Chapter 182: Entering the Arena

In that instant, Zhang Yuanqing felt like the most eye-catching person in the entire colosseum.

The official Walkers around him turned like sharks catching the scent of blood. Heads snapped toward him with frightening speed, desperate for a glimpse of the legendary Yuanshi Tianzun in the flesh.

Queen glanced left and right, then over her shoulder. Behind her stretched a sea of stunned, excited, and electrified faces, all of them staring in the same direction. Nearly every official Walker in this section had heard Jiang Jingwei's booming voice.

"So that's Yuanshi Tianzun? A living, breathing person! I finally get to see him. Just like that 'Call Me Queen' user said on the forum, he really is handsome. And young, too."

"I know, right? I love that innocent puppy type. The real thing doesn't disappoint at all. But why are there so many women around him? Don't tell me he's some kind of serial flirt, another Flowery Young Master."

"A guy with those looks and that kind of strength who is still young? Of course he'll be popular. Another heartthrob to add to the list. He's definitely going to reach the Saint tier someday."

"I want to go ask for an autograph! Can't wait to see him fight."

Queen felt a swell of both envy and admiration. All eyes are on him. This is what it looks like to be a celebrity-level competitor.

She was the type who loved being center stage, which was why she surfed the forums constantly, making her presence known everywhere she went. Even her username was a reflection of that inner desire. Therefore, alongside the envy, she took a quiet pride in sitting right next to Yuanshi Tianzun, basking in the reflected glory that radiated off him.

Yuanshi Tianzun is right behind me. Annie froze mid-stride as she realized what was going on, then whipped around. Her gaze swept through the crowd behind her, darting from face to face before locking onto Zhang Yuanqing.

At that moment, everything she knew about Yuanshi Tianzun surfaced in her mind. A young man in his early twenties, and a newly risen genius from the Five Elements Alliance's Songhai Branch. Both details matched perfectly.

No way. He's Yuanshi Tianzun?

By then, Jiang Jingwei had already bounced over to Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya, beaming with excitement. "I've been looking everywhere for you guys! Finally found you!"

A complicated expression flickered across Annie's face. It really is him.

All this time, she'd assumed he was just some ordinary young man, a rank-and-file official Walker. But he was the Songhai Branch's most celebrated young talent.

Two consecutive S-rank Spirit Realm clears. Reaching Level 3 in under three months. A profile like that was enough to land on the desk of every major Spirit Realm organization leader abroad as a high-priority target for observation.

Demon Lord hadn't drawn the Aphrodite Society's attention until he'd reached Level 4, the Saint tier. But that was only because he'd been a freelance practitioner with no proper channel to build his reputation. Foreign organizations naturally focused on members of official groups first. By the time they noticed independent Walkers, those individuals had usually already built up some considerable fame.

Annie gave Yuanshi Tianzun one long look, then hurried back to Bill Tarantino's side.

"Did you really have to shout that loud?" Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong with calling your name?" Jingwei shot back without an ounce of remorse.

She genuinely saw nothing wrong with it. Besides, if she hadn't been loud, he wouldn't have heard her at all.

Zhang Yuanqing forced a thin smile. What can I even say to that?

Yuanshi Tianzun might be a newcomer, but he'd already offended too many powerful groups. Keeping a low profile at major events like this was pure survival instinct. But since the cat was out of the bag, so be it. He'd have to step into the arena eventually anyway.

Jingwei wedged her small frame between Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi, bumping the latter aside with her hip. "Move over, I want to sit next to Yuanshi Tianzun."

Xie Lingxi's physical strength was no match for a Fire Sage's. She toppled sideways into Queen.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Xie Lingxi snapped.

"What?" Jingwei blinked, genuinely confused.

"That was my seat," Xie Lingxi fired back with a glare, staking her claim.

Jingwei shrugged. "Oh. Well, now it's mine."

Seeing that simple reasoning wasn't going to work on this stubborn girl, the little green tea princess switched tactics. She softened her voice to a delicate whisper.

