The dawn over the Flame Sovereign's arena bled crimson, the light of the rising sun spilling like molten gold across the massive stone arena.
Drums echoed from the four corners, announcing the beginning of the third day of the tournament. Disciples and elders filled the stands, their excited chatter mixing with the scent of incense and steel.
Zihan sat quietly near the edge of the arena, his fan resting across his lap, half-lidded eyes gazing toward the stage. His modest red robe fluttered lightly in the morning breeze, unadorned by clan emblems or banners. To the other prodigies dressed in silks embroidered with their sects' sigils he appeared out of place, even outclassed.
"Isn't that the Yue prince? Why's he dressed like a commoner?" someone whispered from the crowd.
"He came late yesterday. Probably just here to watch the fight. "
Zihan's lips twitched faintly. Words, all of them, he thought. The fan opened with a snap, its golden edge glinting in the morning light. The system's faint voice chuckled in his mind.
[System]: Host, your popularity score is dropping faster than your patience. Should I play background music? Something tragic?
Zihan (mentally):"You talk too much for something without a body."
[System]:Correction: without a weak body.
The crowd's attention shifted as the first match began. Flames burst from the stage as Chu Hanyun, the eldest son of the Chu patriarch, stepped forward his aura blazing like the heart of a star. His opponent, a lightning cultivator named Ren Bai, sneered but took a defensive stance.
"Flame embers Battle Body First Manifestation!" Hanyun roared. His battle body was not among the best but it was ranked ninty ninth which was still impressive.
The entire platform trembled under the heatwave. His flames coiled into the shape of a giant crimson lion, roaring as it lunged.
Ren Bai responded with arcs of lightning, his body blurring as he attempted to counter. The two forces collided midair, thunder and flame dancing in chaotic harmony. The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers, the stands trembling under the force.
Zihan's gaze, however, wasn't on the battle it was on the small cluster of robed figures watching from the far end of the seats. Their robes were dark, stitched with an inverted crescent mark. They didn't cheer or speak. Black Pavilion spies, he noted silently.
[System]: Detection Residual killing intent: mild. Recommendation: Keep fan open for dramatic effect.
Zihan:"Noted."
Zihan opened his fan covering half his face.
As the day's battles continued, Zihan watched each sect display their arts: the Azure Sky Sect's blade techniques, the Iron Moon Clan's body refinement, and the ethereal dances of the Ice Lotus Sect.
At last, the saintess herself took the stage again lan Xueyin, clad in pale blue robes that shimmered with cold light. Her opponent, Wei Long, was a brute of a man from the Steel Flame Hall.
Lan Xueyin expression was calm as frost. She raised her hand, and snowflakes began to drift from thin air, forming a lotus of ice that hovered over her palm. Wei Long laughed, charging forward with a flaming halberd.
The clash was brutal ice against fire, grace against brute force. But before long, lan Xueyin began to falter; her qi flow destabilized. The audience murmured in confusion. "She's injured! Her internal energy's clashing!"
Zihan's eyes narrowed. He could see it clearly someone had tampered with her spiritual vein. It was subtle, a trace of poison qi disguised as cold essence. But he didn't move. Not yet.
[System]: Warning Saintess lan's vitals dropping. Host, your Heroic Intervention Meter remains at zero. Shall I remind you that humans call this "being heartless"?
Zihan: "She's not my concern. Not unless she drags me into it."
[System]: A villain's words if I ever heard them. How nostalgic.
Wei Long's weapon crashed down again. Lianxue barely parried, blood staining her lips. The arena fell silent until the brute aimed directly for her core.
That's when a sharp sound split the air.
Clang!
A golden fan blocked the halberd, the impact ringing through the stands. Dust swirled as Zihan stood before the saintess, expression unreadable, fan raised lazily.
Gasps filled the arena.
"The Yue prince?!"
"Why is he interfering?!"
Zihan didn't answer. His calm eyes glimmered faintly with runes, the faint ruinic ring around his pupils pulsing once. The halberd trembled, heat flowing backward into Wei Long's arms, burning him. The man screamed, dropping his weapon as chaotic qi destroyed his sleeves steps away from his hands.
[System]: Sin Points +12."Congratulations, Host. You've officially ruined someone's day. Again."
Zihan: "I warned myself not to get involved."
He turned, looking at the shaken saintess. "Next time," he said softly, "choose your opponents more carefully."
The audience was dead silent as he walked off the stage, the air around him shimmering faintly with restrained power.
In the judges' pavilion, elders exchanged uneasy glances. The boy had intervened without flaring his cultivation, yet even seasoned cultivators had felt the weight of that strike.
