Ats paled, his mind rag. "You know, Master Daokan, I do believe that we've learned a valuable lesson today. Strength, endurance, perseverance—really, there's o tinue, is there?"

  Master Daokan folded his arms, his expression almost amused. "You've been under my skin more times than anyone else I've ever met, Ats. More than emperors, nobles, disciples, sect leaders—every single one. And now, you've even gotten under my daughter skin as well. It's only fair."

  Ats gulped. He had talked his way out of tless situations before, maniputing, redireg, charming—but now he was fag something worse than sheer stubbornness.

  This wasn't just about martial arts. This was an agenda.

  He had never met someone he couldn't manipute uhey were either too naturally stubborn or had something to gain. Eveubborn he has made them danced on his palms but Master Daokan? He had both.

  Lay watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Ats. She knew his tricks, had seen him talk circles around people and escape situations no one else could. He was infuriating, but also... strangely eaining.

  "I 't believe he's finally out of options," she murmured to Jiang.

  Jiang smirked. "About time someone ers him. He's pyed you enough, hasn't he?"

  Lay rolled her eyes. "Please. If he thinks he's getting out of this one, he's delusional."

  Ats forced a weak chuckle. "Surely, a civilized discussion—"

  "Step into the ring, Ats." Master Daokaured toward the arena.

  Shen Xue cracked her knuckles, rolling her shoulders with a smirk. "I've been waiting for this."

  Ats turo her, hands raised in mock surrender. "Now, She's not be hasty. I would never want to sully our wonderful, professional retionship with something as barbaric as a fight."

  Sheilted her head. "Oh? Because let's go about that. You not only sully the grand hall which frankly even the current Emperor honoured, you made it a like a circus, Bao carrying you like a king and you making many things drop which frankly, would take even more than your body to pay it back.''

  Ats coughed. "I may have been...active..?"

  Shen Xue cracked her knuckles louder. "No, you weren't."

  Ats exhaled sharply and turoward the rack of wooden training ons at the side of the ring. If he had to fight, he needed something—anything—to at least look like he stood a ce. His eyes darted over the options: a wooden spear, a wooden sword, a wooden staff, a wooden longsword, and wooden daggers.

  He ran a quick mental calcution. A spear would give him range, but he had absolutely no experience using one, and Shen Xue would likely disarm him in seds. A sword? Too predictable, and she probably knew how to ter every style of swordpy iehe staff? He could at least try to keep his distance, but it required finesse—finesse he cked. A longsword was heavier, unwieldy, and Shen Xue didn't seem like someone he could outmuscle. And daggers? Close bat with Shen Xue was a death sentence.

  His stomach twisted. No matter what he chose, he rey walking into a sughter. The real question wasn't which on would help him win—it was whie would help him survive long enough to run away if needed.

  He remembered back when the first time he entered Shen Xue —when she pressed a needle against his throat, her expression utterly unreadable. That was when he realized she was different. Calcuted. Deadly.

  His mind pieced together what he knew about her. She robably light on her feet, graceful maybe but most effit. Her strength probably wasn't in brute force but in speed, precision, and knowily where to strike to cause the most damage. Ats recalled the brief sensation of cold steel when she held the needle to his skin, the way she positioned herself to maximize trol with minimal effort.

  His gaze flickered back to the on rack. If she relied on precision, his best bet was something uable, something that forced her to reastead of dictate the flow of battle.

  His haated, theled on the wooden staff. It had range, and though he had no finesse, he could at least swing it wildly and hope to keep her from closing in too quickly. He wasn't delusional enough to think he could win—but if he pyed it right, he might just st long enough to call this a "learning experience."

  "Huh," Lay murmured, watg as Shen Xue made her way toward the on rack. "Let's see what she picks."

  To her surprise, Shen Xue reached for the wooden longsword. Lay's brows rose slightly. "Iing."

  Jiang g her. "What?"

  "Ats just spent all that time analyzing her precision-based fighting style," Lay mused. "But now she's using a longsword. That means whatever dedu he made earlier is now pletely useless. This is going to be a good show."

  Meanwhile, Ats watched as Shen Xue lifted the longsword with ease. He blihen blinked again. His brain refused to process the betrayal of logic he was witnessing.

  "What?" he muttered. "No. No, that's nht."

  He had been expeg daggers. Maybe a needle, or something simirly delicate. But a longsword? He wasn't prepared for that.

  Ats turned baaster Daokan, raising a hesitant hand. "Hypothetically speaking, am I allowed to use more than one on?"