"Aren't Fire Sages supposed to be righteous heroes who protect the weak? Sis Jingwei, someone as strong as you shouldn't be stealing other people's seats. Let's switch back, okay? Bro Yuanshi wouldn't like a girl who steals seats, you know."

Jingwei's brow furrowed. "Why would I care what he likes? You're so annoying. Keep whining and I'll hit you."

Xie Lingxi's face flushed scarlet, but she had no answer for someone that blunt and unreasonable.

This Jiang Jingwei is completely single-minded, Zhang Yuanqing mused. Neither charm nor threats work on her.

***

Annie had barely sat down when she heard Bill Tarantino exhale beside her, a breath that sounded almost like a sigh.

"We both underestimated him," he said.

Chen Shu's son turned out to be the Songhai Branch's legendary figure, a comet blazing across the sky. When that red-haired girl had called out to attract the attention of Chen Shu's son and shouted "Yuanshi Tianzun," even a seasoned man like Bill had been stunned.

However, he was also delighted. Without even trying, he'd built a solid friendship with Yuanshi Tianzun, and having Chen Shu as the connecting thread only strengthened it. The Merchant Guild placed enormous value on connections.

I should stay closer to Chen Shu going forward. Increase our business dealings. Offer her favorable terms. Building a relationship with Yuanshi Tianzun's mother was far more cost-effective than trying to win him over directly.

"Yeah," Annie murmured. "If I'd known he was Yuanshi Tianzun, I would have taken him to a hotel room the day we met and conquered him in bed."

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it. "Then again, it's not too late."

Bill Tarantino smiled knowingly. "Planning to invest in him? Like Betty did back in the day?"

Because of the Prophecy of the Compass of Light, every major organization in the world paid close attention to Nocturnal Specters. Unfortunately, Nocturnal Specters were extremely rare, and most newly awakened ones were quickly absorbed by the Taiyi Sect.

As a result, both domestic and foreign organizations, including the Five Elements Alliance, found it nearly impossible to cultivate their own Nocturnal Specters. That made any Nocturnal Specter outside the Taiyi Sect's fold extraordinarily valuable. Taiyi Sect Nocturnal Specters could be invested in too, of course, but it just wasn't as cost-effective as an independent one.

Betty had been one of the Demon Lord's lovers. It was precisely by latching onto him and scoring that massive coup that she'd risen to become a steward of the Aphrodite Society, wielding real power and earning the leadership's favor.

Annie let out a cold snort. "That woman clung to the Demon Lord and squeezed every advantage she could out of him. Then the Society rewarded and cultivated her on top of that. She played both sides. Back then, her abilities were far below mine."

Bill chuckled. "Yuanshi Tianzun attracts too much attention. You might not be able to conquer him. What I mean is, the Five Elements Alliance won't allow it. Still, I wish you luck. I do have confidence in the charm of your Love and Desire profession."

***

The commotion on their side of the arena quickly drew the attention of spectators seated on the opposite side. Those sitting across from the commotion noticed their colleagues suddenly turning in unison to stare at something. Clearly, some big shot had appeared.

Zhu Rong glanced at the young man beside her and gave a curt order. "Something's happening over there. Go find out."

Her pretty-faced young companion rose with a respectful nod and hurried off. He returned moments later, his expression uneasy.

"Rong Rong, it's Yuanshi Tianzun."

Yuanshi Tianzun. At the sound of that name, Zhu Rong's beautiful eyes narrowed, and a glacial killing intent flashed through them. She reached into the air and pulled out a single lens spyglass.

"Where is he sitting?" she asked as she raised the spyglass toward the opposite stands, her lips pressing into a cold, thin line.

Her young companion lowered his voice. "He's pretty easy to spot. He's sitting right next to the red-haired girl."

Zhu Rong shifted the spyglass slowly, then stopped. Target acquired.

The young man watched as Zhu Rong's lips, which had been tightly pressed into a frigid line, suddenly curved upward into a smile that was equal parts pleasure and menace.

