After the long and deadly battle between Mike, Qing Jianrui, and Lan Xiuqing, the battlefield fell into an uneasy silence.
The once raging land was now a vast wasteland of cracked stone and drifting ash, faintly glowing with lingering spiritual embers. The sky above hung heavy and dim, as if even the heavens feared what was about to come.
Mike's body began to emit waves of energy radiant, cold, and unrestrained, a clear sign that he had reached the peak of Dou Ba, standing just one step away from breakthrough. The energy pulsed like a heartbeat through the desolate arena, shaking broken cliffs and stirring the scattered dust into pale spirals.
This matter gave Qing Jianrui a rare opportunity to recover.
A fragile ceasefire lingered for ten long days. During that time, Qing Jianrui lay motionless, his chest rising shallowly, his breath faint as mist. The battlefield felt frozen in time; even the wind dared not blow near their resting place.
But on the tenth day, the silence cracked.
Qing Jianrui stirred. Though not fully healed, he slowly stood up, his eyes burning with cold rage, his killing intent igniting once more.
Lan Xiuqing, seeing him rise, rushed to his side. Her robes fluttered in the stale wind as she grasped his arm tightly.
Honey, why are you standing up? she pleaded, her voice trembling. You're not fully recovered. Stay calm and focus on healing. For ten long days, mike had shown no movement.
No, Qing Jianrui said in a low, determined voice, his tone like iron scraping against stone. I can't wait for his breakthrough. I have to kill him immediately.
Lan Xiuqing's grip tightened. But your injuries…..
Qing Jianrui suddenly shouted, his voice echoing across the shattered plain, Are you mad, Xiuqing?! Do you know what will happen if he completes his breakthrough? He'll kill us for sure! When we fought him, he was only an Eight-Star Dou Ba, and even then, he nearly destroyed us! Imagine what he'll become if he succeeds!
Lan Xiuqing's eyes trembled; she couldn't find the strength to argue.
Qing Jianrui gave her a faint, grim smile, the corners of his lips barely moving.
Don't worry. Killing him now, while he's meditating, will be easy.
Far above, in the spectator's realm, Jian Dao clenched his fist tightly, veins visible on his arm.
Huo Chuntian, I'm going there to stop Qing Jianrui, he said, his voice sharp with urgency. He's taking advantage of the situation!
But from within his spiritual sea, Huo Chuntian's calm voice resonated like an echo through still water.
No… don't do that. He can handle this himself. If we interfere now, the backlash could destroy him.
Jian Dao gritted his teeth, his gaze locked on the shimmering battlefield below.
Meanwhile, deep within his meditative trance, Mike's consciousness drifted between calm and chaos.
These ten days of silence were for recovery, he thought faintly. Now… it's time to take the first step.
He began forming intricate hand signs. Energy burst from his core wild, pure, unchained. Spiritual light spread from his body in gentle waves, bathing the desolate land in faint blue radiance.
This transformation… this was the moment he would ascend into the realm of jing ying.
Yet a thought lingered like a shadow in his mind.
If Qing Jianrui attacks now… the breakthrough will collapse.
To prevent it, Mike gathered more energy, compressing it into a brilliant spiritual shield. A radiant barrier formed around him, its glow clean and absolute. The dome pulsed with pure power, like a second heart beating in rhythm with his own.
It was more than protection but was a declaration.
Even the air trembled near it; impure essence vaporized instantly.
Seeing this, Qing Jianrui's eyes flared with fury. He's building a barrier for protection!
He raised his fist, golden veins of spiritual power crawling up his arm, and struck the surface of the shield.
The sound didn't echo. It disappeared.
The impact vanished into silence. The barrier didn't even ripple.
Failure only fed his wrath.
Qing Jianrui roared and unleashed a flurry of attacks, the air burning with azure light. Each strike cracked the air itself, sparks of power scattering but the barrier did not yield.
Lan Xiuqing, unwilling to watch in silence, joined the assault. Her water essence spiraled like liquid glass, crashing against the dome but again, the barrier held.
The pure spiritual layer glowed brighter, humming like legendary aura itself.
It was far stronger than either of them could have imagined.
A month had passed.
The Arena world fell silent. The ruined land made time feel endless.
Deep within the glowing spiritual chamber, Mike took his second step toward ascension.
He gathered torrents of wild, violent energy absorbing, refining, and cleansing it until only pure essence remained. The air shimmered around him, vibrating with a low hum as waves of purified power coiled around his seated figure like ribbons of light.
The third step soon followed, which is condensing the true core.
A cultivator's spirit, will, and intent had to merge into one crystalline essence. For Mike, this was the hardest part. His memories of every battle, every wound, every friend and enemy blurred together into a single burning thought: I will rise.
