⸻
The crowd was restless. The Outer Sect Arena, once a quiet proving ground for nameless disciples, had turned into a boiling pot of speculation and bloodlust.
Because today, he was stepping into the circle.
[Mission Active: Arena Ranking Trial – Round 1]
Target: Kuang Tie – Rank 71 Outer Sect Disciple
Cultivation: Mid Foundation Establishment
Nickname: "Thunder-Limbed Tyrant"
Affiliation: Iron Pulse Faction
Endorsement: Inner Disciple Zhen Yao
Odds of Victory: 17.2%
Odds of Survival: 49.8%
System Override – Long Chen Commentary: "Only idiots fight fair. Be creative or be crippled."
Li Xuan exhaled slowly as he stepped into the ring.
All eyes were on him.
Black robes. Cold eyes. A subtle, smirking confidence.
And behind him—nothing. No faction. No backing. No elders. Just the crushing weight of Long Chen's system, and the invisible star swirling at his back.
Across the ring, Kuang Tie cracked his knuckles. Veins bulged across his arms like steel cables. Thunder qi sparked at his fingertips with each flex of muscle.
"Another nobody trying to climb by using the arena? You must be suicidal," Kuang Tie sneered.
Li Xuan didn't speak.
He simply rolled his neck and dropped into a low stance.
The bell rang.
⸻
BOOM!
Kuang Tie's first punch shattered the ground. Dust erupted.
But Li Xuan was gone.
Phantom Step – Triple Fold Activation.
Three afterimages.
One real.
He ducked under the next blow, palm slicing Kuang Tie's ribs with a blinding flash of saber-light. The cut was shallow—but it proved something.
Li Xuan was fast.
[System Alert: Thunder Body Resistance – 80% reduction on physical damage]
[Recommendation: Target meridian junctions and pressure nodes. Bonus LCP if opponent is incapacitated.]
Thunder cracked as Kuang Tie struck again, this time connecting—barely.
Li Xuan was sent flying, slamming into the arena wall, coughing blood.
"Cheap tricks," Kuang Tie laughed. "Speed can't replace power."
"Good thing," Li Xuan wiped his lip, smirking, "I've got both."
Ash Rebirth Sutra – Stage One Activation.
Flames erupted around his body—scarlet and black. Not burning him, but healing. Reforging.
The crowd gasped.
"A flame body art?"
"But it's not fire qi—it's… something else!"
Kuang Tie narrowed his eyes. "Fine. I'll break your flame body."
⸻
The next three exchanges were brutal.
Kuang Tie unleashed his Thunder Step, warping across the ring in a blur of lightning. Fists descended like falling hammers, each blow leaving cracks in the stone.
Li Xuan weaved and danced—using the Predator's Pressure to draw out Kuang Tie's aggression, subtly guiding his attacks.
He baited. He feinted.
Then he struck.
A flicker of light. A sudden twist.
Face-Slapping Divine Art – Triggered.
Kuang Tie had opened his mouth to gloat.
Li Xuan's elbow slammed into his chin like a battering ram.
The giant disciple staggered back, dazed.
[Critical Strike – 13x Multiplier Achieved]
[Skill Level Up: Face-Slapping Divine Art → Level 2]
[Bonus LCP: +20]
"Talk less," Li Xuan muttered. "It hurts more when your jaw's hanging."
The arena exploded with noise.
Even the outer sect elders watching in the stands leaned forward.
"Who is this black-robed brat?"
"His movement is too refined… his strikes are surgical. This isn't some random outer disciple!"
⸻
But Kuang Tie didn't fall.
He roared—and activated his Thunder Limbs Art, coating his body in condensed lightning.
It burned. It pulsed. It surged.
Li Xuan knew it now. He couldn't win by trading blows.
So he pulled out a pill—one of the first he refined in this new realm. A Qi compression pill. It wouldn't heal him—but it would let him overdraw his dantian without exploding.
He crushed it between his teeth.
And ignited his Nine Star Path.
Behind him, the illusory star wheel burst into view.
Seven rotating constellations.
Silent. Terrifying.
The elders stood. "That… that looks like…"
"…No, it can't be. That technique was banned. Forbidden."
Li Xuan didn't care.
The moment the star activated, his strength surged. Not tenfold—but enough.
He blurred.
He struck.
And this time—Kuang Tie flew.
Straight out of the arena.
[Victory Achieved]
—Rank Increased: 71st Place
—+60 Long Chen Points
—+1 Outer Sect Resource Token
—New Challenger Locked (Next Round Countdown: 5 Days)
—Reputation: Surge Detected
—Fanbase Growth: 163 disciples curious, 39 disciples furious, 2 elders watching closely
Long Chen's voice chuckled in the back of his mind.
"That's more like it. One small step up the mountain of corpses."
⸻
That night, in his cave dwelling, Li Xuan stared at the resource token.
One token. Enough for low-grade herbs, some basic pills, maybe one mid-grade weapon.
He knew this was just the beginning.
But his fist clenched tighter.
He would climb.
He would fight.
He would carve his name into the heavens—just like Long Chen did.
And he would never kneel