Chi Yanqi walked through the long hallway, his steps echoing against marble floors. This wing of the arena's main building was reserved for agencies, merchants, information brokers, and mercenary groups—fighters who had climbed far enough in rank to earn the privilege of establishing operations here.
He turned a corner and approached a plain wooden door. Without knocking, he pushed it open.
Inside sat a man with long hair and a thin frame. Frail-looking at first glance, but Yanqi knew better—his presence didn't lose out to anyone's, not even Yanqi's broad-shouldered, towering figure.
The man didn't even look up.
"What do you want, drunkard? And didn't I tell you to knock before barging in?"
Yanqi grinned. "Happy to see you too, Zun."
Zun shrugged, clearly irritated. "Yeah, whatever. What do you want?"
"I need the list of all current Silver-rank teams—their members and their agents."
Zun raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I've already compiled it. And no, you're not the first one to buy it."
Yanqi crossed his arms. "Am I and my team on the list?"
Zun gave a faint smile.
"Why wouldn't you be? I don't leave out anything that brings in coin."
Yanqi snorted. That much, at least, was true. Zun was an opportunist to his core—always aware, always calculating, always ready to turn information into gold.
"So," Yanqi said, "how well-documented are these files?"
Zun leaned back. "Everything. Public knowledge, private knowledge. Background, family ties, hidden affiliations, techniques, weaknesses. Anything worth knowing. Since you're only asking for Silver rank, I'll give you a cheap price."
"How much?"
Zun's tone shifted into a grand, dramatic explanation.
"This type of intel isn't easy to obtain, you know. A combination of high-level intelligence methods and a vast network—something only a handful of people can—"
"Cut the crap," Yanqi interrupted. "Just say the price. And don't try to rob me."
Zun sighed. "Fine. Twenty Blue Sky Aether Shards."
Yanqi burst into laughter.
"For Silver rank? You insane? I wouldn't pay that even for Gold rank."
Zun laughed too. "Relax, I'm joking. Ten."
"Five," Yanqi countered immediately.
"Nine."
"Five."
"Eight."
Yanqi shook his head. "Zun, don't try to play me. I've worked with you for years. Just take the actual value of the information and be done with it. And who knows—maybe I'll come back for the Gold-rank list later. I might even recommend you as a 'reliable' informant."
Zun's annoyance evaporated on the spot.
He reached beneath his desk and handed Yanqi a small pouch.
"It contains what you asked for."
Yanqi gave him five Blue Sky Shards and pocketed the pouch.
This bastard never intended to sell it for ten. He just wanted to bait me into buying more from him later.
Yanqi tied the pouch to his waist and spoke again.
"I need you to look into something else."
Zun raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"There's a girl named Ran, and a pair of twins—Jue and Yue. All from the Chi clan. I believe the clan is planning to establish a new branch here in Gloomvale. I don't know who made the decision, and I can't leave the city right now. Find out."
Zun considered it. Investigating a clan wasn't simple work—nor cheap—but it wasn't something beyond his capabilities. He'd done worse.
He nodded. "Alright. Anything else?"
"Yes. I want intel on three boys. Full background."
Zun folded his arms. "Names?"
"The first is from my own team. Calls himself Li, but I doubt that's his real name. The second is Rampage—the new star of the Silver rank, rogue fighter. The last one is Zephyr—also rogue."
Zun asked, "Any particular reason you want their past dug up?"
"Nothing much," Yanqi said. "I'm sure their backgrounds are unimpressive. But in case something isn't, I want to know."
Zun nodded. "Understood. I'll look into your clan matter first. The rest later—they're less urgent."
Yanqi agreed, and the two walked out into the hallway together.
As they moved down the corridor, loud voices reached them—four young men arguing.
One had short, messy hair and heavily scarred hands. He walked with the confidence of someone who enjoyed fighting a little too much. The chubby boy beside him was complaining nonstop. The third—large and broad—remained quiet. The last, with orange hair and matching eyes, sighed endlessly at his companions.
Yanqi and Zun glanced at the unusual group as they passed but paid them no further attention.
They continued on their way.
After Zun left to begin his investigations, Yanqi headed back to his lodging.
Inside, he found the three youths waiting.
Lin Shu sat cross-legged, quietly cultivating.
Aoyan was doing the same, eyes shut, breath steady.
Kai, meanwhile, was sprawled half-asleep on a chair.
Yanqi let out a small sigh.
He flicked his gaze toward Lin Shu. "I've got something that'll help you three survive the Silver rank."
Kai jolted awake at the sound of his voice. Aoyan opened her eyes. Lin Shu slowly exhaled and ended his cultivation session.
Yanqi reached into his storage pouch and pulled out several thin files.
He tossed them onto the table in front of the trio.
"In these," Yanqi said, "you'll find information about every Silver-rank team—their members, techniques, strengths, weaknesses, even their agents past and present. Use them. There are plenty of new fighters joining the Silver bracket, and many are every bit as strong as you three… and most of them have more people than we do."
Lin Shu flipped open one of the files. "Why didn't you recruit anyone? There must be someone competent enough to join us."
Kai nodded quickly. He'd been wondering the same thing. They'd fought under Yanqi for two years, and in all that time he'd only added Kai—no others. Meanwhile, most teams had five or six members, plus substitutes. Their small lineup often cost them matches—not due to weakness, but because the arena's conditions frequently favored numbers over raw strength.
