The Round of 32 was different. The chaff had been winnowed. The weak who relied on luck or cheap tricks had been eliminated. Only the predators remained.

  ?The sun hung directly overhead, baking the stone arena. But even the noon heat felt cold compared to the figure standing in the center of the ring.

  ?Liu Feng. The "Little Sun."

  ?He didn't wear the standard gray or white robes. He wore gold silk, embroidered with a blazing sun motif. His sword, Dawn Breaker, rested casually on his shoulder. He wasn't in a fighting stance; he was posing for a portrait.

  ?Across from him stood Disciple Meng, a heavy-set man known for his Iron Tortoise Defense. Meng was sweating, his face pale.

  ?"Match 12!" the referee shouted. "Liu Feng vs. Iron Tortoise Meng!"

  ?"Begin!"

  ?Meng didn't attack. He instantly dropped into a crouch, slamming his hands onto the ground.

  ?"Earth Arts: Fortress of the Mountain!"

  ?Thick slabs of granite shot up from the floor, encasing Meng in a dome of stone three feet thick. It was a perfect defense, capable of withstanding a bombardment of fireballs.

  ?Liu Feng sighed. The sound was amplified by the silence of the awe-struck crowd.

  ?"Stone," Liu Feng said, his voice bored. "Stone melts."

  ?He raised his sword.

  ?He didn't circulate his Qi. He ignited it.

  ?A blinding golden light erupted from his body. It wasn't just bright; it was heavy. The air distorted. The temperature in the arena spiked by twenty degrees instantly.

  ?Up in the waiting tunnel, Jiang Chen felt it.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ?His skin prickled. The shadows he was using to hide his presence seemed to recoil, shrinking away from the light.

  ?"Disgusting," Apeiron hissed in his mind. "Solar Essence. A diluted, bastardized version of the Golden Crow lineage. It is loud. It is wasteful. And it is... irritating."

  ?"It's strong," Jiang Chen noted, his [Void Eyes] analyzing the spectrum. "That's not normal fire. That's condensed plasma."

  ?In the arena, Liu Feng slashed.

  ?"Solar Flare: First Ray."

  ?A crescent of liquid gold flew from his blade.

  ?It hit the stone dome.

  ?There was no explosion. No crumbling rock.

  ?SSSHHHHHK.

  ?The golden arc sliced through the granite like a hot knife through butter. The top half of the dome slid off, glowing red at the edges where the rock had liquefied.

  ?Disciple Meng stared up at the sky, his defense gone. The cut had stopped inches from his forehead. A single lock of his hair caught fire.

  ?"I... I surrender!" Meng screamed, scrambling backward.

  ?Liu Feng flicked his wrist, extinguishing the flames on his sword.

  ?"Boring," Liu Feng said.

  ?He turned to the crowd. He raised his arms, soaking in the applause. The sunlight seemed to bend around him, crowning him with a halo.

  ?"Winner: Liu Feng!"

  ?Jiang Chen watched from the shadows. He felt a strange sensation in his gut.

  ?It wasn't fear. It was... hunger. But a dangerous kind. The [Void Foundation] wanted to eat that light, but it also knew that eating fire could burn the mouth.

  ?"He's a hard counter," Jiang Chen realized. "My [Starless Breath] relies on vacuum stealth. But his light fills every corner. If I step into the ring with him, I can't hide."

  ?"Then do not hide," Apeiron said, his voice dripping with malice. "The sun is arrogant. It thinks it chases away the dark. It forgets that space is infinite, and stars are just temporary candles. We will snuff him out."

  ?Jiang Chen looked at the bracket board.

  ?Quarter-Finals:

  Jiang Chen vs. Poison Master Yan.

  Liu Feng vs. Sword Disciple Wu.

  ?"We're on opposite sides of the bracket," Jiang Chen noted. "We won't meet until the Finals."

  ?"Hey, Boss."

  ?Lu Pao appeared beside him, looking nervous. He was holding a bag of Spirit Stones that was noticeably heavier than before.

  ?"The odds on Liu Feng are terrible," Lu Pao whispered. "1 to 5. Everyone thinks he's unbeatable. But... I put the winnings on you again."

  ?"Good," Jiang Chen said, not taking his eyes off the golden figure in the arena.

  ?"But Boss... look at him. He melted stone. You punch things. Can you punch sunlight?"

  ?Jiang Chen turned to Lu Pao. His eyes were dark, the violet slit pupil barely visible.

  ?"Sunlight has mass," Jiang Chen said quietly. "If it has mass, I can eat it."

  ?He walked back into the tunnel.

  ?"Get the money ready, Lu. We're going to bankrupt the house."