The Samsara Jade

Chapter 35

Elder Lu picked up a heavy red stamp. He stamped the book next to Li Chen's name, formalizing the registration. Then, he held out the wooden token to Li Chen. 

"Here," Elder Lu squeaked. "You are officially registered. May the heavens have mercy on you."

"The heavens are food," Li Chen replied coldly. 

He snatched the wooden token from the elder's shaking hand. 

Li Chen turned away from the table. He looked out at the massive crowd of Outer Sect disciples. 

The sun had fully risen now. The bright morning light broke through the remaining fog, shining down on the great stone arena. The light hit Li Chen perfectly. It highlighted the dull, grey metallic sheen of his flawless skin. It made his long black Enforcer coat look like the wings of a dark bird. 

He looked like a completely different person. He was a king among peasants. 

He took a step toward the arena gates. 

The massive crowd of disciples instantly parted. They moved out of his way as fast as they could, creating a wide, open path for him to walk. No one dared to look him in the eyes. No one dared to speak a word. 

Even Xiao Ming, the small boy who had been bullied earlier, stood up and moved away. But as Li Chen walked past, Xiao Ming looked at him with wide, shining eyes. It was not just fear in Xiao Ming's eyes. It was absolute worship. The weakest boy in the sect had just destroyed their biggest bully. 

Li Chen walked smoothly down the open path. His heavy black boots clicked loudly against the stone. 

He held the tournament token tightly in his iron hand. 

He was ready. 

…

Meanwhile, high above the Outer Sect, sitting near the top of the mountain, was the luxurious pavilion of the Inner Sect Elders. 

The air here was warm and sweet, filled with the smell of expensive incense and blooming flowers. 

Inside a grand, beautiful room decorated with red silk and gold, Zhao Feng sat on a soft cushion. 

He was drinking warm wine from a silver cup. He was dressed perfectly. He wore rich, dark blue robes embroidered with silver clouds. His hair was tied back neatly. He looked handsome, rich, and incredibly confident. 

Today was his day. His grandfather, Elder Zhao, had arranged everything. The tournament brackets were rigged. The strongest opponents were placed on the other side of the bracket to tire each other out. Zhao Feng would easily reach the finals and win the grand prize: a magical pill that would push him into the 6th Level of Qi Condensation and secure his spot in the Inner Sect forever. 

Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors of the pavilion burst open. 

Sun fell into the room. He tripped over the carpet and crashed onto the floor. He was covered in sweat, dirt, and he was gasping for air. 

Zhao Feng frowned in annoyance. He slowly lowered his silver cup. 

"Sun," Zhao Feng said coldly. "Why are you crawling on my floor like a dirty dog? Today is an important day. Where is Wang?"

Sun looked up. His face was completely white with terror. 

"Senior Brother Zhao!" Sun cried, pointing a shaking finger toward the window. "He is back! The demon is back!"

"What demon?" Zhao Feng asked, rolling his eyes. "Speak clearly, fool."

"Li Chen!" Sun screamed. "The Broken Root! The boy you kicked! He did not die in the chasm! He came back!"

Zhao Feng froze. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Li Chen? That is impossible. I crushed his chest. No one survives that without high-level medicine."

"It is true!" Sun yelled, tears running down his face. "He came to the registration table! Wang tried to cut him with the Azure Wind Thrust! Li Chen caught the sword with his bare hand! He shattered the steel! Then... then he broke Wang's arm completely backward!"

Zhao Feng slowly placed his silver cup on the small table next to him. 

He did not look scared. He did not panic. 

Instead, a slow, dark, twisting smile spread across Zhao Feng's handsome face. 

"Caught a sword with a bare hand?" Zhao Feng whispered to himself. "Interesting. He must have fallen into a hidden cave and eaten a magical body-refining herb to survive. How incredibly lucky."

Zhao Feng stood up. He walked over to Sun. He looked down at the shaking boy with total disgust. 

"Stop crying," Zhao Feng ordered. "He is just a boy who found a lucky herb. He has strong skin, but he still has a Broken Root. He has no Qi. A strong body is nothing against true, powerful magic."

Zhao Feng turned and walked toward the large window that looked down over the entire Outer Sect arena. 

He placed his hands behind his back. The bright morning sun lit up his face, but his eyes held a cruel, dark secret. 

For the past year, Zhao Feng had not just been practicing the normal Azure Sword Sect techniques. His grandfather had given him something special. Something forbidden. 

Slowly, without Sun seeing, Zhao Feng opened his right hand. 

A small, dark red flame appeared in the center of his palm. It was not normal fire. It smelled like burning blood. It was a demonic flame art, designed to melt through any physical defense and burn a person's soul directly. Zhao Feng had hidden this power perfectly, saving it for a moment just like this. 

He closed his hand, making the bloody flame vanish instantly. 

"So, the little dead rat wants to play in the tournament," Zhao Feng smiled, his voice filled with dark excitement. "Good. Let him enter. Let him think he is strong."

Zhao Feng looked down at the tiny figures gathering around the stone arena far below. 

"I will not just break his chest this time," Zhao Feng whispered to the wind. "I will burn him to ashes in front of the entire sect. The blood sacrifice for my new power has finally arrived."