The wind howled across the stone arena, carrying the scent of rain and impending violence.
Garret stood like a statue of iron. His blue robes fluttered violently, but his hand holding the Frost-Steel Sword was perfectly steady. A faint, icy blue Qi (energy) wrapped around the blade, lowering the temperature in the ring. This was the Rank 5 cultivation base—strong enough to freeze water and shatter rock.
Opposite him, Kaelen stood relaxed. He held the green bamboo stick loosely in his right hand. The leaves on the twig rustled softly. He looked less like a warrior about to fight for his life, and more like a scholar admiring the weather.
"You are arrogant, Kaelen," Garret said, his voice cold. "Do you think because you tricked Torian, you can humiliation me? My 'Iron-Breaker Style' does not have gaps."
"There are no gaps in the sword," Kaelen replied, his voice drifting through the wind. "Only gaps in the mind."
"Die!"
Garret moved.
He didn't charge blindly like Torian. He exploded forward with terrifying speed, leaving a blur of blue light.
Swoosh!
His sword slashed horizontally—a technique called "Sweeping the Thousand Armies." It was designed to cut a target in half at the waist. The energy wave from the sword extended three feet, slicing through the air with a high-pitched scream.
"He's dead!" Jareth shouted from the sidelines, leaning forward with excitement.
Uncle Hwan gasped, clutching his chest. "Young Master!"
The blue blade was inches from Kaelen's waist.
Kaelen didn't retreat. He didn't block.
He simply... flowed.
Like a willow branch bending in a storm, Kaelen's body arched backward at an impossible angle. The steel blade passed harmlessly over his chest, cutting a few strands of his hair.
Before Garret could recover his stance, Kaelen's wrist flicked.
Snap!
The green bamboo stick whipped through the air. It didn't aim for Garret's body; it aimed for the sword.
The tip of the bamboo struck the flat side of the Frost-Steel Sword.
Ting!
It was a soft sound, but the vibration was specific. Kaelen had poured his Dragon Qi into that strike, hitting the "nodal point" of the vibration.
Garret felt a weird shock travel up his arm. His sword hummed violently, fighting his grip.
"What?" Garret gritted his teeth, forcing the sword to stabilize. "Luck!"
He spun around, unleashing a flurry of attacks.
Thrust. Slash. Chop. Stab.
Garret's sword turned into a storm of blue light. The ground beneath them was carved up by the stray energy, leaving deep gashes in the stone.
But Kaelen was a ghost.
He moved with the smallest possible motions. He side-stepped a stab by an inch. He ducked a slash by a hair's breadth. Every time Garret attacked, Kaelen was just out of reach.
And every time Garret missed, the bamboo stick would strike.
Snap! A whip to the wrist.
Snap! A lash to the shoulder.
Snap! A strike to the back of the knee.
It wasn't lethal damage. It was humiliation.
"Fight me!" Garret roared, his face red with frustration. He was the genius of the clan, yet he was being disciplined like a naughty child. "Stop running and fight!"
Kaelen stopped.
He stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by the chaotic marks of Garret's attacks. He wasn't even breathing hard.
"I am not running," Kaelen said softly. "I am waiting for you to see."
"See what?"
"That your anger is heavy," Kaelen lifted the bamboo stick. "You fight to destroy. I fight to subdue. Watch closely, Garret. This is what a sword looks like when it has a soul."
Kaelen took a step forward.
For the first time, his aura changed. The playful "Willow" vanished. In its place, a sharp, majestic intent rose up—the intent of the Dragon Sovereign.
The bamboo stick in his hand suddenly glowed with a faint, golden hue. It was no longer a twig. In the eyes of the crowd, it looked like a golden spear capable of piercing the heavens.
Garret froze. His instincts screamed at him to run. 'Danger! Fatal Danger!'
"No! I am a Rank 5 genius!" Garret yelled, channeling every drop of his Qi into his blade. "I will break you! Iron-Breaker Slash!"
Garret leaped into the air, bringing his sword down with enough force to split a boulder.
Kaelen didn't dodge this time.
He thrust the bamboo stick forward.
"Dragon Tooth Pierce."
It was a simple thrust. But it contained the memory of a God Emperor.
The bamboo tip met the steel edge.
CRACK!
Everyone expected the bamboo to shatter.
Instead, the bamboo stick slid along the edge of the steel sword, spiraling around it like a snake. The force of Garret's slash was redirected to the side.
Bam!
Garret's sword smashed into the ground, missing Kaelen entirely.
And the bamboo stick?
It stopped exactly one millimeter from Garret's throat.
The wind died down.
Garret knelt on the ground, his sword buried in the stone, his breathing ragged. He stared cross-eyed at the green bamboo tip hovering right in front of his Adam's apple. If Kaelen had pushed just a little bit more, Garret's throat would have been pierced.
Silence engulfed the Silver-Iron Clan.
