The morning sun rose blood-red over Qinghe Town, as if the heavens themselves sensed what was coming.
The Ye Clan's central martial arena had been transformed. Stone stands packed with outer and inner disciples, servants, and curious townsfolk. At the highest viewing platform sat Princess Li Qing in a raised throne, her crimson robes glowing like flame, four royal guards standing behind her like statues. Her phoenix eyes never left me.
I stood at the edge of the arena in fresh black robes, the iron sword at my waist replaced by a newly issued mid-grade spirit sword from the clan treasury — still nothing special, but it would do. The God Rock rested securely in my storage pouch, its power quietly feeding me strength.
The old patriarch — now demoted to an elder — announced with a trembling voice:
"The annual outer-to-inner disciple tournament begins! The winner shall receive one hundred high-grade spirit stones, a Foundation Establishment pill, and the personal recognition of Princess Li Qing!"
Murmurs swept the crowd. Everyone knew the real prize today wasn't the resources. It was survival.
Because I was participating.
"First match: Ye Tianhen versus Ye Ming!"
A burly outer disciple at Qi Condensation sixth layer stepped onto the stage, cracking his knuckles. He had been one of Ye Kun's loyal dogs — the kind who enjoyed whipping me the most.
"Trash," he sneered loudly enough for the entire arena to hear. "Even if you got lucky last night, I'll crush your new arrogance and drag your broken body before the princess."
I walked onto the stone platform without a word.
The referee barely had time to shout "Begin!" before Ye Ming charged, using a heavy fist technique that made the air rumble.
I held the God Rock through the pouch and watched.
In one glance I copied his entire style — flaws and all — then improved it.
Space rippled.
I disappeared from where I stood and reappeared directly in front of him, sword already drawn in a perfect horizontal slash.
Sching!
His right arm flew off in a fountain of blood, spinning through the air before landing with a wet slap outside the ring. Ye Ming screamed, staggering back, but I didn't give him a chance to recover.
Second strike — clean and merciless.
The spirit sword sliced through his left leg at the knee. Bone shattered. Blood sprayed in a wide arc, painting the arena floor crimson.
He collapsed, howling in agony.
I placed the tip of my sword against his throat.
"Beg," I said quietly.
"P-please… spare me…" he sobbed, face twisted in terror.
I smiled coldly and drove the blade down.
His head rolled across the stone, eyes still wide with disbelief. A thick pool of blood spread beneath the severed neck.
Dead silence fell over the arena.
One move. Two strikes. A sixth-layer opponent decapitated in under five seconds.
Princess Li Qing leaned forward on her throne, lips slightly parted, eyes shining with intense interest.
The referee's voice cracked as he announced, "Ye Tianhen… wins."
The next opponents came faster, each more desperate than the last.
Second match: Two inner disciples at seventh layer attacked me together, hoping numbers would overwhelm.
I used the faint Space Dao I had comprehended from Zorath and blinked between them. My sword became a storm of silver light.
Slash. Slash.
One lost both arms at the elbows. The other took a vertical cut from collarbone to waist, guts spilling onto the stage in a gruesome mess. Their screams were cut short when I severed their heads with two clean follow-up strikes.
Blood rained down.
Third match: An eighth-layer inner disciple who specialized in defensive earth techniques.
He raised a stone shield as thick as a wall.
I copied the technique instantly through the God Rock, then infused it with the early strands of Time Dao. For one heartbeat, his shield slowed as if trapped in molasses.
My sword pierced straight through the center, shattering stone and punching into his heart. I twisted the blade, then yanked it free in a spray of gore.
He toppled backward, chest cavity wide open, dead before he hit the ground.
By the fifth match, no one wanted to step onto the stage.
The arena floor was slick with blood. Severed limbs and heads lay scattered like broken dolls. The air reeked of iron and death.
Princess Li Qing stood up slowly, her voice carrying clearly across the silent stands.
"Is there no one left who dares face Ye Tianhen?"
Silence.
Then the old patriarch, face ashen, pointed at the last remaining inner disciple genius — Ye Long, ninth layer of Qi Condensation, the previous tournament champion.
Ye Long stepped forward, sword trembling slightly in his grip.
"I… I will fight."
He lasted longer than the others — almost ten exchanges.
He used every technique in the clan arsenal. I copied them all on the spot, then countered with perfected versions. My sword moved like flowing water and striking lightning at once.
Final move: I slowed time around his blade for half a breath using the God Rock's power, stepped inside his guard, and drove my spirit sword straight through his throat.
Blood gushed from the wound like a broken fountain. Ye Long clutched his neck, eyes bulging, before collapsing face-first into the bloody arena.
Dead.
I stood alone on the stage, sword dripping, black robes splattered crimson, chest rising and falling evenly.
Not a single scratch on me.
The entire Ye Clan stared in horror and awe.
Princess Li Qing descended from her platform and walked straight onto the blood-soaked stage, her boots leaving delicate footprints in the red.
She stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell the faint floral scent of her hair.
"Impressive," she whispered, voice low so only I could hear. "Ruthless. Efficient. And that strange spatial movement… you truly are no ordinary cultivator."
Her fingers brushed my blood-stained sleeve, eyes gleaming with heat.
"Tonight, after the banquet, come to my private courtyard in town. Alone."
She turned and addressed the silent crowd, voice ringing with imperial authority.
"Ye Tianhen is the undisputed champion. The Ye Clan will grant him all promised rewards — and more. From this day forward, the Ye Clan stands under his command."
She glanced back at me, a small, daring smile on her lips.
"And I look forward to our… private discussion."
As she walked away with her guards, the arena finally erupted — some cheering in terror, others whispering that a new sovereign had been born in Qinghe Town.
I wiped the blood from my sword and looked up at the sky.
The first step was complete.
The clan was mine.
The princess was interested.
And the God Rock continued to pulse warmly against my side, hungry for more techniques, more daos, more power.
Soon I would leave this small town.
But first… tonight.
I would claim my first royal wife.
And seal the beginning of my true ascent.