but she had no time to react. She slashed.
Spear met claw. The shockwave was so vast that its effects even caused the whole arena, including everything within 10 kilometers to tremble.
Then they became blurry, trading over a hundred blows in a mere second. To most Nirvana Realm cultivators even though Nirvana cultivators can cover over 90,000 kilometers in a minute, they were silhouettes—flashes of fire and wind—but to those in the Elysian Realm or above, every movement was clear, elegant, fierce, divine.
From the corner of the spectator platforms, Xiang Xiaoli gasped. "His speed… it's faster than even Shen Yuan's!"
Shi Meixiu, eyes focused, replied coolly, "Don't be too quick to judge. We don't know what Shen Yuan will return as."
Back in the arena, the combatants separated—each panting, eyes narrowed.
Dong Chen's flaming spear now twisted with even greater intensity. Fiery wisps danced along its shaft, the very air warping around it to the point that even the outside of the arena seemed to have a temperature rise.
Above, the sect leaders sat up.
"Wind and flame…" Jian Weihuang muttered.
Beast Chief Wen Tu growled under his breath, "He's using the elemental synergy to amplify the spear's destructive force… Cunning bastard."
Dong Chen raised the spear.
"It's over!"
He hurled it.
The fiery spear tore through the air like a comet. Yun Lan's eyes widened but it was too late. It struck.
BOOM!
A pillar of flame exploded around her, engulfing her in roaring heat. The crowd stood frozen. A few gasped, but mostly silence.
Then came a violent roaring.
Not from the crowd. From the flames.
Yun Lan burst out of the flames, body charred, face twisted in agony. With a furious cry, her Qi surged and extinguished the fire. Her skin sizzled and cracked—yet slowly began to regenerate. But now it was even slower than before.
Dong Chen's eyes narrowed.
She stood, breathing hard, shaking.
"You… are the first… to push me this far," she hissed. "You should be honored. Now… face my ultimate art."
Up above, Beast Chief Wen Tu sighed, a look of mocking sorrow in his eyes. "He had talent… But he's pushed her too far. He won't survive this anymore."
In the arena, Yun Lan extended both hands. Wind swirled between her palms, faster and faster. But what shocked the crowd was that there was no air within the barrier anymore, the strong heat from before had burned it all.
And yet…
Wind gathered taking the shape of a sphere.
Out of nothing.