Earth - Central Park, 12:00 PM
Derek Morrison walked across the sunny grass of Central Park with the casual stride of someone enjoying a beautiful afternoon. Families were scattered across the green space—children playing on swings, couples having picnics, joggers following the winding paths. The perfect picture of peaceful urban life.
He spotted her near the exercise area—a young woman in bright athletic wear doing stretching routines on a yoga mat. She had earbuds in, completely absorbed in her workout, oblivious to the world around her. Perfect isolation despite being surrounded by people.
Derek approached from behind, his movements casual and unhurried. To any observer, he might have been another park-goer walking past. The woman never heard him coming over her music.
His hands shot out like striking snakes, gripping her head on both sides. Before she could even register what was happening, Derek slammed her face down into the concrete path with bone-crushing force.
The sound of skull meeting stone echoed across the park like a gunshot.
"HELP!" someone screamed from nearby. "SOMEBODY HELP HER!"
Derek ignored the shouts, lifting the woman's now-bloody head and slamming it down again. And again. Each impact sent crimson spatters across the concrete as her skull cracked and split. By the fourth strike, she had stopped moving entirely.
Panic erupted throughout the park. Parents grabbed their children and ran. Joggers sprinted away at full speed. Dog walkers abandoned their pets in their desperate flight. Within moments, the peaceful afternoon had transformed into screaming chaos as hundreds of people fled in every direction.
Derek knelt beside the spreading pool of blood, his fingers beginning to trace intricate symbols in the crimson liquid. The formation circle needed to be perfect—five anchor points connected by flowing lines of power that would channel the life force of millions directly into his dantian.
"Almost time," he murmured, his voice carrying an inhuman edge as red qi crackled around his fingers. The demonic cultivation had changed him beyond recognition—pale skin veined with crimson lines, eyes that glowed like burning coals, teeth sharpened to razor points.
His hands moved with practiced precision, drawing the final symbols that would complete the greatest formation this world had ever seen. In moments, every living being within a hundred-kilometer radius would feel their life essence being drained away, their vital energy flowing through the formation lines directly into his cultivation base.
"Crimson Harvest Formation," Derek whispered with savage anticipation. "Activate."
The blood symbols began to glow with malevolent light as the formation came online.
Cultivation World - Underground Spring System, Beneath Crimson Crater
Three hundred meters below the tournament celebrations, Xotl's massive form pressed against the ancient barrier that protected the life-giving springs underneath Crimson city. The ward was old—millennia old—woven by some ancient master. But age had made it brittle, and Xotl's understanding of shadow and nascent soul strength would dismantle it.
His flesh-shadow body rippled and shifted as he studied the barrier's structure, his ancient consciousness analyzing the flow patterns of protective qi that had kept these springs pure and safe from invasion for thousands of years. The ward was elegant, drawing power from the life essence that flowed through the water itself, but that very connection was also its weakness.
Xotl pressed his will against a single point where the barrier's qi flow created a microscopic eddy. The ward resisted, ancient formations flaring with defensive light that blazed through the water. But Xotl was patient, applying pressure with the steady persistence.
Crack.
The sound was barely audible—a tiny fracture in the protective matrix that had guarded these springs. But it was enough.
Xotl's form immediately flowed toward the hairline crack, his shadow essence squeezing through the gap like liquid darkness. The opening was far too small for his massive consciousness and shadow to pass through, but it was large enough for something else.
A tendril of shadow squeezed through the microscopic crack in the ancient barrier. Once on the other side, it began to expand, creating a bridge between the protected springs and the shadow realm where Xotl's true power resided.
"Come," Xotl whispered across dimensions.
The response was immediate. Dozens of qi beasts materialized from the shadow realm—not Xotl's elite forces, but expendable scouts perfectly suited for infiltration. Massive dire wolves with Foundation Establishment cultivation, their midnight-black fur rippling with muscle as they emerged dripping from where Xotl had been storing them in his form half in the shadow realm.
Each beast that emerged through the shadow bridge was a genuine threat—creatures that had been pulled from the deepest parts of the eastern continent's beast territories and corrupted by Xotl's shadow essence. They retained their original intelligence and power while gaining the ability to phase partially into shadow when needed.
The dire wolves padded silently through the flooded tunnels, their enhanced senses already detecting the thousands of cultivators celebrating above.
"Soon," Xotl murmured, his consciousness already reaching toward the lake above where thousands of cultivators celebrated in ignorance of the nightmare gathering beneath their feet. When the barrier finally collapsed completely, these Foundation Establishment scouts would emerge first, creating chaos and confusion while his truly devastating forces followed behind.
Cultivation World - Grand Tournament Stadium
"Next match!" the announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "Representing the Crimson Crater Kingdom, Varek of the former Flaming Saber Sect! Facing the spear master of the Mountain Peak Sect, Feng Jian!"
Varek stepped onto the arena floor with his characteristic swagger, noting his opponent's stance immediately. Feng Jian was a tall, serious young man whose long spear gleamed with earth-attributed qi. At Foundation Establishment level 5, he was respectable—but something in his movement patterns told Varek this would be easier than expected.
