The Round of 64.
?The main arena was no longer a chaotic free-for-all. The ten smaller rings had been merged into one massive central platform made of black granite. The audience had doubled. The shouting was deafening.
?"Match 5!" The referee bellowed, his voice amplified by a wind array. "Jiang Chen vs. Han Ling!"
?Jiang Chen walked up the steps. The sunlight felt heavy today.
?Opposite him stood Han Ling. He wore the pristine white robes of the Inner Sect, embroidered with the Alchemy Hall's fire insignia. He was handsome, but his face was twisted into a sneer of pure disgust.
?Han Ling wasn't just angry. He was offended that he had to share air with a former servant.
?"You're the rat," Han Ling spat as they met in the center for the pre-match bow. He didn't bow. "The one who was in the lab when my uncle died."
?Jiang Chen looked at him blankly. [The Starless Breath] kept his face a mask of indifference.
?"I was a victim, Senior Brother," Jiang Chen said, his voice flat.
?"Liar," Han Ling hissed. "Uncle Han was a Foundation Establishment Elder. A lab explosion wouldn't kill him. But his soul lamp shattered. And you... you walked out without a scratch."
?Han Ling leaned in, lowering his voice.
?"I don't know what you stole from him. But I'm going to peel your skin off until I find it."
?"Fighters, ready!" the referee shouted, chopping his hand down. "Begin!"
?Han Ling moved instantly. He didn't draw a sword. He reached into his pouch and crushed a wax pill in his hand.
?POOF.
?A cloud of red smoke exploded outward, smelling of sulfur and rotting flowers.
?"Poison Dust!" the crowd gasped. "That's a forbidden move in sparring!"
?"It's not forbidden if it's 'accidental'!" Han Ling laughed, fanning the smoke toward Jiang Chen with a gust of Qi. "This is Red Lotus Toxin. It melts lungs in thirty seconds. Beg for mercy, servant!"
?Jiang Chen stood in the cloud.
?The red smoke swirled around him, entering his nose and mouth.
?[System Alert: Neurotoxin Detected.]
[Venom Core Status: Active.]
[Analysis: Grade 2 Impurity. Spicy.]
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?Jiang Chen inhaled deep. He didn't cough. He didn't choke.
?He breathed.
?The [Venom Core] in his chest spun, sucking the poison out of his bloodstream and converting it into raw EV.
?[EV +50.]
?Jiang Chen stepped out of the smoke. He looked refreshed.
?"Is that it?" Jiang Chen asked.
?Han Ling's eyes bulged. "Impossible! That dose could kill an ox!"
?"I have a strong immune system," Jiang Chen said. He took a step forward.
?Han Ling panicked. He reached into his robes again. "Fine! Burn then!"
?He threw three glass vials. They shattered on the ground at Jiang Chen's feet.
?FWOOSH.
?Liquid fire—Alchemist's Fire, sticky and impossible to extinguish—erupted, engulfing Jiang Chen's legs.
?The crowd screamed.
?"He's burning him alive!"
"Stop the match!"
?The referee hesitated. The rules said 'accidental death' was allowed, but this looked like murder.
?Inside the fire, Jiang Chen looked down at his legs. The flames were licking his shins, turning his gray pants to ash.
?But the skin beneath? It wasn't burning. It was glowing a dull, molten red.
?[Obsidian Furnace Body: Heat Absorption Active.]
?Jiang Chen kicked the fire.
?Literally.
?He swept his leg in a low arc. The sticky fire didn't cling to him; it obeyed the kinetic force of his kick. He launched a wave of burning liquid back at Han Ling.
?"What?!" Han Ling shrieked, throwing up a Qi shield.
?The fire splashed against his shield, sizzling.
?Jiang Chen was already moving. He burst through the flames, a dark silhouette wreathed in smoke.
?"He is open," Apeiron noted lazily. "His shield is focused on the fire. His stomach is undefended."
?Jiang Chen didn't use a fist. He used his shoulder.
?[Skill: Iron Mountain Lean.] (A standard body cultivation move, enhanced by 5 tons of force).
?BAM.
?Jiang Chen slammed into Han Ling's chest.
?The sound was sickening. Ribs cracked. The Qi shield shattered like glass.
?Han Ling was launched backward. He flew twenty feet across the arena, bouncing once before sliding to a stop near the edge.
?He tried to get up. He coughed, spitting up blood mixed with fragments of his own teeth.
?"You... monster..." Han Ling wheezed, his hand groping for another pill. "I'll kill..."
?Jiang Chen walked over. He moved calmly, stomping out the last of the fire on his shins.
?He stood over Han Ling.
?Jiang Chen crouched down, bringing his face close to the fallen disciple.
?"Your uncle tasted better," Jiang Chen whispered.
?Han Ling's eyes went wide. The realization hit him. The horror.
?"You—"
?Jiang Chen didn't let him scream. He delivered a chop to the carotid artery.
?Thud.
?Han Ling went limp. unconscious.
?Jiang Chen stood up and looked at the referee.
?"He's sleeping," Jiang Chen said.
?The referee stared at the unburned, unpoisoned boy standing over the broken elite.
?"Winner... Jiang Chen!"
?The crowd didn't cheer immediately. They whispered.
?"Did you see that? He walked through the poison."
"He kicked the fire."
"Body Cultivation... is it really that strong?"
?Up in the stands, Liu Feng leaned forward, his golden eyes locking onto Jiang Chen.
?"Interesting," Liu Feng murmured. "He hides his Qi well. But a body of iron melts just the same."
?Jiang Chen walked back to the tunnel. He checked his hand. It was trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the effort of holding back.
?"You enjoyed that," Apeiron accused. "The psychological torture. Telling him about the uncle."
?"He needed to know," Jiang Chen thought, wiping soot from his face. "Family secrets shouldn't die in the dark."
?He met Lu Pao in the hallway. Lu Pao was practically vibrating with glee.
?"Top 32!" Lu Pao squealed. "We're in the Top 32! Do you know how much money we just made?"
?"Keep betting," Jiang Chen said, not breaking stride. "Roll it all over."
?"All of it? But the next round is—"
?"All of it," Jiang Chen commanded.
?He walked into the shadows of the waiting room.
?The Qualifiers were a warm-up. The Alchemist was a snack.
?Now, the real monsters would come out to play.