Kaelen looked down at Garret. There was no hatred in his eyes. Only a deep, melancholic wisdom.
"Steel is strong," Kaelen whispered, "but it breaks because it refuses to bend. You have talent, Garret. But you lack a heart that can endure defeat."
Kaelen pulled the bamboo stick back. He didn't finish the kill. He didn't cripple him.
He turned his back on his opponent.
"I concede," Garret whispered. The words tasted like ash, but he said them. He knew that Kaelen had spared his life.
In the spectator stands, Elara stood up. Her beautiful face was pale. Her hands were gripping the railing so hard her knuckles were white.
She had abandoned Kaelen because he was a "cripple." She had bet her future on the talented Garret.
But today, she saw something that terrified her.
Garret was a talented fighter.
But Kaelen... Kaelen was a King.
'What have I done?' Elara thought, a pang of regret piercing her heart sharper than any sword. 'The eyes he had when he looked at me yesterday... he wasn't looking for pity. He was saying goodbye.'
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
A furious roar shattered the moment.
The Third Elder leaped from the high platform, landing in the arena with a heavy thud. The stone floor cracked under his feet.
His face was twisted with malice. He couldn't let this happen. If Kaelen rose to power, the Elder's corruption would be exposed. Kaelen had to disappear.
"You used a demonic technique!" The Third Elder accused, pointing a shaking finger at Kaelen. "A piece of wood cannot stop steel! You are possessed by an evil spirit! As the Enforcing Elder, I sentence you to death!"
It was a blatant lie. Everyone knew it. But no one dared to speak against the Third Elder.
"Die, demon!"
The Third Elder didn't wait for a trial. He launched a palm strike directly at Kaelen's back.
This was an attack from a Spirit Ocean Realm master. It was fast, heavy, and lethal. The air pressure alone locked Kaelen in place.
"NO!" Uncle Hwan screamed, trying to run into the arena, but he was too far.
Kaelen felt the massive pressure. His body was still only at the 4th Level of Body Refining. He couldn't physically block this.
'Is this it?' Kaelen thought, his mind racing. 'Do I use the Void Cauldron? If I use it, I will expose my secret to the world. But if I don't...'
He spun around, dropping the bamboo. He clenched his fists, ready to burn his own life essence to summon the Dragon Soul. Even if he died, he would take the Elder's arm with him.
The deadly palm was inches away from Kaelen's face.
Suddenly.
Clang!
A flash of violet light shot from the sky.
A small, delicate object flew through the air and struck the Third Elder's wrist.
"Argh!"
The Third Elder screamed, clutching his hand. The force of his attack was broken. He stumbled back, looking at his wrist. It was bruising rapidly.
Falling to the ground between Kaelen and the Elder was not a weapon.
It was a Gold Coin. A single, violet-gold coin.
"Who dares?!" The Third Elder roared, looking up at the rooftops.
Sitting on the high wall of the arena, swinging her legs casually, was a woman in black robes. Her face was veiled, but her eyes—those enchanting, fox-like eyes—were smiling dangerously.
It was Jiara from the Violet Gold Pavilion.
"Third Elder," Jiara's voice was sweet like honey but sharp like a poisoned dagger. "You are a Spirit Ocean master, yet you sneak attack a junior from behind? The Silver-Iron Clan truly has no shame."
She hopped down, landing gracefully beside Kaelen. A faint fragrance of orchids filled the air, masking the smell of sweat and dust.
She looked at Kaelen and winked.
"I told you, little dragon," she whispered only to him. "If you survived, we would do business. I didn't say I wouldn't help you survive."
The Third Elder's face went pale. He recognized the uniform. The Violet Gold Pavilion was a superpower that could buy and sell his entire clan ten times over. He couldn't offend them.
"Miss Jiara," the Elder stammered, sweating. "This is an internal family matter..."
"Not anymore," Jiara interrupted, holding up a scroll. "Kaelen has just been hired as a Guest Appraiser for the Violet Gold Pavilion. If you touch my employee... you declare war on the Pavilion."
The entire arena gasped.
Kaelen looked at Jiara. He hadn't agreed to this. He knew she was using him. She saw his value and wanted to claim him before he grew too strong.
But for now... it was a convenient shield.
Kaelen looked at the Third Elder, then at the stunned crowd, and finally at Elara, who was staring at him with complicated eyes.
He stepped forward, his voice calm but amplifying across the silent square.
"I won the Strength Test. I won the Combat Test."
He looked directly at the Clan Leader's seat (which was empty).
"From today, I am no longer 'Trash'. I am Kaelen. And I will be taking back my father's courtyard."
He turned to Hwan, who was sobbing with relief. "Let's go home, Uncle. We have guests to entertain."
As Kaelen walked away with Jiara and Hwan, the wind picked up again. But this time, it didn't feel like a storm. It felt like the winds of change were blowing through Mist City, and at the center of the hurricane was the boy with the Dragon's soul.