Outside the arena, the atmosphere among the elders had shifted from tense anticipation to something approaching boredom. Yanqi sat with Kuang Baotu, Xie Tianhun, Zhao Tianxue, and a collection of lesser elders from the Stormbreak, Ironblood, and Venomheart sects alongside some agents like yanqi's hater who keeps teasing him now and then. The seating arrangement was a silent testament to hierarchy—the two Ember Wake generals flanked by the peak Rank 2 cultivators, with the sect elders relegated to the periphery.
Kuang Baotu ruffled his beard, his expression one of barely concealed dissatisfaction. "It's been quite boring for a while now."
Yanqi nodded in agreement, though his attention remained fixed on the leaderboard floating in the air above the arena. His eyes traced the rankings with quiet satisfaction.
Lin Shu had climbed to fifth place. The ascent was impressive, but it wasn't due to his efforts. Zaisheng had taken the two Ironblood disciples' tokens, pushing his total well beyond reach. Over seventy thousand points. The violet-haired fighter had carved a path through multiple sect representatives, though Yanqi noted with clinical detachment that only the Ironblood disciples had come from a mid-sized sect. The others were from smaller, less prestigious schools—strong in their own right, but not comparable to anyone within the top ten.
"I wonder why the major sects didn't send their inner disciples," Yanqi mused, watching the rankings shift. "The Stormbreak sent multiple representatives but only one inner disciple, the Ironblood and Venomheart sent capable fighters, but none of them are their best. Only the Silverpeak sent no one at all."
His thoughts were interrupted by Zhao Tianxue, who was observing a different part of the vision cube. His grandson and Tianhun's disciple had met, talked, and parted ways without a single exchange of blows.
Kuang Baotu's disappointment was audible. "I thought they were going to fight." He waved a hand at the cube, where other images showed similar scenes—fighters from different sects and clans clustered together, some even laughing, trading information instead of hunting. "What is this? Are those truce zones? Is this some sort of joke to these fools?"
He flicked his fingers, and a smaller cube materialized before him, showing his own private view of the hunt. His eyes narrowed. "I suppose it was to be expected. Those who won't even reach the top hundred would naturally create safety zones to ensure their survival." His smile was thin, predatory. "Unfortunately for them, I didn't exactly forbid such things. But I didn't exactly allow them either." He tapped his chin. "So what should I do about this?"
Yanqi watched him carefully, reading the seeker's mood. An opportunity was presenting itself. "Why not send someone strong enough to attack them all? Break that truce zone completely."
Kuang Baotu's smile widened. "That was exactly what I was thinking, hahahaha." His laughter was sharp, cutting through the arena's ambient noise. "But who should it be? Tianhun's disciple?" He considered the idea for a moment, then dismissed it. "No, no. He's not desperate enough for points."
Yanqi allowed himself a small smile. "Why not send my fighter, Li? You can simply tell him to go. I can assure you, he'll jump at the chance without hesitation."
Kuang Baotu's eyes gleamed with interest. "That's true. He does seem the type." He leaned back, considering. "I was thinking of sending that Zaisheng fellow. But unfortunately, he's been staying away from such places. Just waiting for people to leave, picking them off one by one." His voice hardened with disapproval. "I'm sure if I offered him something, he'd do it. But that just proves my point—he lacks the desire for valor. Playing it safe, as if this isn't a hunt for valor." He shook his head firmly. "No. I won't have that."
His gaze swept the assembled elders, his voice rising with contempt. "Everyone in this place is looking for temporary things. A few shards here, a technique there. None are daring enough to go for a resonance. And even those who are looking for one are playing so safe it's beyond pathetic."
Tianhun sighed, a sound that might have been agreement or might have been resignation. Zhao Tianxue chuckled softly, enjoying the spectacle. The other elders remained silent, their discomfort visible. They were elders of major sects, yes, but not grand elders. Only those who had reached the Ember Wake stage could speak freely in the presence of monsters, and one of them was Kuang Baotu whose reputation for volatility was legendary.
Kuang Baotu turned his attention to the Stormbreak elders. "Do any of you think your disciples are bold enough for this?"
