Kyrian woke early on the fourth day since the opening of the Coliseum.
It was still dark when he opened his eyes. The inn remained silent. He sat up on the bed and felt the state of his two dantians. The Qi had almost completely recovered after the night of rest.
The battle against Han Xue had demanded much more than he had shown. He stood up briefly and put on his robe.
Bai Zhu was already awake when he went downstairs.
"Did you sleep well?" Bai Zhu asked while adjusting the robe of the Blood Court.
Kyrian simply nodded. The two set off together toward the Coliseum. On the way, sothing was different.
Kyrian had always felt gazes while walking through the city. His appearance drew attention. His eyes, even more so. But now it was different. Very different. People were not just looking.
They stopped and whispered.
So stepped aside, making space for him to pass. Others stared openly, as if standing before sothing rare.
"It’s him..."
"They say he’s only in the Qi Liberation Realm..."
"A monster."
"A battle genius..."
The whispers followed him down the entire street. Kyrian kept his pace steady. He did not change his expression. But he noticed. His fa had spread even further through the city.
Not because of his appearance. But because of his strength.
Despite his low cultivation, he was defeating cultivators in the Core Formation Realm. And not just defeating them, pressuring them.
When they arrived at the Coliseum, the line already wrapped around the block. As soon as Kyrian appeared, so recognized him imdiately and opened a path.
He entered without saying anything. After registering his presence, he challenged his first opponent of the day.
Rank 21.
The na was marked. Now he just needed to wait.
At noon, Elder Tian appeared at the center of the arena. The crowd roared.
But, to the surprise of many, the first battle announced was not Kyrian’s.
"First challenge of the day," Tian declared.
"Bai Zhu, Rank 79 of the Coliseum, against Lin Zhe, Rank 61 of the Coliseum."
Kyrian turned his gaze toward the arena. Bai Zhu smiled faintly and cracked his neck before jumping to the center.
His broad shoulders were firm. The robe of the Blood Court swayed lightly with the wind that crossed the Coliseum.
Many already recognized Bai Zhu. He too had been accumulating steady victories. His fights were intense. Direct.
Although overshadowed when compared to Kyrian, Bai Zhu matched the other geniuses of the external forces. The anticipation quickly rose. Bets began.
The odds were slightly in favor of Bai Zhu, despite the difference in cultivation. He was at the peak of the Qi Liberation Realm, very close to breaking through.
His opponent, Lin Zhe, was a cultivator in the third stage of the Core Formation Realm. A man who appeared to be around thirty years old.
Lin Zhe entered the arena with calm steps. His face was thin. His expression, somber.
Bai Zhu opened a confident smile.
"I hope for a good fight."
Lin Zhe did not respond. He only slightly raised his chin.
"Begin," Tian announced.
Bai Zhu did not hesitate. Blood Qi exploded from his body.
"Blood Iron Body."
Thick, pulsating veins appeared on his arms, neck, and forehead. His skin gained a faint reddish hue. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he set his stance.
It was the technique of the military branch of the Blood Court. Brutal. Direct. Focused on physical strength and endurance.
He prepared to advance.
But then...
Lin Zhe closed his eyes. Completely. He raised both hands.
Lilac-colored Qi began to expand around him like a mist. It was not explosive, it was silent. A translucent wave advanced across the arena.
Bai Zhu frowned but maintained his stance. He reinforced his body even further, expecting a direct attack.
But the lilac Qi struck him.
And then... sothing changed.
For Bai Zhu, the arena simply disappeared. The Coliseum vanished, the audience vanished, and Lin Zhe vanished.
He was once again back at the Blood Court Fortress. The sky was dark, and before him, in the middle of an arena, stood Kyrian.
His eyes shone with an absolute coldness as gray flas rose from the ground and from Kyrian’s eyes.
The flas enveloped Bai Zhu, and they burned, truly burned. The pain was extrely real. His skin felt like it was dissolving. His blood boiled.
"No...!" Bai Zhu scread.
In the arena, everyone only saw Bai Zhu stop abruptly. He brought a hand to his head.
"AAAAAAAHGRR!!!"
The scream echoed through the coliseum. The Blood Iron Body began to unravel. The pulsating veins diminished as Bai Zhu lost focus.
He staggered.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Was he hit?" many wondered.
But there was nothing visible. Lin Zhe remained with eyes closed, motionless, hands raised.
Kyrian, in the stands, frowned. He felt sothing strange in the air. Bai Zhu continued screaming.
Ten seconds passed. They felt much longer. Then, suddenly, his body lost strength. Bai Zhu collapsed in the arena.
Silence took over the Coliseum. Lin Zhe slowly opened his eyes. The lilac Qi disappeared.
Tian observed carefully. Then he spoke.
"Qi and illusion technique. Truly rare."
A murmur spread through the stands.
Illusion?
Kyrian descended from the stands imdiately. He entered the arena even before Tian formally announced it. He knelt beside Bai Zhu and touched his pulse.
The internal Qi was stable. The breathing was normal. He had simply fainted.
Kyrian narrowed his eyes. He had never seen such a type of technique.
Tian finally declared.
"Victory for Lin Zhe."
The na rose on the panel.
Lin Zhe showed no emotion. He simply turned his back and began to leave the arena. He did not look at Kyrian. He did not say anything.
Kyrian raised his gaze and watched his back as he walked away.
’What an interesting technique...’
He helped Bai Zhu be carried out of the arena by the attendants. The Coliseum was still murmuring.
"Illusion..."
"That explains... him standing still."
"But to bring Bai Zhu down like that... What do you think he saw in the illusion?"
Kyrian remained silent. His eyes followed Lin Zhe until he disappeared through the inner corridor. And, for the first ti in that Coliseum, Kyrian felt a slight sense of alertness.
It was not brute strength, but it was a rare type of Qi he had never seen before. Despite that, he greatly doubted that such Qi and technique would work on him due to his eyes.
He slowly returned to his seat.
His own challenge was still marked.
Against Rank 21.
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