The Grade Tourney arena was carved directly into the mountain.
Tiered stone seats rose in concentric circles, engraved with ancient formations that suppressed lethal force while amplifying impact. Above, floating jade screens displayed names, brackets, and ongoing matches.
Chen Yuan and Gu Wen stood at the edge of Arena Seven.
Lower bracket.
Early round.
Minimal attention.
Perfect.
A cold voice rang out.
"Duo Match — Arena Seven."
Chen Yuan & Gu Wen
vs
He Zhen & Luo Ping
Their opponents stepped forward.
He Zhen was broad-shouldered, his cultivation at Body Tempering Ninth Layer, aura aggressive and unstable. Luo Ping, slimmer, eyes sharp, wielded a short blade etched with spirit runes.
A brute and a striker.
A common pairing.
Gu Wen whispered, "I'll draw the blade."
Chen Yuan nodded. "I'll break the rhythm."
No further discussion was needed.
The formation flared.
The match began.
He Zhen charged immediately, qi flooding his limbs as he slammed a fist toward Chen Yuan. No finesse—just force.
Chen Yuan sidestepped.
Barely.
The shockwave cracked the stone behind him.
Heavy hitter, Chen Yuan assessed instantly.
Luo Ping vanished from sight.
Gu Wen moved at once, intercepting, his defensive footwork unfolding like a practiced script. Steel rang against reinforced gloves.
Chen Yuan did not pursue offense.
He watched.
He Zhen overextended again.
Too eager.
Chen Yuan stepped in—not to strike, but to disrupt.
His palm landed lightly on He Zhen's elbow.
The system adjusted his timing by a fraction.
Micro-Alignment Applied
He Zhen's punch twisted off-angle.
Pain flared through his joint.
"What—?!"
Chen Yuan followed with a short knee to the ribs.
Not powerful.
Precise.
Luo Ping realized the issue too late.
Their rhythm was gone.
Gu Wen pressed harder, forcing Luo Ping into retreat rather than attack.
"He Zhen!" Luo Ping shouted. "Pull back!"
But He Zhen was already angry.
He roared and forced qi through his injured arm.
A mistake.
Chen Yuan waited for that moment.
He stepped inside the guard and struck—once.
A clean blow to the sternum.
He Zhen staggered back, breath knocked from his lungs, qi dispersing chaotically.
The arena formation reacted instantly.
A light flared.
He Zhen — Incapacitated
The match was decided.
Luo Ping froze, blade half-raised.
Gu Wen was already there.
A sharp tap to the wrist.
The blade clattered to the ground.
Silence.
Then the adjudicator spoke.
"Match complete."
Victory: Chen Yuan & Gu Wen
No cheers.
No gasps.
Just murmurs.
"That was… fast."
"They didn't overpower them."
"They dismantled them."
Chen Yuan exhaled slowly.
His chest ached faintly.
The mutation responded.
Post-Combat Adjustment:
Stress Absorbed
Structural Integrity: Stable
Gu Wen let out a breathless laugh. "We won. Cleanly."
Chen Yuan nodded.
"One step."
As they left the arena, Chen Yuan felt eyes on him.
From higher seats.
From stronger presences.
Somewhere among them, Lin Xue watched quietly.
And somewhere else, Zhao Ming clenched his fists.
The staircase had accepted Chen Yuan's foot.
And it did not reject him.