***

In the section where the Taiyi Sect had gathered, Sun Miaomiao peered across the distance and spotted the red-haired Jiang Jingwei, along with a young man beside her whose features were blurred by the gap.

She tilted her head up, eyes shimmering with curiosity. "So that person is Yuanshi Tianzun? Does anyone have an item that enhances vision? Let me borrow it."

Sun Miaomiao had a pair of large, sparkling eyes that seemed almost childlike. They were bright and innocent, like polished gemstones, the sort people called "doll-like." On a young woman her age, they were captivating enough to make anyone forget the mundane world entirely.

They were set perfectly into her round face, and along with a rosy little mouth and delicate nose, they formed a sweet, adorable countenance. Combined with the noble aura that came naturally to every Nocturnal Specter, her presence was elevated from the cute girl next door to something more like a sweet, adorable princess.

"What's there to see?" Zhao Chenghuang said flatly from beside her.

Miaomiao shot a sideways glance at his cold, arrogant expression and puffed out her cheeks. "Mind your own business!"

A pale, slender young man seated behind her leaned forward and offered a gleaming golden mirror. "Here."

"You're always so reliable, Maoshan." Miaomiao took the mirror and, after scanning its item properties, immediately understood how to use it.

She held the mirror up and directed her gaze toward the distant Yuanshi Tianzun. Moments later, a high-definition image materialized on the mirror's surface, a projection of exactly what her eyes had been straining to see.

She lowered her gaze to the mirror.

"Oh, he's actually quite handsome," she said, offering a brief compliment, then broke into a radiant smile. "I hope I get matched against him. I'll defeat Yuanshi Tianzun in front of everyone and restore Grandpa's reputation."

Just then, Yin Ji, who was seated in the front row, turned around.

"According to our intelligence, Yuanshi Tianzun doesn't have a Yin corpse," she said, her voice cool and detached. "Miaomiao, beating him shouldn't be difficult. Your real opponent is Zhao Chenghuang."

Several Saint-tier Walkers nearby chimed in and offered approving smiles.

"Yin Ji is right. At the Transcendent tier, this tournament is really just an internal contest among our Taiyi Sect."

Miaomiao smiled along, but her mind was elsewhere. She had made a deal with her grandfather. If she could defeat Yuanshi Tianzun fair and square in the tournament, he would give her one of the children from his scholar tree.

She had been coveting those children for ages. Miaomiao had an extraordinary fixation on small spirit servants, the way many girls went weak at the sight of cute, cuddly things that made their hearts melt and caused their maternal instincts to overflow. Except she didn't care for pets. She adored little spirit servants. The smaller, the better.

However, the requirements for refining spirit servants were incredibly strict. Not only were suitable candidates nearly impossible to find, but official regulations forbade privately refining spirit servants, unless you belonged to an Evil class or were a Lawful Walker who'd strayed into questionable territory.

The spirit children her grandfather kept in his pagoda tree had not committed any crimes. They had come about through an accident. He hadn't enslaved any living children. They were orphans he'd adopted, and when a fire claimed their lives, his grief had driven him to break the organization's rules and refine them into spirit servants so they could remain by his side. Even a man of his stature, a full elder, had received a major disciplinary mark for it.

But back to the matter at hand. Ever since the Yuanshi Tianzun incident, her grandfather had become a meme among the Taiyi Sect's Nocturnal Specters. At first, he'd managed to suppress the mockery by showing off Yuan Ting's training footage. But as time went on, Yuan Ting got lumped into the joke right alongside him.

The proud old man had been beside himself. The Tournament had come along at just the right time.

He'd sat Miaomiao down with a solemn expression and given her a task. "Miaomiao, you need to defeat Yuanshi Tianzun. Show those little brats that your grandfather isn't senile, that our Taiyi Sect is overflowing with talent, and losing one Yuanshi Tianzun is nothing. Do that, and I'll let Little Red keep you company."

Little Red had died at the age of seven. She was the youngest child living in the pagoda tree.

