The arena trembled with anticipation as Ren Wei and Li Junyu stepped onto the Heaven's Ring Platform. Spectators from sects, clans, and rogue cultivators alike leaned forward, eager to witness the clash between prodigies.
No sooner had the battle begun than it ended.
With a flicker of crimson light, the space between the two cultivators distorted. Li Junyu hadn't even finished circulating his Qi when a roar of spiritual pressure engulfed the stage.
Crimson Void Severance.
The saber technique cleaved through the spiritual field like a rift in reality. Li Junyu's eyes widened, mouth parting to speak—too slow.
A splatter of blood. A corpse fell.
Silence.
Then—
Ding!
Side Quest Completed.
Gasps spread like wildfire. No one spoke. Even the rowdiest cultivators held their breath.
Han Suiren narrowed his eyes, lips twitching in disbelief. "This brat… he's still just in the Grandmaster stage. What happens when he reaches Half Immortal? Will he rewrite the legends? Become the one true Immortal Cultivator?"
A shrill scream shattered the stillness.
From the Li Family's side, a figure in elder's robes burst forward, face contorted in pain. The man—Li Junyu's master, Elder Li Muqing, a Golden Core cultivator—leapt onto the stage, ignoring protocol.
"You dare—!"
Ren Wei's gaze sharpened. He measured the elder's aura. Golden Core Realm. Dangerous.
Ding!
New Side Quest Detected: Defeat Elder Li Muqing
For more details, tap to expand.
He dismissed the window. No time.
Li Muqing's palm roared forward, wrapped in golden flames.
Ren Wei lifted Echo Fang. The saber shimmered and met the attack head-on. The impact resounded across the ring like a war drum, but the youth remained unscathed.
No injuries. Not even a scratch.
Ren Wei slashed forward in response. The crimson arc surged through the air like a wrathful comet, forcing Li Muqing several steps back. His eyes widened—That power—!
Before the elder could unleash another strike, a hand clamped down on his wrist.
Han Suiren.
He stood between the two like a phantom, his presence unnoticed until the very moment he acted.
"Enough," he said coolly. "Life and death are fair in a duel. Do not forget where you are."
Li Muqing hesitated. Then—gritted his teeth and stepped back. "This matter isn't over."
Ren Wei said nothing, still stunned. Even I couldn't sense Han Suiren's approach… What realm is he in?
Han Suiren turned toward the presiding elder. "Declare the winner."
The elder's voice echoed across the Heaven's Ring Platform.
> "Winner: Ren Wei."
Ding!
Side Quest Completed. For Further details please touch it. Ren Wei decided to look it at villa not now.
After hearing winner No cheering followed. The crowd, numbering in the hundreds, stood frozen—too stunned to even breathe. Some murmured in disbelief. Others kept their eyes on the lifeless body of Li Junyu, blood still warm, face still locked in disbelief. A one-strike kill.
A storm had just been born.
Among the murmuring crowd, whispers began to spread like wildfire:
> "Isn't he still in the mid-stage of the Grandmaster Realm…?" "He killed Li Junyu with one attack…" "The Four Families won't let this go."
A few young cultivators clenched their fists, their eyes gleaming with a different light—hope.
But Ren Wei heard none of it.
He stepped down from the stage in silence, his gaze unwavering. Inside, he was calm—too calm. He had expected this. No, I planned for this, he thought. One fight was all it took.
And now the world had to adjust.
---
Han Suiren was waiting at the edge of the platform. Unlike the rest, his expression was unreadable—somewhere between wariness and awe.
"You've made waves that won't settle easily," Han said as Ren Wei approached.
Ren Wei smirked. "Then I'll swim through storms."
Han's lips curled slightly. "You've surpassed all expectations. But be warned—this kill will provoke more than just one family. That elder was Li Muqing, the last disciple of the previous Li Patriarch. You didn't just kill his disciple—you shattered his pride."
Ren Wei shrugged. "If pride matters more than strength, he shouldn't have sent a weakling."
Han Suiren chuckled, but there was tension in his eyes. "Just don't get arrogant too soon. You're strong now, yes—but in this realm, being strong makes you a target."
Ren Wei tilted his head slightly. "I'll take it."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sky had started to dim, clouds drifting in slow patterns across the blood-orange horizon.
"Come to the villa," Ren Wei offered. "Let me serve you tea, at least."
Han shook his head. "Not today. You've earned the right to stand alone for a while."
"Then I'll see you soon."
"Keep your edge, Ren Wei." With those words, Han Suiren turned and disappeared into the departing crowd.
---
Ren Wei returned to the villa, stepping through the courtyard gate as the sky melted into twilight.
Mei Rou and Su Yao were already waiting.
"Young Master." They bowed in unison, relief flickering across their faces at seeing him unharmed.
"I'll be cultivating for a week," Ren Wei said, eyes forward. "No interruptions. Not even if the sky falls. Understood?"
"Yes, Young Master," Su Yao said softly.
Without another word, he entered the cultivation room.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
He sat cross-legged, Echo Fang resting at his side. The lingering echo of the earlier battle—the burst of Qi, the disintegrating blade—still pulsed faintly in his veins.
He thought of Li Muqing.
The oppressive force of that golden aura.
That… threat.
> "Even in this weakened age," he muttered, "there are monsters cloaked in civility."
His fist clenched, and the air around him began to stir.
> "If that was only one elder… what lies above?"
A storm of Qi swirled into the room as he shut his eyes and drew in energy with manic intensity.
He didn't need rest.
He needed power.