The night air in the Capital was thin and sharp, carrying the metallic tang of the surrounding Spirit-Refining Basalt walls. Inside his dormitory, Zhao Chen sat in the center of a makeshift array he had constructed using low-grade spirit stones purchased from a nearby student dispensary.
To any wandering proctor, it looked like a standard Level 14 Soul Apprentice trying to stabilize his foundation. In reality, the stones were merely decoys to mask the true consumption happening within.
[Ding! Progress toward Level 15: 14%]
[Hydra's Second Head: 14.2% Awakened]
[Current Point Balance: 250]
A soft, rhythmic scratching sounded at his door. Zhao Chen didn't move his head, but his spiritual perception—sharpened by the Faculty Database's anatomical insights—identified the visitor immediately.
"The notes are under the door, Zhao Chen," Xiao Lan's voice whispered, barely audible over the hum of the building's defensive arrays. "I... I added a map of the Western Hunting Grounds. There's a nest of Iron-Silk Spiders there. They aren't as strong as the Blood-Thistles, but their silk has a high toxin-conduction rate. I thought your vine might... find it useful."
"Leave them," Zhao Chen replied, his voice calm. "And Xiao Lan? Don't let Li Feng see you coming here. In the merchant world, a supplier is only valuable as long as they aren't compromised."
A moment of silence followed, then the sound of light footsteps retreating down the hall. Zhao Chen stood up and retrieved the parchment.
He spread the notes on his desk. Xiao Lan's handwriting was cramped but meticulous. She hadn't just listed beast types; she had mapped out their spiritual 'blind spots'—the moments during their elemental cycles when their internal defenses were at their lowest.
"System, integrate this data into the Spirit Beast Database. Cross-reference the Iron-Silk Spiders with the Hydra's evolution requirements."
[Ding! Data integration complete.]
[Analysis: Iron-Silk Spider venom (approx. 900 years) possesses a 'Neural-Dampening' property. High compatibility with the Hydra's second head (The Shadow Head). Consumption would grant: +15% to 'Spiritual Masking' efficiency and 'Shadow-Binding' skill evolution for the Thorny Crawling Vine.]
Zhao Chen's eyes darkened. A 900-year beast was technically beyond the reach of a Level 14 Soul Apprentice, but he wasn't a standard apprentice. He was a predator wearing a sheep's skin.
"The Freshman Tournament is the priority," Zhao Chen murmured. "But to win without revealing the Hydra, the Vine needs more than just 'Life-Seizing Bloom.' It needs to become a ghost."
The next morning, the atmosphere in the Yellow Class wing had shifted from bitter rivalry to suppressed dread. Large posters had been plastered across the archways, glowing with the seal of the Heavenly Pattern Academy.
THE TOURNAMENT OF TIDES: PRELIMINARY BRACKETS RELEASED
Zhao Chen walked toward the board, weaving through the crowd. He found his name at the bottom of the fourth bracket.
Match 1: Zhao Chen (Yellow Class, Lvl 14) vs. Wang Chao (Silver Class, Lvl 18)
"A Silver Class Level 18?" a student nearby whispered. "Poor kid. Wang Chao's martial spirit is the Heavy-Armor Rhino. He's a brick wall. Zhao Chen's vines won't even leave a scratch."
Li Feng was standing nearby, his arm still bandaged from their encounter. He caught Zhao Chen's eye and mouthed the words: You're dead.
Zhao Chen ignored him, his gaze already moving to the Top 10 seeds. There, at the very top, was the name he had been expecting.
Seed #1: Lu Tian (Gold Class, Lvl 20) — Spirit: Solar Flare Hawk
[Ding! Scanning 'Lu Tian'...]
[Warning: Target is at the peak of Soul Apprentice Stage. He possesses a 950-year soul ring. His spiritual density is 3.5x higher than Wang Chao's.]
"Level 20," Zhao Chen thought, a small, cold smile touching his lips. "He's standing right at the door of the Soul Master (Level 21) stage. If I can defeat him while appearing to struggle, the Academy won't see me as a threat—they'll see me as a 'miracle' they can use."
