Kuang Baotu leaned back in his seat, a deep, rumbling laugh escaping his chest as he watched Lin Shu's face through the vision cube. The boy's expression, visible for just a moment before the helm reformed, was a mixture of frustration and reluctant acceptance that the Valor Seeker found immensely entertaining.
"Hahahaha! Your fighter is scared shitless, Yanqi!"
Yanqi's lips twitched, but he said nothing. Beside him, Tianhun observed the scene with a more measured eye. "He's still keeping his cool, even after being threatened by someone far above his station. That deserves some recognition."
Tianxue nodded slowly, his gaze thoughtful. "So where did you find him?"
Yanqi answered honestly, seeing no reason to obscure the truth. "I met him when I came to sign Aoyan into the arena. He looked interesting, so I offered him a spot in my team."
Tianhun leaned forward slightly. "Is he part of some clan? A family?"
"No." Yanqi shook his head. "He's been with me for three years now. I don't think he has anything like that since no one ever visited him. Probably a rogue cultivator before that. Maybe he joined an institute at some point."
Kuang Baotu waved a hand dismissively, his attention already moving to the next thought. "Well, when you're done with him, give him to me. He'll be useful for some things."
Yanqi's head turned slowly. "What?"
Kuang Baotu raised an eyebrow, as if the question itself was incomprehensible. "What do you mean, 'what'? He's a Rank 1 talent. He'll lose out compared to fighters with better talents sooner or later. It won't be long before those weaker than him or equal to him now outrun him completely."
He gestured vaguely at the vision cube, where images of the hunt flickered. "Take those he fought—Xie Lang, Han Lei. They'll probably need just one more year to reach the second rank of cultivation. Him?" He let out a short laugh. "It'll take him at least twelve years to reach the second rank as a high-stage cultivator. And that's if he uses a lot of pills and a good amount of aether shards. I don't imagine you're planning to wait twelve years before he becomes useful."
Yanqi's expression remained placid, but his mind was already three steps ahead. "He's right about the talent. The boy's potential is nothing short of disastrous. He'll be overrun by Aoyan in at most two years. His sole purpose for being with me is to protect her, since I can't trust anyone else with something that delicate. I needed someone independent, someone smart enough to never betray me. After two years, I won't need him anymore to protect aoyan while I am not around."
Kuang Baotu opened his mouth to continue, but his eyes caught the vision cube flickering with rapid, violent motion. A smile spread across his face. "I guess he started."
---
In the forest, Lin Shu reached the truce zone in a matter of minutes.
The clearing was larger than he expected, a natural bowl in the forest floor where dozens of cultivators had gathered. Some sat in small groups, talking in low voices. Others ate, their guard lowered in the assumed safety of the neutral ground. A few cultivated, their eyes closed, their awareness turned inward.
Lin Shu took it all in with a single sweep of his gaze. Then he raised his hand and gave a sharp signal.
His team spread out immediately, moving in silence. Shang took to the air before they reached the spot, his wings barely rustling as he circled high above making sure he stayed hidden behind the trees. Yu melted into the shadows of the tree line, light gathering at his fingertips. Kai and Aoyan flanked the perimeter, their flames banked but ready.
Lin Shu walked directly into the center of the clearing.
He passed a girl with short brown hair, her features sharp. She glanced at him, noted his armor, noted his teammates moving in the periphery, and dismissed him. Someone next to her handed her bread.
"Here, Miss Lan Xin."
"Thank you."
Lan Xin took the bread, but her eyes continued to track the newcomers. "It shouldn't be long now," she thought, her mind running through calculations. "The poison will take effect soon. They'll lose consciousness, and we'll take their points. But that new group... they haven't eaten anything yet. I'll have to deal with them directly. And those that avoided the food and drink... that will take longer."
She didn't get to finish the thought.
The boy who had handed her the bread was suddenly headless, his body crumpling to the ground beside her. His head rolled against her foot, his eyes still open.
Lin Shu was already moving.
His armor was a blur of black steel as he tore through the gathered cultivators. A punch caved in one man's chest. A sweep of his leg shattered another's knee. His hands were weapons, his entire body a killing machine, and he moved through the crowd like a scythe through wheat.
Some tried to fight back. They raised weapons, summoned techniques, shouted warnings to their allies. Lin Shu thrashed them without slowing. A sword aimed for his neck was caught and turned back on its wielder. A fire technique meant to burn him was dispersed by a burst of white flame from his palm. Those who tried to flee found Shang waiting, his wings cutting them down before they could take three steps. Yu's light picked off runners with surgical precision. Kai and Aoyan held the perimeter, their flames a wall of destruction that no one could cross.
