The training field was quieter than usual. Not out of reverence. Out of tension.
Word had spread faster than spiritual fire in dry bamboo:
Arin Valkar, the Outer Sect's official stress ball, was going to register for the tournament.
Most laughed. Some winced. A few muttered prayers. But everyone came to watch.
---
Boji waddled next to Arin, holding a steamed bun stuffed with who-knows-what. "You really gonna do it? The Thunder Fang guy might make you into... like, bone jam."
"If I don't get smashed by a demonic prodigy at least once this arc, am I even cultivating?"
Boji blinked. "That's either brave or a diagnosed problem."
Yui tagged along behind them, clutching a bunny that looked equally terrified. "I-I brought you a lucky root... It's shaped like a foot. Or a kidney."
"I love it," Arin said. "It's confusing and vaguely helpful. Just like my life."
---
The registration tent looked like someone pitched it during a windstorm and gave up halfway. Inside, a bored disciple with pimpled cheeks stamped names onto scrolls.
Three prodigies stood nearby.
Len Hai – wind cultivator, face like a fanfiction protagonist.
Zoru – spirit blade user, hair sharper than his sword.
Min Fan – alchemist, face permanently stuck in "I smell something bad."
Arin approached.
"You here to sweep the arena, peasant?" Len Hai sneered.
"Nope. I'm the entertainment. Also, the punching bag. Dual class."
Min Fan sniffed. "You smell like a medicinal accident."
"Thanks. That's Elder Paiku's ointment. Burned my eyebrows off, but now I regenerate emotionally."
Zoru didn't speak. Just narrowed his eyes.
Arin leaned over the table. "Put me down for the tournament. And if there's a prize for 'Most Bones Snapped With a Smile', reserve that too."
Ding.
[Bonus Objective Complete: Insulted 3 Prodigies. +200 EXP] [Skill Fragment Acquired: Pain Echo (Locked)]
[Bone-Iron Constitution – Level 3 (2426 / 3000)]
---
Back in the shadows, Mira exhaled through her nose.
Boji muttered, "He actually did it. That lunatic."
Yui clutched her bunny. "Do you think he'll survive?"
"Not sure," Mira whispered. "But I think he's about to evolve."
---
That night, the Sect Board lit up with registered names.
The bottom read:
> #57: Arin Valkar – Outer Disciple – Bone-Iron Constitution (???)
Some laughed. Some stared. One man—Huin Thorne—smiled.
"Finally... someone stupid enough to amuse me."
He cracked his knuckles. Lightning sparked.
---
Next Day: Tournament Preparation Field
"WELCOME, TRASH WORMS!" barked Elder Roga. "You have one week to prepare. You may train. You may cry. You may die. We don't care. But show up."
He gestured to five sections:
1. Weapon Training.
2. Spiritual Combat.
3. Endurance Trials.
4. Alchemy for Combat.
5. Divine Beasts 101.
Arin signed up for Endurance. Obviously.
Boji went for Alchemy. "Edible bombs. Don't ask."
Yui tried Beast Training. Her bunny bit the instructor.
---
Endurance Trials, Day 1
Arin was strapped to a post. Rocks were thrown. Fireballs were involved. Someone summoned a goat that knew kung fu.
Ding. +12 EXP. [Bone-Iron Constitution – Level 3 (2438 / 3000)]
---
Endurance Trials, Day 3
Now it was ice water. Arin was submerged for 3 hours. He used the time to compose a poem:
> "Ribs of steel, Muscles cry, Beat me more Or else I'll die."
Ding. +15 EXP. [Bone-Iron Constitution – Level 3 (2453 / 3000)]
Boji made him soup. It exploded.
---
Mira Interlude
She watched him every day.
Notes piled up. Behavior logs. System reaction predictions.
Her handler asked, "Why the obsession?"
Mira didn't look up. "Because he's the only one in this sect who's fighting fate by letting it punch first."
---
Training Field, Day 6
A surprise duel challenge.
One of Len Hai's lackeys tried to "teach Arin a lesson."
Arin didn't fight. He dodged. Laughed. Took hits. Rolled.
And when the enemy tripped and fell off the platform?
Arin bowed politely.
Ding. +34 EXP. [Bone-Iron Constitution – Level 3 (2487 / 3000)]
---
System Notice: Minor Evolution Condition Nearing [80% Progress to Passive Unlock: Bone Memory Layer I]
---
Night Before the Tournament
Arin sat on the roof, bruised and smiling. Mira sat beside him.
"Ready?"
"To be hospitalized? Always."
She shook her head. "Don't die. It would annoy me."
"I live to irritate. It's my cultivation path."
A pause.
"Do you really have a plan?" she asked.
"Yes. Step one: make them underestimate me."
"Step two?"
He looked at the stars. "...There is no step two."
Ding. [Passive Trait Gained: Masochist's Focus – Pain reduces mind deviation during battle] +20 EXP
[Bone-Iron Constitution – Level 3 (2507 / 3000)]