The roar of the Imperial Arena did not fade—it clung to the air like a memory unwilling to die. Even as the final echoes dissolved into the sky, the ancient stones beneath the warriors' feet seemed to hum faintly, as if they themselves were unwilling to release what had just begun. Yet for those who stood upon that stage—for the true contenders—the noise of the crowd had already become distant. Faded. Meaningless. The cheers, the mockery, the countless watching eyes… none of it mattered anymore. There was only one truth left. Survival.
The shift from spectacle to reality came without warning, without ceremony. One moment, they stood beneath the gaze of an empire. The next, they stood on the edge of something far more dangerous.
The old announcer did not prolong the moment. There were no speeches meant to inspire courage, no dramatic pauses to heighten anticipation. He simply raised his hand—and the world responded.
The formations beneath the arena awakened.
At first, it was a faint glow. Lines etched into the ancient stone began to shimmer, thin strands of light weaving across the platform like veins awakening after centuries of dormancy. Then the glow intensified. Brightened. Spread. Until the entire arena floor was consumed in a web of radiant patterns, each line pulsing with immense spatial energy.
The air grew heavy.
Then unstable.
Space itself bent, warped, twisted under the pressure.
Some weaker participants staggered slightly, their senses thrown into disarray. Others narrowed their eyes, focusing their energy to resist the distortion. The stronger ones—like Yan Lie, Hei Luo, and Mo Xiao Lan—remained steady, though even they could feel the magnitude of the formation activating beneath them.
"Prepare yourselves," the old man said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion, as if what was about to occur meant nothing to him. "The trial begins… now."
There was no countdown.
No warning.
No chance to react.
The moment his words ended—
the world shattered.
Light exploded outward, consuming everything in a blinding surge. Shapes dissolved. Sound vanished. Even the sensation of one's own body seemed to disappear, as if existence itself had been stripped away.
For a single fleeting instant—
there was nothing.
No direction.
No gravity.
No self.
Then—
impact.
Reality returned violently.
Lin Shuan's feet touched the ground, steady, controlled—but he did not move. Not immediately.
His eyes opened slowly.
And what greeted him…
was not the arena.
The sky above was suffocated by layers of drifting gray mist, thick and endless, blocking out any trace of sunlight. The light that filtered through was dim, lifeless, casting everything in a dull, muted tone that felt unnatural.
The air was cold.
Not the gentle chill of winter.
But a sharp, biting cold that crept beneath the skin, seeping into bone and marrow as if it sought to claim the body itself.
The land…
felt wrong.
Twisted trees clawed toward the sky, their branches resembling skeletal hands frozen mid-reach. Their bark was charred black, cracked and brittle, as though burned long ago by a fire that never fully consumed them. The ground beneath Lin Shuan's feet was uneven, littered with jagged stones and patches of dead grass that crumbled into dust at the slightest touch.
And the silence…
It was not peaceful.
It was watching.
Waiting.
Breathing.
Lin Shuan remained still, his senses expanding outward like an invisible tide. His aura was completely suppressed, buried so deeply within him that even the wind passed him by without acknowledgment. To the world around him—he did not exist.
Good.
No attention.
No interference.
No unnecessary variables.
The teleportation had scattered all participants across the region. He could feel no immediate presence nearby.
Perfect.
A slow breath left his lips.
"Illusory Beasts…"
His eyes sharpened slightly, a faint glint appearing in their depths.
"…let's see what you are."
The forest did not respond.
But something within it stirred.
The first sign came not from sight—
but from sound.
A faint rustle.
To his left.
Lin Shuan did not turn.
Did not react.
Instead, he shifted his weight just slightly, his posture loosening as if unaware of the danger approaching. His breathing remained even. His gaze unfocused.
An act.
A perfect one.
The rustling grew louder.
Closer.
Then—
it struck.
A blur erupted from the shadows, its form twisting unnaturally even as it moved. For a split second it resembled a wolf—but then its limbs elongated grotesquely, its body distorting into something unnatural, something that defied logic.
Its eyes glowed with hollow light.
Its jaws opened far too wide, revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth.
Its very existence was wrong.
Designed to confuse.
To distort perception.
To force hesitation.
But Lin Shuan—
did not hesitate.
The moment it entered his range—
he moved.
No wasted motion.
No excess force.
Just precision.
His hand shot forward like a silent strike—
and caught the creature mid-lunge.
Fingers closed around its throat.
CRACK.
The sound echoed sharply through the stillness.
The beast froze instantly.
Then—
collapsed.
Its distorted body unraveled like mist under pressure, dissolving into nothingness.
But Lin Shuan did not release his grip immediately.
His gaze remained fixed.
Observing.
Analyzing.
The remnants of the creature condensed, shrinking, compressing, as if an invisible force was pulling them inward.
Then—
a small crystal formed.
Floating.
Glowing faintly.
Energy Crystal.
Pure.
Refined.
His eyes flickered.
"So it's real…"
Without hesitation, he took it.
The moment it touched his palm—
the crystal dissolved.
Energy flowed into him.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
A slight increase in strength.
A faint reinforcement of his foundation.
Small—
but real.
A barely noticeable smile touched his lips.
"Not bad."
Elsewhere—
the forest erupted into chaos.
A swordsman swung wildly, his blade slicing through illusions that vanished upon contact, leaving him vulnerable to attacks he could not see.
