Jiang Ke’er arrived at the Bronze Arena.
The number of spectators here had begun to swell; after all, most people spent their whole lives stuck at Bronze, Silver, or Gold, and the largest groups were always Bronze and Silver.
“Kill her! Kill her!”
The relentless shouts filled the air, stirring the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
Jiang Ke’er realized that no matter where she went, there were always righteous Human Clan cultivators spontaneously forming squads to hunt her down.
She was like a demon lord, forever surrounded by would-be heroes eager to take her life.
“Ma-ma, why do they want to sha you?” Eggy asked curiously.
“Because Ma-ma is a bad egg,” Jiang Ke’er smiled gently and stepped onto the arena.
“You’re not a bad egg at all!” Eggy huffed angrily, “Ma-ma is the best!”
“Good and bad are always judged from one’s own point of view. In your eyes, Ma-ma is a good egg; in their eyes, Ma-ma is a bad egg.” Jiang Ke’er poked Eggy’s yolk.
“So, when it’s time to be a good egg, be a good egg. When it’s time to be a bad egg, be a bad egg. Be the kind of egg you want to be, and never let anyone else tell you what kind of egg you should be.”
The little one only half-understood.
After a moment, Eggy nuzzled Jiang Ke’er’s hair and declared with confidence, “I’m a Fried Egg Spirit!”
Jiang Ke’er chuckled.
“One against nine, is it?”
Just as she thought, her newly matched teammates had drawn their weapons, but instead of pointing them at the enemy, they aimed at her.
She couldn’t help but sigh softly.
She glanced at the Referee.
In theory, attacking your own teammates should result in a Ban, but right now the Referee ignored the hostility of the others as if nothing was wrong, without even a warning.
Was it really so difficult to quietly rank up and have a proper match?
“Begin!”
Nine cultivators rushed at Jiang Ke’er simultaneously.
The arena wasn’t large, leaving Jiang Ke’er almost no room to dodge or weave.
Two flying swords and three fireballs came at her from different directions.
Jiang Ke’er picked her moment—”Wind Barrier!”—and raised her hand to summon it.
The wall of wind blocked the two flying swords.
Seeing the fireballs about to hit her from behind, Jiang Ke’er ducked low and dashed through the wind wall, dodging to the other side.
“Bang! Bang! Bang—”
The three fireballs struck with full force, shattering the wind wall to pieces.
Using the shockwave, Jiang Ke’er accelerated forward, charging straight at an oncoming swordsman.
The blade’s momentum was fierce and powerful, crackling with lightning, as if it would cleave Jiang Ke’er in two—no mercy at all!
Such a strength-focused martial technique would be foolish to meet head-on.
To clash sword against that blade would be like an egg against stone—best to evade.
Dynamic Vision activated. Jiang Ke’er slid low, darting past the opponent’s side.
With a single slash, she severed his right leg, and as he toppled, she drove Qing Cheng straight into the back of his head.
She drew her sword, flicking the blood off its blade, carving a stark line between life and death upon the ground.
Same as always—you try to kill me, I kill you.
“Surrender now and you still have time. If you want to die, keep coming.”
Jiang Ke’er disliked meaningless fights.
Unfortunately, with the crowd’s excitement raging below, not a single hot-blooded youth could bear to pass up the chance to become a hero in front of so many eyes.
Flying swords and spells came again. This time, Jiang Ke’er targeted the casters.
A Silk Ribbon wound tightly, layer upon layer, barring Jiang Ke’er’s path and blocking her way forward.
Jiang Ke’er leapt nimbly, and in a flash, was in mid-air.
The eight remaining Human Clan cultivators were overjoyed! Instantly, they worked their spells to track her, sealing off all her possible landing points while she was airborne and unable to shift direction.
Jiang Ke’er sheathed her sword, then drew it again—the blade now roaring with the power of a raging wind.