The Stormbreak elders exchanged glances, but none spoke. The unspoken answer was clear: none of their students could simply walk into a truce zone full of peak-stage cultivators and dismantle it alone. The only one from their sect capable of such a feat was Han Lei, and he was not under their authority. Elder Shufen, the one responsible for Han Lei, had been absent for four days now, since the hunt began. No one knew why.
Kuang Baotu's gaze moved to the Ironblood elders, then to the Venomheart representative. The Venomheart elder, a woman whose placid expression masked growing unease, kept her eyes fixed on her own viewing cube. "Just my luck," she thought, her mind racing. "Why did we get sent? Why didn't they send a grand elder? They didn't even send any inner disciples from our sect." She watched Lanxin on her cube, the girl moving cautiously through the forest, and felt a sharp pang of regret. "This could have been a huge opportunity. We could have interested Kuang Baotu. He might have let us set up a shop in his district. But I can't risk Lanxin getting hurt she's gonna be a disciple of the grand elder soon i can't risk her being injured in such risky situations."
Kuang Baotu's disappointment was palpable. He had asked, and no one had answered.
Tianhun's voice broke the silence, carrying a note of amusement. "Aren't you going to ask us, Baotu?"
Beside him, Zhao Tianxue covered a laugh with a cough.
Kuang Baotu sighed heavily, waving a hand at the two generals. "Your disciples are not seeking valor. They talk to others rather then hunt anything that moves infront of them." He gestured at the cube, where the image of Han Lei and Xie Lang parting ways still lingered. "The evidence is right there. They met, and they just talked I looked forward to them fighting but they did nothing."
He lay back in his throne, the fire leaving his voice, replaced by something like exhaustion. "Yanqi."
Yanqi smiled, his plan unfolding exactly as he had anticipated. "I knew none of them would satisfy his conditions. They're all too careful. They calculate the risks, weigh the rewards, and choose the safe path. But Li..." He thought of that boy—the ruthless pragmatism, the willingness to take enormous risks for enormous rewards. "Li is careful too, in his own way. But Baotu saw it. He knows Li is the kind to take risks when the reward is great enough. The others see a truce zone and think 'safety.' Li sees a truce zone and thinks 'prey.'"
Kuang Baotu's gaze settled on Yanqi, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed a small communication cube through the air. Yanqi caught it deftly, feeling the faint pulse of qi within.
"I want you to tell him that I want him to change his path," Kuang Baotu said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "Wherever he's heading, send him to the truce zone. Order him to kill everyone there."
Yanqi nodded, channeling his qi into the cube. An image flickered to life—Lin Shu and his group running through the forest, their movements fluid and practiced.
---
"So what do you guys want to do after the hunt?" Shang asked, his grin bright.
Kai didn't miss a beat. "Keep my distance from you."
Shang's laugh boomed through the trees. "Haha! Nice one! Yeah, but that won't be happening, BROTHERRRRRRR!" He screamed the last word directly into Kai's ear.
"AH! Damn it! Get off me, you moron!" Kai shoved at Shang, but the winged fighter was already pulling back, his laughter infectious.
Yu chuckled, his earlier tension fading. "Well, I have something in mind, but we should leave that fo—"
"LI."
The voice cut through their banter like a blade. Everyone froze, bodies shifting into defensive stances.
"CALM DOWN. IT'S ME, YANQI."
Lin Shu didn't move from his defensive posture. His eyes scanned the trees, the shadows, every possible angle of approach. "Prove it. Tell me something only you would know."
The voice was silent for a moment. Then:
"YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED AT THE ARENA. YOU USED TO USE A LAUGHING HELM TO INTIMIDATE YOUR OPPONENTS, BUT YOU STOPPED DOING THAT AFTER YOU FOUND OUT NO ONE GAVE A SHIT WHEN THEY SEE BLOODBEASTS EVERY DAY."
Yu's composure cracked first, a giggle escaping despite himself. Shang lost it completely, doubling over with laughter that echoed off the trees. Kai stood awkwardly, caught between the urge to laugh and the instinct to silence Shang before he got them all killed. Even Aoyan was laughing, her hand pressed to her mouth.
