Champion

"Is... is this an illusion?!" someone in the spectator stands muttered. What they were seeing was too shocking, too unreal. What had they just witnessed? Yuanshi Tianzun had unleashed Zhao Chenghuang's signature technique! "It's real. Didn't you see the Taiyi Sect people looking completely stunned? Even Elder Zhao stood up in shock," a companion replied in a dreamy, dazed voice. "How did Yuanshi Tianzun do it...?" "No idea. But one thing's for sure—no matter who wins this fight, Yuanshi Tianzun's fame is going to explode. He'll stand at the very top echelon of the Transcendent stage. He will outshine everyone in his generation, Zhao Chenghuang included." A genius at clearing dungeons, paired with invincible combat prowess—Yuanshi Tianzun would become the Fu Qingyang of the Transcendent stage. Once the arena tournament ended, the evil factions would undoubtedly update their hit lists and put Yuanshi Tianzun right at the top. "No... impossible!" Malevolence and fury flickered within Zhao Chenghuang's pitch-black eye sockets. Looking like an aggrieved spirit clawing its way out of hell, he roared, "How could you know this move?! You shouldn't be able to do this!" *Time and time again, I entered dungeons, endured the baptism of lunar energy, tempered it, grew familiar with it, guided it, controlled it! I stayed at the Transcendent stage for an entire extra year before I finally mastered this technique to perfection.* *If a newcomer who became a Night Wanderer less than three months ago can pull this off so easily, then what am I?* *What are any of us?!* The Taiyi Sect Night Wanderers were asking themselves the exact same question. Even Sun Miaomiao fell silent. They accepted Zhao Chenghuang's Ghost Transformation. He had a Dominator-level great-grandfather instructing him, had worked hard enough, and had spent an extra year grinding in the Transcendent stage. Such an achievement made complete sense for him. But Yuanshi Tianzun was a newcomer. From strategy to items, and from items to Ghost Transformation—this had long surpassed genius. This was a freak of nature. As fellow Night Wanderers, they felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. This was the true reason Elder Zhao and the others had lost their composure. Ghost Transformation was an ultimate trump card at the Transcendent stage, but in the eyes of Dominators, it was merely a minor parlor trick. What shocked them was Yuanshi Tianzun himself—that such an extraordinary monster actually existed... Elder Hongying and the others glanced toward Elder Sun with complicated expressions. Elder Sun was speechless. For the first time in his life, a single thought crossed his mind: *Maybe... just maybe... I really have grown senile!!* On the arena stage, Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a thick breath of lunar energy, his voice hoarse and deep. "Is it really that hard? After seeing you do it the other day, I went home and tried it out. It was simple enough—got it on the first try." Whether that was true or not, Zhao Chenghuang's face twitched violently. He lowered his waist and back, the muscles across his legs and spine bulging as he coiled himself like a spring. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing held his saber across his chest, his fingertips lightly brushing the blade. Only then did he notice several slight nicks along the edge. *If this had been the Bloodthirsty Blade, it would have shattered long ago. Without this armor set, there's no way I could have won this battle...* Feeling the slight ridges under his fingertips, Zhang Yuanqing maintained a clear-eyed assessment of his own strength. *Bang!* The muscles in Zhao Chenghuang's legs detonated with power, channeling force directly into the ground and kicking up a cloud of floating sand dust. In the next instant, Zhao Chenghuang streaked forward as an afterimage. The gale churned up by his high-speed movement swept the drifting dust backward. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing slung his blade hand back and charged forward to meet his foe. Both moved with blinding speed, turning into two afterimages hurtling straight toward each other. Just as they were about to collide, Zhang Yuanqing stomped heavily and slashed his long saber forward. The air seemed to split open with a piercing shriek. Under immense momentum, Zhao Chenghuang neither braked nor dodged; he dropped abruptly into a low crouch, letting the slashing blade whistle harmlessly overhead. Simultaneously, his knees snapped forward, driving his body into Yuanshi Tianzun's chest with terrifying momentum as his razor claws ripped toward the young man's heart. Having swung wide, Zhang Yuanqing had no time to recover his blade. In haste, he took a step back and drove his left fist downward. *Bang!