The arena was still echoing with the whispers of disbelief from Kai's last victory when the air shifted.
A suffocating pressure descended, heavier than the heat of midday sun. Murmurs died in throats. Every gaze snapped toward the tall figure stepping forward.
He wore the academy's elite uniform — black trimmed with silver — and his posture carried the unshakable arrogance of someone who had never lost. His blade rested casually against his shoulder, gleaming faintly with runes etched into the steel.
The top-ranked genius.
Gasps rippled across the crowd.
> "That's him… the number one of the Outer Academy!"
"Shen Fei! The prodigy with the 'Azure Soul Blade'!"
"He's already at the peak of Body Tempering! They say his sword techniques rival even Inner Academy disciples!"
The name rolled across the audience like thunder: Shen Fei.
Kai's breathing was heavy from the earlier battles, his body aching, his knuckles raw. But his eyes… his eyes burned with the same defiance that had carried him through every humiliation, every whisper of trash.
Shen Fei's gaze swept over him as if inspecting a piece of dirt.
"You should have stayed down after defeating those weaklings," he said, his tone smooth but dripping with disdain. "By stepping here, you've insulted the rankings. And I do not tolerate insults."
Kai said nothing at first. His chest rose and fell as he fought to steady his breathing. Then, slowly, his lips curved into a thin, sharp smile.
"If the rankings can't handle me," he said, voice hoarse but steady, "then maybe they don't deserve to exist."
The words struck like a slap. Gasps erupted. Even the elders' brows twitched.
Shen Fei's eyes narrowed. "Very well." He leveled his sword at Kai, and a burst of blue aura shimmered around him, cold and sharp as an endless sea. "I'll break you in front of everyone. Then we'll see if you still dare to speak."
---
The gong rang.
The duel began.
Shen Fei moved first, his speed blinding. His figure blurred, sword sweeping in a line of azure light aimed directly for Kai's throat.
Kai barely twisted aside — the edge grazed his neck, slicing a shallow line of blood.
Fast!
Shen Fei's strikes came in waves, each faster than the last. To the crowd, it looked like an ocean of sword shadows drowning Kai.
> [Warning! Host is at risk of critical injury.]
The System's cold voice rang in Kai's mind.
No choice… I'll have to push everything.
Kai gritted his teeth, activating every ounce of strength the System had granted him. His upgraded muscles roared, veins bulging as he countered with his iron staff, meeting blade after blade.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks rained as staff met sword. But Shen Fei's aura-laced blade was sharper, heavier, more refined. Each clash sent tremors through Kai's arms. His palms split, blood seeping across the shaft of his weapon.
"Pathetic," Shen Fei sneered between strikes. "Did you really think defeating scraps like Zhou Yan makes you worthy to stand against me?"
Kai's teeth ground together. Every word was fuel to the fire boiling inside him.
"I don't need to be worthy…" His voice was low, feral. "I just need to win."
---
The fight raged on.
Kai's staff whirled in wide arcs, smashing sword shadows aside, cracking stone beneath their feet. Shen Fei's sword danced like lightning, each strike a masterpiece of deadly precision.
The audience was spellbound.
> "Unbelievable! He's holding his own against Shen Fei?!"
"No… look closely. He's being pushed back. Every move Shen Fei makes is calculated. Kai is just surviving."
It was true. Kai was being battered, his stamina draining, his staff trembling with every impact.
And yet — his eyes never wavered.
---
Suddenly, Shen Fei changed tactics. His aura flared, flooding the arena with azure light. The sword in his hand trembled, runes igniting.
"The second form of the Azure Soul Blade," he announced coldly.
"Ocean's Wrath!"
A tidal wave of energy exploded outward, the sword arcs merging into a devastating surge of force.
The shockwave blasted across the stage, shattering stone tiles and sending dust flying. The crowd cried out.
And Kai —
BOOM!
—was hurled backward, smashing into the barrier wall, coughing blood. His chest burned, ribs cracked.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then Shen Fei strode forward, aura like a storm.
"Stay down," he commanded. "This is where trash belongs."
---
Kai dragged himself up, coughing. His body screamed, but his spirit roared louder.
Trash. That word had haunted him for years. He had swallowed it, endured it, until now. Until this trial.
No more.
> [Ding! System Upgrade Available.]
[New Passive Feature Unlocked: Combat Instinct (Minor).]
[Description: Host's reflexes and predictive awareness in battle are slightly enhanced.]
Kai's eyes widened as clarity surged through his mind.
The world slowed.
Shen Fei's steps, once a blur, became readable. The subtle twist of his ankle, the shift of his shoulders, the intent behind his strikes — all became clear in Kai's perception.
His lips curled in a bloody grin.
"Let's see you call me trash again."
---
Shen Fei lunged, sword flashing. But this time — Kai was ready.
CLANG!
The staff met the blade at the perfect angle, diverting its momentum. Shen Fei's eyes widened.
Kai moved like lightning, staff spinning, battering through sword shadows. He weaved between strikes, predicting them before they landed, each movement smoother, sharper.
"Impossible!" Shen Fei snarled, pouring more aura into his blade. "You're nothing but—"
"Trash?!" Kai roared, smashing his staff into Shen Fei's side.
CRACK!
The prodigy staggered, aura rippling as the impact sent him skidding across the stage.
Gasps exploded from the crowd.
---
The duel escalated further.
Shen Fei unleashed everything, sword techniques weaving into a storm of azure light. Kai countered with raw power, Combat Instinct guiding his movements like instinctive foresight.
Every clash shook the arena, dust and debris flying. Blood dripped from Kai's wounds, sweat stung his eyes, but his grin only widened.
He was no longer just surviving. He was fighting back.
---
Minutes dragged like hours. The stage cracked beneath their feet, aura clashing like thunder and sea.
Finally — both fighters staggered, breathing ragged, clothes torn, bloodied.
Shen Fei's eyes blazed with fury. "You dare force me this far…?! Then die with the third form!"
He raised his blade overhead, aura erupting skyward like a pillar of blue fire.
"Azure Soul Blade — Tsunami Breaker!"
The crowd screamed. The technique was infamous — even Inner Academy disciples avoided it!
Kai's body trembled. His energy was nearly gone. His staff cracked, splinters digging into his palms.
If this hits… I'm finished.
Then his eyes sharpened. No. I won't fall here. Not now. Not ever.
Roaring, he poured everything into his staff, every ounce of will, blood, and strength. His aura surged, golden and wild, colliding with Shen Fei's azure sea.
The two forces met head-on.
BOOOOOOM!
Light swallowed the stage. The barrier groaned, elders reinforcing it with hasty gestures. The shockwave rattled the entire academy.
When the dust cleared —
Two figures remained standing.
Kai, hunched, staff shattered in his hands, blood streaming down his face.
Shen Fei, sword broken in half, eyes wide with disbelief, before he collapsed to his knees.
The arena fell silent.
Then erupted.
> "He… he won?!"
"Shen Fei lost? The number one lost to him?!"
"That trash… that so-called trash just toppled the top genius!"
The world seemed to tilt. The impossible had happened.
---
Kai stood swaying, barely holding himself upright, but his eyes blazed with unyielding fire.
"Trash?" he rasped. His voice carried across the stunned arena.
"Remember this moment… and choke on your words."
The crowd went wild.
Elders exchanged sharp looks. Whispers spread of abnormal growth, of dangerous potential. Somewhere, in the shadows of the arena, a cloaked figure watched with keen interest.
Kai's victory was real — but it was also the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Because the stronger he rose, the more eyes turned toward him. Eyes that belonged to predators.
And predators never let prey walk free.