***

From her seat in the front row, Elder Hongying caught every word of the disciples' conversation behind her and smiled. "Old Sun, did you put Miaomiao up against Yuanshi Tianzun?"

She had an air of mature elegance, with kind eyes accentuated by fine crow's feet at their corners. Her skin was fair and smooth, showing none of the weariness of age, glowing instead with the quiet allure of a woman who'd aged gracefully.

Elder Sun sat beside her in his white undershirt and dark shorts, gently fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.

"Do I look like the petty type to you?" he replied with a snort.

"Aren't you?" the curly-haired poodle perched in its seat shot back.

Elder Sun didn't bother dignifying that mutt with a response.

Elder Hongying turned to the curly-haired poodle and smiled. "That boy isn't bad. There's a clean energy about him, and he's pleasant to look at."

Elder Teddy gave a low hum of agreement. Compared to the other elders of the Hundred Flowers Society, he had a slightly closer connection to Yuanshi Tianzun. The young man belonged to the White Tiger Legion, true, but he served directly under Elder Teddy's command.

When the boy eventually advanced and became a steward, he'd be one of his soldiers.

The Five Elements Alliance had instituted this kind of mixed assignment system precisely for this purpose: to break down factional barriers and strengthen the bonds between the five guilds.

***

"Yuanshi Tianzun, my brother wants to meet you. Come with me to see him later, okay?" Jingwei said.

"Your brother?" Zhang Yuanqing looked around. "Where is he?"

Jingwei pointed toward a distant section of the stands. "See that red-haired idiot over there? That's my brother. His name is Jiang Ju. He's Fu Qingyang's rival."

Jiang Ju? The Fire Young Master, one of the Four Young Masters? Zhang Yuanqing's eyes went wide. "He's your brother?"

Jingwei gave him a look that said he was being ridiculous. "Can't you tell? We both have red hair! If we didn't have the same dad, why would we both be redheads?"

That's... not how logic works. By that reasoning, every red-haired Sovereign-tier Walker would also be your father's child. Still, Zhang Yuanqing's curiosity got the better of him. "Your dad must be an elder in the Crimson Fire Gang."

At the mention of her father, Jingwei's small face turned serious. "My dad is the Crimson Fire Gang's Alliance Chief!"

She threw a fist pump and declared, "Long live the Bull-headed!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she noticed the man to her right and the two women to her left all rising from their seats in unison and shuffling a few inches away, wearing identical expressions of "what did I just hear?"

Zhang Yuanqing dropped his voice to a near whisper, terrified someone might overhear. "Y-you... your dad is one of the five alliance chiefs? How come you never mentioned that?"

He'd always assumed Jingwei was some elder's daughter. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she was the Crimson Fire Gang's princess.

"You never asked." Jingwei puffed out her chest proudly, then proclaimed once more, "Long live the Bull-headed!"

Zhang Yuanqing's face split into a sycophantic grin as he eagerly began kneading her shoulders. "Your Royal Highness! Whatever you need, Princess, just say the word. From this day forward, I'm your loyal underling. And if there happen to be any materials or items lying around your father's estate that he doesn't want anymore, please, by all means, entrust them to my care."

Jingwei soaked up the flattery until she was practically glowing, thoroughly pleased. "Sure! Next time I'll sneak a few items out and give them to you!"

"Long live the Princess! Ah, no. Long live the Bull-headed!"

***

At that moment, the armored swordsman rose from his seat in the front row, strode to the center of the arena, and announced in a booming voice, "Today's match list has been finalized."

Almost simultaneously, every Spirit Realm Walker present saw a Spirit Realm dialogue box appear before their eyes.

【Triple Yang Rising VS Tokyo Is Kinda Hot

【I Am Your Father VS Spring Breeze Overnight

【Detective Grade Schooler VS Toyotomi Hideyoshi

【Rong Xiaolong VS Tangning

【Yuan Ting VS Foreman Number One

【...

【Yuanshi Tianzun VS Maoshan Warlock】

There were eighty competitors, and forty initial matchups in total.