Yanqi sat down with a faint grunt. "Actually, there are a few promising fighters. But they already have agents… or they refuse to join us."
Kai blinked. "You mean… Rampage, right?"
"Yes," Yanqi said. "Him… and Zephyr."
Kai's face soured immediately. Losing to Zephyr had been humiliating. The boy's ability to fly made him nearly impossible for Kai to pressure directly, and without the defensive capabilities Lin Shu possessed, Kai was an easy target for aerial strikes. Zephyr's speed only made it worse.
Lin Shu turned a page and spoke casually, "Don't be too bothered about losing. Zephyr isn't normal—he's an outer disciple from the Stormbreak Sect and he also is one stage higher then you."
He slid one of the books to Kai. It was opened to Zephyr's profile.
"'Zephyr' is just what he calls himself. His real name is Shang Yufang."
Aoyan frowned. "If he's part of a sect, what's he doing here? Wouldn't he be too busy to fight in the arena?"
Kai skimmed the page.
"Oh. He… got kicked out?"
Aoyan blinked. "Why?"
Lin Shu answered for him.
"He violated sect rules and attacked a fellow disciple without reason. At least, that's what the record says."
Kai closed the book, the memory of his defeat stinging just a little less now
Lin Shu glanced at Yanqi. "Elder, you seem… really adamant about recruiting Zephyr and Rampage. Why?"
Yanqi met his eyes. "Rampage is simple. He'd pair well with you—your strengths and levels are close, and the two of you would complement each other in a fight."
He paused, tapping the edge of Zephyr's file.
"And Zephyr? I want him because he can fly. Tell me, have you ever seen another fighter with true aerial mobility? Techniques like that are rare, and even rarer to actually master. From the way he fights, he might even be an adept of the Flight Path—someone who hasn't reached mastery, but already understands enough to use it effectively."
Lin Shu narrowed his eyes. "Flight Path?"
Yanqi froze for a moment, realizing he'd slipped.
"What's a Flight Path? And what's an adept?" Lin Shu pressed, Kai leaning closer with interest.
Yanqi didn't answer. He simply looked at them once, then away.
"None of your concern," he said flatly. "Just know it isn't something cheap to learn."
Lin Shu understood immediately.
If he wanted to know about this Path—or whatever an "adept" was—he'd have to pay for it. With something significant. Maybe shards, maybe service, maybe something worse.
He sighed internally.
So that "master-disciple" thing really was just a formality. Yanqi wasn't giving him anything for free—and Lin Shu knew he never would. With a talent like his, being treated like a real disciple was a dream. Everything he'd ever gotten in life came from taking risks, bleeding for it, or paying a price he couldn't afford.
He glanced sideways at Aoyan.
A twinge of jealousy pricked him—barely a flicker, but real.
She got teachings. She got explanations. She got access simply because her talent made her worth the investment. Meanwhile, he had to ration his remaining aether shards just to buy a cultivation technique.
So he said nothing and continued reading through the files Yanqi had handed them.
Aoyan, skimming her own book, happened to look up at that moment. She caught the brief change in Lin Shu's expression—the tiny crack in his calm facade. It lasted only a heartbeat, but it startled her. She hadn't known he could make that kind of face.
Her eyes dropped back to her book… then drifted back to him again.
And suddenly, she felt guilty.
Master won't tell him anything unless he earns its worth… And he already told me—he has no intention of investing in Kai or Lin Shu. Their talents are too low. They'd have to perform some extraordinary feat, bring huge fame to the team, just to make him consider sharing that kind of knowledge.
Aoyan looked at Lin Shu again.
For two years, she had watched him. He never talked about anything except cultivation or their arena matches. He never complained, never slacked, never wasted time. He trained and cultivated every moment he could… yet according to her master, all of that effort would amount to almost nothing. His talent was simply too low. His future, too limited. Even learning the method to reach the second realm would be an uphill battle for him—let alone actually achieving it.
And she couldn't help but feel sorry.
He had saved her more than once in team fights.
He had blocked Chi Ran and the Jue–Yue twins when they tried to target her.
In fact, she suspected he was the only reason any of them stayed away from her when Yanqi wasn't around.
Kai's situation wasn't any better. Worse, even. She knew the boy's past.
For the first time in that quiet room, she felt a strange weight settle in her chest as she watched the two boys quietly reading… carrying futures so much heavier than her own.
It was clear to her—painfully clear—the sheer amount of benefits and advantages she enjoyed simply because of her talent… and because of her closeness to her master.
Things she had never truly questioned before.
Access to rare knowledge.
Freedom to ask anything.
Techniques handed to her without negotiations or conditions.
A future that others paved for her simply because she was worth investing in.
She had always accepted those things as normal, as the natural order of things. But now, watching Lin Shu flip through his book with that quiet, resigned expression and Kai forcing himself to study despite his own limitations… she felt something twist uncomfortably inside her chest.
If I had been born with their talent… would Master have even bothered keeping me?
The thought unsettled her more than she expected.
She looked at Lin Shu again—focused, disciplined, determined even in the face of a wall he might never overcome. And Kai, who despite everything continued to push himself forward.
Their path was harder. Their steps heavier. Their future uncertain.
Yet they kept walking.
Aoyan lowered her gaze to the book in her hands, but for the first time its pages felt undeservedly light.