**Chapter 34: The Sun Eater**
The white fire roared.
The **Nine-Sun Flame** was a Secret Art that condensed the essence of Yang fire. A single orb could melt a hole through a city wall. Nine of them were circling Kaelen like hungry sharks.
Lie Feng flicked his wrist.
"Burn to ash, trash."
*WHOOSH.*
All nine orbs converged on Kaelen simultaneously. The heat was so intense the air shimmered, creating a mirage that distorted the entire arena. The crowd shielded their eyes from the blinding light.
"It's over!"
"He was arrogant! Trying to tank a Rank 88 Special Move without a weapon?"
Inside the inferno, Kaelen stood still.
His skin began to blister. His hair started to singe.
But his mouth was open.
"**Heaven-Devouring Scripture: Solar Intake.**"
It wasn't a technique found in any manual. It was instinct.
The black vortex inside his dantian spun counter-clockwise. A vacuum force erupted from his body, not pulling air, but pulling *heat*.
The nine orbs hit him. Instead of exploding, they stuck to his skin.
Then, they began to sink in.
*Slurp.*
The sound was audible. Like a man finishing a thick soup.
The blinding light dimmed. The searing heat vanished.
The crowd lowered their hands. They blinked, trying to clear the spots from their vision.
When they saw the center of the ring, the stadium went dead silent.
Kaelen was standing there. He wasn't ash. He wasn't dead.
He was glowing.
His veins pulsed with a molten gold light. Steam poured from his nose and ears. He looked like a living volcano about to erupt.
> **[High-Grade Yang Energy Consumed.]**
> **[Frostfire Equilibrium: Destabilized.]**
> **[Recommendation: Vent excess heat immediately.]**
Kaelen burped. A small puff of white fire escaped his lips.
He looked at Lie Feng.
"A bit dry," Kaelen critiqued. "Needs more sauce."
Lie Feng took a step back. His face was pale, his perfect composure shattering.
"You... you ate my Essence Fire? That's impossible! That fire burns the meridian channels! You should be boiling from the inside!"
"I have a cast-iron stomach," Kaelen grunted.
He took a step forward. The stone beneath his boot melted instantly into lava.
"Now," Kaelen's eyes glowed with a terrifying mix of blue frost and golden fire. "Let me return the favor."
**Phantom Step.**
*BOOM.*
He exploded off the ground. The sudden acceleration left a trail of molten footprints.
Lie Feng panicked. "Shield! **Firewall!**"
A wall of flames erupted in front of him.
Kaelen didn't go around. He punched through it.
His fist, wreathed in the stolen golden energy, shattered the firewall like glass.
He appeared in front of Lie Feng.
"Technique is cute," Kaelen whispered.
He grabbed Lie Feng by the throat.
"But gravity is the law."
Kaelen jumped.
He took the screaming disciple fifty feet into the air.
Then, he turned upside down.
He accelerated downward, using Lie Feng as a human cushion.
"**Seismic Slam.**"
*CRASH.*
They hit the arena floor.
The impact was cataclysmic. A shockwave of dust and fire swept across the ring. The protective barriers around the audience seats flickered dangerously.
When the dust settled, there was a crater in the center of the ring.
Kaelen stood in the middle of it.
Lie Feng lay at his feet. His red robes were shredded. His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles. He was unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
"Winner..." The announcer gulped. "THE CHALLENGER!"
The crowd didn't cheer immediately. They were terrified.
Lie Feng was Rank 88. He was a celebrity. And he had just been swatted like a fly.
Kaelen walked over to his **Nameless Slab**. He picked it up and strapped it back on.
He looked at the display board floating above the arena.
**[Current Winnings: 32,000 Points.]**
"System," Kaelen asked internally. "Cost to enter the Summit?"
> **[Summit Entry Permit: 100,000 Points.]**
> **[Note: Requires Rank within Top 50.]**
"Still not enough," Kaelen sighed.
He looked at the gate where the next opponent was supposed to come from. It remained closed.
"Hey!" Kaelen shouted at the announcer box. "Why is the door closed? I'm on a streak."
The announcer's voice came over the array, trembling. "Uh... Contender... the other fighters... they withdrew."
"Withdrew?"
"Nobody wants to fight you. You ate a fireball and used a Top 100 disciple as a shovel. The queue is empty."
The crowd murmured. The Gauntlet had been broken not by defeat, but by fear.
Kaelen frowned. "So I can't earn more points?"
"Not unless... someone from the **Top 10** challenges you," the announcer said. "But they rarely visit the arena."
Kaelen looked at the terrified audience. He needed a way to force a big fight. A really big fight.
He walked to the edge of the arena. He looked up at the floating islands above. specifically at the **Middle Sector** where the Ranking Board monolith stood.
"Viper," Kaelen spoke into the air, knowing she was lurking somewhere in the stands.
A shadow shifted near the exit. Viper appeared, looking pale.
"I'm here," she hissed. "We need to go. You drew too much attention. The **Law Enforcement Hall** is looking at you."
"Good," Kaelen grinned. "I hate chasing people."
He pointed his Slab at the sky.
"If the Top 10 won't come down," Kaelen shouted, his voice amplified by his immense lung capacity.
"I'll go up and drag them down."
He turned to the clerk.
"Cash me out. 32,000 points."
The clerk scrambled to transfer the points to Kaelen's token.
Kaelen grabbed the token.
"Come on, Viper. We're going shopping."
"Shopping? For what?"
Kaelen patted the **Titan's Ribcage** inside his chest.
"I have the defense. I have the speed."
He looked at his fists.
"I need a technique that hits harder than a truck."
He began walking toward the exit. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, nobody daring to make eye contact with the Sun Eater.
Kaelen checked the map he stole from Sect Master Han.
**Destination: The Scripture Pavilion.**
**Target: The Forbidden Section.**
"Let's see if this Academy has any books worth reading."