Chapter 9: Li Jun's Final Gamble
Li Jun had not slept.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His hair was unkempt.
The calm smile he once wore like armor had completely vanished.
The academy chamber felt too small.
Every shadow looked like it was watching him.
"They failed…" Li Jun muttered.
Three assassins.
Professionals.
Crushed.
Alive.
That last detail gnawed at his sanity.
Zhang Wei hadn't killed them.
That wasn't mercy.
That was a message.
Li Jun clenched his jaw.
"No more half measures," he whispered.
If Zhang Wei continued like this, exposure was inevitable. The evidence. The resource logs. The forged reports.
Everything would surface.
And when it did—
Li Jun's fate would be worse than death.
Deep beneath the academy, hidden behind layers of sealed formations, lay a place few even knew existed.
The Blood Oath Hall.
Li Jun stood before the sealed door, hands trembling slightly.
"This is madness," he told himself.
But he pushed forward anyway.
The door opened with a low groan.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of iron and incense.
A man sat cross-legged at the center of the chamber.
White hair.
Pale skin.
Eyes like bottomless pits.
Elder Mo.
A name that should never be spoken lightly.
"Li Jun," the old man said softly, without opening his eyes.
"You shouldn't be here."
Li Jun swallowed hard and dropped to his knees.
"Elder Mo," he said quickly, "I need your help."
Silence stretched.
Then—
"What price are you willing to pay?" Elder Mo asked.
Li Jun hesitated.
Then clenched his fists.
"Anything."
Elder Mo finally opened his eyes.
A smile curved his lips.
Far away, beyond the academy walls—
I stood at the edge of a ruined town in the Outer Domain.
Smoke curled from broken buildings.
Bodies lay scattered across the streets.
Another local gang had tried to test me.
They failed.
The system panel hovered calmly.
[DING!]
Local Power Eliminated.
Reputation Surge Detected.
Title Fragment Progress:
Outer Domain Enforcer (2/3)
Power +11.
I exhaled slowly.
The Outer Domain was simple.
Strength ruled.
Fear spread faster than blood.
And my name was already moving ahead of me.
The system pulsed again.
[DING!]
Warning.
Long-range hostile intent detected.
Source: Academy Region.
Threat Level: Extreme.
I narrowed my eyes.
"So you finally chose," I murmured.
Back at the academy, blood dripped onto the floor of the Blood Oath Hall.
Li Jun knelt within a formation carved with ancient runes.
His arm trembled as a blade sliced across his palm.
Blood flowed into the grooves, glowing faintly.
"I offer my cultivation," Li Jun said hoarsely.
"I offer my future."
Elder Mo chanted softly.
The formation activated.
A sickening pressure flooded the chamber.
Li Jun screamed as something was torn from deep within him.
His cultivation dropped.
His face aged.
But power—
Dark power—
Poured into him.
The ritual ended abruptly.
Li Jun collapsed, gasping.
Elder Mo stood.
"It is done," he said calmly.
"For one battle, you will surpass your limits."
Li Jun looked at his trembling hands.
A terrifying aura seeped from his body.
Elite Rank.
No.
Beyond it.
His eyes burned with obsession.
"One battle is enough," he said.
The system chimed sharply in my mind.
[DING!]
Critical Event Detected.
Primary Antagonist has entered Forbidden State.
Estimated Power Spike: Temporary Ascension.
Location: Academy Duel Grounds.
Forced Confrontation Probability: High.
I laughed quietly.
"Desperate people always gamble everything," I said.
I turned back toward the academy.
Shadow Step activated.
The world blurred.
The academy shook as pressure descended.
Students froze mid-step.
Elders rushed out from their halls.
At the center of the duel grounds, Li Jun stood alone.
His aura roared skyward like a pillar of black flame.
"What is that?!"
"That pressure—!"
"Is that Li Jun?!"
Fear rippled through the crowd.
Elder Qin appeared instantly, eyes sharp.
"Li Jun," he demanded, "what have you done?"
Li Jun lifted his head slowly.
His smile was twisted.
"I've corrected a mistake," he said.
The sky darkened.
Then—
I appeared.
Shadow Step.
I stood opposite him.
The pressure vanished.
The crowd exploded.
"Zhang Wei!"
"He's back!"
"Is he insane?!"
Li Jun's eyes locked onto mine.
"You should have died," he said quietly.
I studied him calmly.
"You should have stayed insignificant," I replied.
The system pulsed violently.
[DING!]
Final Antagonist Phase Initiated.
Optional Quest:
End the Traitor (Extreme)
Conditions:
– Public defeat
– No external aid
Reward:
Rank Advancement
Title Completion
System Evolution Progress +25%
Accept?
"Yes."
The ground cracked beneath my feet.
Li Jun laughed.
"Good," he said.
"I want everyone to see this."
He moved first.
Too fast.
The ground exploded where I stood.
Elite-level power—no, more than that—crashed down.
I blocked.
The impact sent shockwaves through the arena.
Students were thrown backward.
Elders erected barriers.
My feet slid.
But I didn't fall.
The system chimed.
[DING!]
Extreme Pressure Detected.
Adaptive Growth Overdrive Activated.
Power surging…
I stepped forward.
Shadow Step chained.
Li Jun's eyes widened as I appeared inside his guard.
My fist struck his chest.
His ribs cracked.
He flew backward, coughing blood.
Shock spread across his face.
"You—!"
I didn't stop.
I pressed forward relentlessly.
Punch.
Kick.
Elbow.
Each strike carried domination.
Li Jun screamed as his borrowed power destabilized.
Cracks spread across his aura.
"No!" he roared.
"This power is mine!"
He charged again.
I met him head-on.
My palm struck his forehead.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Li Jun collapsed to his knees.
The pressure vanished.
Silence fell.
I stood over him.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Exposed.
I leaned close.
"You gambled everything," I said quietly.
"And lost."
The system chimed.
[DING!]
Quest Completed.
Rank Advancement in progress…
Title Completed.
Title:
Outer Domain Enforcer
Effect:
Fear-based growth doubled in hostile regions.
System Evolution Progress: 60%
Li Jun collapsed fully, unconscious.
The crowd stared.
No cheers.
No words.
Only awe.
Elder Qin stepped forward slowly.
"This ends here," he said.
I turned away.
Li Jun was finished.
But the world—
The world was just beginning.