Outside the Rift, the initial excitement quickly faded.
There was simply nothing to watch.
The first round would last an entire month, and all of the action would take place inside the Rift itself. Aside from a handful of elders and disciples who remained behind, most spectators gradually dispersed and returned to their own affairs.
The plaza slowly emptied.
The Rift Gate stood silent once more.
Inside the Rift, however, it was a completely different story.
One after another, figures materialized across the vast landscape.
Some appeared deep within forests.
Others arrived atop mountains, beside rivers, inside canyons, or in barren wastelands.
Luck played a significant role.
The fortunate ones landed near valuable treasures or spirit herbs.
The unfortunate ones...
Appeared directly in front of hungry beasts.
A massive lake lay hidden within the heart of a dense forest.
The water was dark and still.
Beneath its surface lurked a gigantic crocodile beast.
Suddenly, the air above the lake distorted.
A figure appeared.
And immediately began falling toward the water.
"ROAR!"
The crocodile exploded from the lake like a bolt of lightning.
Its enormous jaws opened wide, rows of jagged teeth gleaming as it lunged toward the descending figure.
Stephen had barely recovered from the dizzy sensation of passing through the Rift when a foul stench hit him.
His eyes widened.
A giant mouth was rushing straight toward him.
"What kind of luck is this?!"
There wasn't even enough time to curse properly.
His body reacted on instinct.
"Golden Origin Palm!"
Qi surged through his arm.
A golden palm strike slammed into the crocodile's open mouth.
Boom!
Blood erupted from the beast's jaws.
Using the recoil, Stephen twisted his body midair, flipped backward, and landed roughly on the lakeshore.
The crocodile crashed into the water before immediately turning around.
Its eyes burned with fury.
Stephen's attack had split flesh and cracked scales inside its mouth.
The injury only made it more violent.
"ROAR!"
Water exploded around its massive body as it charged again.
A sphere of water condensed within its mouth and shot forward.
Stephen's expression tightened.
The water ball exploded before reaching him.
Thousands of droplets scattered outward.
Each droplet flew with terrifying force.
Like steel pellets.
Stephen immediately raised a qi shield.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The droplets hammered against it relentlessly.
Cracks quickly spread across the surface.
Before he could relax, the crocodile arrived.
Its enormous tail whipped through the air.
Boom!
The shield shattered.
The tail continued toward his head.
Stephen's eyes turned cold.
"Enough."
Steel flashed.
His sword left its sheath.
A streak of sword light sliced across the air.
Blood sprayed.
A deep wound opened along the beast's tail.
The crocodile let out a pained roar.
Stephen advanced immediately.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he launched himself forward.
The sword descended.
A clean silver arc flashed past.
The beast's roar stopped abruptly.
Its massive head separated from its body and crashed heavily onto the shore.
Blood dyed the lakeside red.
Silence returned.
Stephen exhaled slowly.
Only then did he finally take a proper look at his surroundings.
The spiritual qi in the Rift was astonishingly dense.
Every breath felt refreshing.
His body greedily absorbed the surrounding energy.
"This place is incredible..."
The concentration of qi here was at least four or five times greater than the outside world.
Cultivating in such an environment would naturally produce far better results.
No wonder so many people fought desperately for opportunities like this.
Before entering the Rift, the elders had provided information regarding several important locations.
One of them stood above all the rest.
The Black Sea Demon Cave.
Located in the northwestern region of the Rift, it sat deep within a vast desert.
At the center of that desert lay an inland sea known as the Black Sea.
Countless underground rivers fed its waters, making it a paradise for beasts.
Most of the powerful beasts within the Rift regarded the Black Sea as sacred territory.
And at its heart...
Was the Black Sea Demon Cave.
The home of a Black Flood Dragon.
Rumors claimed the creature possessed strength comparable to an early-stage Emperor Realm expert.
A terrifying existence.
The grand prize hidden within its territory was the Ice Jade Snow Lotus.
Even a single petal from that lotus would fetch an astronomical price outside.
Entire factions would go to war over such a treasure.
Stephen wasn't foolish enough to think he could challenge the dragon right now.
Not with his current strength.
"First things first."
He glanced down at his hands.
"My cultivation."
He had only recently entered the King Realm.
Rushing forward recklessly would be suicide.
The smartest approach was to continue consolidating his foundation while gathering resources and tokens.
If an opportunity presented itself later...
