Silence......

  A stunned hush fell over the arena as Jin Yu stood tall, no longer broken, no longer bleeding.

  Above, in the booths, silence fell.

  Then:

  ???: "Did he just....broke through?”

  ???: “That fast…?”

  ???: “During the fight?”

  The child-looking elder’s eyes widened.

  “Oh… now this… this is going to be fun.”

  Back in the arena

  Iron Mercy froze, mid-step.

  Jin Yu's body cracked as bones reset, Qi flaring violently from within. His spine straightened with a sickening snap, and blood evaporated off his skin in a rising Red mist. His robes were shredded, but his eyes, those crimson eyes, burned like coals in a storm.

  “You shouldn’t have stopped.” he whispered, voice low and feral.

  Then he vanished.

  CRACK!

  A shockwave burst outward from where he stood. Before Iron Mercy could even react, Jin Yu appeared beside him, fist already drawn back.

  BOOM!

  A punch collided with Iron Mercy’s side, lifting him clean off the ground. His body twisted mid-air before slamming into the arena wall with a thunderous bang. The stone cracked on impact.

  He fell.

  Jin Yu didn’t give him time.

  He followed, merciless.

  Bang!

  A knee smashed into Iron Mercy’s face, cracking his dark-grey mask clean down the middle.

  Bang!

  A second strike to the ribs, followed by a third, a fourth, a storm of violence, each blow more precise, more personal.

  “This one’s for my spine,”

  Crack!

  “This one’s for the ribs,”

  Snap!

  “And this…” Jin Yu hissed, grabbing Iron Mercy by the throat, lifting him like a rag doll, “...this is for daring to think I’d stay down.”

  He drove him headfirst into the ground.

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  CRASH!!

  The arena trembled.

  Iron Mercy gasped, dazed, one arm twitching.

  Jin Yu didn’t wait. He grabbed that arm, and ripped it from its socket with a wet, tearing sound.

  The crowd screamed.

  "ARRRRRRRHGGG!"

  Some in ecstasy, others in horror.

  But Jin Yu wasn’t done.

  He shoved the dismembered limb down toward Iron Mercy’s own chest, laughing.

  “Break me?” he growled. “You didn’t break anything. You just gave me fuel.”

  BOOM!

  He sent one final kick into Iron Mercy’s chest, shattering bones with an echo that rang through the entire arena.

  The once-feared seventh challenger lay in a crumpled heap.

  Defeated.

  Utterly.

  DING!

  Breakthrough achieved.

  Physique: Nascent Soul Realm-Initial Stage

  Jin Yu exhaled slowly, wiping a streak of blood from his chin with the back of his hand. He stood tall, no longer hunched or trembling.

  His presence pulsed now. Heavy. Oppressive. Inhuman.

  He turned to the spectators, raising his arms.

  “ARRRRRGHHHH!”

  The crowd erupted, not just with cheers, but with savage howls, guttural roars, and frenzied stomping.

  THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

  Cultivators banged weapons against the iron railings, others tossed spirit coins, bones, and even teeth—payment for blood well spilled.

  “Rip his spine out next time!”

  “He fed that bastard his own arm!”

  “Nameless! Nameless! NameLESS!!"

  Dozens leapt from their seats, veins bulging with Qi and ecstasy. One woman with a snake around her neck licked blood from her lips, eyes rolling back in a trance.

  Others weren’t as pleased.

  ???: “That Spiral Gate idiot cost me five spirit stones!”

  ???: “He got lucky! He just got lucky!”

  But they were the minority. The bloodthirst of the masses had found a new favorite. Someone who not only survived a beating, but delivered a punishment tenfold in return.

  In one shadow-draped booth, the man with the snakeskin body chuckled softly.

  “He reminds me of my third son. The wild one I had to kill.”

  The woman with black, eerie eyes leaned forward, her tone almost reverent.

  “His Qi doesn’t react like normal. Did you feel it? It devoured the monk’s laughter... like it was food.”

  The man with predatory, bird-like eyes clicked his tongue, annoyed.

  “He broke through. In battle. Without rest. Dangerous. Unstable. Perfect.”

  The childlike man, eyes bright with unnatural glee, clapped his tiny hands.

  “I like him! Can I have him after he dies? I want to play with what’s left~”

  Several silent figures nodded or muttered among themselves, bets exchanging hands.

  ???: “Two Flame-grade talismans he wins the next one.”

  ???: “Fifty Mid-tier spirit stones say he dies before the tenth.”

  Back Below

  Jin Yu stood alone in the bloodstained ring, chest rising slowly, eyes dulling with quiet clarity. His progress bar had reset. His challenge bar sat at 50% now.

  He looked up, just briefly.

  And for a heartbeat, all eyes locked on him.

  Even those hidden behind veils and formations felt it.

  He was no longer just a fighter.

  He was the storm on the horizon.

  -----

  "Eighth Challenger – The Thousand Veins Widow"

  A hush rippled across the arena, not out of fear, but curiosity.

  From the tunnel emerged a woman draped in crimson and shadow. Her face was veiled, but her presence was unmistakable, slithering, sinuous, and oddly graceful.

  Tattoos like branching veins glowed faintly across her arms and neck, pulsing with soft violet Qi.

  ???: “That's her... The Thousand Veins Widow,” someone whispered. “Killed her husband during dual cultivation... then ate his core.”

  ???: “She absorbs spiritual energy through skin contact. Don't let her touch you!.”

  She didn’t raise her arms. She didn’t roar. She smiled beneath her veil and walked elegantly to the center, her every step leaving behind fading ghostly vein prints.

  Across from her, Jin Yu stood unmoving. His robes were torn, his body still bloodied from the last fight, but his eyes were quiet. Unreadable.

  Ding!

  Challenge Progress: 40%....44%

  “Don’t you want to rest?” she asked softly. “I promise to make it feel like death is kissing you.”

  Jin Yu cracked his neck. “You can try.”

  Then the Fight began .

  She moved effortlessly. Her fingers danced, weaving threads of violet Qi into the air. Jin Yu darted back, narrowly avoiding the shimmering nets that cracked the floor where they landed.

  The Widow spun, her sleeves lashed out like ribbons, but Jin Yu ducked low and struck with the hilt of his sword. She vanished into smoke, appearing behind him mid-spin, palm aiming for his neck.

  He blocked it, but the moment her palm met his arm, a pulse of hostile Qi surged into him.

  Ding!

  Breakthrough Progress: 6.7%... 8.9%

  His body devoured the Qi, absorbing it like dry soil drinking rain. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

  The Widow froze. “What... was that?”

  Jin Yu didn’t answer. He spun low and swept her legs—forcing her into the air, where he delivered a clean knee to her ribs. She crashed to the ground, coughing blood, but laughing.

  “You’re not normal... I like that.”

  "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!"

  The crowd roared, half in adoration, half in disbelief. Jin Yu hadn’t unleashed madness this time. No brutal display. No limbs torn off. Just calculated dominance.

  The Thousand Veins Widow rose one last time, but a single flick of Jin Yu’s finger sent a thin wave of pressure crashing into her core. She collapsed.

  Ding!

  Challenge Progress: 50%

  Breakthrough Progress: 8.9%... 9.5%

  She lay there smiling. “Take care, blind boy… Someone stronger is watching.”

  Jin Yu’s expression didn’t change, but his ears twitched faintly as he tilted his head toward the upper booths.