Lin Shu, Aoyan, and Kai were barely standing. Their breaths were ragged, limbs heavy, and sweat clung to them like a second skin. Aoyan was already on her knees, her beast lying exhausted nearby. Lin Shu's iron-coated bone armor—his Ivory Forge Juggernaut—was crumbling apart bit by bit, dissolving into scattered metallic dust on the ground. Kai wasn't faring any better; he was half-collapsed, panting like he had run a marathon without rest.
Chi Yanqi stood before them, perfectly calm, as if he hadn't just forced them to fight him three-on-one for nearly an hour.
"That's enough training for today," he finally said, waving a hand dismissively. "You three should go. I have other matters to attend to, so I need all of you out."
Lin Shu didn't argue. He simply nodded, turned, and left with Kai dragging himself behind him.
Aoyan approached her master, wanting to speak with him—but he stopped her with a lift of his finger.
"Not today. I need you to leave as well. Stay with Li and Kai. I have a very important meeting, and it's better if you remain close to your teammates."
Aoyan bowed her head. Over the past two years her arrogance had thinned, replaced with discipline, humility, and a growing maturity. Yanqi was satisfied—her encounters with Rampage, the Jue and Yue twins, and her losses in the arena had carved away the childish pride she once wielded like a blade.
She left silently, following after her team.
Yanqi watched them go, a faint smile crossing his lips—before he turned and ascended toward the higher floors of the arena's main building.
---
Kai was already complaining the moment they reached the pavilion walkway.
"So… what do we do now? We don't have any fights today."
Lin Shu didn't answer at first. He was counting—his earnings, his resources, his progress, and the path ahead.
"I've accumulated nearly thirty thousand gold coins these last two years," he finally said. "And I still have four Blue-Sky Aether Shards. Yanqi gave me those after that hard match a month ago. But that was the only fight that rewarded shards."
He paused, expression tightening.
"The rest—whether in Bronze or Silver Rank—give nothing but gold or low-grade pills. The only way to get Aether Shards consistently is in the Gold League."
"Three years," Lin Shu muttered. "Maybe less. The Silver matches aren't as absurd in difficulty as the Bronze ones were, though I'll still lose a few matches that are clearly rigged. The arena wants profits, not prodigies."
He smirked—not with arrogance, but a small flicker of pride he immediately suppressed.
"I'm fourteen, fighting against heirs with more wealth, talent, and protection than I'll ever have. That counts for something."he smiled but quickly got a hold of himself pride was dangerous too little and you'll be a coward too much and you'll be a fool.
Aoyan approached from behind them and fell into step beside them without a word, her expression thoughtful, her training gi still stained with sweat and dust.
The three walked past the pavilions, through the bustling courtyards of the Silver Rank halls, where agents prowled and fighters eyed each other like wolves in open territory.
Lin Shu's thoughts drifted to his future.
"Those Aether Shards… I need to save them for a real cultivation technique."
He still regretted choosing the Chameleon Technique in the last auction. It had its uses, but not here—not in the arena, not in the Silver Rank, not in his current life.
"I should've picked a proper cultivation method instead. Something that actually increases my speed of refinement… something that can push me closer to the pace of a Rank 3 talent."
He clicked his tongue softly.
With a good technique, I might not be as slow as I am now. Even if I can't match them, I could at least close the gap.
He glanced toward his teammates.
Aoyan was quiet, focused. Kai was humming some tune he probably made up on the spot.
Lin Shu glanced at Aoyan as they walked.
Her cultivation was rising unnervingly fast—already brushing against the peak of Rank One. He didn't need to be told; he could sense it. Her talent had to be at least Rank Three… maybe even higher.
Kai, on the other hand, was different.
Still stuck at mid-stage Rank One after all this time.
Low talent, Lin Shu thought. Just like me.
The difference was that Lin Shu had access to Aether Shards… and the pills and lessons Yanqi tossed him in exchange for being useful. Kai didn't have that. Kai was simply working off his debt. Yanqi still paid him, of course—just enough to keep him motivated—but nothing close to what Lin Shu received the day he accepted Yanqi's contract.
Aoyan walked beside him, on his left, admiring the city. The sky was clear, the sun warm, and the streets alive with noise—vendors shouting, cultivators bargaining, children running between stalls.
And then she noticed it.
A circle of people forming near the plaza.
Kai noticed too. His eyes lit up instantly.
"A fight," he grinned. "Looks like a good one. Hey, let's go check it out!"
He tugged on Lin Shu's sleeve eagerly.
But Lin Shu shook him off and stepped away.
"I'm leaving. I have things to do. You two can watch it if you want."