The armored swordsman continued in his resonant voice, "The rules of engagement are as follows. Combatants may not exit the Spirit Realm of their own accord. Doing so will be treated as forfeiture. Items more than two levels above the user's own rank are prohibited. Violators will be disqualified for cheating. Items with excessively destructive power are also forbidden. Participants are expected to exercise their own judgment, with the elders' assessment serving as final authority.

"Spectators requiring a restroom break may leave their seats and find a suitable location on their own. The first pair of combatants will be required to enter the arena in ten minutes."

The colosseum erupted into a cacophony of overlapping conversations.

"Yuanshi Tianzun versus Maoshan Warlock? A headliner on day one! I'm definitely staying."

"Things are starting off this intensely! Maoshan Warlock is ranked ninth on the list of Transcendent competitors, and Yuanshi Tianzun is eleventh. One of them will be eliminated today."

By convention, most spectators planned to wait until the match list was announced before deciding whether to stick around. If the first day's lineup didn't feature any marquee names, the stands would empty fast, especially of Saint-tier Walkers, who generally viewed Transcendent-tier bouts as children playing house, and hardly worth their time.

"Maoshan Warlock..." Guan Ya's brow creased slightly. "He's considered part of the Taiyi Sect's second tier at the Transcendent level. The first tier is Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang. He and Yuan Ting are in the second tier. I don't know much about the Warlock specifically, but I know Yuan Ting's capabilities. Yuanshi, be careful."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

***

Ten minutes later, the first pair of opponents entered the arena. Triple Yang Rising was a strikingly beautiful woman, and a Wood Demon. Her opponent, Tokyo Is Kinda Hot, was a Fire Sage.

In the five elements cycle, wood fed fire. A Wood Demon matched against a Fire Sage was at a brutal disadvantage. After holding on for about fifteen minutes, Triple Yang Rising was defeated, which came as a surprise to no one.

Zhang Yuanqing watched with a quiet frown. Huh? Why do I feel like both of their martial arts are so weak? They're both Level 3 Walkers, and should be at least at the caliber of a squad captain. But I remember the captains back in Kangyang District having much sharper combat skills—

A sudden realization struck him. It wasn't that they were weak. It was that his own martial arts had improved beyond recognition.

Back then, he'd thought Kangyang District's captains were impressive because he hadn't yet begun training under that open-minded lady. Without even noticing, through one grueling session after another, his hand-to-hand combat had reached an entirely new level.

He couldn't help stealing a glance at the profile of the open-minded lady a few seats away. That woman really is the sort of useless talent personally handpicked by Fu Qingyang...

Time flew by.

At noon, Jingwei clutched her stomach and wailed, "So hungry, so hungry, so hungry..."

She slumped against Zhang Yuanqing like a wilting flower, looking as though she might expire on the spot.

By the afternoon, having pushed past the point of hunger, she miraculously revived as the sensation of starvation faded entirely.

The matches continued until evening, when the last bout of the day approached.

The armored swordsman appeared in the arena once more and called out in a commanding voice, "Maoshan Warlock, Yuanshi Tianzun, enter the arena!"

Those still in the colosseum split into two camps. One half turned toward the Taiyi Sect's section, while the other half turned toward Zhang Yuanqing.

Cheers and shouts erupted all at once. The fight hadn't even started, and the crowd was already in a frenzy.

The stewards and elders in attendance maintained their usual composure, but the fact that none of them had left spoke volumes. They were all looking forward to this clash between two star competitors.

Zhang Yuanqing rose to his feet and gave a nod to the four women beside him. "I'm up."

He descended the stone steps in long, confident strides, heading for the arena floor.

At the same moment, he caught movement in the section housing the Taiyi Sect. A pale, slender young man left his seat, but instead of taking the stairs, he leaped from the stands, dropping over a dozen meters before landing in the arena with a solid thud.

There was a second set of heavy thuds as another "spectator" in the audience stood up and launched himself from the upper tier, crashing to the ground and dropping to one knee behind the young man.

The crowd erupted in a roaring wave of noise, cheering them into the arena.