* Fist slammed into palm. Lunar energy exploded into a shockwave that swept through the arena, sending a frigid chill through the audience as if winter had arrived in an instant. Zhang Yuanqing's fist went numb. A monstrous, violent force surged into his arm and slammed through to his shoulder. It felt as though he had been shoved violently, and he staggered backward. The gap in their levels finally showed itself. Although Zhao Chenghuang wasn't at peak stamina, his experience bar was well past ninety percent, whereas Zhang Yuanqing had only just reached Level 3. Seizing the opening, Zhao Chenghuang pressed his advantage ruthlessly, pounding fist after fist into Zhang Yuanqing's chest. Blows cracked against the metallic, dark-bluish skin, forcing him back step by step, each foot gouging a deep crater into the sand. *Damn it, the power gap is too wide. My lunar energy isn't as dense as his, so my combat strength in Ghost Transformation falls short...* Zhang Yuanqing's footing faltered as he barely managed to parry the storm of thunderous strikes. Fortunately, his close-quarters combat skills had improved significantly. Had he been at the level he was before training with Guan Ya, Zhao Chenghuang would have already finished him off in one rush—or at least left him gravely injured. Just as Zhao Chenghuang moved to press his advantage and completely overpower Yuanshi Tianzun, two loud thuds slammed into his back. The impact made Zhao Chenghuang stumble forward a few steps, a burning ache erupting between his shoulder blades. Seeing its master taking a beating, the Red Dancing Shoes had rushed over to the rescue. Though its damage output could hardly kill or severely wound Zhao Chenghuang now, it could still inflict noticeable damage—and pain. Its unstoppable and indestructible nature made it the ultimate support. *Phew, beautiful work...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately stabilized his unsteady footing. Sinking his soles into the sand to plant his base, he thrust his saber straight at the stumbling Zhao Chenghuang. Zhao Chenghuang's pupils shrank. Seeing the blade right in front of him with no room to dodge, he chose not to evade at all, swiftly retrieving the little clay figurine from his inventory. *Hum!* A murky gray barrier surged upward, blocking the incoming blade tip. As if anticipating this, Zhang Yuanqing didn't flinch. He slid laterally around Zhao Chenghuang's flank and swung his saber with fluid momentum. He needed to shatter Zhao Chenghuang's defensive item. Given the current state of both combatants, an impenetrable shield could easily give the man the leverage to turn the tables. *Hum! Hum! Hum!* Zhang Yuanqing danced around Zhao Chenghuang, slashing, hacking, stabbing, and carving with his narrow blade. Each strike cleaved showers of sand-like motes of light from the murky gray barrier. Meanwhile, the continuous stomps from the Red Dancing Shoes sent rippling halos washing across its surface. In his Ghost Transformation state, his speed and strength had skyrocketed. Bolstered by the razor sharpness of his war saber, the gray barrier trembled violently, teetering on the verge of collapse. *Thump!* Zhang Yuanqing took a heavy stride, digging his foot deep into the sand. The muscles in his legs tightened, surging power upward from his base, through his waist and back, straight into his right arm. The dark-bluish skin bulged. Channeling every ounce of strength, a savage grimace on his face, he brought down a devastating slash. *Pop!* With a sound like a bursting balloon, the murky barrier finally shattered, dissolving into a gentle breeze that kicked up yellow sand. The little clay figurine in Zhao Chenghuang's hand cracked apart. *Buzz...* The narrow saber hummed violently, the terrifying recoil kicking the blade upward and nearly tearing it from its wielder's grip. The webbing between Zhang Yuanqing's thumb and index finger tore open once more. At that exact moment, Zhao Chenghuang—who had been slowed down by the item's drawback and forced to take a passive beating—moved. The instant the figurine cracked and the saber was nearly knocked away by recoil, Zhao Chenghuang struck as if he had prepared for this all along. Enduring the stomps of the Red Dancing Shoes, his ghostly claws shot forward like phantoms, piercing straight through Yuanshi Tianzun's chest. *Splurt!* Cool water splashed outward. His claws successfully pierced his foe's chest, only to be neutralized by the Water Ghost's passive ability. *As expected...