  Master Daokan gave him a ft stare. "Why?"

  Ats cleared his throat. "Oh, no reason. Just a schorly inquiry. You see, as an intellectual, I believe in thh researd adaptable strategies. It would be a grave disservice to the art of bat if I were limited in my choice of tools."

  Shen Xue smirked, resting the bde on her shoulder. "You're panig."

  "Me? Panig?" Ats let out a forced chuckle. "Pffft. Please. This is just... tactical recalibration. A moment of strategilighte."

  Master Daokan sighed. "Use as many ons as you wish. It will not ge the oute."

  Ats perked up slightly. "Oh? A generous and wise deaster Daokan. Truly, your fairness knows no bounds."

  Shen Xue raised an eyebrow. "Yoing to need all the help you get."

  Ats pced a thoughtful hand on his . "Yes, yes, but let's sider the optics of this. Shen Xue, daughter of the great Master Daokan, a warrior of unparalleled skill, choosing to wield multiple ons against little old me? A simple, unassuming schor? Doesn't that seem... dishonourable?"

  Shen Xue narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

  Ats sighed dramatically, pg a hand over his heart. "I mean, if I, a humble man of intellect, were to choose one single on while you, a prodigy of bat, required multiple... what would that say about your fidence? Your honour as a warrior?"

  Shen Xue's grip on the longsword tightened slightly. Lay, watg from the sidelines, nearly choked on a ugh. "Oh, he's really doing it."

  Jiang smirked. "He's actually trying to guilt-trip her into fighting fair."

  Master Daokan watched in bemusement but said nothing, letting his daughter ha.

  Shen Xue's gaze bore into Ats. For a moment, she seemed genuinely sidering his words before scoffing. "ry. You're still going to lose."

  Ats sighed, shrugging. "Ah, but at least I lose with dignity. Now, let's begin."

  Ats took a deep breath and adjusted the ons he had selected. His primary choice was the wooden staff, giving him the best ce to keep She bay. As a backup, he tucked a wooden dagger at his waist—something he hoped he wouldn't have to use. Finally, strapped to his back was a wooden spear, an option he could switch to if things got desperate.

  Jiang, watg from the sidelines, nudged Lin Wuye with a smirk. "Does Ats have any ceivable way of sting more than five seds?"

  Lin Wuye exhaled, shaking his head. "Against the daughter of Master Daokan? The same Shen Xue who restored all our qi points earlier, on par with Yan? No. Not unless he discovers a hidden divine bloodline in the few seds."

  Lay folded her arms, amusement dang in her eyes. "Holy, I just want to see how long he keeps talking before Shes tired of it and smashes him into the ground."

  Master Daokan raised his hand, signalling the start of the match. "Begin."

  Ats took an exaggerated step back, twirling his staff in a way that was meant to look impressive but only succeeded in making him seem wildly uncoordinated. "Now, She's talk about this rationally. Fighting is such a crude method of flict resolution—"

  Shen Xue lunged.

  Ats barely had time to react before she on him, her longsword slig through the air with practiced precisioumbled back, using the staff to desperately block the strike, but the sheer force of the impact sent vibrations rattling through his arms.

  "Hah!" he forced a ugh. "You're fast, but I—"

  Arike. This time, he barely mao twist his body in time to avoid taking a direct hit. Shen Xue's movements were fluid, relentless, like a predator toying with its prey.

  Jiang smirked. "Three seds. Not bad."

  Lin Wuye chuckled. "He's still breathing, which is a surprise."

  Ats decided now was the time for a tactical retreat. He jumped back, reag behind him to grab the spear strapped to his back. With a dramatic flourish, he poi at Shen Xue. "Ah-ha! Behold, the on of warriors!"

  Sheilted her head. "You don't know how to use that, do you?"

  Ats hesitated. "That's subjective."

  She sighed, then moved agaihrust the spear wildly, hoping to create some distance, but Shen Xue was already too close. With a swift motion, she sidestepped his attack, grabbed the spear shaft, and wre from his grip before tossing it effortlessly across the arena.

  Ats blinked. "Right. Expected that."

  Lay ughed. "Five seds. He's exceeding expectations."

  Ats exhaled sharply and pulled the dagger from his waist. "Pn C!"

  Shen Xue's smirk grew wider. "You mean 'Pn Desperation'?"

  Ats had no response—mainly because Shen Xue was already ing at him again.

