The Sanmiao City Arena was now blanketed in silence. The roar of victory and the screams of the invaders had become a part of history. In the center of the field, Elder Wang Shen stood, stroking his white beard. His eyes scanned every brick of the arena. Before him stood City Lord Wang Long, bowing with deep respect.
Elder Wang Shen looked directly into his son's eyes and asked in his heavy, resonant voice:
"Wang Long! Tell me, why was this duel being held in this arena in the first place?"
Wang Long folded his hands and replied with great humility, "Father, that boy, Ye Fang, helped my daughters. When I tried to reward him, he refused all wealth and riches. His only condition was this—he wanted to fight in this arena. I organized this match simply to repay that debt of gratitude."
A spark of disbelief flashed in Elder Wang Shen's eyes. "Help? What kind of help? Tell me exactly what happened."
Wang Long saw his father's curiosity but did not wish to make the private matter public just yet. He simply said, "Let it be for now, Father."
The Elder sighed, realizing his son wasn't ready to share more. He looked around the empty stands and asked, "Very well... then tell me, where did the boy go?"
Wang Long smiled with confidence. "Father, he must be right here."
He raised his hand and pointed toward the corner where Ye Fang had been standing. But as his eyes landed on the spot, his face turned pale. The corner was empty. There was nothing there but swirling dust. Ye Fang was gone.
"Where did he go?" Wang Long's voice cracked with surprise. He scanned every corner of the arena, but Ye Fang was nowhere to be found.
Just then, his eldest daughter, Wang Mei, rushed toward them. Her face was grave. "Father, you are searching for him here in vain."
"What do you mean, Mei? He was just here!"
Wang Mei pointed toward the back exit of the arena, which was still swaying in the wind. "Father, as soon as things settled down, that boy slipped out quietly. He didn't even look back. He vanished like a shadow, without saying a word to anyone."
Elder Wang Shen was stunned. A mysterious smile played on his lips as he stared at the empty corner. "Left without a word... a man who leaves without celebrating his victory is either completely mad, or he knows his destiny lies far beyond this arena."
Meanwhile, amidst the noise of the main streets of Sanmiao City, Ye Fang was strolling along with his hands in his pockets. He didn't care about the commotion back at the arena. His mind was set on one thing—the next goal.
"Man, that was fun! Fought some powerful cultivators and got rewards that I've never even read about in web novels!"
Walking through a quiet alley, a crooked smile stretched across Ye Fang's face. The heavy atmosphere of the arena, the scent of blood, and the terrifying pressure of Elder Wang Shen were all behind him now. He stretched his limbs and took a deep breath. He could hardly believe he was now the center of gravity in a world he used to only read about.
He closed his eyes, trying to feel the boundless energy within. "Truly," he thought, "with these rewards, shouldn't I go on a 'World Tour'? Why not see the rarest things and the most beautiful places with my own eyes?"
But as he dreamt of the future, Yan Kai Long's face flashed in his mind—that calm yet destructive confidence.
Ye Fang's pace slowed. "But that guy, Yan Kai Long... he's a literal dragon! Three dragons hidden in one body, and that 'Dragon Sword'... he's a monster, even bigger than me!"
He clenched his fists. He remembered the lightning from Yan Kai Long's blade that shook the arena. He looked into his System Space, where his new rewards were glowing. "If I didn't have this God-Demon Physique, could he have defeated me easily?"
He stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath. "He could have defeated me even with this physique! The System warned me he was only at 50% power."
He sent his consciousness deep into the System Space. The Body Refining Manual and Soul Manual shone like ancient treasures. Beside them, the Spiritual Lotus radiated an otherworldly aura. But his eyes fixed on the pills.
Seven pills. Two would grant him 100% God-Demon power for a short time, and the other five were similar—only lasting 3 hours.
Suddenly, a surge of frustration hit him. He felt it was all just a game of limited time. He stopped in the middle of the road and yelled in his mind:
"Hey, Little System! If all these things only give me power for 3 hours, then what's the point? What if the time runs out in the middle of a fight? What then?!"
Ye Fang waited. He expected that mischievous, logical voice to chime in and tease him. One second... five seconds... ten seconds...
Only silence. No voice, no blue window.
He screamed again in his mind, "What happened to you? Why aren't you coming out? Hey! Did you fall asleep?"
People passing by stared at him weirdly as he stood there glaring at thin air. But Ye Fang didn't care. He was worried that his biggest support had suddenly gone quiet.
"Forget it!" he sighed, starting to walk again. "Maybe the server is down. It's a cultivation world; they probably have network issues here too."
He brought back his carefree smile and looked toward the glowing markets of Sanmiao City. "Whatever. I have the rewards. Now, I'm going to explore this whole city. Let's see what the people are saying after all that chaos!"