Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change"
Scarlet King stared at the referee with utter calm and icy composure, then spoke:
"If he were strong, he would have defended himself. The sect has no need for the weak. And when the sect enters a war against an enemy in the future, there will be no restrictions preventing the killing of disciples. Disciples must understand that serving the sect may lead to death—only then can we distinguish those who are truly loyal from those who merely seek benefits and wish to leave safely."
The referee objected:
"But he was still a disciple of the sect…"
Scarlet King interrupted him, leaned closer, and whispered into the referee's ear:
"Yet dozens of disciples die every year over food the sect does not provide, or in gang conflicts inside the sect that the sect chooses not to stop. So why do you care about the death of this one weak individual?"
The elder fell silent for a long time, thinking:
(His words make sense… but if we let him go unpunished, the disciples may grow resentful at the lack of consequences. Worse, killing might spread inside the sect. Yet if we suppress people like him, they could grow dissatisfied and eventually split off, causing civil war…)
After a long pause, Scarlet King spoke again:
"So, what is your answer, Referee?"
The referee sighed deeply.
"Hah… you've convinced me. Your reasoning is logical, boy. Young people like you truly are the future of the sect."
He stepped forward, facing the gathered disciples, and announced loudly:
"From this moment onward, the rules of combat are revised. Killing is permitted only within the Bloody Combat Arena—and nowhere else."
He then turned back to Scarlet King.
"As for you, you will be imprisoned in the sect's prison for one full month. Do you have any objections?"
Scarlet King replied as his body reverted to that of a child:
"None at all, Referee."
The referee nodded.
"Good. Disciples—escort Scarlet King to the prison."
The ranking board shimmered and updated. At Rank One Hundred, a new name appeared:
Rank 100: Gu Yue
Title: Scarlet King
Biweekly Reward: Three meals and twenty-two red primordial stones
Two disciples moved to escort Scarlet King. But before he left, something shifted—an unseen presence slipped silently from Scarlet King's shadow into Lin Yuan's shadow at tremendous speed.
Minutes later, they arrived at the prison.
It was small and narrow, with dull gray walls and thick iron bars. Inside stood only a bed and a simple desk.
Scarlet King entered the cell fully conscious and sat calmly on the bed as the two disciples departed.
Outside, news spread rapidly throughout the sect.
Xue Hua—possessing sovereign beauty, jet-black hair, flawless white skin, and dressed in a wide blue robe that flowed around her graceful curves—sat on the upper floor of a wooden café with Feng Jian. Feng Jian had gray hair, a moderately muscular build, and a scar running across his left eye.
Below them, disciples rushed about, whispering urgently and exchanging hushed conversations.
Xue Hua asked in a clear, beautiful voice:
"What's happening to cause such unrest among the disciples?"
Feng Jian didn't answer immediately. His gaze followed Lin Yuan as he passed by. A terrifying sensation gripped his chest—he felt an overwhelming black killing aura radiating from Lin Yuan, one so intense it made his instincts scream in warning.
It was the first time in a very long while that Feng Jian had felt genuine tension.
He asked Xue Hua quietly, his voice faintly trembling:
"Do you feel that lethal aura coming from that blue-haired young man?"
Xue Hua nodded calmly.
"Yes. But it isn't his own aura. It belongs to someone else… someone who placed it on him—to protect him."
"Power Stones + rating, please"