  She moved with deceptive ease, her sword slig through the air in slow, deliberate arcs. To the untrained eye, it might seem like she was merely warming up, but Lay could see the truth. "She's toying with him," she muttered. "She's barely using a fra of her strength. Even Bao would put up a better fight than this tragedy."

  Jiang nodded. "She's testing him. Seeing how long it takes before he runs out of tricks."

  Ats, meanwhile, was sweating bullets. His mind raced as he dodged and parried, barely keeping up. "Now, She's be reasonable," he said between hurried breaths, sidesteppi another swipe. "I am but a humble schor! A man of intellect! Would you strike down an unarmed philosopher?"

  Shen Xue scoffed. "You're armed. And you're not a philosopher."

  "Minor details," Ats said, dug under another swing. "But let's think about this logically. Wouldn't it be a more valuable use of your time to fight someone, I don't know, worthier?"

  She lunged, f Ats to stumble backward. "Oh? And who do you propose?"

  "Jiang!" Ats pointed wildly. "Jiang is strong. Trained. He—"

  Jiang crossed his arms. "Not a ce."

  Ats let out a strangled ugh, narrowly avoiding a downward ssh. "Master Lin Wuye! A legendary warrior! Surely, a more engaging oppo!"

  Lin Wuye smiled. "You're on your own, Ats."

  Ats groaned, barely managing to sidestep before Shen Xue's bde although wood nearly took his arm off. "You're all heartless!"

  Lay ughed. "Oh, I'm loving this."

  Master Daokan watched the fight unfold, his expression unreadable. "He's clever, but cleverness alone won't save him."

  Yan Shuren, his trusted disciple, crossed his arms. "It's amusing, though. I've never seen someory so hard to avoid a fight while actively fighting."

  Ren, the you yet already an undeniable prodigy, observed with keen i. "He's adapting. Not effitly, but he's trying. It's almost admirable."

  Meyu, standing beside them, sighed. "Almost. He talks a lot, but he's still going to get beaten into the ground."

  Yue Wuye, watched with an amused glint in her eye. "I think he knows that. But still, he fights in his own way. It may not be the stro, but it's uniquely him."

  Ats, meanwhile, had somehow backed himself into a er, staff gripped tightly as Shen Xue advanced. "Now, now, let's not be rash. What if we—"

  Shen Xue swung. Ats yelped and barely ducked, the force of the strike sending a rush of air past his face. The sheer pressure of the blow carved into the ground behind him, rustling the trees at the edges of the arena. Leaves tore from their branches, scattering like frightened birds. Even the spectators felt the impact ripple through the air, a gust washing over them like a stormfront.

  Ats bli the destru behind him. "Okay, okay! How about a break? Just a small one? Water break? No?"

  Shen Xue grinned. "No."

  Out of pure spite, she elled a fra of her qi, sending a trolled yet forceful strike toward Ats. The very air around her vibrated from the sheer pressure.

  But the moment it made tact, the energy crackled and dissipated, swallowed by an unseen force. Instead of immediately refleg back, the energy lingered within Ats, c through his body like a fy seeking to root itself. His limbs twitched involuntarily, an unfortable heat pooling within his heart. The shockwave should have rebounded, but instead, it resides within Ats. Shen Xue barely tilted her head, watg curiously as the energy sputtered and fizzled against his ski did not sh back toward her.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh?"

  Ats, oblivious to what just happened, filed in panic, his body feeling strangely heavier, like something unnatural ressing against his insides. He barely mao duck. He hadn't even realized what his own body had done.

  "Ha! Missed!" he blurted out, before immediately scrambling out of the way of another precise blow.

  The few moments were a chaotic dispy of edic dodging—Ats twisting, rolling, and flinging himself to the side in ways that resembled more of a dahan actual bat. "Too slow!" he taunted before tripping over his own foot and narrowly avoiding what would have been a direct hit to his ribs.

  Lay snorted. "This is both the worst a fight I've ever seen."

  But his luck couldn't st forever.

  Shen Xue finally adjusted, realizing that her Qi-based attacks were useless. With one well-pced strike, she abandoned energy entirely and relied on sheer physical force, smming the blunt force of her longsword squarely into his stomach. The impact sent him flying backward, his entire body feeling as though it had been struck by a battering ram.

  Ats hit the ground with a loud thud, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him. But beyond the pain, a deeper, more insidious sensation ed inside him. The energy he had absorbed was still there, refusing to leave, slowly poisoning his very being. His limbs twitched violently as he tried to process what was happening.

  Jiang winced. "Oof. That looked painful."