A female cultivator stood frozen, surrounded by countless copies of herself, each one mimicking her movements perfectly, trapping her in a prison of her own perception.
A group of three fought back-to-back—until one of them turned, only to realize that one of his allies had no shadow.
Too late.
Blood stained the ground.
Screams echoed briefly—then were swallowed by the forest.
The Illusory Beasts were not merely predators.
They were manipulators.
They attacked the mind.
And those who could not control their perception—
were already dead.
Lin Shuan moved forward.
Step by step.
Silent.
Measured.
Every movement calculated.
The forest responded.
More beasts emerged.
Some crawled along the ground, their bodies phasing in and out of existence.
Some descended from above, wings made of shifting fragments that never fully formed.
Some did not appear at all—
until the moment they struck.
But their fate was always the same.
They died.
Quickly.
Cleanly.
Efficiently.
Every kill—
another crystal.
Every crystal—
absorbed.
The process repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Hours passed.
Time lost meaning within the mist.
The deeper he went—
the stronger the beasts became.
Their illusions more refined.
Their attacks more deceptive.
But Lin Shuan adapted.
With each absorbed crystal, his control sharpened. His perception deepened. His foundation—though still appearing weak to any observer—grew increasingly stable.
Unshakable.
Then—
he felt it.
A fluctuation.
Different from the beasts.
Different from the environment.
His gaze shifted.
And there—
it was.
A Spirit Herb.
Nestled beside a twisted rock formation, its pale blue glow pushed back the surrounding darkness. Frost energy radiated from it, subtle yet pure, forming a small zone of clarity within the corrupted land.
Lin Shuan approached slowly.
Carefully.
But the moment he crossed a certain distance—
the ground trembled.
A low growl rolled through the air.
Deep.
Heavy.
Ancient.
From behind the rock—
it emerged.
This one was different.
Its form did not flicker.
Did not distort.
It was stable.
Real.
Massive in size, resembling a fusion between a tiger and something far older, far more primal. Its body was layered with semi-transparent textures, like overlapping illusions that had finally settled into a single existence.
Its eyes locked onto Lin Shuan.
And for the first time—
pressure descended.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Six-Star level.
A true threat.
The beast did not rush.
It circled.
Slowly.
Observing.
Testing.
Lin Shuan remained still.
Calm.
Unmoving.
But within him—
something stirred.
Deep inside his chest—
a pulse.
Cold.
Ancient.
The Frost Divine Heart.
It beat once.
Then again.
A wave of cold spread through his meridians—not outward in a display of power, but inward, refining, sharpening, compressing his energy into something far more dangerous.
Controlled.
Perfect.
The beast lunged.
Explosive.
Violent.
But Lin Shuan—
stepped forward.
Not back.
Their movements collided.
And in that instant—
he released it.
Not fully.
Just a fragment.
A whisper of the Frost Divine Heart's power.
The temperature plummeted instantly.
Frost erupted along his arm, spiraling outward as his strike connected.
The beast froze mid-motion.
Its illusions shattered.
Its true form exposed—
for a fraction of a second.
Then—
CRACK.
It broke apart.
Silently.
Completely.
High above—
hidden within a concealed formation—
the Empire Protector watched.
Her calm expression shattered.
Her eyes widened.
"…that cold…"
Her voice trembled faintly.
"…that aura…"
Recognition flickered.
Impossible.
"…Lin Clan…?"
The words escaped before she could stop them.
"…is it… you…?"
But no one heard.
Below—
Lin Shuan stood over the remains.
A larger crystal formed.
Denser.
More refined.
He picked it up.
Absorbed it.
This time—
the surge was significant.
Power flowed through his body, reinforcing his core, strengthening his meridians, stabilizing his hidden foundation.
His eyes flickered.
Satisfied.
Then—
he reached for the Spirit Herb.
His fingers brushed its surface—
and stopped.
A presence.
Behind him.
Not a beast.
Human.
He turned slowly.
From the shadows—
Yan Lie stepped forward.
Black lightning flickered around him, illuminating his face in brief flashes.
He was smiling.
"Well…"
His voice was casual.
Almost amused.
"…looks like I found something interesting."
His gaze shifted briefly to the herb.
Then back.
Sharp.
Curious.
"And here I thought this place would be boring."
Lin Shuan said nothing.
Yan Lie chuckled.
"You're quiet."
A step forward.
"Good."
Another.
"I don't like talkative opponents."
The air tightened.
Lightning crackled.
The ground beneath Yan Lie's feet fractured slightly under the pressure of his energy.
But Lin Shuan—
remained still.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
Yan Lie's grin widened.
"Let's see…"
His figure blurred.
Vanished.
And in the next instant—
he was there.
Right in front of Lin Shuan.
Speed beyond perception.
His hand shot forward—
aimed directly at Lin Shuan's throat.
Fast.
Precise.
Lethal.
But—
it stopped.
Not because it missed.
Not because it slowed.
But because—
Lin Shuan caught it.
Effortlessly.
Yan Lie's smile froze.
For the first time—
his eyes changed.
Surprise.
Genuine.
"…interesting."
His lightning surged violently, erupting outward in chaotic arcs that scorched the ground.
But Lin Shuan's grip—
did not move.
His gaze remained calm.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Then—
he spoke.
Quietly.
"…you talk too much."
And in that instant—
the balance of the battlefield shifted.