Lan Xin backed away from the carnage, her hands already moving. Two spires of venom rose from the earth beside her, their surfaces gleaming with deadly promise. She reached into her robes and pulled out a set of thin, wickedly sharp knives, coating each one in a layer of concentrated poison before hurling them at Yu and Shang.
Kai saw the knives coming. A burst of black gas and orange flame met them mid-flight, the heat incinerating the blades before they could reach their targets. "BE CAREFUL!" he shouted. "THERE'S A POISON USER HERE!"
Lin Shu's head snapped toward Lan Xin. His voice cut through the chaos, cold and commanding. "Everyone except Yu, stay back. Kill anyone who comes near you or tries to escape. If any escape, don't risk chasing them." His gaze locked onto Yu. "You're faster than all of us. You take her. I'll fight with you. All you have to do is empty her Qi reserves."
Yu nodded, his form already beginning to blur. Light flickered around him, and then he was gone, flashing across the clearing in a streak of brilliance.
Lan Xin summoned a doubled-headed spear wreathed in venomous energy, its twin points dripping with liquid death. She spun it in a defensive arc as Yu appeared before her. Poisonous gas began to seep from the spear, filling the air between them.
Yu didn't retreat. He opened his mouth, and a Deafening Roar shattered the space between them. Lan Xin's hands flew to her ears, her concentration broken. Yu drove a fist wreathed in light toward her stomach—then saw the liquid pooling where his hand would land.
"She'll take my hand if I hit her," he realized. He smiled. "Too bad."
His fist opened. A flash of light exploded from his palm, blinding Lan Xin completely. He clapped his hands together, and a concentrated burst of light shot toward her chest.
A violet skeleton materialized behind Lan Xin, its bony arms wrapping around her in a protective embrace. The light burst struck the skeleton and dissipated, leaving her unharmed. A necklace with a violet skull dangled from her throat, its gem now cracked.
Lin Shu watched from across the clearing, his eyes narrowing. "An artifact." His lips curved into a slow smile behind his helm. "I can't help but wonder what those things are worth. I'll ask Yanqi later. But I'll need an example to show him. Why not take that one?"
He moved, lightning crackling around his arm as he launched himself toward Lan Xin with all the speed he could muster.
Lan Xin saw him coming, and her frown deepened. "This is... unexpected. Should I run? I'm not much of a fighter. These two are too powerful. This one is too fast—he doesn't need to touch me to attack, and he can disperse my gas. I have no method of attacking him until he runs out of qi, and he's too fast for anything else. The other one is ordering everyone around, so he's probably even more dangerous."
Her eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for a weaker target. "Maybe I should go for others on his team. That one can fly, so no. The one with gas has too much explosive power—he'll destroy the poisons. The girl is the same. Their entire team is a problem for me."
Across the clearing, Aoyan finished off the last of the fleeing cultivators with a punch that sent her opponent crashing into a tree. She straightened, breathing hard, and scanned the area for more threats.
Then she saw something moving toward them through the trees.
"Li! Someone is heading this way!"
The figure emerged from the forest, and Lin Shu's attention was torn from Lan Xin. A young man walked toward the clearing with the unhurried confidence of someone who had never encountered anything worth hurrying for. He was tall—as tall as Shang, maybe taller—with broad shoulders and a presence that seemed to press against the air itself. His hair was black, but the ends and the back were tipped with deep violet, like ink bleeding into water.
Lin Shu's instincts screamed a warning. "Aoyan, get back!"
It was too late. The young man moved, and the world seemed to stutter around him. One moment he was fifty paces away. The next, his fist was inches from Aoyan's stomach—a blow that would shatter ribs, rupture organs, end her.
Lightning flashed at Aoyan's side. Lin Shu's arm, wreathed in crackling electricity, intercepted the punch, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the clearing. Aoyan scrambled backward, her face pale.
The young man raised his other arm to block Lin Shu's follow-up strike. A fist wreathed in white flame met his forearm, and he was pushed back a step. Then his own strength asserted itself, and Lin Shu was forced to retreat, pulling Aoyan with him.
"Are you okay?" Lin Shu's voice was tight.
Aoyan nodded, her breath coming in short gasps. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine."
Lin Shu's mind was already moving. "Tell Kai and the others to stop fighting. Everyone except Yu needs to stay back. He has to either kill that poison user or drive her away. She's too troublesome for us—I don't have any technique that can counter her poison."
Aoyan nodded and ran to relay the orders.
Lin Shu turned back to the violet-haired young man, who was watching him with an expression of mild curiosity.
"If all of you give me your tokens," the young man said, his voice calm and almost gentle, "I won't need to injure or kill you."
Lin Shu ignored him. He began to circle, his movements calculated, his eyes never leaving his opponent's.
