Isshin returned to his body.
The moment he did, his expression changed completely.
He collapsed, screaming.
The sound echoed through the chamber, loud enough that even the Skeleton King reacted.
"What is happening in there…?!" the King muttered.
Raijin appeared beside Isshin, clearly tense.
"Hold on Get through it!" he said.
The pain hit all at once.
Isshin's body started breaking down. His bones cracked, his breathing lost rhythm, his entire body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside.
He couldn't control it.
"I can't… I don't want this…" he said through broken breaths. "I don't want to do this…"
Raijin stayed with him.
"You were chosen for a reason," he said. "You can handle this. You have to!."
Isshin kept going.
The pain didn't stop.
Time passed.
Eventually, Raijin stepped in and used his power to stabilize him, focusing on keeping his body from completely failing.
When Isshin finally opened his eyes again, everything felt quiet.
Raijin was beside him.
"You made it through," he said.
Isshin didn't respond right away.
He just nodded.
A skeleton soldier opened the door.
"Come."
Isshin stood up and followed.
They walked through the tunnels until they reached a massive open area.
An arena.
The space was huge, filled with skeletons and spirits watching from all sides.
Isshin realized that they had a full on eco system down here
The Skeleton King stood above.
"Silence," he said.
The noise died down immediately.
"I don't know what you went through," the King continued. "But this is your next step. Fight."
At the other end, someone stepped forward.
Wearing old armor, sword in hand.
"The rookie slayer, Zolfyq," a voice called out.
Isshin checked.
Golden Core Realm, 9th Stage.
Zolfyq moved first.
Fast.
Their swords clashed.
Isshin held his ground.
Zolfyq pushed forward, qi building into his attacks.
"Do you know why you have to die?" he said.
"Why?" Isshin asked.
"Because you're alive. And I'm not."
He attacked again.
Isshin stepped back slightly, then adjusted his stance.
He focused.
Qi gathered into his sword.
"Flash Strike."
He moved.
In one motion, he closed the distance and struck.
Zolfyq didn't react in time.
The attack landed.
Silence filled the arena for a moment.
Then the crowd reacted.
Isshin stepped back, breathing steady.
The Skeleton King watched him.
"A fourth-stage Golden Core defeating a ninth-stage… interesting."
He waved his hand and pulled Zolfyq's body aside.
"This is what I was looking for."
He tossed Isshin a bag.
"Take it. You're free to move around the city now. Don't do anything stupid."
Isshin caught it, confused.
City?
He was led out of the arena.
What he saw next surprised him.
An entire underground city.
Skeletons, spirits, people moving around like it was normal.
No hostility.
Just curiosity.
"That's the human?"
People gathered around him.
Some excited, some just observing.
Isshin instinctively tensed, but they weren't attacking.
They were talking.
Congratulating him.
He didn't know how to react.
Eventually, he was led into a tavern.
Food was brought out.
People were still talking around him.
Then someone approached.
A tall woman with long dark hair.
"I'm Syr," she said. "Commander."
"Isshin," he replied.
"You look confused," she said. "Most humans expect something different."
Isshin didn't deny it.
"We're not what you think," she continued. "We've been here for a long time."
Isshin glanced around.
"And the Skeleton King?"
"He wants to leave," she said. "Just like everyone else here."
"Then what is stopping you guys?" Isshin asked
"We are all connected to the King, we are all his summons and he is unable to leave due to him getting trapped by a cultivator thousands of years ago."
She didn't say more than that.
"Come," she added. "I'll show you where you'll stay."
The place she brought him to had everything he needed.
Bed. Clothes. Water.
Isshin looked around.
"How does all this exist here?"
"Stored resources," she said. "More than enough."
Isshin didn't ask more.
After she left, he lay down.
Closed his eyes.
Then—
He was back in his inner world.
Raijin appeared immediately.
"You're back already?"
Isshin nodded.
"I'm training."
Raijin frowned slightly. "Your body just went through too much."
"I know," Isshin said. "But I can't slow down."
Raijin watched him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
Days passed with Isshin training nonstop.
He didn't slow down. He stayed focused, repeating the same routines, refining everything step by step. Over time, he reached the 6th stage of the Golden Core Realm.
At this point, progressing didn't feel difficult anymore.
It just became part of his routine.
Soon, it was time for his second fight.
The arena was full again.
People were already talking, waiting to see what he would do this time. His last fight was still fresh in their minds, and expectations were higher now.
Isshin walked out calmly, his sword resting on his back.
His expression didn't change, but he stayed alert.
Then he saw his opponent.
It wasn't a skeleton this time.
A creature stood across from him.
Around ten feet tall, with large wings, but its arms and legs looked almost human. Its eyes didn't look wild either.
A Strix.
Isshin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Raijin spoke immediately.
"Be careful."
The Strix let out a low sound, then moved.
Its wings spread, and strong winds filled the arena.
At the same time, a dark blue-black mist spread out, covering Isshin completely.
The crowd reacted, but Isshin ignored it.
Inside the mist, his vision was blocked.
He couldn't track it.
"Use the system," Raijin said. "The moment you detect it mark it."
Isshin tightened his grip.
He stayed still for a second.
Then—
Movement.
He activated the system.
A faint mark appeared, locking onto the Strix's position.
Even though he couldn't see it, he could track it now.
The Strix moved unpredictably, changing direction constantly.
But the system adjusted tried its best to predict the next movement
Then suddenly, it rushed in.
Isshin reacted instantly.
Thunder qi flowed through his body.
He turned and drove his sword forward.
The strike landed.
The Strix let out a loud screech and struggled to pull away.
The crowd reacted immediately.
But the fight wasn't over.
The Strix took to the air, wings beating hard as it rose above him.
Then it attacked again.
Multiple qi slashes came down toward Isshin.
He used flash step, moving through them one after another.
While moving, he fired Thunder Qi Arrows back at it.
They hit.
But didn't do much.
The creature's body was too durable.
Then the Strix opened its beak.
Qi gathered quickly.
Isshin understood right away.
If that hits, it's over.
He didn't aim at the Strix.
Instead, he looked up.
Stalactites.
He fired upward.
The arrows struck.
Cracks spread.
Then—
The ceiling broke.
Large chunks of rock fell straight down.
The Strix reacted too late.
It got hit and forced to the ground, pinned under the debris.
Isshin moved in immediately, raising his sword.
But before he could finish it—
The Strix disappeared.
Its body turned into dark mist and faded.
A voice echoed through the arena.
"That's enough. You win this round."
The Skeleton King sounded calm, but he was clearly interested.
A bag floated toward Isshin.
He caught it.
Inside were cultivation items and resources.
Isshin looked at it briefly, then put it away.
The crowd reacted loudly again, but he ignored it.
The fight was already over.
He turned and walked out.
There was no reason to stay.
He went back to his room.
His mind was already on the next step.
Training.