He spent the rest of the day in the library, not reading about cultivation, but about the history of the Lu family. He learned that Lu Tian's family was a major supplier of spirit-metal to the Imperial Army. If he humiliated the boy too much, he would invite the "pressure" he had fled Xian City to avoid.
As evening fell, Zhao Chen headed to the Academy's training grounds—not the public ones, but a secluded, overgrown corner near the Spirit-Refining walls where the weeds grew thick.
"System, spend 200 points," Zhao Chen commanded. "I need a 'Fake Failure' simulation. Calculate the exact amount of soul power needed to crack the Heavy-Armor Rhino's defense without breaking Wang Chao's ribs. It has to look like a fluke."
[Ding! 200 System Points deducted. Remaining: 50.]
[Simulation initiated. Optimal strategy: 'The Needle's Eye.']
[Step 1: Allow Wang Chao to charge. Step 2: Sacrifice 30% of your vine's mass to create a 'tripping' illusion. Step 3: Strike the gap in the Rhino's armor behind the left knee using a concentrated vitality drain.]
Zhao Chen began to practice the movement. The vine shot out, hitting a wooden post with a dull thud. He repeated the strike hundreds of times, his movements becoming more mechanical, more precise.
He wasn't training to be a warrior. He was training to be an actor.
"One week until the tournament," he whispered, his eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. "By the time they realize I'm not a 'Hard-Worker,' it will be too late to stop me."
Inside his soul, the Nine-Headed Hydra let out a low, resonant hum. It felt the proximity of the level 20 "genius" Lu Tian. To the Hydra, Lu Tian wasn't a student or a seed.
He was the perfect 1,000-year-grade catalyst for the Hydra's second breakthrough.
****
The four days leading up to the Tournament of Tides were a blur of calculated cultivation and strategic absence. While the rest of the Yellow Class spent their time in the sparring pits, Zhao Chen was nowhere to be found. To his classmates, he was likely hiding, nursing the exhaustion from his "fluke" victory over Li Feng.
In reality, Zhao Chen was deep in the Western Hunting Grounds, three miles past the Academy's safety perimeter.
[Ding! Scanning environment...]
[Target Found: Iron-Silk Spider (Mutation Grade).]
[Estimated Age: 920 Years.]
[Cultivation Level: Equivalent to Level 22 Soul Master.]
The spider hung in the center of a web that spanned the gap between two ancient, lightning-struck oaks. Its body was a jagged mass of matte-black chitin, and its legs were thin, metallic needles that hummed with a low-frequency vibration.
Zhao Chen stood below it, his silver-trimmed robes replaced by dark, tight-fitting leather. He didn't summon the Hydra. Instead, he released the Thorny Crawling Vine.
The vine that emerged was no longer the bright green of a common weed. It was a dark, bruised emerald, with ink-black marbling pulsing faintly along its length—the result of his recent Level 14 breakthrough and the 100 System Points he had invested in Spectral Adaptation.
"System, calculate the vibration frequency of the silk," Zhao Chen whispered.
[Ding! Frequency: 440Hz. Suggestion: Resonance match required for 'Silent Infiltration'.]
Zhao Chen pressed his palm to the trunk of the oak. He didn't attack; he allowed his vine to grow into the bark, mimicking the vibration of the tree itself. Slowly, a thin, needle-like vine crept upward, blending perfectly with the shadows cast by the Iron-Silk.
The spider, relying on its web's vibration to detect prey, felt nothing. To its senses, the vine was simply a part of the tree.
When the vine was inches from the spider's soft abdomen, Zhao Chen's eyes snapped open. "Now. Life-Seizing Bloom."
The vine didn't just bind; it exploded. The ink-black thorns bypassed the spider's armor, sinking directly into the neural nodes at the base of its thorax. The Iron-Silk Spider let out a high-pitched, ultrasonic screech, its legs twitching as its specialized neurotoxin was sucked back into its own body by the hungry vine.
[Ding! Essence Extraction: 40%... 70%... 100%.]
[Iron-Silk Spider core consumed.]
The spider shriveled into a dry husk, its metallic legs clattering to the forest floor.