  Lin Wuye chuckled. "He doesn't have Qi to soften the blow. But... did you see that? The Qi attack didn't affect him."

  Jiang furrowed his brow. "Wait. That energy didn't fully return to Shen Could it be that Ats's body absorbs Qi?"

  Yan Shuren crossed his arms. "There are two possibilities. Either his body acts as a vessel, temporarily holding qi until he expels it through physical tact—or, worse, his body simply has no way tute qi at all, meaning it will keep accumuting until it tears him apart from the inside."

  Jiang frowned. "So either he has to fight back, or he'll be dealing with something far worse than just losing this match?"

  Yan Shuren nodded. "Exactly. But there's another question to sider. If his body ute Qi, what happens when he finally releases it?"

  Lin Wuye, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "There are two likely outes. If his body is merely st the Qi, then when he does release it, it will be untrolled—wild, chaotid potentially destructive to himself and those around him. However, if his body fually rejects Qi as a fy, then f it out could damage his meridians beyond repair. Either way, the longer he holds it in, the worse it bees."

  Jiang frowned. "So he's either a tig time bomb or slowly poisoning himself just by standing there?"

  Lin Wuye sighed. "Exactly. Either he learns how to sciously trol and release it, or he won't make it out of this fight in one piece."

  Master Daokan, arms crossed, observed Ats with a ptive expression. "The question is, what happens if he does mao release it?"

  Yan Shuren g him. "You're worried about the scale of the effect?"

  Master Daokan nodded. "If his body is st Qi without trol, then the release could be catastrophic. If it's simply expelled, it might just disperse harmlessly. But if it rebounds with equal force..." He trailed off, letting the implicatiole.

  Yue Wuye frowned. "That would mean anyone in range could be affected. Depending on how much he's absorbed, it could cripple him or even Shen herself."

  Ren, watg closely, finally spoke. "Should we intervene if it es to that?"

  Master Daokan remained silent for a moment before exhaling. "No. Not yet. He o figure it out himself. But if it spirals out of trol, theep in. Ats has been a headache for too long, but I have no iion of watg him die today."

  Ats wheezed, lifting a trembling hand. "Obje... to... this euation..."

  A sharp, seariion coiled within his chest, unlike anything he had ever experienced. It wasn't just pain—it was something worse. It felt like his own body was trying to reject itself, like an unnatural force was twisting through his veins, trying to find a. His limbs felt heavy, his breath uneven, his heart hammering as if it were moments away from shattering. Every fiber of his being screamed at him that something was wrong.

  A, Ats scoffed, letting out a breathy chuckle. "Tch... is that all?"

  Because to him, no pain could ever pare to his past.

  The stench of burning wood and iron filled his lungs. The cries of desperation, the metallic taste of blood in the air, the overwhelmi—all of it had beeched into his very soul. He had stood amidst the wreckage of his old life, watg it crumble, powerless to do anything but survive.

  Pain? Pain had been starvation iters, wounds left ued, betrayals from those he orusted. Pain was learning that the world had no mercy for the weak, that suffering was iable unless you found a way to stand above it all.

  Pain was realizing no one was ing to save him.

  So no, whatever this was—this roiling storm inside his body, this creeping venom in his bloodstream—this was nothing.

  Nothing pared to what he had already endured.

  Ats exhaled sharply, shaking off the lingering echoes of the past. But his body disagreed. The storm within him raged stronger now, an unbearable heat pooling deeper into his core, sinking into his bones like molten iron. Every breath felt heavier, like his lungs were filling with something thid suffog. His fiips trembled as they ched around his staff, veins subtly pulsing with an unnatural glow that flickered in and out of sight.

  Sheiced it first, pausing in mid-stride. Her eyes flickered to his hands, her usual smirk fading just slightly. "Huh."

  From the sidelines, Lin Wuye narrowed his eyes. "His body's reag. The Qi inside him is still building up."

  Jiang scoffed. "At this rate, it doesn't matter if he fights back—his body might break apart before he figures it out."

  Ats, meanwhile, took a shaky step forward, finally managing to parry one of Shen Xue's held-back strikes. He barely registered the motion, his mind split between the fight and the unbearable heat searing through his body. "Oh ould you look at that? I blocked something. Let's all take a moment to appreciate this historic event."

  Shen Xue arched an eyebrow. "You're still joking?"

  Ats forced a grin. "Of course. If I stop, I might actually process how much pain I'm in, and we wouldn't want that, would we?" The moment his staff met her bde, something in the air shifted. A faint, invisible ripple pulsed outward, a flicker of force that Shen Xue instinctively reized.

