Back on the Spirit Isle, Lorel, Chubbs, and Ning had been together for what felt like a good while. They trained near the island's edge, where the invisible barrier met the endless, golden void. The thick, liquid air and the drifting, melancholic bubbles were their constant companions.
Lorel stood up from her lotus position, her brow furrowed. She looked at Ning. "What about the others?"
Ning sighed, his gaze sweeping over the silver-barked forest where the other trapped cultivators hid or brooded. "Of the twenty present on the island, no one has still dared to make a spirit deal. So we are still stuck."
Lorel's frown deepened. She looked out over the distance. Over the past few days, she had seen more and more cultivators streak by in the golden sky, oblivious to their prison. Still nothing.
Chubbs stood up beside her, his solid frame tense. "This is truly troublesome. We cannot stay trapped here forever, my lady." He took a breath, his voice lowering. "I could do the spirit deal. Find out what it entails. That way, you would not have to do it."
Lorel shook her head immediately, her expression firm. "I would never allow you to do something so stupid. We find another way."
Observing their dynamic, Ning felt a rare flicker of surprise. In his travels to hone his sword skills, he had seen many people. It was rare to see such an uncommon duo—the refined, growing lady and her fiercely loyal, street-smart guardian. The bond was clear, and it held a weight he understood.
He was about to propose scouting the island's interior again when a sudden, violent burst of Qi erupted from the center of the island.
Alarmed, the trio exchanged glances. Without a word, they moved, their forms weaving through the silver trees towards the source of the disturbance.
In a vast, mossy clearing at the heart of the Spirit Isle, two cultivators faced each other.
One was a female cultivator who looked to be their age, perhaps sixteen. She was breathing heavily, a thin line of blood tracing from her temple. The other was a male cultivator, also likely sixteen, wearing robes of black obsidian that seemed to drink the silvery light. His aura was a quiet, chilling void that sent shivers running down their spines just by being near it.
Currently, the girl was at a severe disadvantage, lying on the ground, her head bowed in sweat and exhaustion.
The boy in obsidian robes spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "If you die, it will be for the salvation of others. You should be proud."
Looking at the girl, Chubbs froze the moment he arrived. His mind darted to a distant, painful past. His usual cheerful solidity vanished, replaced by a stricken stillness.
Noting the sudden change, Lorel asked softly, "Do you know her?"
Chubbs hesitated, then let out a single, bitter word. "Yes."
"What is going on here?" Ning's voice cut through the tense air, calm but carrying an edge.
The male cultivator shifted his attention to Ning. His gaze was cool, striking, and utterly empty. "If she dies, we will know if my reasoning is correct. This place is a tomb that opens to let in spirits, is it not?"
**Yun's** reasoning was simple and pragmatic, just as his master Xian had taught him. Always look for the fastest, most efficient path to the target. A little life was nothing to be worried about.
Listening to his cold logic, Lorel and Chubbs fell into a deep silence. Of all the cultivators trapped here, many had probably already come to the same grim conclusion. If the Spirit Isle was a tomb for the Sky Ocean, it must somehow open to let in the dead. And since they were alive but trapped, it was logical to assume that killing someone would force the tomb to open, to claim that person's spirit.
Yet, no one had acted. Because no one knew how strong their fellow prisoners were. Picking the wrong target could lead to their own death instead. So they waited, trapped in a dreadful stalemate, until Yun got bored of waiting and decided to take matters into his own hands. He selected not based on strength, but on the first unlucky person to enter his vision.
Lorel glanced at Yun, then at the terrified girl. "There could be another way."
The girl, cornered by Yun, instantly seized the chance. The moment she saw the round-faced boy beside the beautiful young woman, her eyes sparked with recognition. *This was it.* She still remembered this guy from Ophelian. She had grown up there. Back then, he had been very weak. Perhaps he was her salvation.
She stood up shakily. "Why not let it be decided by a fight? I was not ready to face you. You are very young, but certainly the strongest on the island." She said this to Yun with a hint of genuine fear. Then she turned to Chubbs. "Give me a chance to save my life. By fighting an opponent I can win against. If I win, then that person will have to die in my stead. But if I lose…" She didn't finish. In her mind, there was no way she could lose against the fat boy she remembered.
Being pointed out so openly made Chubbs's face darken. "Lilia," he said, his voice tight. "You have not changed in years."
"I am more than just 'fat' now," he said, anger simmering beneath the words.
Lorel stepped forward, placing herself slightly in front of Chubbs. "Why target him? Fight me instead. I will be your opponent."
The girl, Lilia, glanced at Lorel. A faint, sharp hostility flashed in her eyes. This was someone who had fought a Divine General. Lorel's presence was not something an ordinary cultivator could reckon with anymore. She shook her head firmly, her finger still pointing at Chubbs. "Are you afraid you are going to lose again? Like in the past?"
The words hit Chubbs on a raw nerve he had buried. Before Lorel could say anything more, he stepped out from behind her, his posture squaring. "I will fight."
Ning simply shrugged, taking a deliberate step back with Lorel. "It is probably the best thing that can happen right now," he murmured to her, his eyes fixed on Yun. "That boy is strong. I do not want to commit to a full fight until we are clear on the rules of leaving this island."
Lorel looked worriedly at Chubbs, who simply gave her a small, determined smile. "My lady, do not worry. I would not lose."
Lilia observed the dynamic between Lorel and Chubbs, and her heart seemed to shift slightly. Back then, this fat boy had tried, clumsily and earnestly, to woo her. She had rejected him, harshly and publicly. How had he ended up calling this angelic girl 'my lady'? What had she missed? A sliver of something bitter—jealousy, perhaps—twisted in her gut. Lorel, with her aura and quiet beauty, seemed so far out of this fatty's league. And yet…
Yun observed the preparing fighters, his expression one of bored impatience. "Good. Then decide who will die here. I am tired of playing games. If you cannot find a satisfying conclusion, I will take both your lives."
Chubbs swallowed hard, the cold finality in Yun's voice making his bones ache. He couldn't lose. Not today. Even if his history with Lilia was complicated, his life—and Lorel's safety—were definitely worth more.
Lilia unleashed her Qi. Her body became enveloped in a shimmering, coiling aura. Then she used **Zhidow—Creation**. From her will, a serpentine being of iridescent green light took shape, coiling around her figure and hissing with palpable malice towards Chubbs.
**The Gentle Poison.** A name that belied its vicious nature.
Chubbs unleashed his **Jingdao**. His skin took on a dense, radiant silver-gold sheen as he settled into a solid guard. "I will not hold back," he stated, his voice now steady.
Lilia laughed, the sound tinged with desperation and old scorn. "If I am to lose to you, then the sky might as well fall on us all." She waved a hand.
The Gentle Poison burst forth. It didn't slither; it *struck*, with terrifying speed, its fanged maw of condensed poison-energy biting at the void, trying to tear Chubbs into two.