* Zhao Chenghuang showed neither surprise nor anger, as though he had foreseen this outcome from the start. He yanked his claws sideways through the opponent's torso. Even more water splashed out as his claws ripped across from the left chest to the right, down along the right arm, and finally smashed against the saber hilt with a loud clang. The narrow saber flew out of Zhang Yuanqing's grip, spinning dozens of meters through the air before embedding itself into the wall below the spectator stands. That had been Zhao Chenghuang's true objective all along. Yuanshi Tianzun using the Water Ghost passive made him immune to physical attacks, but it also meant he couldn't hold onto a weapon in that state. Yuanshi Tianzun had wanted to destroy his clay figurine, and he had wanted to disarm his opponent. One lost his shield; the other lost his spear. Evenly matched. Having knocked the weapon away, Zhao Chenghuang pressed in close with rapid-fire attacks, refusing to give Yuanshi Tianzun any chance to retrieve the blade. At the same time, he kept a wary eye on the clash between their yin corpses in the distance, ready to split his consciousness to take direct control of his corpse if Yuanshi Tianzun attempted to retrieve the weapon through his. *Riiip!* Zhao Chenghuang's claws tore across Yuanshi Tianzun's chest, leaving four deep furrows that exposed bone as bright red blood poured forth. Zhang Yuanqing's face contorted in pain. Igniting his black claws with blazing flame, he returned the strike viciously. His raw strength was inferior to Zhao Chenghuang's, but he could enhance his damage using pyrokinesis. *Sizzle...* Wisps of blue smoke rose from Zhao Chenghuang's chest, his facial muscles twitching in response. *Bang! Bang! Bang! Smack! Smack! Smack!* Punches, kicks, and flashing claws traded blows back and forth. Deep lacerations were carved into Yuanshi Tianzun's flesh, while Zhao Chenghuang took iron fists, vicious claw strikes, and relentless stomps from the Red Dancing Shoes in return. Neither used any more items, nor did they activate Night Travel. The sandy ground made stealth completely pointless, and against a fellow Night Wanderer, spirit servants were equally ineffective. They fought in the most primal way possible, using claws and fists as weapons, striving solely to break the other's flesh and will. Blood splattered everywhere as wounds multiplied over every inch of their bodies. The sand beneath their feet froze over with frost, hardening into solid ground, only to shatter into webs of cracks beneath their powerful stomps. The spectators who had just sat back down leaped to their feet once more, their eyes glued to the arena. The Fire Mages were practically bursting with excitement, thoroughly engrossed in the raw aesthetic of violence. They were stunned to realize that Night Wanderers—typically assassins and summoners—could put on such a magnificent, brutal brawl. *Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang are absolute talents! It's an utter shame they didn't become Fire Mages.* To other classes, this was a contest of violence, combat technique, and physical endurance. But to the Night Wanderers of the Taiyi Sect, the core of this duel was a clash of lunar energy. Whoever ran out of lunar energy first would lose. In Ghost Transformation, a Night Wanderer's self-healing reached its peak. Once their lunar energy ran dry and wound regeneration slowed down, defeat was only a matter of time. Zhao Chenghuang had more experience and denser lunar energy, but those damn Red Dancing Shoes were just infuriatingly persistent... A few minutes later, both fighters had reached their absolute limits. In one final, violent clash, Zhang Yuanqing's claws slashed across Zhao Chenghuang's throat, while Zhao Chenghuang's claws plunged into Zhang Yuanqing's chest. Both stumbled backward. Zhao Chenghuang clutched his bloody throat. Zhang Yuanqing collapsed onto the sand, his vision dimming in waves of darkness. Both pushed their lunar energy to the brink, racing against the clock to mend their wounds, but their physical stamina was already on the verge of utter exhaustion. Just as the bleeding in his chest barely stopped, Zhang Yuanqing's lunar energy ran out. His claws retracted, the dark-bluish skin faded back to its normal hue, and the darkness in his eyes receded. "Heh... heheh..." Zhao Chenghuang began to laugh. His vocal cords had just barely knitted together, leaving his voice terribly raspy. "Yuanshi Tianzun... you lose..." He still had one last sliver of strength left. Staggering, Zhao Chenghuang began to trudge toward Yuanshi Tianzun. Zhang Yuanqing gasped for air, his hands and feet spasming faintly, his heart pounding as if it might give out at any second. Yet a smile spread across his face. "No. You lose!" The moment the words left his mouth—*whack!*—two heavy kicks slammed directly into Zhao Chenghuang's face. His body seized up violently, his steps wobbling as he nearly tumbled over. Veins bulged across Zhao Chenghuang's forehead. A savage resolve twisted his features as he forced himself forward toward Yuanshi Tianzun. He was at the end of his rope, but victory was barely a dozen steps away. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Weathering a downpour of stomps, he dragged himself toward Yuanshi Tianzun step by step. His expression was monstrous, his teeth gritted in sheer defiance, blood trickling from his lips and the corners of his eyes cracking under strain. One step, two steps, three steps... Finally, upon taking his eighth step, the proud prodigy of the Taiyi Sect took a vicious kick to the back of the head and crashed heavily to the ground. The Red Dancing Shoes showed no mercy, stomping down again and again, snapping bone after bone. Until the target was dead, the Red Dancing Shoes would not stop attacking. That was the rule. Only its master could call it off. *That was close. This guy is ridiculously tough...* Seeing that Zhao Chenghuang remained unresponsive for several seconds, his breath faint, Zhang Yuanqing finally issued the command to halt. The Red Dancing Shoes stopped immediately, strutting gracefully on its heels as it clattered back toward its master. The Armored Swordsman strode swiftly into the ring. Excitement danced in the elder's eyes as he shouted at the top of his lungs: "The Final Battle has concluded! The victor is Yuanshi Tianzun!" *Boom!* An unprecedented roar of noise erupted, as if a lit fuse had just reached a powder keg. Every official walker stood up, waving their arms, shouting and screaming. Countless emotions resonated together in that single moment. Yuanshi Tianzun had taken the championship! The biggest dark horse of this tournament! "Boss, five years of funding just landed in our account! I'm buying a sports car! I'm upgrading to a Songhai luxury flat! Ahahaha!" Qicilang was practically delirious with joy. Youfeng Laiyi and the others were radiant with excitement. A rare smile appeared on Fu Qingyang's cold, aloof face. Beside him, Queen and Guan Ya were clapping and screaming together. "Sweetheart! My baby!" Mother Xie embraced her daughter in wild excitement. "Mommy's rich!" Xie Lingxi was overjoyed as well, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist and squealing nonstop. Mr. Bill rose to his feet, looking even more thrilled than the members of the Five Elements Alliance. "Oh my god... oh my god..." Annie pressed her lips tight, gazing dazedly at Yuanshi Tianzun's figure. Equally entranced was Zhu Rong, though her expression was far more perverse—her cheeks flushed crimson, her breathing ragged. The more brilliant Yuanshi Tianzun proved to be, the stronger her urge grew to break him, to drag him through the mud. This young man was so exceptional that he made her heart flutter, driving her to pure obsession. The elders of the Five Elements Alliance exchanged looks, seeing the unbridled joy and exhilaration in each other's eyes. In the more than ten years since the official arena tournament began, the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect had originally co-hosted the event. Yet every single year, the champion had been a Night Wanderer. The only exception was the year the female Grand Marshal rose through the ranks, claiming the Saint stage championship for the Five Elements Alliance. Every other time, without fail, it was a Night Wanderer. Even Fu Qingyang hadn't been able to win the championship at the Transcendent stage. Money Prince had only truly risen to prominence and perfected his divine skills after reaching the Saint stage. Back in his Transcendent days, though he had possessed the strength to contend with Saints, his opponent that year had been Yin Ji. Because of that, the Five Elements Alliance had eventually stopped co-hosting the tournament with the Taiyi Sect, and each held their own events instead. Now, after all these years, the Five Elements Alliance had finally seized the championship once more. Amidst the sea of cheers, a Night Wanderer from the Taiyi Sect shouted loudly: "Elder! Yuanshi Tianzun cheated! He cheated!" "He took pills before his Ghost Transformation! It has to be the pills! His win isn't clean!" "Exactly! The tournament rules clearly state that items and medicines from the Saint stage are forbidden!" The clamor died down slightly. The expressions of the Five Elements Alliance walkers shifted as countless eyes turned toward the elders. Elder Zhao and his peers didn't immediately voice any accusations, but all eyes drifted toward the Armored Swordsman. This elder of the White Tiger Guards was the referee for this match. After a moment's contemplation, the Armored Swordsman walked over to Yuanshi Tianzun and said gravely, "Yuanshi Tianzun, the pills you consumed earlier are suspected of violating regulations. According to procedure, you must undergo an inspection." "Understood." