The town did not sleep.
Even as the night deepened, the streets remained active.
Voices carried through the air.
Low.
Constant.
Uninterrupted.
Xu Tian walked steadily behind the three men.
His steps were calm.
Unhurried.
The children rested in his arms.
The boy remained asleep, his breathing steady but weak.
The girl stayed awake, her eyes moving from side to side, taking in everything.
Xu Tian noticed that.
"…You don't miss anything," he thought.
The men leading him did not speak.
They did not look back.
But their awareness remained sharp.
Xu Tian could feel it.
They were not worried about him running.
They knew he wouldn't.
"…There's nowhere to go anyway," he thought.
The streets grew wider as they moved forward.
The buildings changed.
Stronger.
More structured.
Less fragile than the outer parts of the town.
People were still present.
But different.
Quieter.
More focused.
Some of them glanced at Xu Tian as he passed.
Their eyes lingered for a moment.
Then moved away.
"…Word has already spread," Xu Tian realized.
They knew.
Or at least, they had heard something.
The path opened further.
Then-
He saw it.
A large structure stood ahead.
Stone.
Solid.
Unlike everything else around it.
It rose above the town.
Heavy.
Immovable.
The entrance was wide.
Open.
People moved in and out without hesitation.
Some calm.
Some tense.
Some watching others closely.
Xu Tian's gaze sharpened.
"…So this is it."
The arena.
The man in front slowed slightly.
"This is where things are settled," he said.
Xu Tian didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
He stepped forward.
The others followed.
Inside-
The air changed.
Warmer.
Denser.
The noise became contained.
Not loud.
But constant.
Xu Tian paused briefly.
Taking it in.
The space was wide.
A circular arena stood at the center.
Stone floor.
Marked.
Cracked in places.
Signs of countless fights.
Around it, rows of people stood or sat.
Watching.
Waiting.
Some leaned forward.
Others remained still.
But all of them were focused.
Xu Tian's eyes moved across the scene.
"…No hiding here."
Everything was visible.
Everything was decided in the open.
The man stepped beside him.
"You fight," he said.
"Then it ends."
Xu Tian looked at him.
"…And if I refuse?"
The man didn't hesitate.
"It continues."
Xu Tian understood.
There was no way around it.
Not in this place.
Not now.
He adjusted the children slightly.
The girl's grip on his sleeve tightened just a little.
The boy remained unaware.
Xu Tian stepped forward.
Toward the arena.
Each step steady.
Measured.
The noise around him shifted.
People began to notice.
Whispers spread quietly.
"…That's him."
"…The one from outside…"
"…He's carrying children…"
Xu Tian ignored it.
His focus remained ahead.
He stepped onto the stone floor.
The moment he did-
The atmosphere changed.
Sharper.
More focused.
Xu Tian stood at the center.
Still.
Calm.
Waiting.
Across from him-
Someone stepped forward.
Not one of the three.
Someone else.
His posture was straight.
His presence controlled.
Stronger than the others Xu Tian had faced inside the town.
Xu Tian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So this is the next level."
The man stopped a short distance away.
His gaze steady.
Evaluating.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"You're the one they brought in," he said.
Xu Tian didn't answer.
The energy inside him moved.
Calm.
Ready.
The man's expression sharpened slightly.
"…Good," he said.
"Don't disappoint me."
Xu Tian remained silent.
But his stance shifted.
Subtle.
Prepared.
Because this time-
There would be no holding back.