The announcement of the next match sent a ripple of heightened anticipation through the Grand Tournament arena. Valerius Ren versus Sunstone Kaelen. It was the clash everyone had been waiting for: the mysterious prodigy of a declining house against the unyielding bastion of the Sunstone Clan.
Lord Alaric, his face a mask of nervous excitement, gripped the armrest of his seat. "This is it, Ren," he whispered as his son walked towards the platform. "Sunstone Kaelen is their strongest. He embodies their clan's strength. Unbreakable defense, crushing offense. Be careful, my son."
Lady Seraphina simply offered a silent prayer, her gaze fixed on her child.
Ren stepped onto the polished jade platform, the faint hum of the Shadow Orb within his robes a comforting presence. Sunstone Kaelen, a youth with a sturdy build and an aura as solid as granite, stood opposite him. His features were impassive, his eyes focused, radiating an unshakeable confidence that came from years of rigorous training and an innate talent for defense. He wore no weapon, for his fists, infused with the Sunstone Clan's unique qi, were weapons enough.
"Valerius Ren," Sunstone Kaelen stated, his voice deep and resonant. "Your performance against Blackwood Jaron was... surprising. But my 'Stone Fist' does not rely on flimsy qi flow or exposed vital points. My defense is absolute."
Ren merely offered a slight nod. "We shall see what is absolute."
The referee's hand dropped. "Begin!"
Sunstone Kaelen moved first, not with the blinding speed of Jaron, but with a deliberate, earth-shaking power. He channeled his qi, and his body seemed to grow denser, his skin taking on a faint, rocky sheen. He advanced with heavy, measured steps, then unleashed his signature 'Stone Fist' – a powerful, direct punch aimed at Ren's chest. The air compressed before his fist, a visible ripple of concentrated qi. It was a strike meant to shatter bones and internal organs.
Ren didn't meet it head-on. He couldn't, not with his current reserves. Instead, he flowed like water. As the Stone Fist thundered towards him, he pivoted, his body rotating just enough to allow the punch to pass an inch from his side. It wasn't a dodge; it was a redirection, a subtle manipulation of space and momentum. The sheer force of the blow still caused the jade platform to vibrate beneath his feet.
Sunstone Kaelen grunted, surprised that his direct attack had been so effortlessly evaded. He immediately followed up, his movements methodical but relentless. He unleashed a barrage of 'Stone Fists,' each punch imbued with immense power, creating a wall of qi-infused blows. He covered every angle, every escape route, aiming to corner Ren and crush him.
Ren became a blur of controlled motion. He weaved, ducked, and spun, his body a fluid counterpoint to Sunstone Kaelen's rigid power. He moved with an economy of motion that baffled the onlookers. He was always just out of reach, always slipping through the tiniest gaps in Kaelen's ironclad offense. The crowd watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend how the smaller, seemingly weaker Valerius could evade such overwhelming force.
"He's just running!" a spectator shouted, echoing the frustration of many.
"He's not running," Elder Mei of the Jade Serpent Clan murmured, her eyes fixed on Ren's movements. "He's dancing. Every movement is precise, calculated. He's not just evading; he's controlling the engagement."
Sunstone Kaelen's frustration mounted. He was renowned for his ability to corner and crush opponents, yet this Valerius boy was like smoke. He poured more qi into his attacks, his skin now glowing with a dull, earthy light. He unleashed the 'Mountain Crush' technique, a series of heavy, hammering blows that aimed to shatter the platform itself, hoping to trap Ren in the debris.
As the first 'Mountain Crush' fist descended, Ren felt the raw power, the sheer density of the qi. He knew a direct evasion wouldn't be enough. This was the moment for the Shadow Orb. He channeled a significant portion of his refined Foundation Establishment qi into the Orb, urging it to respond.
A subtle, almost imperceptible distortion rippled around Ren's form. It wasn't a full illusion, but a momentary warping of light and perception, a flicker in the opponent's peripheral vision. Sunstone Kaelen's eyes, trained for direct, powerful targets, momentarily registered a phantom image, a slight miscalculation in his trajectory.
In that infinitesimally small window, Ren struck. He didn't punch. Instead, his hand shot out, not to block, but to deflect. He met Sunstone Kaelen's wrist with a precise, open-palm strike, channeling a focused burst of his qi, imbued with the Shadow Orb's nascent energy, directly into the joint. It was a technique designed to disrupt the opponent's internal qi circulation, not just physically.
A sharp, audible crack echoed through the arena, not of bone, but of disrupted qi. Sunstone Kaelen roared, a sound of agony and shock. His 'Mountain Crush' technique faltered, the qi around his fist dissipating chaotically. His arm, instead of feeling numb like Jaron's, felt as if a thousand needles were piercing it from the inside, his qi flow violently thrown into disarray. He stumbled back, clutching his arm, his face contorted in pain and disbelief.
"What... what was that?!" he gasped, his unyielding defense shattered by an unseen force. "My qi... it's in chaos!"
Ren didn't press the attack. He simply stood, his chest rising and falling with a controlled rhythm, a faint sheen of sweat on his brow, a subtle sign of the effort required. He had pushed his limits, expending a considerable portion of his qi, but the result was undeniable.
The referee, after a moment of stunned silence, rushed forward. He examined Sunstone Kaelen's arm. There was no visible injury, no broken bones, but the youth's spiritual energy was in complete disarray, his arm unresponsive.
"Sunstone Kaelen is unable to continue!" the referee declared, his voice trembling slightly. "Valerius Ren is the victor!"
The arena erupted. It was not just applause; it was a cacophony of shouts, gasps, and bewildered exclamations. Lord Alaric stood, speechless, tears streaming down his face. Lady Seraphina clutched her chest, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe.
As Ren made his way off the platform, the elders in the VIP section were buzzing. "That was not just qi control," Elder Thorne rumbled, his usual confidence shaken. "That was... a disruption. He didn't just evade; he broke Kaelen's qi flow with a single touch."
Elder Mei's eyes gleamed. "His movements, the subtle flicker around him... and that final strike. It's not a technique from this realm. It's too refined, too... insidious." She looked at the other elders, a chilling thought forming in her mind. "Could it be that the Valerius family has been hiding a true, ancient inheritance? Or is there something else at play?"
Ren, walking past the stunned crowd, felt the Shadow Orb pulse within his robes, a faint, resonant thrum. The Echo. It strengthens. The whisper was clearer now, less ethereal. The Orb was not just a guide; it was a source of power, growing stronger with each successful application, each display of his unique abilities. But what did it mean, "It strengthens"? Was it merely referring to his own power, or was the Orb itself gaining something from his actions, from the very conflict?
He had won, yes. He had shattered the pride of the Sunstone Clan and elevated the Valerius name. But the victory felt like a mere stepping stone, a necessary performance in a much larger, unseen play. The Shadow Orb's growing resonance, its increasingly direct whispers, hinted at a deeper connection, a symbiotic relationship he was only beginning to comprehend. What other secrets did the Orb hold, and what would it demand in return for the power it offered? The Grand Tournament was merely a stage, and the true audience, he suspected, was far older, and far more dangerous, than anyone in Xylos could ever imagine. And they were watching.