Chapter 72 Malphas’ body was dragged from the arena in silence. No cheers followed. No laughter. Only a strange, uneasy stillness hung over the duel grounds. For several long seconds, no one moved. The crowd stared at the shattered stone, the cracks radiating outward like a warning, as if afraid that breathing too loudly might summon something worse. Then murmurs began to ripple. “He… he defeated Malphas.” “That wasn’t luck.” “But there are still twenty left.” “No one can keep that up.” Freya sat with her hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression calm on the surface, but her nails dug into her palm hard enough to draw blood. One immortal falling was unexpected. Unacceptable, even. But survivable. One meant nothing. She lifted her chin slightly and gave a subtle nod. The air changed instantly. Three figures stepped forward from different sides of the arena, their movements silent, coordinated, practiced. Unlike Malphas, they didn’t announce themselves with overwhelmi

The dust had not yet settled when Adrian stepped forward alone.Kai wanted to move with him. Smith, still recovering, tried to rise again. But Adrian lifted one hand slightly, stopping them without turning back. This was his fight now. Whatever had been awakened inside him during the previous clashes was demanding to be tested fully, without interference, without shelter.Across the broken ring, Karl stood tall.Karl was not like the others. His presence was compact, terrifyingly controlled, as though every strand of power he possessed had been folded inward and sharpened into a blade. His reputation alone made cultivators tremble. No one in this lifetime had defeated him, not in open combat, not in secret duels, not even through schemes.Karl studied Adrian carefully, his eyes narrowing. “You should be dead,” he said calmly. “You’ve taken blows that would erase most cultivators from existence.”Adrian wiped the blood from his chin, straightening his spine. “Then I suppose you’ll have

Chapter 77The arena was finally given a brief pause, the organizers announcing a temporary recess while the inner rings were repaired and the next round prepared. Adrian stepped out of the ring slowly, his movements measured, his expression unreadable. The roar of the crowd still echoed behind him, but for the first time since the duel began, he allowed himself a moment to breathe.Kai followed him a short distance, then stopped when Adrian lifted a hand slightly. “I’ll rest for a bit,” Adrian said quietly. “Stay close.”Kai nodded. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”Adrian moved toward a quieter corner reserved for participants, the noise dulling as thick barriers muffled the arena outside. He had just lowered himself onto a stone bench when familiar footsteps approached.He didn’t need to look up to know who it was.“Elena.”Her name left his lips coldly, without warmth or surprise. He raised his eyes slowly, meeting hers with a guarded gaze.Elena stood a few steps away, her expressi

Chapter 80The resting chamber was quiet again, but it was no longer peaceful.Adrian stood near the window overlooking the arena, the distant noise of the crowd seeping through layers of reinforced stone. He could feel the pressure building outside—anticipation, malice, and something far colder than excitement. The cultivators hadn’t withdrawn to recover. They were preparing.The door opened softly.Kai entered with hurried steps, a massive, weathered book clutched tightly in his arms. The moment Adrian turned, Kai’s expression made it clear this wasn’t an ordinary text.“I got it,” Kai said, his voice low but urgent.Adrian’s gaze dropped to the book. The cover was dark, almost black, etched with faded symbols that seemed to shift when viewed from the corner of the eye. The aura leaking from it was restrained but unmistakable—ancient, deep, and heavy with authority.“Elder Silas?” Adrian asked quietly.Kai nodded. “He kept it hidden for decades. No one else knew where it was stored.

Chapter 82 Seven cultivators lay scattered across the ring, unconscious or barely breathing, their once-dominant auras reduced to nothing more than fading wisps.At the center stood Adrian.Alive.Standing.Victorious.Then the realization hit.A roar exploded through the arena, louder than anything that had come before it.“ADRIAN!”“ADRIAN COLE!”“ADRIAN! ADRIAN!”The chant rolled like thunder, wave after wave of voices hailing the man who had done the impossible. Cultivators, observers, elites, even those who had come expecting his death now stood on their feet, shouting his name as if trying to burn it into history.Freya froze.The color drained from her face as she stared at the ring, at the man who should have died hours ago—no, minutes ago. Her fingers trembled. Her carefully constructed future shattered in real time.“No…” she whispered. “This isn’t possible.”Miss Reyes, seated calmly beside her, did not look surprised. If anything, there was a faint glint of satisfaction i