Elder Zhao turned his old, withered face to look at his grandson. "Listen to me very carefully, Feng. The cultivation world is a cruel place. It runs on respect and fear. A month ago, you beat that boy in front of your followers. You crushed him. You left him for dead.""Yes, and I should have cut off his head to be sure," Zhao Feng hissed. "Exactly," Elder Zhao nodded slowly. "Now, he has returned. And he is destroying everyone. Do you know what the other disciples are whispering? They are whispering that Zhao Feng is weak. They are saying that Zhao Feng could not even kill a Broken Root. They are wondering if the king is losing his power."Zhao Feng’s face turned bright red with pure anger. The thought of the weak, pathetic disciples laughing at him behind his back made his blood boil. "I am not weak!" Zhao Feng growled, his eyes burning with fury. "I know you are not weak," Elder Zhao said smoothly. "But you must prove it to them. You cannot let this boy live. If he survives tod

The thousands of disciples in the crowd went completely wild. They cheered, they screamed, they stomped their feet. The noise was like a roaring thunderhead. Inside the red barrier, the noise was muffled. It was surprisingly quiet. Zhao Feng looked at Li Chen. The arrogant smile on his face grew wider. He raised his left hand. On his finger, the silver Shadow Ring glowed slightly. "You think you are strong, Li Chen," Zhao Feng said, his voice echoing in the red dome. "You think because you beat a few weak 5th Level disciples, you can beat me. You think we are on the same level."Zhao Feng reached over with his right hand. He grabbed the silver ring. "You are just a frog in a well, looking up at the sky," Zhao Feng mocked. "Today, I will show you how massive the sky truly is. I will show you the power of a god!"Zhao Feng pulled the silver ring off his finger and threw it onto the stone floor. BOOM! The moment the ring left his body, the disguise was broken. A massive, terrifyi

The Sect Leader shivered. He nodded slowly and stepped off the stage. The old referee, shaking with fear, walked back to the center of the arena. He cleared his throat loudly. "The Semi-Final match will now begin!" the referee announced. "Li Chen... versus Meng!"The crowd suddenly erupted into loud, excited cheers again. "Meng! It is Iron-Mountain Meng!""He is a top-3 disciple! He is at the peak of the 5th Level!""Meng has the absolute best defense in the entire Outer Sect! Even Inner Sect disciples have trouble breaking his shield!"From the other side of the arena, a giant figure walked slowly up the stone steps. It was Meng. He was incredibly tall and wide, built like a walking fortress. He wore heavy, thick brown armor made of special magical leather. His face was square and hard. He carried no weapon. His body was his weapon. Meng stepped onto the broken, melted stone of the stage. He looked at the spot where Li Chen had just eaten Zhao Feng’s fire. Meng did not look sc

The sun began to set behind the high peaks of the Azure Sword Sect. The sky turned a deep, dark red. The clouds looked like thick bruises bleeding into the evening air. Long, dark shadows stretched across the massive stone arena. The bright, warm light of the morning was completely gone. It was the perfect setting for a Life and Death match. The sky itself looked like it was preparing for a bloodbath. Thousands of disciples sat perfectly still on the high stone steps. They did not cheer. They did not whisper. They did not even move. The giant wooden drums in the corners of the courtyard were completely silent. In the center of the broken, melted stone stage stood Li Chen. He was as still as a stone statue. His long, black leather Enforcer coat blew softly in the cold evening wind. His dull, grey metallic skin caught the red light of the dying sun. He looked exactly like a demon standing in a pool of blood. He had not moved from that spot since he defeated Meng. He just waited. He