Boom!!!
A deafening, fiery explosion swallowed the entire arena. When the blinding light finally faded, a single, charred, and smoking figure was unceremoniously teleported out. Over half his body was scorched black, his robes in tatters. For a mortal, it would have been a life-ending injury, but for a resilient Golden Core cultivator, it was just a painful, minor setback. With two weeks of dedicated rest and healing, he would be perfectly fine. There were no major, life-or-death battles left in the final decade of the Avenue's cycle anyway.
"Even worse than the first one. That guy was just unlucky."
Stepping off the stage, she let out a soft, dismissive chuckle. Her first opponent had arguably brought his defeat on himself, foolishly trying to counter her Eastern Azure Wood with her own Nanming Lihuo in a flawed elemental gambit. But this one? He was just plain weak. A few precise sword strikes backed by the immense power of the Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar, and he was finished. He had not even gotten close to her before crumbling completely under her relentless, long-range assault.
With the boundless life force of the Eastern Azure Wood perpetually fueling her flames, Su Min fought like a living, breathing siege engine, her style overwhelming and merciless. Pillars of fire and waves of heat roared across the battlefield, forcing her opponents to raise their hands in surrender one after another. The spectators watched this display in a complex mix of admiration and sheer dread.
Before long, a new whisper slithered through the crowd, and a nickname, born from both fear and a twisted sense of awe, began to take root.
"Crimson Blazing Bird."
Xie Yingying, standing watchfully at the arena's edge, heard it first. A flicker of wicked amusement crossed her face before she swiftly smoothed her expression back into practiced neutrality. When she later relayed the title to Su Min, the reaction was immediate and volcanic.
"Crimson Blazing Bird?!" Su Min's eyes blazed hotter than her own Nanming Lihuo flames as she whirled on the crowd. "What kind of half-baked, ancestor-defiling nonsense is that?! Who came up with this drivel?!"
Her furious glare swept over the gathered cultivators, but not a single soul met her gaze. Some suddenly found the intricate patterns of the arena's ceiling fascinating, while others coughed nervously into their sleeves and shuffled backward. It was not just fear of her combat power that kept them silent. Su Min possessed something far more dangerous and universal: leverage.
As the realm's premier master alchemist, she held the exclusive keys to critical breakthrough elixirs and coveted life-extending pills. Her favor was priceless; her displeasure was a spiritual and professional death sentence for any serious cultivator's future progress. No one was foolish enough to risk that eternal damnation for a mere nickname.
Su Min huffed in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. "Cowards, the whole lot of you."
She never did find the culprit. And she definitely did not notice the fleeting glimpse of Xie Yingying's poorly suppressed smirk, the subtle, telltale curl of her lips that betrayed the truth. She had been the one to quietly plant the name. After all, what was the point of being the lover of the most terrifying alchemist in the realm if she could not tease her just a little?
This naming episode, however, was just a minor interlude. Every single remaining contender carried their own immense pride and fearsome reputation, and Su Min finally had the chance to witness that mysterious woman's combat style firsthand.
As many had predicted, the battle began with radiant, multicolored auroras flooding the sky, a beautiful yet ominous prelude. This was followed by a cataclysmic, purifying rain of pure light that instantly and utterly obliterated her opponent, leaving no room for resistance. When the defeated cultivator's consciousness returned to the stands, his eyes were hollow, vacant pits, his Dao Heart shattered beyond any conceivable repair.
"Shattered just like that. Fighting her really is a waking nightmare," Su Min murmured to herself, shaking her head in a mixture of pity and wariness.
Battles against her, Su Min, never evoked such utter, soul-crushing despair. Facing that woman was like a mortal challenging heaven itself. While Su Min had broken many opponents' wills through sheer force, none had collapsed so completely, so spiritually annihilated, without even managing to swing a single strike in return. But one critical detail stood out to her analytical mind.
"The Great Desolate Holy Body lost badly to her, yet he emerged completely unscathed. No psychological damage, no lasting spiritual injuries. She clearly held back significantly against him."
Seeing was believing, and Su Min's initial concerns eased somewhat. Like her, both Xie Yingying and the Great Desolate Holy Body advanced through their rounds without expending any visible effort. The tournament was intelligently designed so the strongest contenders avoided early, wasteful clashes, much like a seeded sports bracket where top players face lower-ranked opponents first. The Golden Core Heavenly Ranking prioritized true, demonstrable merit over lucky flukes. Only the real, undisputed powerhouses would receive the grand final baptism.
At this critical juncture, Su Min's next opponent was someone unforgettable.