  She adjusted her grip. "So you parry now? Let's see how long that sts."

  Ats groaned, shifting his stance. " we at least pretend I have a ce? Maybe give me an honorary warrior title? Ats the... uh... Enduring? That has a nice ring to it."

  Shen Xue lunged again. Ats barely blocked in time, his staff vibrating violently from the impact. The pain inside him twisted, tightening like a vice. He winced but forced out another quip. "Oh no, is that the best you've got? I expected more from the great Shen Xue!"

  Ats barely had time to react before she struck again, this time faster. He mao bloce more, but the pain in his core worsened, like the very act of resisting her was accelerating the turmoil inside him. His breath hitched as another wave of agony crawled up his spine.

  Meyu frowned, watg from the sidelines. "His face is getting pale. And... is it just me, or does he look different?"

  Ren tilted his head. "His aura is shifting. The more he fights, the more unstable his presence feels."

  Master Daokan exhaled slowly. "His body wasn't meant to handle Qi. But right now, it's trying to adapt, whether he wants it to or not."

  Ats staggered slightly, his vision flickering. His limbs twitched with an unnatural energy, his breathing ragged. He g his own hands, the veih his skin glowing faintly. "Okay. New problem. I think I might explode. And not in a cool way. More like a 'piee end up in different provinces' kind of way."

  Meyu covered her mouth, trying not to ugh. "He's still talking like that?"

  Lin Wuye exhaled. "It's probably a g meism."

  Jiang smirked. "Or a death wish."

  Ats, refusing to aowledge the severity of his situation, wiped the sweat off his brow with a shaky hand. "Shen, I have to say, for someone so deadly, you really do have unfair advantages. You're quick, precise, a's be ho—frankly too good-looking for me to focus properly. This is psychological warfare. I demand pensation."

  Shen Xue's eye twitched.

  Lay snorted. "Oh, he's going tret that."

  Shen Xue exhaled, rolling her shoulders befripping her longsword with both hands. "Fine. I'll make sure you stop talking."

  She moved. Faster. The bde became a blur as Qi fred around her, amplifyirikes. Ats barely mao parry the first blow, the impact rattling through his bohe sed o him skidding back, his feet struggling to find bahe third? He wasn't fast enough.

  The longsword smmed into his side, sending a shockwave through the grouh him. The earth cracked uhe force, a spiderweb of fractures spreading outward. His clothes tore at the edges, the fabriable to withstand the sheer weight of the strike.

  Ats let out a wheezing ugh as he stumbled. "I... I feel like that ersonal."

  Shen Xue scoffed. "Oh, it was."

  The pain in Ats's core deepened. His body vulsed slightly as more Qi poured into him, absorbed upon impact. His limbs felt heavier, his breath more erratic. The glow pulsing through his veins brightehe energy inside him reag an unbearable threshold.

  Meyu's smile faded. "His body... it's breaking down, isn't it?"

  Lin Wuye's expression darkened. "He's abs too much, and it's not dispersing. If he doesn't find a way to let it out soon, it won't matter how much pain he's used to—his body will tear itself apart."

  Lay's smirk faded as she watched Ats's erratients. His attacks were no longer calcuted—or as calcuted as his usually sloppy bat could be. Now, they were instinctual, wild.

  "Wait… he's still attag?"

  Shen Xue frowned, sidestepping another swing of his staff with ease. "He's not thinking anymore." Arike came at her, and again she parried effortlessly. "His body is moving on its own."

  The atmosphere around them shifted. Even as Shen Xue tered every move, somethi off. Ats, despite the clear agony in his face, kept advang. He had no teique, no form—only a desperate, automatic respoo the energy wreaking havoside him. His body wao expel it, and the only way it kneas to keep hitting her.

  Shen Xue's grip on her sword tightened. "If this tinues—"

  "Enough," Master Daokan's voice cut through the arena, his tone firm. "Shen Xue, do not use Qi strikes anymore. If you do, you may push him past the point of return."

  Shen Xue hesitated but ultimately lowered her stance slightly. "Uood."

  Lin Wuye exhaled, now focused entirely on Ats's movements. "We o be ready to stop him if this gets worse. If he loses trol pletely, we might not be dealing with just a matymore."

  Ats, ever the opportunist, let out a weak chuckle despite his rapidly deteriorating dition. "Well, at least if I explode, you'll all remember me as a trailbzer in the fi of self-destru."

