The crowd rippled with excitement.
The prince who hadn't fought yesterday. The shadow who shouldn't have won today. Both were enigmas. Everyone was trying to understand them .
Zihan stepped onto the platform, fan in hand, movements slow and unhurried. Looking at Chen wu.
Chen Wu's smirk was almost feral. "So, the silent prince finally moves. Tell me, will you fight, or will your fan do the work for you?"
Zihan smiled faintly. "Depends. Will you die quietly, or will you make noise?"
A ripple of laughter and outrage spread through the crowd.
Everyone thought of it as a joke.
The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"
Chaotic qi and shadow exploded at once, Chen Wu's form melting into darkness while Zihan simply stood there, fan raised lazily, the air still around him.
Then
Crash!
A black dagger clashed against something invisible. The impact cracked the arena tiles.
[System: Chaotic Qi interference detected. Stabilizing circulation.]
[Host spiritual resonance-82% unlocked.]
Zihan sighed softly. "So impatient."
He stepped forward, just once. The faint ring of runes around his feet flared barely visible, but enough to make him dissapear.
Chaotic qi shimmering in the air.
Chen Wu froze mid-step. His shadow faltered.
[System: Madness Points +5. Sin Points +2.]
[Host reward: "Soul Reading - Minor." Ability granted: See through opponent's Qi deviation.]
Zihan smiled as the fan flicked open again, and a single stroke of condensed chaotic qi sent Chen Wu sprawling backward.
He could feel the wounds on his body were servier.
He coughed blood, disbelief twisting his face. "W-What… what are you?.."
Zihan leaned close enough for only him to hear.
"Curious? So am I."
Then his fan struck once more chaotic qi release into his body. Chen wu internal organs busted as chaos destroyed his life force. Chen Wu went still body still perfect except for trickling of blood from his mouth ,nose ,ears and his wide open eyes. He did not know how he had died.
The crowd erupted, but not in cheers mostly in stunned silence.
The referee swallowed. "W-Winner… Yue Zihan of the Azure Flame Kingdom."
On the high dais, the Flame Sovereign's envoys exchanged wary glances.
And in the far shadows of the stands, a cloaked figure murmured:
"He noticed the interference. The Pavilion must… adjust its plans."
Later, as the arena emptied, Zihan stood alone near the railing, his fan closed, his blindfold glinting faintly in the dying light.
[System: New ability unlocked – 'Devour'. Secondary reward: 1000 Spirit Coins. Cultivation progress Primordial Bone forging stage 2: 95%.]
[System Comment: Congratulations, Host. You're halfway between genius and lunatic.]
Zihan smiled softly. "That's not so far apart."
[System: True. You make both look fashionable.]
He laughed quietly under his breath, the sound low and dangerous, before turning to leave the arena.
Tomorrow, the real game would begin.
And somewhere deep beneath the Flame Sovereign's city, the Black Pavilion began to move.
....
Night descended upon the Flame Sovereign's city like a velvet cloak laced with embers.
From the tournament grounds to the noble quarters, lanterns burned in long, winding rows glowing red and gold, their reflections flickering in puddles left by a brief evening rain.
Music drifted from taverns. Laughter spilled from courtyards. But beneath the merriment, there was tension whispers running like cracks through glass.
"The blindfolded prince… he killed Chen Wu."
"No one's sure how."
"And the Flame Sovereign's envoys said nothing."
In a secluded courtyard behind the Azure Flame delegation's residence, Yue Zihan sat cross-legged on the veranda. His fan rested on his lap, the air around him alive with faint, pulsating runes.
He wasn't meditating for peace. He was refining.
The chaotic Qi that had thrashed inside him after his duel now coiled smoothly, tamed by the Primordial Body's unique resonance. Each breath shimmered faintly in the night air, red and blue threads weaving through his skin like living fire and mist.
[System: Stabilization complete. Primordial Body -Stage 1, Upper Limit achieved.]
[Next breakthrough available: upon soul refinement or external catalyst.]
[Recommendation: Don't explode.]
Zihan exhaled slowly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You say that like it's optional."
He stood up, planning to stretch his legs.
[System: With you, it's not.]
The stillness shattered when Han Qing approached, quiet as mist.
"You're leaving the quarters again," he said, not a question.
Zihan rose, adjusting his blindfold. "You make it sound like a bad habit."
"It is, Your Highness. Especially when assassins are still unaccounted for."
"That's why I'm going," Zihan said lightly. "If someone wants my head, I'd rather meet them halfway."