Han Chaoyan.
The moment their names linked on the match display, Su Min's expression twisted with dark amusement. Her legendary "one versus three" battle a century ago had cemented her fame. And Han Chaoyan? He had been one of the three humiliated victims, eternally immortalized as her stepping stone.
It was like an infamous duel from history, where the victor claimed all the glory and the loser became a permanent cautionary tale. But unlike those stories, there were no rematches here.
"Wait, that's the third ranked! Why are they matched already?" a spectator cried out.
"Rankings are deceptive," another answered knowingly. "He's high because he grinds nonstop, escorting his sect juniors through dungeons and hoarding resources. The real monsters barely bother competing."
"Getting taken down one versus three and still calling yourself a genius? It's embarrassing."
"Pfft—"
The crowd erupted in mockery. Su Min had thrown these same taunts at the "Wood Madman" long ago, the man who had burned all his life saving treasures in that fight. The other two victims had fared no better. But not everyone doubted Han Chaoyan.
"Senior Brother, you have got this!!!"
His loyal sect juniors cheered with fervent belief. Unlike the reclusive prodigies, Han Chaoyan had tirelessly fought for his faction, securing countless legacies for them. His ranking was earned through sheer, grinding effort.
While most sect heirs avoided direct conflict, he had brawled with nearly all of them over resources. Where Su Min enjoyed a privileged status as a master alchemist, ordinary loose cultivators struggled even for basic herbs.
"This guy has groupies?" Xie Yingying muttered, massaging her temples. "But his divine artifact is hard countered by Su Min. Are these people delusional?"
Still, she privately acknowledged that Han Chaoyan might actually force Su Min to reveal something new.
"Finally, a real fight," a seasoned cultivator in the crowd noted. "So far, she has only shown what is already recorded on the Heavenly Ranking. Nothing unexpected."
"Because that is all she has needed," his companion replied. "Now, with only ten fighters left, we might finally see her true capabilities."
The spectators were here for a spectacle. At this stage, so called geniuses were mere cannon fodder. The remaining ten were freaks who could challenge Nascent Soul cultivators. Xie Yingying was still the most enigmatic, followed closely by Su Min. One wielded the perfect Lunar Sovereign Body; the other harbored two divine artifacts with untested synergies.
What happened when dual divine artifacts merged? Today, they might find out.
"Hah... Hah..."
Heavy, ragged breaths echoed as Han Chaoyan stared across the golden barrier at Su Min. His chest heaved. Had he managed to avoid Su Min, Xie Yingying, the Great Desolate Holy Body, and that woman, he might have reached the top five. But fate was cruel.
Even mentally prepared, facing Su Min again sent tremors through his spirit. The last time, her Saint Avatar had crushed him without effort. Now, despite obtaining a divine artifact that could rival Nanming Lihuo, he knew his odds were desperately slim.
Su Min held two divine artifacts. The traits of her Five Elements Holy Body had been mostly deciphered, and the ability to freely switch between fire and wood attributes made her nearly impossible to counter. As the barrier dissolved, Su Min's hands moved in that terrifyingly familiar seal.
The Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar materialized once more, its vast wings casting an ominous shadow. Throughout the entire tournament, Su Min had used only this single technique, a move others considered an ultimate, spirit energy draining finisher. Yet she spammed it like a basic skill. The bird's fiery breath and raining feathers turned every battle into an explosive chaos. No one had survived its final self destruction unharmed.
But Han Chaoyan had prepared.
He activated the Flamewood Avatar Disc, an Earth grade low tier artifact that granted extreme resistance to fire and wood attacks. It generated a renewable barrier; if he could keep it unbroken, it would nullify all damage from those elements.
Instead of dodging, he did the unexpected. He charged directly through the Vermilion Bird's scorching flames, closing the distance between them in an instant.
The disc was not invincible, and it would not guarantee his victory. But it bought him one chance, a single opportunity to force Su Min into close combat. Because at a distance, he stood no chance against her endless, overwhelming bombardment.
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LOL. She really dare to give her that ridickulous nickname..
"章 红色燃燃鸟"is translated "The Red Burning Bird". But I choose to use "The Crimson Blazing Bird". The original translation was too embarrassing. I can't bear it T_T
"Crimson Blazing Bird" (红色燃燃鸟) – A mocking yet awe-struck nickname highlighting Su Min's relentless fire attacks.
"Zed vs. Zed" (双劫大战) – Refers to Faker's iconic 2013 outplay, symbolizing an irreversible reputation-defining moment.