The wind swept up dust and sand.
The sky, faintly lit by dawn, was just beginning to show a pale belly of light, as the heavy drumbeats echoed like the thunder of a thousand troops charging from afar.
The day’s Arena had begun.
This was a contest of courage and wisdom, strength and skill.
Countless cultivators staked their lives, stepping onto the Arena amidst the drumbeats, but those who survived would become tomorrow’s champions.
The cultivators stretched their limbs, already impatient and eager beneath the stage.
“Did you hear? Yesterday, the Wasteland War Team Eight already hit a fifty-win streak!”
“Sigh, they’re strong, after all. Even the bottom-ranked teams from the Battle Desolation Sect are way out of our league. When they show up at the Town Arena Tournament, it’s just a massacre.”
“Is that so?” A young Human Clan cultivator smiled and patted his companion’s shoulder.
“We won’t lose either. Believe in yourself!”
In this feverish, restless atmosphere, a group clad in white robes and hoods peeked out from a distant street corner, slowly making their way toward the Arena.
Tails gently swayed beneath their robes, flickering in and out of sight.
Jiang Ke’er took off her hood, revealing two showy ears atop her head.
The air froze in solemn stillness.
Si Lian walked up to the matchmaker. “Apply for a match.”
Seeing Si Lian, those nearby suddenly understood.
“So it’s her, huh. Tsk, looks like we’re in for a show.”
Si Lian was already well-known here, but not for any good reason.
Nosy Humans called her the “Best Foreign Aid of the Year,” the “Most Loyal Friend of Humanity.”
Year after year, she tirelessly used all sorts of trickery to lure young Demon Race elites onto the stage, ending their lives.
People even started looking forward to her arrival, because whenever she appeared, there was always a good show to watch.
A show of slaughter and being slaughtered.
“I bet they won’t last a single round.”
“Hard to say. After all, they have that dog demon on their team, the one who took on nine at once,” someone recognized Jiang Ke’er.
“Come on, I could take on nine in Black Iron too.”
“Too bad they’re still in the Bronze Division. We can’t get matched with them yet, or I’d love to get up there and finish them myself.”
As for all the chatter below the stage, Si Lian was clearly used to it.
Just as Jiang Ke’er had guessed, her suspension had already been lifted, and so had Gan Ruǎnruǎn’s.
For executioners who killed their own kind, no chance for revenge would be missed.
Besides, it made for good entertainment… Scenes of the Demon Race sending themselves to die were rare.
It would become a hot topic over meals, and the bloody images of their deaths would be quite satisfying to watch.
Soon, a crystal reporter pointed a camera at Jiang Ke’er and her teammates, deciding to broadcast this match live on a small scale within the city.
It was sure to get good viewership.
“Today, focus on teamwork. If things go south, just surrender—try not to get hurt. I don’t want any of you losing your lives on this experimental first day.”
Everyone nodded.
Matching was swift; the matchmaker didn’t want to delay this drama. Soon, a Bronze Division team volunteered themselves.
Both teams took the stage.
“Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!”
The cheering for the opposing team was fierce, leaving the Demon Race members with a sense of loneliness.
No kin came to watch or cheer for them—perhaps their hearts had been broken too many times and they couldn’t bear to witness such cruelty again.
“Begin!”
At that moment, Jiang Ke’er was feeling down, still haunted by psychological shadows from fighting the System Dummy, her eyes bleary and heavy with exhaustion.
At the call to start, she instinctively lunged forward.
When she came back to herself, she was standing atop a corpse, scratching her head in confusion.
What just happened?
Huh? Why are all the opponents dead?
Where are my teammates? Eh? Why are you all standing so far away? Didn’t the battle already start?
Jiang Ke’er felt so lost, at a complete loss for what to do. She glanced at the blood on her sword and shook it off.
Oh, I guess I killed these people.
She’d just moved her hand a little, and they’d run themselves onto her blade and died.
How strange. Why didn’t they want to live?
Jiang Ke’er stood there, bewildered; the crowd below the stage was even more confused than she was.
Woc, what just happened?
Where is everyone?
What about our health bars?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a serious battle? Wasn’t it supposed to be a one-sided slaughter?
And the Referee—where did the Referee go? What happened? Why isn’t anyone explaining?
“Uh…”
Jiang Ke’er looked awkwardly at the six corpses on the ground.
She turned back, counting her teammates.
One, two, three, four… Including herself, five. Team Coach Si Lian was still in a daze below the stage—so it seemed she hadn’t accidentally hurt a teammate in her confusion.
But this sixth corpse…
Eh, this person looks familiar—wasn’t he the uncle from the next table at the tavern before? Back then, when he overheard her chatting with Gan Ruǎnruǎn, he quietly left.
So he was the Referee, huh, ahaha…
Jiang Ke’er stuck out her tongue, embarrassed, bowed to the Referee, pulled out his Soul, and kept it for now, planning to give him a proper place to rest.
“I’m not dead yet, save m—hic.”
The Referee, his Soul wrenched out, fell silent.
Jiang Ke’er coughed dryly, pretending nothing had happened, and trotted back to her team.
“Ehehe~☆”
Ehehe your ass!
The four teammates howled inwardly.
Si Lian took quite a while to snap out of her shock. “It seems I’ll have to reevaluate your strength.”
Jiang Ke’er felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
Even Team Coach Si Lian had noticed how weak she was?
Sigh, she still had a long way to go.
A group of medical cultivators rushed over, desperately trying to save the Referee on stage.
But with his Soul already gone, it was destined to be a futile effort.
“You need to restrain your strength,” Si Lian said.
“You should suppress your power and give your teammates a chance to train. Your strength can be used as a trump card, but don’t go all out at the start. It’ll leave you spent and vulnerable.”
Go all out? I didn’t, though.
I just did a normal sword swing.
Jiang Ke’er scratched her head furiously.
“I know it’s unfair to ask you to hold back, but you can instantly defeat opponents at this level. In future high-intensity battles, you might not be able to do that.”
Si Lian looked at Jiang Ke’er with earnest concern and went on, “In higher-level fights, you’ll need your teammates’ help. So everyone needs to train more while you’re still in the lower divisions. Don’t end things too quickly… Besides, doesn’t this take a lot out of you?”
Not at all.
I told you it was a normal attack; I barely even used any spiritual power.
It seemed Team Coach Si Lian had misunderstood, but her words still made a lot of sense.
So Jiang Ke’er nodded obediently. “I’ll be careful next time.”
“That’s good. Do you need a rest now?”
“No,” Jiang Ke’er shook her head.
“Don’t push yourself,” Si Lian said kindly. “Life and death are no joke.”
“Really, I’m fine.” Jiang Ke’er shook her head firmly, but after glancing at the Referee’s corpse, she hesitated,
“Sorry, I accidentally killed another Referee… Am I going to get suspended again?”
“It’s fine,” Si Lian smiled. “As long as you kill him before he declares a suspension, you won’t be suspended.”
Not far away, the substitute Referee who had just arrived shivered.