"Yeah, I remember that," she said, her voice bright with amusement. "You tried to scare me with it too. Hahaha."
Lin Shu's jaw tightened behind his helm. He remembered. He had thought the mask was intimidating, a way to unnerve his opponents before the fight even began. It had taken him weeks to realize that men who faced bloodbeasts daily were not easily impressed by a grinning face carved from wood. The realization had been humiliating. The memory of it now was worse.
Aoyan was still laughing. Lin Shu reached out and clamped his hand over her mouth, his grip firm but not painful. Her eyes went wide, her laughter muffled against his palm.
He turned his attention to Shang. "I'm going to rip your wings out if you don't shut your mouth."
Shang only laughed harder, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "Is that your new method of intimidation, man? You should have just stuck with the mask!"
A thin beam of white fire—a Scorch Piercer shot past Shang's feet. The ground at his toes exploded, and Shang's legs went out from under him. He landed hard on his back, his laughter finally cutting off into a surprised wheeze.
"Shut him up," Lin Shu said flatly.
Kai scrambled to comply, throwing himself at Shang and clamping a hand over the winged fighter's mouth. Shang's muffled protests were barely audible.
Aoyan's muffled laughter continued against Lin Shu's palm, her eyes crinkled with amusement. He kept his hand there, feeling the warmth of her breath against his skin, her face half-hidden behind his fingers. She reached up and gently tugged at his wrist, but he didn't lower his hand.
"You don't have to be embarrassed about it, Li," she said, her voice slightly distorted. "I thought it was cool, you know?"
A vein bulged at Lin Shu's temple. "If it wasn't for that redheaded drunkard, I would have punched her in the stomach already," he thought viciously.
---
Through the communication cube, Yanqi watched the scene unfold. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face—his disciple, the cold, ruthless fighter who had carved a path through the hunt, was being teased about a laughing helm by his own team. There was something almost warm about it if you forget that they've been killing cultivators left and right.
"Hey," Kuang Baotu's voice cut into his thoughts. "What are you doing? You can talk to them later. Tell him to go kill everyone in the truce zone."
Yanqi's smile faded. He had almost forgotten the purpose of the call.
"Li." His voice carried through the cube, regaining its commanding edge. "The owner of the arena would like you to do something for him. He wants you to head to the truce zone ahead of you. Go there. Kill everyone inside."
Lin Shu's posture stiffened. His hand finally dropped from Aoyan's face, his attention fully captured. "Wait. Why is Kuang Baotu asking me to do this? Is this a request? Does that mean I get something if I do it? Maybe he has someone he hates there and wants me to get rid of them. But why me? Does he not want it tied to him? Which means the target would be very important."
Yanqi saw the gears turning behind Lin Shu's stillness and cut in sharply. "Don't think too much about it. He wants to see something fun, and he chose you to do it."
Lin Shu's lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't believe that for a moment. No one in Kuang Baotu's position of power did anything purely for entertainment. But he also had no choice. Still, there was one thing he could ask.
"Do I get something if I do it?"
Yanqi opened his mouth to answer, but the cube was snatched from his hands. Kuang Baotu's face—or rather, the presence of his voice—filled the connection.
"NO, YOU DON'T."
Lin Shu went very still. He could guess who was speaking now.
"CONSIDER IT AN HONOR TO DO SOMETHING TO ENTERTAIN ME. NOW GET TO IT. I'M ALREADY DYING OF BOREDOM. AND DON'T DISAPPOINT ME. JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NO PHYSICAL REWARD DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S NO PUNISHMENT. HAHAHAHAHA!"
The connection cut off. The cube went dark.
Lin Shu stood motionless for a moment, processing the absolute absurdity of what had just happened. Then he began to move, his armor settling into place with a series of soft clicks. Aoyan fell into step beside him, her earlier laughter replaced by quiet concern. Shang and Kai stopped their scuffling, recognizing the shift in his mood. Yu watched silently, his expression neutral.
"I can't even curse," Lin Shu thought, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. "If I say anything disrespectful, he might kill me for it. What did Yanqi get me into now?"