Correcting a Small Misunderstanding (6)

Astarion smirked when Caelum chose Yehuda. He felt like he had correctly deciphered Caelum's thought process: at least trying to win against the easier enemies first.

Without caring about Yehuda's angry rebuke, Caelum stretched his hand out toward him and curled his fingers, beckoning him to get onto the combat platform.

Just like Caelum had guessed earlier, Yehuda was not from a prominent family. He was simply someone trying to ingratiate himself with Astarion to secure a brighter future.

'I'm going to smash your arrogant face while simultaneously making a name for myself,' Yehuda thought as he leapt onto the raised platform with a single, powerful jump.

He walked closer to the center of the platform and unsheathed his sword. "Draw your weapon!" he demanded.

"Unnecessary," Caelum replied succinctly, causing many in the crowd to raise their eyebrows. Had they heard correctly? Did Caelum really have some condition that made him constantly overestimate himself?

Yehuda let out an angry breath, interpreting Caelum's words as blatant mockery. His face turned sinister. "I'm not much stronger than you, so don't blame me if I can't control my strength and end up hurting you too much," he said, fully intending to hurt Caelum as much as he could.

"Mmmm," Caelum responded disinterestedly. "Can you quit talking and start fighting already?"

"As you wish!" Yehuda shouted, enraged, as he charged at Caelum. The hostile atmosphere of the Colosseum, with all eyes on him, actually helped him retain a shred of focus, preventing him from completely losing his composure.

Once he got close, Yehuda slashed his sword in an upward arc, aiming from bottom to top. Caelum, standing still without a weapon, showed no signs of movement.

Gasps erupted from the audience. Some even shouted, "Move!" or "Dodge!"

The sword finished its swing. There was no blood. Caelum hadn't moved an inch. The sword had barely missed him, cutting only the air in front of him.

It had been a feint. Yehuda wanted to gauge Caelum's reaction. Unfortunately for him, Caelum stood stoically without so much as flinching, making Yehuda look as though he were fighting air.

Caelum smiled. Yehuda could feel the mockery in his eyes.

"Don't think I won't hurt you just because of your identity!" Yehuda shouted angrily, slashing again.

This time, the swing was horizontal and clearly aimed directly at Caelum.

Caelum reacted—but his unconventional response only made the audience more uneasy. He raised his hand, as if to catch the blade.

The spectators didn't even have time to express their disbelief. Everything happened so quickly.

In what seemed like the next instant, Yehuda's sword—which couldn't really be considered an artifact—was firmly caught between Caelum's fingers, which gripped the blade itself.

Yehuda pushed and pulled fiercely, trying to free his sword from Caelum's grasp. His efforts were in vain.

"How is this possible?" someone in the crowd muttered, echoing the thoughts of everyone watching the fight.

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***[Basic Stats]***

[Cultivation]:

 [Realm]: Qi Gathering Realm

 [Stage]: 1st stage

 [Progress]: 5%

[Health]: OK

[Qi]: 128 / 128

[Strength]: 77

[Speed]: 76

[Defense]: 75

[Dexterity]: 30

[Regeneration]: 1

[Qi Regeneration]: 2 Qi / Second

[Dao Comprehension Talent]: 60.0 (max 100)

[Devourer's Madness]: 0%

[Madness deterioration rate]: 2.0% / day

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Crossing Body Tempering and entering the Qi Gathering realm had caused Caelum's [Strength], [Speed], and [Defense] to increase by approximately 25 points each.

This was not the effect of devouring something. Instead, it was just the result of undergoing a breakthrough.

Yehuda, as Astarion had previously pointed out, had only been cultivating for a little over two weeks. Without precious resources to aid in quick breakthroughs, he was barely stronger than an ordinary human adult.

Caelum decided that enough was enough. He pressed his fingers, and the sword shattered into pieces.

The entire seating area, including the VIP booths, fell into pin-drop silence. The spectators sat frozen, as though collectively questioning whether they were witnessing a fever dream.

Yehuda himself froze mid-movement – a fatal mistake.

An extremely quick swishing sound cut through the air. Caelum's leg whipped toward Yehuda's head, moving too fast for him to even register the attack.

The impact was brutal.

Yehuda's neck twisted backward at an unnatural angle. His lifeless body flew through the air before landing with a dull thud on the stone floor of the platform.

Just like that, a life was snuffed out. But in a world filled with cultivators, the public execution of a mere Yehuda caused no ripples.

What did cause ripples, however, was the sheer, incomprehensible strength that Caelum displayed.

It must be noted that Singularity Shroud was active at the moment.

With his apparent cultivation level set to the Body Tempering realm, any curious probes sent his way returned nothing. This led the cultivators among the spectators to believe that what they were seeing was purely the result of Caelum's extraordinary physique.

But how had he attained such a powerful body merely five days after waking up? Many theories swirled in their minds, but without evidence, they remained mere guesses.

"Such a shame… I wonder how things ended up like this," Caelum said, staring at Yehuda's lifeless form. "He spoke such big words. How could I have known he wouldn't even be able to take a single kick from me?"

He shook his head as if in regret, his expression feigning pity. His acting left people genuinely perplexed. Some of the more naïve ones even believed that he hadn't intended to kill Yehuda, while the others remained suspicious.

Caelum's gaze shifted to one of the stupefied Colosseum staff members standing near the platform.

"You! Take the body away from the platform, will you? Make sure it is delivered to his family so that they may conduct the last rites."

The staff member snapped out of his stupor and nodded with a solemn expression. The previously suspicious spectators grew even more confused. Was it truly just an accident?

At the same time, their opinion of Caelum subconsciously improved. Cultivators killing each other for a variety of reasons was an all-too-common occurrence in this world. As long as a person wasn't a crazed murderer who killed for fun, they were afforded respect proportionate to their strength.

Caelum's consideration for the final rites of his fallen opponent, coupled with the immense strength he had displayed, left an impression. Even the cultivators in the audience began to look upon him more favorably…