The whirlwind, surging with righteous spiritual power, crashed down upon the ground! Like a raging tornado sweeping sideways, the vortex devoured all attacks in its path, then tore apart the Silk Ribbon Barrier with ease, pressing down upon the five Remote Cultivators hiding behind it!
The howling winds drowned out all other cries; in the face of death, that fleeting courage became a joke.
Without the protection of the Silk Ribbon Barrier, Jiang Ke’er rode the wind and closed in, her blade glinting with crisp, deadly light.
Three left.
One cultivator suddenly lifted a massive Gold Bell, bringing it crashing down upon her! Inside the bell, mechanisms whirred to life, blades whirring—a true Flesh Grinder.
A clever idea, but it was no match for Frostshadow Peerless.
Several sword-lights slashed through the bell. Its spinning gears and blades exploded outwards.
The cultivator clutching the bell was impaled straight through, dying by his own contraption.
Two remained.
Realizing the dire situation, the last two sprinted for their surrender zones as fast as they could.
Jiang Ke’er spun lightly, holding her sword in both hands, as if performing a mesmerizing Hu Xuan dance.
Frostshadow Peerless flew from her grip, piercing through both their chests, pinning them firmly to the barrier wall at the edge of the arena.
With a hook of her finger, Qing Cheng and Frostshadow Peerless returned to their sheath on their own.
Dusting off her clothes, Jiang Ke’er took off her Badge. She knew what would happen next.
The inscription on her Badge changed to Bronze Rank Four, then quickly faded, losing all its luster.
“Attacked teammates, resulting in death, you have been…”
Clang—
Frostshadow Peerless suddenly shot from its sheath and returned, making the Referee’s voice float strangely through the air.
“…banned.” The Referee’s head flew skyward, those last three words tumbling from his lips.
Jiang Ke’er had expected this.
Since she was fighting on enemy turf, encountering double standards from the Referee was inevitable—no way to dodge it.
But she couldn’t just swallow her pride and act meek.
Banned anyway—might as well take down the Referee, too.
After beheading the Referee, Jiang Ke’er decisively left the arena and melted into the crowd.
While the Respectful Ones were still focused on other arenas and hadn’t noticed, she slipped into the Underworld Province Cauldron.
“Ma-ma, I don’t want to eat that rock anymore,” Eggy said, sounding gloomy.
“Why?”
“I don’t want Ma-ma to get hurt…”
Jiang Ke’er felt a sudden, unexpected warmth in her heart.
She’d thought she’d hatched nothing but trouble, but hadn’t expected Eggy to be so considerate.
“Don’t worry, Ma-ma is very strong.”
Jiang Ke’er didn’t believe she’d be banned forever.
After today, she’d become walking traffic; the tournament organizers would be desperate for her to stir up more drama on stage.
Not just to draw attention, sell tickets, or spur gambling, but to give the other Human Clan cultivators a chance to challenge her—to kill this damned Monster and wipe away their shame.
At this point, neither side could afford to lose face—especially the Human Clan. If they kept banning Jiang Ke’er, wouldn’t that mean admitting defeat?
Still, Jiang Ke’er really didn’t want to fight one against nine again.
Sigh…
She was walking down the street, lost in worry, when suddenly—a chair came flying straight at her!
On reflex, she ducked and dodged the chair, but then a barrage of beer bottles followed, smashing and clattering across the ground.
The chaos escalated. More things kept flying out the tavern window nearby.
Before long, beer bottles gave way to beer kegs, knives, and longswords…
The passersby didn’t even blink, expertly avoiding the debris.
Bang! Bang! Thud—
Midway through, a human-shaped object was suddenly hurled out the window.
“Ptui!”
A girl spat out her cigarette and, without another word, marched right back into the tavern.
Bang! Bang! Thud—
Just seconds later, the same girl—face bruised and swollen—was thrown out again.
The shopkeepers on both sides, already used to this scene, hurried over to pull her up.
“Flat-Headed Sister, let it go, let it go.”