Across the clearing, Yu continued to press Lan Xin. Each time she tried to summon poison, he countered with light. Each time she tried to close distance, his Deafening Roar drove her back. But he couldn't land a decisive blow. Her poison always forced him to retreat before he could finish her.
"Using the roar over and over is draining," he thought, frustration building. "But she keeps using that gas to push me back. Dealing with poison users is always like this. She's not much of a fighter—she's just throwing techniques out there. Probably an assassin. Her speed isn't half bad, actually. Better than Li's."
Lan Xin watched him warily, her own thoughts following a similar path. "He's not taking any risks. That's good. My poison has saved me from so many fights. Maybe I can win this if I keep pushing. He's hesitating."
A loud clash behind her made her glance back. The man in black armor was fighting the violet-haired hunter who had been terrorizing the forest for days. Her eyes lit up with calculation. "Good. He'll take that one, I'll take this one. I'll get some points and get out of here."
Lin Shu dodged a series of rapid punches from Zaisheng, each one carrying enough force to crack stone. He raised a kick toward the man's face, but Zaisheng's reaction was instantaneous. Violet energy, dense and fluid, materialized from a chain at his waist, forming a barrier that absorbed the blow. White flame exploded from the bottom of Lin Shu's foot, but the barrier held.
Zaisheng grabbed Lin Shu's leg and spun, hurling him toward a tree. Lin Shu twisted mid-flight, his legs hitting the trunk, ready to launch himself back into the fight—
Zaisheng was already there.
A fist caught Lin Shu in the face, sending him spinning. He righted himself, forced himself to think. "He's faster than me. I need a solid hit. But to get that, I'll have to give him an opening. He won't be able to dodge if I'm willing to take the same risk."
Another punch found his stomach before he could act on the thought. He crashed into a boulder, the stone cracking under the impact. Zaisheng was on him instantly, his fist drawn back for another blow.
Across the clearing, Aoyan watched with growing alarm. "Shang! We need to help Li!"
Shang, who had just finished off the last of the fleeing cultivators, turned to look. His playful demeanor faded into something sharper. "Yeah. We'll do that."
Zaisheng's fist was wreathed in golden dust now, a technique building that promised devastation. Lin Shu's arm shot out, breaking the boulder behind him into fragments. Lightning roared along his limb. White flames seeped from the joints of his armor.
Zaisheng's eyes widened. He tried to change his stance, to create distance, but they were too close. Lin Shu's fist was already moving.
At the last moment, Lin Shu changed the trajectory. White flame erupted from his foot, propelling him sideways. His fist drove into Zaisheng's side instead of his center.
"I can't get away," Zaisheng realized. A layer of violet liquid coated his ribs, forming a desperate barrier.
White flame exploded. The ground beneath them turned to glass, trees for twenty feet in every direction were stripped of their bark. Zaisheng was hurled backward, crashing into the earth with enough force to leave a crater.
Lin Shu didn't wait. His right arm's armor was cracked, the steel coating gone, but the ivory beneath while cracked still held on. He launched himself at the fallen fighter, his fists descending like hammers.
Zaisheng caught the first blow on his forearm. The second hit his shoulder. The third drove into his ribs. He twisted, throwing Lin Shu off balance, and drove his own fist into Lin Shu's side.
Lin Shu grunted but didn't fall. He got his feet under him, creating distance.
Zaisheng rose slowly, his face calm despite the damage. A large chunk of his left side was gone, the flesh burned away by Lin Shu's attack. The surrounding area was blackened, cracked, the violet liquid that had tried to protect him evaporated.
"Had to use an artifact for that," he thought, glancing at a cracked gem on his belt. "And it Wasn't enough for an attack like that."
He raised his hands, palms together, then drew them apart. A sphere of violet energy formed between them, growing, condensing, pulsing with power.
"Peak Rank 1 Technique: Violet Blast."
Lin Shu was already in the air, having launched himself upward the moment he saw the sphere form. The blast caught him in the chest, but he was already moving, already turning the force into momentum rather than resistance. Shang caught him, wings beating hard, and set him down on the edge of the crater.
Lin Shu straightened. His armor was cracked in a few places, the steel coating scored and damaged, but the ivory beneath was intact.
"I'm going to need Quasi-Rank 2 techniques for this one," he thought.
"Way to go, Li!" Shang gave him a thumbs up, his grin returning.
Lin Shu ignored him, his eyes fixed on Zaisheng. "His physical strength and speed exceed mine. His defense is noticeably weaker, though. His techniques... they don't seem to connect. He's not using a specific element or fighting style. Even I have techniques that complement each other. His are... different. It's like he's avoiding using his own style."
Kai and Aoyan arrived at Lin Shu's side, breathing hard. Most of the truce zone had been cleared—cultivators dead or fled, the ground littered with bodies and discarded tokens.
