**Chapter 35: When Echoes Stand Still**
Zeravon was still seated under the same tree.
But this time… he wasn't alone.
Lin Yao returned, his forehead glistening with sweat. His last match had pushed him hard, but he had won.
He dropped beside Zeravon, breathing heavily.
> "You watched?"
Zeravon nodded.
> "You moved your Qi in reverse at the last moment. That's how you avoided the burst technique."
Yao's eyes widened. "You saw that?"
Zeravon didn't answer. But the answer was obvious.
He had seen everything.
---
**Central Arena – Final Round Preparation**
Only 10 disciples remained.
Elder Ming stepped onto the high platform. His aura surged, calming the crowd.
> "The final match will be a three-way rotational combat — two disciples fight while one observes. The observer may interfere at their discretion."
It was designed not just to test strength… but strategy.
**Participants:**
1. Lin Yao – Mid Qi Condensation (Dual Blade Flowing Wind)
2. Nian Zhi – Late Qi Condensation (Ice Mist Palm)
3. Tao Kun – Early Foundation Realm (Crimson Armor Body)
4. Xun Mei – Mid Qi Condensation (Thunderstep Staff)
5. Ji Han – Late Qi Condensation (Fire Vein Lashing Palm)
6. Wei Ran – Mid Qi Condensation (Shadow Step Sword)
7. Yun Qiao – Late Qi Condensation (Earth Binding Rope Art)
8. Zhao Fei – Mid Qi Condensation (Heaven Piercing Arrow)
9. Wen Ya – Late Qi Condensation (Mirror Qi Style)
10. Yueyin – ???
---
**Side Observation – Yueyin's Unexpected Entry**
When Yueyin stepped onto the field, a murmur spread through the crowd.
> "She wasn't on the list!"
> "Isn't she just visiting from another sect?"
Elder Ming smiled faintly but said nothing.
Instructor Wei frowned deeply.
Zeravon, still sitting under the tree, simply looked up.
His eyes narrowed. *Not in suspicion.*
In **recognition.**
> "She's here to finish something," he whispered.
---
**On the Arena – Yueyin vs. Tao Kun**
Tao Kun rushed with explosive body enhancement, crimson Qi bursting around him like molten armor.
Yueyin didn't move.
He swung.
A wind sliced.
The ground cracked.
But Yueyin stood untouched.
> *"Snowfall Path: Second Whisper."*
A translucent wave spread around her feet.
Tao Kun dropped, unconscious — his mind overwhelmed by a mental echo.
The arena fell silent.
No flash. No fire. No scream.
Just **precision.**
Even Elder Ming's eyes narrowed. *"Upper realm technique. At base-level strength. Impossible..."*
---
**Back Under the Tree**
Zeravon stood.
For the first time during the tournament… he walked forward.
Not toward the arena.
Toward the **observation deck**.
Elder Lin watched him arrive silently.
"You're not in the final list."
"I know."
Lin didn't stop him.
Neither did the guards.
Because somehow, **everyone felt**… he had the right.
---
**On the Field**
Lin Yao now faced Xun Mei. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying.
Suddenly, Yueyin's eyes flicked to the side.
She wasn't watching her own match anymore.
She was watching **Zeravon.**
---
**Atop the Observation Deck**
Zeravon stood still, eyes fixed on the arena below.
He wasn't cheering.
He wasn't calculating.
He was… listening.
> *"This is cultivation,"* he murmured.
> *"Not what they fight for. But why they stand."*
Behind him, the blue scale crystal inside his pouch pulsed once.
A faint ripple spread across the platform — subtle, unnoticeable…
Except by Yueyin.
She turned sharply.
> *"It's starting."*
---
**Final Exchange – Lin Yao vs Yueyin**
Their match was called.
Lin Yao looked determined.
Yueyin looked… calm.
Yao attacked with dual blade phantom movement, forming spirals of force.
Yueyin didn't evade.
She let him come close.
Then…
> *"Third Whisper: Horizon Silence."*
Yao froze mid-step — blades mid-air.
His body didn't fall.
His **intent** did.
He lowered his weapons and stepped back.
> "I lost."
No blow exchanged.
Just acknowledgment.
---
**From the Side**
Zeravon whispered under his breath.
> "She doesn't fight to win."
> "She fights to remind others why they fight at all."
---
**The Crowd Clapped**
Yueyin bowed. Graceful. Silent.
Zeravon turned away.
But Yueyin didn't.
Her eyes followed him — not as a warrior…
But as **someone waiting for him to awaken.**
---
**Far Away – The Scroll Room of Silent Stars**
The ancient golden scroll pulsed once more.
But this time…
A new name **glowed dimly.**
Not Zeravon.
Not Eternalis.
Not Oblivis.
But one that even fate didn't want to remember.
> **"He is beginning to hear it."**
---