  Shen Xue's grip tightened further. "Shut up and stop moving."

  Ats, of course, did her.

  Instead, his instincts took over once more. His body jerked forward without his sent, swinging the staff wildly at Shen Xue. She parried effortlessly, but he didn't stop. Every blocked strike sent another wave of agony rippling through him, the qi inside growing more votile, more unstable.

  The wooden staff in his hands began to ge.

  The air around it shimmered unnaturally, dist like heatwaves on a summer road. The once ordinary wood darkened, almost as if abs the same energy wreaking havoside him. Faint lines of glowing inscriptions—symbols no one could immediately reize—etched themselves along the shaft.

  Lay's eyes widened. "Is that... maing?"

  Master Daokan's expression darkened. "No. It's reag to him."

  Jiang took a step forward. "That's never happened before, has it?"

  Lin Wuye shook his head. "No. And sidering the state he's in, we have no idea what will happe."

  Ats's sciousness finally slipped. His vision tunhe world around him dissolving into darkness.

  He was somewhere else.

  A city, one long lost to time, loomed over him. T buildings, bed by soot and fire, stretched endlessly into the sky. The air was thick with smoke, suffog, oppressive. Screams echoed through the alleyways, fleeting and desperate before being swallowed by silehe st of iron and ash g to everything, seeping into his skin like an old curse that refused to fade.

  Ats khis pce. He wished he didn't.

  A younger version of himself staggered through the ruins, barefoot and rags. His stomach twisted with hunger, his limbs weak from exhaustion. He clutched a small pouch close to his chest—his only possession, filled with scraps barely worth eating. His breathing was shallow, every step heavier tha.

  Then, the voices came.

  "Oi, look at this one."

  Ats stiffened. He turned, met with the sight of three older boys blog the alley's o. Their clothes were better—patched but sturdy. Their eyes were sharp, cruel. Predators who had long since learhat the world favored the strong.

  "Didn't we tell you?" the tallest one sneered. "This is our street."

  Ats took a step back, his grip on the pouch tightening. "I found this first."

  The sed boy ughed, a rough sound like gravel scraping against metal. "And now we're finding it for ourselves. Hand it over."

  Ats shook his head. He had fought too hard for this. He wasn't going to let them take it. Not again. Not this time.

  But his body was too weak, his arms too frail. When the first punch came, he couldn't even raise his hands in time to block it. Pain exploded in his ribs as he was ko the ground, dust rising around him. The sed kick sent his pouch flying from his grasp.

  "No—!"

  The third boy grabbed it before he could, shaking it open and sneering at the pitiful tents. "Barely enough for a rat. You really thought you'd get away with this?"

  Ats gasped for breath, fingers digging into the dirt. On the cold road. Nobody around. He forced himself onto his hands and knees, his body screaming in protest. He had to stand. Had to fight. But he was just a starving, broken child. And they were bigger. Stronger.

  Pain? He had learned pain long before this moment. The bruises, the huhe lonelihose had bee stants, things he simply endured. But that day, something inside him had truly broken.

  Because as they ughed and walked away, leaving him in the dust, Ats realized something worse than pain—

  Powerlessness.

  Meanwhile, in the real world, Ats's body moved eerily in sync with Shen Xue, his reflexes sharpened despite his unscious state. Every strike she made, he tered—sloppily, but effectively. But with each csh, his body trembled, his breath being more erratic. The energy inside him was no longer just unstable; it was growing.

  Shen Xue frowned. "This isn't right."

  Lay's eyes widened as she observed him more closely. Then, realization struck. "Wait… he's not just abs it anymore."

  Meyu turo her, panic rising in her voice. "What do you mean?"

  Lay swallowed hard. "He's pulling in energy from the enviro. Look at the ons rack."

  They turned, and their stomachs dropped. The wooden ons—swords, spears, staffs—were crumbling into dust, the energy within them siphoned away. But worse, far worse—

  Master Daokan stiffened. "Everyone. Hold your Qi."

  The masters around the arena exged armed ghey could feel it now—Ats wasn't just abs energy from Shen Xue's strikes. He ulling at the very essence around him. Even their own Qi trembled, as if being drawn toward him.

  Yuxe Wuye pced a gentle hand on Meyu's shoulder, sensing her distress. "It will be fine. Master Daokan will ha."

  But as she said it, her gaze never left Ats. Because deep down, even she wasn't certain of that anymore.

