The chaos of the arena did not fade quickly.
Three defeated opponents were carried off the stone platform.Hong Feng still hadn't awakened.Dozens of servant disciples whispered in trembling voices.Outer disciples stood stiffly, as if witnessing a beast wearing human skin.
And all of their eyes—
revolved around one name.
Lian Hong.
On the raised platform
Elder Lin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes gleaming with rare excitement.
"Interesting… truly interesting," he murmured.
Overseer Chen swallowed hard.
"In all my years overseeing the servants, I've never seen a boy like him. His stance is disciplined. His awareness is sharp. His movement borders on advanced-tier technique."
Elder Lin didn't respond.
He was watching Lian Hong with a gaze that could pierce stone.
"This kind of growth… can only come from extraordinary opportunity."He tapped his finger against his sleeve."He is hiding something."
"You believe he has a secret inheritance?" Chen asked in a low voice.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps he encountered a miracle."
Lin's eyes narrowed.
"Either way… a child whose battle control matures this quickly will not remain in the outer sect for long."
He turned to leave.
"Prepare the final round. I will observe from above."
Overseer Chen bowed deeply.
"Yes, Elder Lin."
As the elder walked away toward the higher pavilion, murmurs spread among the officials.
"Is Elder Lin truly interested?""That has not happened in years…""A servant disciple catching the eye of an elder?"
Something monumental was beginning.
And at the center of it was—
Lian Hong.
Meanwhile… near the inner courtyard
Wei Changbai slammed his palm into a tree trunk.
CRACK!
Splinters flew everywhere.
His teeth clenched so tight they almost cracked.
"He refuses to die," Wei whispered. "Even fate bends around him."
A junior disciple stepped back in fear.
"Senior Brother Wei… please calm down—"
"Silence."
His killing intent surged outward like a winter gale.
"Lian Hong… cannot be allowed to climb higher."
The disciple trembled. "But he is still just a servant—"
"He won't stay one," Wei spat. "You saw Elder Lin watching him."
The junior disciple didn't dare speak.
Wei's fingers dug into the bark, cracking it further.
"He was supposed to vanish. To disappear. Yet now—"His eyes narrowed to slits."—he's becoming a threat."
A dangerous glint flickered across his gaze.
"No matter how many times he rises, I will push him back into the mud."
Back at the arena
Lian Hong walked calmly toward the waiting area.Dozens of eyes avoided his gaze.A few disciples stepped back subconsciously.
Fear.Awe.Respect.
He felt none of it mattered.
He was here for one purpose:
To climb.To rise.To ascend beyond his previous life.
The system chimed softly, only loud enough for him to hear.
[Ding!Trait Recognition: Dominance.Lesser enemies will hesitate before attacking.]
A faint smirk touched Lian Hong's lips.
A useful trait.
But he sensed something else—a prickling along the back of his neck.
A gaze.Watching him.Cold, hateful, familiar.
His eyes drifted toward the inner courtyard.
He didn't see Wei Changbai.
But he felt him.
The memory of betrayal flashed in his mind—the cold palm on his chestthe moment his spirit root shatteredthe laughterthe contemptthe fall.
Not yet.
He inhaled deeply.
"Not until I'm ready," he murmured.
He would not repeat the mistake of confronting Wei too early.Revenge was a blade best sharpened over time.
The overseer stepped forward again
"The next stage—Final Combat Round—will determine the official outer sect rankings for this year!"
A roar of excitement spread through the outer disciples.
This stage wasn't just about passing.
It was about ranking.
And rankings were everything.
Outer sect rankings determined:
• Resource priority• Access to cultivation rooms• Technique borrowing limits• Elder attention• Future opportunities
The servant disciples tensed.
This was their one chance to leap.
The overseer's voice rang out:
"All disciples who passed the previous rounds, step forward!"
Lian Hong walked with steady steps.
Zhou Shan watched him go, trembling.
"If this guy becomes an outer disciple," he muttered to himself, "I am going to start praying to him daily…"
Thirty disciples lined up on the stone platform.
Outer disciples leaned forward.
Inner courtyard observers whispered among themselves.
An elder in white robes murmured:
"Only thirty this year… but one of them shines brighter than the rest."
Another elder nodded.
"That youth in the dark-blue robe… He is too calm."
"He may surpass half the outer sect within a year."
"…Assuming no accidents," the first elder added, eyes cooling.
Elders never spoke of accidents lightly.
Lian Hong felt their gazes.He did not flinch.
The overseer unrolled the final scroll
"The first match of the Final Round—"
The crowd held its breath.
"—Lian Hong…"
Of course.
"—versus…"
Footsteps echoed.
A tall, lean youth with sharp features stepped forward.
His aura was fierce.His eyes cold.His presence oppressive.
"…Li Fengxia."
The crowd gasped.
"He's stronger than Hong Feng!""Fourth Layer middle-stage!""One of Elder Lin's potential picks for outer-sect elite group!""This is the worst matchup possible!"
Zhou Shan fainted again.No one helped him.
Li Fengxia smirked slightly, rolling his shoulders.
"So you're the servant causing trouble today."He sized Lian Hong up."You look disappointingly ordinary."
Lian Hong met his gaze.
"You talk too much."
Li Fengxia's smirk vanished.
The overseer stepped back.
"Begin!"
And the courtyard erupted again—
as two geniuses, from two different worlds,collided for the first time.