[System]: Observation: You are now trending, Host. Half the audience hates you, the other half fears you. Should I prepare a fan club name?
Zihan: "Prepare my next cultivation schedule instead."
He vanished down the corridor behind the arena, leaving behind whispers, suspicion, and the faint scent of burning metal.
The third day of the Flame Sovereign's Tournament ended not with applause, but with unease.
...
The moon hung low over the capital, its pale light washing the tiled roofs in silver. The cheers and chaos of the third tournament day had long faded, leaving behind only the distant clatter of merchants closing their stalls and the faint crackle of torches burning along the streets.
Yue Zihan walked quietly down a narrow alley, his robe fluttering like drifting mist. The streets were mostly empty, but his senses refined beyond mortal awareness picked up faint traces of movement. A drunk stumbling? No. Too steady. Too deliberate.
[System]: Detecting shadow fluctuations. Three presences trailing.
Zihan (mentally): "Black Pavilion?"
[System]: Negative. Unknown source. They carry silencing talismans. Not amateurs, Host. Shall I engage sarcasm or caution mode?"
Zihan: "Neither. Observation mode."
He turned into a quieter lane, where an old courtyard stood between two lantern shops. Its wooden sign swung gently Jade Sparrow yard. Modest, clean, unassuming. Just like his carriage, just like his chosen disguise.
Ruo jin with a kindly face, bowed as Zihan entered. "Welcome back, your highness. The water's still warm if you wish to wash the dust of the day."
"Thank you," Zihan said softly, his tone polite but distant. He made his way upstairs, his steps soundless.
Inside his room, he closed the door behind him and sat cross-legged on the floor. His fan rested across his knees, faintly glowing with gold runes that pulsed in rhythm with his breath. For a moment, silence reigned. Then...
[System]: Sin Points: 243. Madness Points: 17. Emotional state: Calm. Possibly suppressing righteous irritation.
Zihan:"You talk like my therapist."
[System]: Correction unpaid therapist. Should I bill your royal father?"
Zihan: "Do that and I'll uninstall you."
[System]: Empty threat detected. Cute."
He ignored the system's smug tone and began meditating. Threads of chaotic qi gathered around him, faint golden and black tendrils swirling into the air. The floorboards creaked as the Primordial Chaos Body circulated vein activated, refining impurities into pure essence.
Then came the sound a whisper, faint as breath, behind the wall.
Zihan's eyes opened, irises flickering with ruinic light. His gaze pierced through the wooden panels like a blade. On the other side of the wall, a shadow moved.
[System]: Host, permission to enable Primordial Gaze?
Zihan: "Granted."
His pupils contracted, and suddenly glowing panels appeared in his sight, floating in the air like translucent glass.
[Target Detected]
Name:Liu Feiyan
Affiliation: Black Pavilion (Assassin Division)
Cultivation: core foundation Late Stage
Hostility: 87%
Likeness:–13
Remark "Orders ,capture alive."
Zihan's lips curved into a faint smile. "Alive? How generous."
Before the assassin could strike, he snapped his fan open. A crescent of golden energy tore through the wall, slicing through air and silence alike. There was a muffled scream, then a thud.
Three more shadows appeared through the window, masked and fast. Their movements were like liquid silent, lethal, synchronized. One drew twin daggers; another conjured black mist that hissed as it spread.
Zihan stood slowly, his robe untouched by dust. The fan in his hand pulsed once, and his voice was calm when he spoke.
"Since you've come this far," he said, "I'll consider it rude not to entertain you."
[System]: Battle Mode Activated.
[New Objective]: Eliminate hostiles. Reward Ability Upgrade: Soul search(Lv. 3) Eyes of judgement+ Cultivation Resources.
The assassins lunged. Zihan's fan moved once, twice graceful, like calligraphy in motion. With each flick, golden light slashed across the room. The first assassin's Dagger blades melted in his hands , his body torn to pieces by the chaotic qi. Zihan caught his core and stored it in his storage ring. The second assassin's in the Shadows exploded his body disintegrating into dust not even a drop of blood remained. Zihan picked his core and kept it with him.
In mere breaths, the room was a ruin of splintered wood and fading qi. The sent of blood and burnt flesh was all over the room. The walls were red painted in blood of the assassin's. Zihan stood in the middle his red dress matching with the room having absorbed some of the blood . His face serene strikes of blood painted it. He licked his lips and smiled at the remaining assassin.One assassin still breathed, was crawling toward the window leaving trails of blood. Zihan stepped on his hand gently, stopping him.
He exerted force and broke it his boots stomping it into a paste. The assassin screamed but zihan looked at him expressionatly as tears flowed down his eyes. His eyes looked up at the smiling zihan with fear.