As Reon stepped into the Dueling Arena, he was momentarily stunned.

  The crowd of disciples was staggering—far surpassing the turnout of the Weekly Dueli.

  Most were spectators, but this wasn't just an ordinary crowd.

  Not only had outer disciples gathered, but even inner disciples had e—some to pce bets, some for mere eai, and others scouting for potential talents. Their presenly amplified the weight of the event.

  Lost in the vastness of the se, Reon barely noticed when Xu Yang nudged him.

  "Big Brother, let's go. Our seats are over there," Xu Yang said, pointing towards the designated area for partits.

  Snapping out of his daze, Reon nodded and followed.

  As he settled into his seat, he exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts.

  The Monthly Dueli had a three-round elimination format. Each partit would fight once per round, and only those who emerged victorious would advance.

  Uhe Weekly Dueli, this tour had a unique rule—if you defeated someone ranked higher than you, you would take their rank ier Sect Rankings.

  Oppos were assigned randomly, meaning no one could predict or prepare for their matchups.

  The winners of all three rounds would earn 50,000 Sect Points.

  But the real allure y beyond that—those who triumphed in three rounds would enter a Special Round, where they could challenge a single ued partit.

  This was what truly captivated most disciples—a rare opportunity to climb the top rankings, gain fame, and challenge even stronger oppos to test their abilities.

  Suddenly, a shimmering Spiritual S illumihe sky, dispying the matchups for the first round.

  Reon's gaze locked onto the names.

  Only 100 disciples had registered this time—a signifitly lower han usual and most of them are top hundred disciple of the Outer Sect.

  But then, it made sense.

  The Inner Sect Disciple Sele Ceremony roag.

  Only the stro outer disciples had chosen to participate this time, each determio sharpen their skills before the graion.

  Well, it didn't matter.

  After all, he was already within that rank.

  Ihree Weekly Duelis he participated iiculously targeted the strong disciples, provoking them into wagering their ranks withier Sect.

  He didn't want to stand out too soon.

  So, he ensured his ranking remained just withiop Hurong enough to be respected, but not enough to draw unwatention.

  But then, his gaze shifted to a particur er of the Spiritual S.

  His eyes narrowed as he spotted a name he hadn't expected.

  Yang Lie.

  Reon's expression darkened.

  "Why is he here?"

  Yang Lie should have participated in the previous Monthly Dueli, after that, he should have been immediately assigned a mission in the Mortal World by the Elders.

  This… wasn't supposed to happen.

  Was this another shift in fate—one caused by his as?

  He ched his fist briefly before exhaling.

  "Well, whatever. ge is iable when someone decides to transform themselves."

  With that thought, he refocused on his own match.

  And that's when he saw it.

  His oppo's name.

  Tian Ju.

  A deep siletled in his mind.

  Then—

  "What the heck?"

  His lips twitched.

  "Why is my luck… always this bad?"

  Tian Ju was ranked 18th ier Disciple Rankings. One of the stronger tenders in this tour.

  And Reon had to face him in the first round.

  For a brief moment, he sidered his options.

  Then, a smirk tugged at his lips.

  "Well, no point in pining. After all, I do want to break into the Top 20."

  The petition began.

  One by one, disciples cshed in intense duels, testing their strength against one another. Some triumphed gloriously, while others crumbled uhe weight of their overfidence.

  Reon waited.

  Then—

  His name was called.

  It was time.

  As he stepped onto the fighting arena, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.

  "Who is that guy?"

  "I've never seen him before ier Sect."

  "Yeah! He looks weak. he even st a minute against Tian Ju?"

  A disciple scoffed, shaking his head. "You guys seriously don't know? Do you eve ier Sect? That's Xue Taiyang. He's made quite a name for himself over the past half-month—currently ranked 93rd ier Sect Rankings."

  "Really? So he's pretty strong… but still."

  "A Rank 93 going up against Rank 18? That's just crazy, bro."

  "Right? This is why I never participate in the Monthly Dueli. A sich could ruin you! I'm not wasting 8000 Sect Points just to get eliminated in the first round."

  "Yeah, this guy is just unlucky. Fag Tian Ju so soon… He doesn't stand a ce."

  Meanwhile, in the arena—

  Reon sed the field.

  Tian Ju was o be seen.

  Then—

  A shadow flickered above.

  BOOM!

  A figure desded from the sky, nding with a resounding impact. Dust swirled around him as he straightened.

  A sharp, arrogant gaze locked onto Reon.

  "Heh. So you're Xue Taiyang, huh?" Tian Ju sneered. "You're my oppo?"

  Reo his gaze, calm and posed.

  "Yes."

  Tian Ju clicked his tongue. "Hah! What a joke. I was hoping for someorong—someone who could actually test my strength. But I get you instead."

  Reon said nothing.

  Tian Ju's smirk widened. "Where are your beasts? The s says you're a Beast Tamer. Summon your little puppies quickly, or you'll be beaten red and blue."

  Reon's eyes flickered.

  "If I summon them, you won't st more than two seds."

  "And besides… not only little tiger even Cloudia's identity is far more plicated than I inally thought. There's o draw unnecessary attention."

  With a faint smile, he replied, "My beasts… aren't feelioday. I'll fight you myself."

  Tian Ju raised an eyebrow. Then—he ughed.

  "Haha! A Beast Tamer fighting in close bat? That's rich! You're just making excuses because you're weak."

  Reon summoned his sword. "You'll find out soon enough."

  Tian Ju cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Hehe… Fihe's see what you've got."

  Without another word—

  Reon charged.

  One mier...

  The battle was over.

  Reon stood calmly, brushing a few strands of hair away from his face.

  "Hah! A mere Stage-2 Foundatioablishment cultivator, ag this arrogant with such little skill?" Reon scoffed inwardly.

  Tian Ju y sprawled across the arena floor, utterly defeated.

  Blood dripped from his lip as he gasped for air, eyes wide in disbelief.

  "H-How… is this… possible?" he muttered, just before losing sciousness.

  Silence.

  A suffog silenketed the arena.

  The crowd, which had been cheering for Tian Ju moments ago, had now fallen eerily quiet.

  Disciples stared, their faces frozen in shock.

  "W-What… did I just witness?"

  "A rank 93 just destroyed rank 18?"

  "And in just ten moves?!"

  "That's… impossible."

  "That weak-looking puppy turned out to be a dark horse!"

  But then, someone groaned.

  "Wait—NO! My Sect Points! I bet everything on Tian Ju!"

  "Me too! Sob… Sob…"

  Cries of despair filled the stands as tless disciples mourhe loss of their hard-earned points.

  Meanwhile—

  From a private viewing room, a young woman watched the battle unfold.

  She leaned forward slightly, a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

  A small, amused smile pyed on her lips.

  "You're not half-bad, Xue Taiyang."