  Then, suddenly, Ats's body vulsed. A deep, guttural sound escaped his throat as the energy trapped within him reached its breaking point. His veins, glowing like molten lines beh his skin, pulsed violently. The energy within him, wild and untamed, surged to the surface.

  A massive shockwave erupted from his core, the sheer force sending tremors through the ground. The moment his staff struck downward—whether by instinct or fate—the very earth beh Shen Xue cracked apart. The force carved a deep, jagged rift behind her, splitting the arena floor in two. The ground didn't simply break; it was as if an invisible bde had carved through the stoself, exposing yers of earth that had remained undisturbed for turies. The rift extended far beyond the arena, jagged and raw, a terrifying dispy of untrolled power.

  Shen Xue's breath hitched. For the first time in the fight, her eyes widened—not out of surprise, but out of genuine arm. She had been prepared for many things, but not this. Not an attack of this magnitude from someone who had no trol over his own energy. Her instincts screamed at her to move, but even she had hesitated for just a fra of a sed, thrown off by the sheer destru behind her.

  Lay, Meyu, and Yuxe Wuye were caught iermath, the force of the strike sending a powerful gust outward, strong enough to knock them off bahey staggered back, barely able to stay on their feet as the shockwave rattled the entire arena. Beyond the arena, the shockwave had not gone unnoticed.

  In the heart of Jinhai City, merts and travelers alike paused as the distant sound of the explosion reached their ears. Birds scattered from the rooftops, and the very air seemed to hum with residual energy. The city guards, statio the high walls, exged uneasy gnces. Even the sect elders, deep iation within their chambers, opeheir eyes as a ripple of unseen force passed through their surroundings.

  Meanwhile, within the Imperial Pace of Jinhai, the current Emperor, Jinhai sat in quiet ption within his grand chamber, surrounded by his advisors and generals. The shockwave sent a subtle tremor through the air, making the golden inse burners sway slightly. The Emperor's eyes snapped open, sharp and calg, as he immediately reized the disturbance for what it was—a release of power unlike any i memory.

  A moment ter, he turoward one of his royal iigators, his voice calm yet firm. "Find the source. Immediately."

  The official bowed deeply. "At once, Your Majesty."

  The Emperor remained seated, fingers steepled together as he stared at the horizon beyond his pace walls. He was one of the few in the world who could match Master Daokan in raw strength and wisdom. And if something had shakehe heavens themselves, it was not something he could ignore. Far beyond the Regime of Jin, across the vast o, withi halls of the undergrouwork in Europe, Emery, seated amidst an array of intricate equations and sketches, felt the faint disturbance as if it were a whisper carried by the wind. His fingers froze mid-turn over a page of old part, his gaze flickering toward the horizon.

  "Well now," Emery murmured, drumming his fingers against the table. "Isn't that iing?"

  What... the hell?" Lay muttered, brushing dust off her sleeves as she regained her footing.

  Meyu's heart pounded in her chest. "That wasn't just a normal energy release. That was—"

  Theiced something else.

  All eyes remained on Ats, who remained unscious, his body finally still. But the rift behind Shen Xue remained—a scar in the earth, and a warning to all who had wit.

  A hush fell over the spectators. Even the masters, for the first time in a long while, were left momentarily speechless.

  Master Daokan, however, was the first to recover, his voice low but firm. "That teique... I reize it. It is not something he should be able to do."

  Lin Wuye, still processing what he had just witnessed, exhaled sharply. "If I'm not mistaken... that was an inplete form of the Dev Pulse. But it should in someone like him. He has no cultivated Qi. No formal training. How is this possible?"

  Jiang, arms crossed, muttered, "And more importantly... what happens if he does it again?"

  Lin Wuye's gaze lingered on Ats's unscious form, his mind rag through possibilities. "That's the question, isn't it? If his body aturally absorb Qi, then release it in such a destructive manner... he might not have any trol over when it happens. This was inplete, unstable. If he does it again, the one could be worse."

  Master Daokan took a slow step forward, his expression unreadable as he extended his hand toward Ats. His qi fred subtly as he analyzed the boy's state, his seretg deep within him. Then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

  "Fasating," he murmured. "His Qi is... go's returo nothing, as if it never existed at all."

  Lin Wuye's brows furrowed. "As it should have been. His body isn't meant to retain Qi yet for a brief moment, it harnessed an immense force beyond reason. And now, it's simply vahat should be impossible."

  Master Daokan straightened, his expression firm. "Whatever just happened, his body has reset. But that doesn't mean he's unharmed. He's in a deep a. His ay be empty again, but the strain on his body and mind... he won't wake up anytime soon."