"Are you okay, Li?" Aoyan's voice was tight with concern.
Lin Shu nodded. He was already giving orders. "Kai, go help Yu. Don't attack the poison user directly—she's too dangerous. Redirect her attacks, destroy them with your flames. Again don't even think about getting close to her. You're not as fast as Yu."
Kai nodded and ran.
"Shang, you go too. You have techniques that can disrupt hers. Help Yu drive her off."
Shang's usual levity was replaced by something more serious. "Alright. Be careful, though. That guy looks tough."
Lin Shu's lips twitched. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Shang turned to leave, then looked back over his shoulder. "BE SAFE, BROTHERRRRRRRR!"
Lin Shu almost laughed. Almost.
He turned to Aoyan. "You stay on the side. Watch for anyone who gets into trouble. Help them if you can."
Aoyan's face hardened. "No. That guy is too dangerous. I'm helping you directly."
Lin Shu's voice was flat. "That's not going to happen. Stay on the side. I'm not going to repeat myself."
Aoyan stood her ground, her chin lifting. "Or else what?" Her voice was steady, though her hands trembled slightly. "I'm going to help you whether you like it or not. I'm not a liability."
Lin Shu's eyes narrowed. "So she thinks I won't knock her out because of Yanqi. This puny little—"
A fist was already closing the distance.
Lin Shu sidestepped, the blow grazing his helm. But Zaisheng's control over his own body was exceptional. A knee was already rising toward Lin Shu's ribs.
"Too slow."
A flaming arrow struck Zaisheng's knee, throwing off his aim. Lin Shu used the opening to spin, his kick driving into Zaisheng's guard. White flame erupted on contact, pushing them apart.
Aoyan stood beside Lin Shu, a cheeky smile on her face. "See? I told you I could help."
Lin Shu didn't respond immediately. "I'm pushing you away at the first sign of danger."
Aoyan's smile only widened.
Zaisheng observed them both, his eyes moving between their faces, their stances, the way they stood together. Then he moved.
His fist lashed out, not at Lin Shu, but at Aoyan.
She was ready. Flame whips shot from her hands, lashing at his arm, forcing him to adjust his trajectory. Lin Shu crashed into his shoulder, white flame seeping from his armor, driving Zaisheng off balance. Aoyan pressed her palms together and unleashed a torrent of flame directly into his chest.
Zaisheng raised his other arm to defend, but Lin Shu was already there, his fists battering Zaisheng's guard, not letting him recover.
---
Back in the arena, Kuang Baotu watched the vision cube in silence. His earlier amusement was gone. His expression was flat, almost bored.
"What is this?" he said finally, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "I know for sure that boy has more in him. So why isn't he using it? This is the same strength he's shown since the start of the hunt. I know he's at least twice as powerful as this."
Yanqi noticed the shift in the old general's mood, but his attention was fixed on the cube. Aoyan and Lin Shu were working together, their attacks driving Zaisheng back, overwhelming him. "That's... unexpected. Was I wrong? Did I misjudge his potential? Is this all he has? Maybe I was just taken in by his calm demeanor. Maybe he was using everything from the beginning."
Tianhun leaned back in his seat, his expression carefully neutral. "If you wanted more excitement, you should have offered better rewards. Maybe more inner disciples would have shown up."
Kuang Baotu's eyes slid toward him. "Oh, don't act like you don't know, Tianhun. Those disciples are already tied up with their sect affairs. It's futile to play the fool with me, and you know it." A flicker of relaxation crossed his "Though you do know that very well. You're just trying to annoy me as usual." He shook his head. "Aren't you too old for that?"
Tianhun chuckled, unrepentant.
Kuang Baotu sighed. "I'm serious, though. I'm sure you could have gotten a few if you'd started a fire between, say, some disciples of the Ironblood Sect and the Venomheart Sect."
Tianxue laughed, the sound carrying across the elders' section. "It wouldn't exactly be called starting a fire. Just adding some fuel to it."
Kuang Baotu nodded slowly, but his expression was distant. "There are things more important than grudges and valor to them." He spat the words. "Bunch of simpletons who can't fathom that with valor comes everything else. Fools."
Tianhun's laugh faded into something more contemplative. "Well, I suppose not many are going to come in times like this."
Kuang Baotu didn't respond.
Tianxue leaned forward slightly, his voice casual. "Speaking of those who didn't come... where's your son? I haven't seen him during the event."
Kuang Baotu's eyes slid to the side, his expression unreadable. "Is that why you were trying to talk to me about all that? Were you just trying to get to a point where asking that wouldn't look awkward?" His voice was dry. "Well, it still does."
Tianxue looked at Tianhun, who raised his hands as if to say, Don't look at me.