[Ding! Evaluation: S-Rank Hunt.]
[Rewards: 300 System Points.]
[Thorny Crawling Vine has evolved: 'Shadow-Binding' property acquired.]
[Hydra's Second Head: 18.5% Awakened.]
Zhao Chen felt the new energy settle into his soul. His vine now possessed a "weightless" quality, able to move through shadows without disturbing the air. It was the perfect tool for the "luck" he needed in the tournament.
The morning of the Tournament of Tides arrived with a roar. The Academy's Central Arena was packed with thousands of students and faculty. In the VIP boxes, High-Tier Soul Kings and even a few Soul Emperors watched with clinical indifference, waiting to see if any of the new "seeds" would show promise.
Zhao Chen stood in the tunnel of Bracket Four. Across from him stood Wang Chao, the Level 18 Silver Class student. Wang Chao was a mountain of a youth, his robes barely containing his muscular frame. Behind him, the phantom of a Heavy-Armor Rhino pawed the ground, radiating a dull, brown earthen light.
"You're the kid who got lucky with Li Feng," Wang Chao said, his voice deep and echoing. "I'm not a street brawler, Zhao Chen. My Rhino's skin is three inches of solid soul-steel. Your weeds will break before they even touch me."
"I don't doubt your strength, Senior Brother," Zhao Chen said, bowing politely. His Level 14 aura was intentionally "leaky" and uneven, making him look like he had barely stabilized his recent breakthrough.
"Begin!" the Proctor shouted from the center of the arena.
"First Skill: Rhino's Charge!" Wang Chao roared.
The ground shook as the Level 18 student blurred into a heavy, unstoppable dash. His body turned a metallic gray, the soul-steel skin reflecting the morning sun. To the audience, it looked like a boulder launched from a catapult.
Zhao Chen stood his ground. He waited until the rhino was five feet away—close enough for the audience to feel the wind of the impact. Then, he stumbled.
To everyone watching, it looked like his foot had slipped on the sand. In that "accidental" stumble, Zhao Chen dropped low. Two vines shot out, but they didn't hit Wang Chao's chest. They burrowed into the sand, creating a hidden loop.
Crack.
Wang Chao's leading foot hit the loop. Ordinarily, he would have crushed the vine, but Zhao Chen had infused this specific strand with the Iron-Silk resonance. The vine didn't break; it vibrated at a frequency that momentarily negated the Rhino's momentum.
Wang Chao tripped. The massive youth flew over Zhao Chen's head, his own momentum turned against him.
As Wang Chao scrambled to turn around, Zhao Chen "frantically" lashed out with his vines, looking like a panicked student flailing for safety. One vine "accidentally" brushed against the back of Wang Chao's knee—the exact weak point identified by the Needle's Eye simulation.
Sizz.
The Life-Seizing Bloom activated for a micro-second. It didn't drain Wang Chao's life, but it sucked the soul power out of his leg's supporting muscles.
Wang Chao's knee buckled. The "Heavy-Armor Rhino" flickered and vanished as its host's stability crumbled. Wang Chao collapsed into the sand, unable to stand.
The arena went silent.
Zhao Chen stood there, panting heavily, his face pale and his hands shaking. "I... I'm so sorry, Senior Brother! I didn't think... I just tripped..."
The Proctor looked at the fallen Level 18 student, then at the "exhausted" Level 14 boy.
"Winner: Zhao Chen!"
In the VIP box, Senior Sister Liu leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. She watched Zhao Chen "stumble" out of the arena, his aura flickering weakly.
"Tripped?" she whispered to herself. "He tripped into the only opening a Rhino has? Once is luck. Twice is..."
She stopped, her thoughts drifting to the empty Blood-Thistles in the garden.
[Ding! Objective 'The Tournament of Tides' Progress: 1/5 Wins.]
[Note: Public suspicion has shifted from 'Weakling' to 'Lucky'. Strategy: Maintain current persona.]
Zhao Chen reached the locker room and closed the door. The "exhaustion" vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp focus. He looked at his hand, where a single, ink-black thorn retracted into his skin.
"Four more 'accidents' to go," he murmured. "And then, Lu Tian."