Then he could consider the Ice Jade Snow Lotus.
For now, survival came first.
After deciding on his plan, Stephen left the lakeshore.
He intentionally released traces of his aura while moving through the forest.
Before long—
A loud rustling sound came from ahead.
Trees shook violently.
A gigantic Green Flower Python burst from the undergrowth.
Its body stretched over fifty feet long.
Cold eyes locked onto him.
The python hissed.
Then lunged.
Stephen didn't even slow down.
His sword flashed.
A silver line appeared across the beast's body.
The enormous snake froze.
Then split cleanly into two halves.
Thud.
The corpse crashed onto the ground.
Stephen casually extracted its beast core and stored it away.
Beasts below the King Realm simply weren't threats to him anymore.
The following days became a blood-soaked journey.
Wherever Stephen passed, beasts died.
Giant wolves.
Spirit leopards.
Horned lions.
Armored boars.
Venomous insects.
One after another.
Each battle further refined the qi within his Soul Sea.
Each victory brought him another step forward.
Elsewhere within the Rift...
Two King Realm disciples stood on a broken cliff.
Fear covered their faces.
Standing opposite them was Wilson Thorn.
The white-robed youth appeared calm and relaxed.
As though he were merely taking a stroll.
The square-faced disciple gritted his teeth.
"Wilson Thorn!"
"If you force us into a corner, we'll fight to the death!"
"We might not beat you, but you'll pay a heavy price!"
Wilson simply smiled.
"Weaklings really do love talking."
He slowly drew his sword.
The smile on his face remained unchanged.
"You think you're qualified to threaten me?"
The second disciple immediately panicked.
"I'll give you everything!"
"Please spare us!"
Wilson laughed softly.
"As if I care about your treasures."
The two disciples exchanged glances.
Despair filled their eyes.
Then they attacked simultaneously.
Their strongest techniques erupted at once.
Wilson moved.
Only twice.
Two flashes of sword light crossed the air.
The attacks stopped.
The two disciples froze.
Thin red lines appeared across their throats.
Moments later—
Blood poured out.
Their bodies collapsed.
Wilson flicked blood from his blade.
"Consider yourselves unlucky."
Then he turned and walked away.
Killing within a Rift was common.
As long as the victim wasn't someone important, few people bothered investigating such deaths.
Far away, inside a desert region...
Jason Cromwell was having the time of his life.
Several enormous desert apes surrounded him.
Their fists crashed toward him like falling boulders.
Golden light covered Jason's body.
Instead of dodging—
He punched back.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The collisions sent shockwaves across the desert.
Jason burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Come on!"
"Hit harder!"
"I've had massages rougher than this!"
The apes roared furiously.
Their attacks became even more violent.
Jason only laughed louder.
Meanwhile, Stephen continued moving through the forest.
Suddenly—
He stopped.
Faint sounds drifted through the trees.
The clash of weapons.
Angry roars.
A battle.
Stephen immediately concealed his aura and approached carefully.
Soon, the scene ahead became visible.
Three disciples were fighting a Fire-Attributed Tiger Beast.
The tiger's body was covered in wounds.
Blood soaked its crimson fur.
Despite its injuries, it continued resisting fiercely.
Stephen narrowed his eyes.
An attributed beast.
Those were extremely rare.
Every part of such creatures was valuable.
Their beast cores alone could sell for absurd prices.
As he examined the group more closely, recognition flashed across his face.
Wilson's people.
A smile slowly appeared.
"Heh."
"Looks like fortune finally decided to smile on me."
Stephen remained hidden.
Waiting.
Patient.
Like a hunter.
Half an hour later, the battle finally ended.
The tiger let out one final unwilling roar before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
The three disciples weren't much better off.
All of them carried injuries.
One of them laughed while wiping blood from his weapon.
"That bastard Stephen and that bitch Elsa won't be smiling much longer."
Another sneered.
"Once Young Master Wilson finds them, they're dead."
"Finally."
"We'll get to see them pay for offending him."
The group laughed.
Then—
A voice drifted from the shadows.
Calm.
Amused.
"Hehe..."
"Is that so?"
The laughter stopped.
The three disciples froze.
Stephen stepped out from behind the trees.
Sword resting casually on his shoulder.
A grin spread across his face.
"Hands up, everybody."
His eyes flicked toward the tiger's corpse.
"For this is a robbery."