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a pill and hand it over. He had kept this one intentionally. Once the referee took it, Zhang Yuanqing explained, "This is medicine to stabilize the spirit body and repair spiritual trauma." He was confident it broke no rules. At the Transcendent stage, the only medicines walkers could access were essentially antidote pills and hemostatic pills from Wood Demons, alongside a few tonic pills crafted by Scholars. These medicines had limited efficacy, which was why the tournament rules never specifically mentioned them—taking them had virtually no game-changing impact on a battle. This wasn't like a mortal athletic competition. What the rules explicitly banned were game-reversing elixirs, such as life fluid. The Armored Swordsman inspected the pill for a moment before popping it into his mouth. After tasting it and sensing its medicinal properties, he said in a heavy voice, "Indeed, this does not violate any rules. However, you cannot prove that the pill you gave me is the same kind you consumed. I need to administer a lie-detection test." With that, he asked in a stern tone, "Yuanshi Tianzun, were the pills you consumed identical to the one you just handed me?" As a Dominator-level Scout, he didn't need any items to compel a Transcendent-stage spirit walker to speak the absolute truth. An invisible pressure descended. An instinctive fear gripped Zhang Yuanqing, making him feel like an ordinary grunt standing before a grand marshal. Unable to conceal anything, he answered honestly: "Identical!" The Armored Swordsman nodded, looked toward the stands, and announced once more: "The winner is Yuanshi Tianzun!" The Five Elements Alliance walkers finally breathed a sigh of relief, their cheers boiling over like a tempest. The Taiyi Sect Night Wanderers' expressions turned thoroughly foul. They were resentful and defiant, yet entirely powerless. Unable to accept this reality, Maoshan Daoist fumed, "Even if it didn't break the rules, he still used medicine! Using medicine is cheating, and we don't accept it!" "Right! If you've got the guts, beat Zhao Chenghuang fair and square! What kind of hero relies on gray areas? Lay off the pills if you're so tough!" "You won the match but lost your honor! We'll never acknowledge this!" The Five Elements Alliance side flared with rage, firing back across the stands: "Bullshit! Can't the Taiyi Sect handle losing? As long as it's within the rules, Yuanshi Tianzun can pop whatever he damn well pleases!" "Anything goes within the rules! If you're sore losers, get the hell out of here and stop barking like dogs!" "Even your own elders haven't said a word! Aren't you embarrassed?!" The Taiyi Sect elders naturally accepted the outcome, but they didn't stop their disciples from protesting. It was normal to vent when you lost, and the juniors needed an outlet for their frustration. Right then, a message popped up from the Red Dancing Shoes as it trotted up beside its master: [Would you like to dance with me? If so, please step in place!] "I would!" Zhang Yuanqing pushed his exhausted body up with great effort, rising to his feet. After a brief pause, he turned to face the crowd from the Taiyi Sect. *Tap, tap-tap...* The Red Dancing Shoes took the lead, clicking out a jaunty, cheerful rhythm. Zhang Yuanqing immediately matched its beat. One person and one pair of shoes, facing the Taiyi Sect contingent, danced with complete, brazen abandon. The shouting match on both sides ground to a halt. Countless people stared dumbfounded at Yuanshi Tianzun in the arena. *What does he mean by this?* The Taiyi Sect members froze. The Five Elements Alliance members were equally bewildered. *Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap...* The tap dance shifted between brisk and leisurely tempos. The Red Dancing Shoes moved with elegant grace, while Yuanshi Tianzun twisted and swayed awkwardly, making the entire display look like a deliberate mockery. Soon, the dance concluded. The Red Dancing Shoes stepped its left foot back, cocked its heel, performed a textbook curtsy, and dissolved into red light. Zhang Yuanqing followed suit, offering the Taiyi Sect an exaggerated, theatrical curtsy of his own. The Taiyi Sect Night Wanderers finally realized what was happening. Their faces twisted in sheer fury as they bellowed: "He's mocking us!" "Damn that Yuanshi Tianzun! Elder, I can't take this anymore! I'm going down there to tear him apart!" "Fuck this! I'm taking him down with me!" "You've gone too far!!" When had the proud Night Wanderers ever endured such humiliation? Their minds completely shattered in outrage. Even Saints like the Ghost King of Fengdu felt their eyelids twitch, seized by the sudden urge to jump into the ring and beat him senseless. "Return! Return!" Zhang Yuanqing blurted out in haste. In the next instant, he vanished from everyone's sight, disappearing before the eyes of the incandescent Night Wanderers.