Kai's grin vanished. "Aw, come on—"
Aoyan cut him off, her voice calm but firm.
"Master told us to stay together. If you leave, we have to follow."
Lin Shu's expression tightened.
Of course she said that.
He wasn't planning anything dangerous—just something private. Something he didn't need them near. But Aoyan didn't know that. And he didn't want her suspicious of him. Doubt was the quickest way to ruin profit, alliances, and ease.
So he adjusted.
If they had to follow him, then he wouldn't go where he originally intended. He'd simply change his destination and handle his real business another time.
"Fine," he said.
Kai sighed dramatically, staring longingly at the fight-circle.
But he followed them anyway.
He had no choice.
People gathered in a tightening circle, cheering and laughing as a rough-looking young man stood triumphantly over several beaten figures sprawled on the ground. His robe was luxurious, but the rest of him was wild—hair unkempt and hanging to his neck, hands scarred, one of them glowing a molten red like heated steel. His grin was feral.
Behind him stood a chubby boy and two other young men.
"Xie Lang, let's go already," the chubby one urged. "You already knocked them out. We need to sign up for the arena." This was Xu Jin.
Xie Lang didn't even look at him.
"Wait. I think this one's eye twitched. I don't wanna get backstabbed. I should knock him out again."
"Xie Lang, you're gonna cave his skull in if you hit him one more time," the orange-haired youth muttered—Yun Qiu, his eyes the same fiery color. "Then we'll have the sects or the imperial guards on us. Let's just go."
But Xie Lang ignored him too.
Yun Qiu sighed.
A much larger man stepped in and clapped a hand on Xie Lang's shoulder.
"Enough. Let's go," he said. Zeng Shiyang—clearly the one who kept the group in line.
Xie Lang allowed himself to be pulled back only after admiring the pathetic state of his opponents one last time.
"You could've gone softer," Yun Qiu continued, exasperated. "Just knock them out. You broke an arm from each of them. What if this causes trouble?"
If Lin Shu had been present, he wouldn't have recognized Yun Qiu; the boy had once been an arrogant young master who would kill anyone who insulted him, let alone suggest mercy.
Xie Lang waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. Master's here for a friend. Even if we get into trouble, he'll deal with it. Besides," he grinned, "I didn't start the fight. Just finished it."
Xu Jin shook his head, and the four of them began heading toward the towering arena.
---
Meanwhile, Lin Shu walked the streets with Aoyan and Kai, visiting shops and side streets. As they passed a row of busy market stalls, he drifted deeper into his thoughts.
Maybe I should find time to join an assassination organization. Important targets pay well in Aether Shards. But which faction? There are so many here… If possible, something flexible. Something that doesn't require me to stay under their thumb.
His planning halted when he noticed both Kai and Aoyan stop walking. They were staring ahead with dark expressions.
Lin Shu turned.
Three figures stood in their path.
He recognized them instantly.
Chi Yue. Chi Jue. Chi Ran.
The Yue–Jue twins looked only seconds away from attacking Aoyan, their eyes locked onto her with seething hostility. Chi Ran remained quiet, gaze steady and cold, her blue eyes unreadable.
What did she do to make them hate her this much? Lin Shu wondered. Doesn't matter. My job is to keep her safe—for now.
He stepped forward.
"Is something the matter?" he asked calmly.
Steel-coated bone began to form across his arms and shoulders, muscles sinking into the hardened shell as the armor spread. His presence alone shifted the air.
Chi Ran didn't speak at first. Heat shimmered subtly around her, rising like a warning. Neither side moved.
Ran—the eldest—finally broke the tension.
"You should reconsider the deal Sister Su offered you, Aoyan," she said, voice flat. "Trust me, this is for your own good. I'm doing you a favor telling you a second time."
She turned away without another glance. The twins followed, though reluctantly.
Aoyan watched her leave in silence.
Lin Shu studied her. The way her hand trembled slightly… he almost snorted.
Is she really scared of those weasels? I thought she'd grown more level-headed.
He gestured for her and Kai to continue walking.
Aoyan followed, but her mind wasn't on the street anymore.
If Lin Shu and Kai hadn't been here… would they have attacked me outright? Maybe killed me and shoved the blame on some random thug… They could easily fabricate a scenario and walk away clean.
Master would avenge me, yes. But I'd already be dead—and he still wouldn't be able to touch the true mastermind.
Her thoughts drifted to one name.
Su.
Conflicting feelings twisted in her chest. Old memories surfaced, slow and sharp. Confusion hardened into clarity. Clarity ignited into anger.
But she kept it buried—deep, controlled.
And walked on beside Lin Shu and Kai.