Three long months passed in utter silence.
Qing Jianrui and Lan Xiuqing now fully healed and watched from the shadows, their killing intent growing heavier with each passing day.
In the arena world, thousands of cultivators are buried. Five months had gone by, and still, the public watched, captivated by the endless tension between three beings who refused to yield.
One morning, as the first rays of false sunlight cut through the ashen clouds, Qing Jianrui and Lan Xiuqing launched a joint assault on the spiritual barrier again.
Their combined attacks cracked the earth beneath them, sending tremors through the sky but the barrier did not move.
And then it happened.
Mike's body trembled, emitting blinding waves of energy that rippled across the barren world. The winds howled, space distorted, and a shockwave blasted upward into the heavens, tearing through the clouds.
A pillar of pure power soared into the sky its brilliance visible even from the spectator stands.
The ground split apart; trees turned to ash. A mighty roar of spiritual pressure spread across the land.
Mike had broken through.
From above, Jian Dao leapt from his seat, shouting with joy.
Yeah, my boy! You broke through!
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
He did it! He's truly a rising genius! shouted one elder, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Even Jing Xu, normally calm and composed, nodded faintly.
And then, from the heart of the shattered barrier, Mike emerged his clothes torn, eyes glowing faint blue, his entire body radiating newfound strength.
Qing Jianrui's expression twisted with disbelief. You… you finally broke through… he muttered, teeth gritted.
Mike looked at his hands, flexing them slowly. The air rippled beneath his fingers.
He was floating without wings, pure control of energy now lifted him effortlessly above the ground.
Jing Xu spoke calmly, yet his tone carried awe. Yes, he did it but not completely. He's only at Jing Ying's First Change.
Lan Xiuqing narrowed her eyes. No matter what you've reached, you're not leaving this place alive!
Their voices echoed across the silent plain.
They clashed again. Qing Jianrui and Lan Xiuqing descended like falling stars. Their blows carried the might of collapsing mountains. Mike blocked one strike, dodged another, and countered with his hammer sparks flew, and airwaves split apart.
After a few fierce exchanges, Qing Jianrui smirked, blood glistening at the corner of his mouth.
Quite impressive, Mike, he said darkly. You've got guts. But you haven't fully broken through, you're still only at the first step of Jing Ying. Still, you're fighting like a real opponent.
Mike straightened, his aura flickering like a storm about to burst.
Hmph… maybe I'm not fully broken through, he said with quiet fury. But this is enough to kill you both. He raised his hammer, the air cracking around him.
Lan Xiuqing sneered. You're describing your own death, boy. Don't forget, we're Dou Wang cultivators.
Mike's expression turned cold.
Then tell me, why do old geezers like you enter the Life and Death Competition? This was meant for the young, to prove themselves to the world.
Qing Jianrui's eyes hardened. Because winner of this competition earns a Di-tier technique: the Nine Fold Earth Shatter Palm. My father desires it. He told me to win… and then he'll take me to another realm where he lives.
Mike's face darkened with anger.
For that, just for that, you slaughtered thousands? His voice rose, trembling with fury. I only killed a few because they tried to kill me. And even then, I felt guilt afterward. But now… . His eyes glowed with cold light. To kill you, I'll feel nothing. Because by doing so, I'll cleanse the world you've poisoned.
Lan Xiuqing hissed, Don't be overconfident in yourself!
The battlefield erupted once more.
Qing Jianrui and Lan Xiuqing attacked together, their movements synchronized, their techniques merging like waves of fire and water. Mike countered every strike, each clash shaking the heavens, but it was difficult two against one, and both stronger.
The spectators held their breath as the storm of battle filled the sky.
Jing Xu whispered, This is beyond any competition… this is war.
Qing Jianrui shouted suddenly, xiuqing, formation! Quickly! Don't give him time to breathe!
They crossed their arms and began weaving ancient hand seals, their bodies glowing in unison.
A wave of spiritual resonance surged outward.
Their forms began to merge, two souls fusing into one vessel of power. Their energy soared, sky cracking above them.
Their presence now towered like a mountain.
They had reached Nine Star Dou Wang, their combined aura pressing down like the weight of a collapsing world.
Mike stumbled a step back. His breath shortened. This pressure… it's unimaginable.
Even his breakthrough into Jing Ying Step One wasn't enough to close the gap.
But amid the roaring energy, something else began to stir within him.
His Sea Snake Flame twisted violently, roaring like a living beast, and then
its color deepened, scales of light shimmering into form.
It had evolved
Sea Snake Flame → Sea Python Flame.
And as it coiled behind him, the air turned sharp, the battlefield drowned in heat and frost.
Mike raised his hammer again. His eyes burned like frozen fire.