Volume 4
Dawn painted the sky with shades of orange and rose as Lin Feng and Caiyi arrived at Moonrise Arena, a stone platform surrounded by hovering lanterns and thousands of cultivators who had come to witness the spectacle.
Lin Feng swallowed hard. "There are… a lot of people."
"They're here to cheer for you," Caiyi said.
A nearby elder whispered, "No, they're here to watch him die."
Caiyi glared. "Elder!"
"What? I'm being realistic."
Before Lin Feng could run away, a gust of icy wind swept across the arena. A young man stepped forward, his crimson robes rippling like blood in a storm. His gaze was sharp enough to slice steel.
"I am Crimson Fang Yu Liang," he announced. "Prodigy. Core disciple. And executioner of fools."
Lin Feng raised a hand. "Hi. I'm Lin Feng. Not a prodigy. Not a core disciple. Please don't execute me."
The referee coughed. "Begin!"
Yu Liang attacked instantly, launching a wave of crimson energy. Lin Feng screamed, dodging by pure panic-driven instinct. The attack shattered a boulder behind him.
"Stand still!" Yu Liang snarled.
"Why would I do that?!" Lin Feng shouted, leaping aside again.
But panic wasn't enough. Yu Liang's spiritual pressure grew heavier, suffocating the arena. Even the spectators fell silent.
Caiyi clenched her fists. Come on, Lin Feng…
Just as Yu Liang prepared a finishing strike, something clicked inside Lin Feng—like a peach pit cracking open.
The Peach Blossom Heart Method activated.
Petals made of spiritual light spiraled around him, soft but unstoppable, swirling in a protective dance. His body moved with strange elegance, as if guided by a rhythm only he could hear.
Yu Liang's attack collided with the petals—and shattered.
"What?!" Yu Liang staggered.
Lin Feng blinked. "Did… did I do that?"
The energy inside him surged again. His feet traced glowing arcs across the arena. His sword lifted in a motion far too graceful for someone who tripped over flat ground daily.
He didn't attack with force. He attacked with flow.
Petals wrapped around Yu Liang like a storm of beauty and pain, sending him crashing to the ground.
The arena went silent.
Lin Feng had won.
Caiyi ran to him, eyes shining. "You did it!"
Lin Feng smiled weakly. "I think… I need a nap."
But victory had a price.
Far away, deep in the mountains, a shadowed figure watched the duel through a crystal mirror.
"So," the figure whispered, "the peach chooses a new host."
And with that, a far greater threat awakened.