Han Qing sighed, already knowing argument was useless. "At least take a signal talisman."
He said worry marrying his face.
Zihan smiled faintly. "I have one."
[System: Lies detected.]
"Shh," Zihan murmured with amusement. "You'll ruin the dramatic exit."
The city transformed at night. The laughter faded, replaced by the slow hum of commerce in the lower streets black markets, alchemy stalls, mercenaries trading information in dim alleys.
Zihan walked through it like he belonged there, his blindfold drawing both curiosity and wariness. He didn't bother hiding his presence; the true predators would find him regardless.
At the edge of the merchant district, a group of cloaked men slipped into a narrow passage. Zihan followed, silent as a shadow. Stalking.
The passage opened into a sunken courtyard, its walls lined with cracked talismans and faint glyphs. In the center, a single banner fluttered in the cold wind black silk embroidered with the sigil of a serpent swallowing its tail.
Why would they put it there? So obvious.
The Black Pavilion.
They were really fearless.
Zihan's fan opened with a soft snap.
Chaotic qi concentrated at the top .
[System: Detection mode active.]
[Eight cultivators. One mid-stage Core formation realm. Two with foreign Qi signatures. All hostile.]
[Suggestion: Play nice. Then kill them.]
He chuckled. "You know me too well."
The cultists were whispering around a circular stone basin that glowed with liquid shadow. A man in gray armor a commander, judging by the sigil leaned forward.
"Tomorrow, the Saintess's match will proceed as planned," he said. "Once she's weakened, we strike. Her Qi will be perfect for the ritual."
"Flame Sovereign's envoys will sense it," another hissed.
"They won't if we mask the energy under a royal signature."
"Royal?"
The leader smirked. "That prince's death will serve perfectly."
He had ruined their plans too many times to count.
A voice drifted from the darkness above.
"How touching," Zihan said softly jumping down from the beams. "Planning my funeral without an invitation."
They spun too late.
A single motion, and Zihan's fan snapped open.
Wind roared, carrying threads of crimson and light of concentrated chaotic qi.
The courtyard shattered under the force; talismans ripped from walls like dry leaves.
Two assassins screamed as the chaotic Qi flayed their spiritual cores open silent, clean, merciless. They fell like lifeless dolls.
The commander barely managed to raise his sword before Zihan appeared behind him, fan pressed lightly against his throat. He could feel the sharp chaotic qi entering him moving.
[System: Target soul detected. Initiating 'Soul Reading'.]
[Result: Mid-rank Pavilion officer. Coordinates outer Flame Sovereign territory, Ember Veil Outpost.]
[Reward: 1,000 spirit coins, 3 Sin points, 2 Madness points.]
Zihan whispered in the man's ear, voice like silk over steel.
Sending shivers to down the man's spine.
"Next time you want a royal scapegoat," he said, "send an invitation first."
Then the fan flicked once. The man crumpled, lifeless.
Silence returned. The wind whistled through the courtyard's ruins.
[System: Host emotional fluctuation detected. Mild satisfaction. Slight euphoria.]
[Comment: You're starting to enjoy this.]
Zihan smiled faintly. "Enjoy? No. Appreciate, perhaps."
He glanced at the basin. The liquid shadow inside had begun to hiss, dispersing into nothing as his chaotic Qi erased the corruption.
"Still," he murmured, "they're organized. That means there's a nest somewhere near the Flame Sovereign's territory."
[System: Correct. Probability of Pavilion infiltration in the tournament staff 82%. Recommend observation of high-profile participants tomorrow.]
Zihan's fan closed with a soft click.
"Then we'll play along."
By the time he returned to his quarters, dawn was a thin line on the horizon. Han Qing was waiting, expression somewhere between relief and exasperation.
"You're alive," he said.
"I usually am," Zihan replied, brushing dust from his sleeve. "Though I met some admirers."
"Assassins?"
"Let's call them fans."
Han Qing sighed. "And?"
"They'll need new management."
When Zihan finally sat to meditate again, the system's voice hummed softly in his mind:
[Host progress: 99% toward next breakthrough.]
[Reward unlocked: deep soul reading. Ability: Amplify elemental Qi and reflect spiritual detection. Allows for percial memory retrieve .]
[System Comment: Congratulations. You're now too stylish to die quietly.]
Zihan smiled, resting the fan beside him as the sun began to rise.
The next day would bring more than battles. It would bring revelations of who the Pavilion truly served, and who in the Flame Sovereign's court had allowed them to thrive.
And this time, the prince wouldn't simply watch.
He would rewrite the board.