— THE ARENA OF HEAVENSHAKING BLOWS
THE NIGHT BEFORE
The moon hung low, silver and cold.
Lei Wei sat alone in the courtyard, eyes closed, steadying his breath for the duel tomorrow.
Then—
Thrum.
A pulse vibrated deep inside his core.
His eyes snapped open.
The fragment… was reacting.
A faint golden silhouette shimmered inside his consciousness, blurry and unstable, like a half-formed memory.
A voice echoed—not loud, not soft—just there.
"You will need the Finger of God."
Lei Wei's heart tightened.
"I can't use it. My meridians—my realm—"
"Yes. You are not strong enough."
The fragment's glow flickered, dimming.
"But… I will make it so you can use it once."
Lei Wei's breath caught.
"Just once?"
"Only once."
A faint warmth spread through his meridians, like a thread of divine energy being woven into him.
The silhouette wavered further.
"Use it wisely. After that strike… your qi will be empty."
"Why help me now?" Lei Wei whispered.
The fragment's final words echoed like a distant whisper:
"Because your path… must not end here."
The glow faded.
Silence returned.
Lei Wei opened his eyes.
"…One chance."
He clenched his fists.
"That's all I need."
---
THE ARENA OF CLANS
The next morning, the city roared with anticipation.
Thousands gathered around the grand stone arena. The four great families took their seats on raised platforms.
The Baiye Clan sat to the right—faces proud, confident.
The Hengyuan Clan sat to the left—tense, watching.
At the very top, overlooking all, sat Patriarch Hengyuan Tian( Veinforge Peak Stage) and Patriarch Baiye Yuan( Veinforge Peak Stage) aura calm but impossibly heavy. Even seated, they felt like mountains.
In the center of the arena, two young cultivators stepped forward.
Lei Wei.
Baiye Zhen.
The murmurs exploded.
"That's the boy who saved the Hengyuan brat."
"He's actually Late Spirit Seed Stage? At his age?"
"No way—must've used some forbidden pill."
Zhen smirked.
"Well, well," he said loud enough for the arena to hear. "Late Stage in three months? Did your clan feed you enough drugs to inflate your qi?"
Lei Wei said nothing.
Zhen's smirk twisted.
"Let me show you REAL power."
He inhaled—
—and the arena trembled.
A surge of qi burst from his body, spiraling around him like a vortex.
Gasps erupted everywhere.
"That…! That's—!"
"Peak Spirit Seed!"
"He reached Peak Stage! He's half-step Veinforge!"
Baiye elders and Baiye yuan grinned proudly.
Ren and Su stared in shock.
Patriarch Tian, however… simply narrowed his eyes.
---
THE DUEL BEGINS
Zhen rushed forward, a blur.
His foot cracked the stone floor as he launched himself.
Lei Wei raised his arms just in time—
BOOM!
The first blow sent him sliding backward, feet digging into the arena floor.
Zhen laughed.
"Too slow! Too weak!"
He kicked off again—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shockwaves cracked the air as fists and qi collided.
Lei Wei countered, dodged, struck back—the world around them a blur of motion.
Every hit from Zhen was heavier.
Every counter from Lei Wei was smarter.
The crowd watched in disbelief as the two clashed like miniature gods.
But slowly…
Zhen pushed ahead.
A punch slammed into Lei Wei's ribs—crack.
Lei Wei coughed blood, but his eyes sharpened.
Not yet.
Zhen sneered.
"Still standing? I'll fix that."
He formed a hand seal.
The air twisted.
"This is the Baiye Art—Flowing Serpent Crushing Palm—First Stage!"
A tidal wave of qi burst toward Lei Wei like a coiling serpent.
Elder Bo shouted from the stands—
"USE IT! COUNTER!"
Lei Wei's eyes sharpened.
He thrust his palm forward—
ABSOLUTE COUNTER!
BOOOOOOOM!
The arena shook violently as the two forces collided.
The serpent of energy shattered backward, rebounding—but Lei Wei felt a burning pain rip through his arms as the force struck him, even reflected.
Zhen stumbled back, shocked.
"You… countered my technique!?"
Lei Wei wiped the blood from his lip.
"Your first stage wasn't enough."
The arena roared.
Zhen's expression twisted with rage.
"You bastard… I'll KILL YOU!"
He slammed both hands together, forcibly gathering qi. The Baiye elders panicked.
"Zhen! NO! Not the second stage! You haven't mastered—"
Too late.
Zhen roared.
"FLOWING SERPENT CRUSHING PALM—SECOND STAGE!"
Purple qi erupted into the sky, condensing into a giant spectral serpent with two heads—each charged with killing intent.
The arena shook so violently people grabbed onto their chairs.
Zhen's voice dripped with murder.
"DIE FOR ME, LEI WEI!"
The twin-headed serpent struck.
Lei Wei stared at the incoming monstrosity.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
His qi…
Not enough to fully counter that.
Not enough to survive that.
But then—
A faint golden spark pulsed in his chest.
The fragment's voice echoed:
"One use… use it now."
Lei Wei raised his hand.
Qi surged.
His meridians burned.
His vision blurred.
But the technique manifested—
A single finger surrounded by a thin line of blinding white-gold light.
The air warped around it.
The arena fell silent.
Even Patriarch Tian leaned forward.
The Baiye clan froze.
Zhen's eyes widened.
"What… WHAT IS THAT!?"
Lei Wei whispered the words the fragment left him:
"Finger of God—First Stage."
He thrust his finger forward.
A beam of divine radiance shot out.
It tore through the serpent—
No resistance.
No explosion.
Just… deletion.
The second-stage Baiye technique shattered like glass.
The beam continued—
heading straight at Baiye Zhen.
Zhen's eyes dilated.
"No—NO—"
BOOOOOOOM—!
Dust engulfed half the arena.
The world shook.
And when the light finally faded—
Everyone saw it.
Baiye Zhen lay on the ground, unconscious, clothes tattered, blood dripping from his arms.
While Lei Wei stood in the center—
Breathing heavily.
Knees shaking.
Qi completely drained.
But standing.
Alive.
Victorious.