  Before anyone else could react, Meyu rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside Ats. "Ats!" Her voice cracked as she shook his shoulder lightly, her hands trembling.

  "You idiot, wake up! You always talk your way out of things, so talk your way out of this!"

  Her breaths came unsteady, panic settling deep in her chest. Ats had always been unbreakable—annoying, infuriating, reckless—but unbreakable. A now, he looked so still, sile, his usually sharp and witty face eerily quiet.

  Yuxe Wuye followed behind her, kneeling gracefully before pg a reassuring hand on Meyu's shoulder. "He's alive," she murmured, her voice a calm trast to the sting in Meyu's heart. "Master Daokan will ensure he's taken care of. He will wake up."

  Meyu squeezed her eyes shut, gripping Ats's torn sleeve tightly. "He better. He always gets out of things. Always. He talks, he schemes, he finds a way. He wouldn't—he 't just—" Her voice broke, tears slipping down her cheeks.

  "Not like this."

  Her firembled as they clutched his sleeve, as if holding on tightly enough would keep him from slipping away.

  "He's all I have left."

  Yuxe Wuye k beside her, ing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "He's not gone, Meyu. He's just... lht now. But he'll find his way back. He always does."

  Meyu hiccupped, burying her face against Yuxe Wuye's shoulder, her body shaking. "He's an idiot. A reckless, frustrating idiot.''

  Yuxe Wuye stroked her hair gently, her voice soft. "Then trust him to be that idiot. To fight his way back."

  Meyu squeezed her eyes shut, nodding against her. "He has to."

  Lay, still standing a few steps away, folded her arms. Uhe others, she didn't rush forward, but that didn't mean she felt nothing. Even in her past life, hardened as she was, she had never been immuo moments like this. Her fiightened around her sleeve.

  "Damn you, Ats... you always find a way to make things worse."

  Despite her words, there was no mockery ione. Only a rare flicker of something else—.

  "So, what do we do with him?"

  Master Daokan exhaled. "We ensure he survives first. And then, we prepare for when he wakes up. Because this is only the beginning."

  Lay's gaze lingered on Ats's still form for a moment longer before she exhaled sharply, shaking her head. As much as she cared, survival was still her priority. The ing winter wouldn't wait for anyone, and no amount of se would keep their people from freezing.

  She straightened, crossing her arms. "As cruel as it might sound, I o head baorrow. We need supplies, and I don't io sit around waiting when there's work to be done. So, who's going to take care of him?"

  Master Daokan didn't hesitate. "I will." His voice was firm, leaving no room fument. "Shen Xue will assist me."

  Shen Xue nodded in agreement. "I'll help. It was my match with him that caused this. It's only right that I take responsibility."

  Lay gave them a long look before arg an eyebrow. "And what about when he wakes up? I assume you have some pn beyond just keeping him breathing?"

  Master Daokan's expression didn't ge. "He'll be useful. He's already proved he survive in the most ued ways. Perhaps it's time we officially make him our own personal mert as well''

  Meyu, who had been silent up until now, visibly bristled. "Are you seriously—"

  Before she could go off, Yuxe Wuye gently pced a hand on her arm and turo Meilin. "We will leave tomorrow. Master Daokan has already ehat we will be more thaely treated in the main city."

  Lay, still watg Ats, nodded slowly. "The's make sure we're ready."

  Meyu stood in silence, her gaze fixed on Ats's unscious form. Her hands ched and unched at her sides as she wrestled with the decision before her. Ats had always been the oo push forward, the oo take risks while she stood at his side. Now, for the first time, he wouldn't be there to lead the charge.

  Yuxe Wuye, sensiurmoil, spoke gently. "You don't have to decide now, Meyu. But whatever choiake, it should be for yourself, not just for him."

  Meyu swallowed hard. "If I go with the Silver Lotus, I has's business. Make sure everything he built doesn't fall apart while he's like this. But... if I stay..." Her voice wavered.

  "If I stay, I make sure he's not alone when he wakes up."

  She turo Master Daokan, her expression torn. "If I stay, will I be allowed to?" Master Daokan studied her for a long moment before nodding. "If that is your decision, then yes."

  Meyu inhaled sharply, gng o time at Ats. She had followed him for so long, through every scheme and reckless gamble, through victories and failures alike. Now, for once, she had to decide for herself.

  "I o think about it," she finally admitted.

  Yuxe Wuye gave her a small nod. "Then think quickly. Whatever you choose, we leave at dawn."