"Begin!"
Feng Jian immediately launched into an impressive display of spear techniques, his weapon spinning in complex patterns as he thrust toward Varek with lightning speed. "Mountain Piercing Spear Art!" he called out, his weapon blazing with qi as it sought Varek's heart.
Earth - Tim's Apartment
"This guy's pretty good," Riku observed, though her tone suggested she wasn't particularly worried. She was back to her usual position with her head in Tim's lap, absently braiding a small section of her hair as she watched through Varek's eyes.
"His spear work is solid," Tim agreed, his fingers gently playing with the rest of her hair. "But it seems to be lacking something that Varek has"
Cultivation World - Arena Floor
Varek flowed between the spear thrusts like water, his understanding of the dao of the saber somehow allowing him to perceive the fundamental nature of his opponent's technique. Where Feng Jian saw individual spear strikes, Varek saw something deeper.
"Your spear technique is impressive," Varek said conversationally as he continued to dodge, "but you're only at stage 3 Dao comprehension. And more importantly..." He stepped inside the spear's reach with casual grace. "You don't understand what cutting really is."
Feng Jian's eyes widened as Varek drew his saber in a motion too fast to follow. The blade moved with perfect economy, finding the exact line where the spear's cutting edge began and ending it there.
The spear's tip fell to the arena floor with a metallic ring.
"The Dao of the saber is something more. It's more like the Dao of cutting that encompasses all weapons that divide," Varek explained as he started to understand the Dao deeper in that moment as Feng Jian stared at his shortened weapon in shock. "Saber, sword, spear, dagger—they're all expressions of the same fundamental principle." Varek said half in explanation and half in understanding
Another flick of his saber, and Feng Jian's spear was shortened again.
"I see, this is the truth that unifies all cutting," Varek continued, his blade moving in lazy patterns that somehow made it impossible for Feng Jian to maintain distance. "Your spear isn't separate from my saber—it's just a less refined version of the same concept."
Earth - Tim's Apartment
"Oh my god," Riku gasped, sitting up straighter as understanding flooded through her from Varek. "Tim, did you see that? The breakthrough?"
Tim looked at her with confusion. "What breakthrough? Varek won, but—"
"No, no, you don't understand!" Riku interrupted, her eyes bright with excitement as she turned to face him fully. "Varek didn't just beat that guy—he had a Dao breakthrough mid-fight! He went from understanding the Dao of the Saber to comprehending the broader Dao of Cutting!"
She stood up, pacing excitedly around his living room as the implications hit her. "It's not just about sabers anymore. All weapons that cut—swords, spears, daggers, even claws—they're all expressions of the same fundamental principle. Varek just unified his understanding of cutting itself!"
Tim's eyebrows rose as he processed what she was saying. "That's... that's huge, isn't it? In cultivation terms?"
"Huge doesn't begin to cover it," Riku said, her voice carrying a mixture of awe and fierce pride. "Most cultivators spend decades trying to advance their Dao comprehension even a single stage. Varek just evolved his entire understanding to encompass a broader concept. He went from being good with sabers to understanding the universal principle behind all cutting weapons."
She turned to face him, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Do you know what this means for the tournament? For fighting people like Long Chen and Tie Gang?"
Tim shook his head, caught up in her enthusiasm despite not fully grasping the technical implications.
"It means Varek can now counter any weapon-based technique, regardless of what weapon they use," Riku explained, her grin widening. "Spears, swords, claws, even qi constructs shaped like blades—if it cuts, he understands it on a fundamental level. He can predict its movements, find its weaknesses, counter its techniques."
She flopped back down head back onto his lap, her face radiant with excitement. "My other half just became carzy more dangerous in the middle of what was supposed to be an easy fight. That's so typically Varek—showing off and accidentally achieving enlightenment at the same time."
Cultivation World - Arena Floor
Varek walked off the arena floor with a new lightness in his step, his mind still processing the flood of understanding that had come during the fight. The Dao of Cutting felt like a door that had suddenly opened in his consciousness, revealing connections he'd never noticed before.
Every bladed weapon he could see in the crowd now made sense to him in ways they hadn't moments before. The guards' swords, the ceremonial daggers worn by nobles, even the kitchen knives carried by food vendors—they were all expressions of the same universal principle, and he could perceive their strengths and limitations with startling clarity.
"Not bad for a warm-up match," he murmured to himself, flexing his fingers as he felt the new comprehension settling into his muscle memory. Against Feng Jian, he'd been operating on instinct, but now he could feel the full implications of what he'd discovered.
When he faced Long Chen's dragon claws, or encountered any other cutting-based technique in future matches, he would have a fundamental advantage. The Dao of Cutting wasn't just about understanding weapons—it was about understanding the very concept of separation. He had already been half there. Riku had used her finger as a saber before and this was just a tiny step further than that.
In the royal viewing section, he caught sight of Lia watching him with obvious admiration and something else—a recognition that he had just become significantly more formidable as a partner and protector. Riku looked up and Tim who held the exact same look as she lay in his lap.
Varek's grin widened as he acknowledged her attention with a casual wave, while riku flashed her white teeth at tim.