Chapter 24: Trial by fire

The underground arena was restless. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, blood, and stale wine, a pulsing storm of excitement as bets were placed, names whispered, and cultivators measured each other in silence.

Jin Ye adjusted the sheath on his back, his fingers brushing the hilt of his newly forged sword. His past victories had already stirred the waters, drawing attention from gamblers and underground power players alike. The moment he had stepped into this place, he had become part of the spectacle.

He didn't care for the fame, but the coin was nice.

The underground arena was more than a proving ground. It was a hunting ground.

Techniques, battle instincts, Qi manipulations—they were all things that could be taken. The weak lost more than their pride in these fights; they lost their edge, their essence. And Jin Ye? He would take everything they had to offer.

The crowd roared as another match ended in a brutal execution, a fighter's limp body being dragged from the pit. Blood soaked the sand, a harsh reminder of what happened to those who failed.

A tournament official—a thick-necked man with a scar running down his scalp—stepped toward him. His gaze was calculating.

"Didn't expect you to survive your last match," the official grunted. "That stunt you pulled put a lot of money in people's pockets. But it also made some of them nervous."

Jin Ye remained silent.

The official pulled out a slip of parchment and glanced at it before smirking. "That's why they're throwing you in with a monster this time. 9th-stage Qi Refinement."

Whispers crawled through the crowd as the announcement spread. A top contender was about to enter the ring.

Jin Ye exhaled slowly. This was exactly what he needed.

"Who is he?"

The official chuckled, pointing toward the pit. "See for yourself."

Jin Ye turned, his silver eyes narrowing.

A massive figure stepped onto the blood-stained sand, his heavy boots cracking the stone beneath them. He was built like a mountain, his Qi pressing against the air with suffocating intensity. His exposed arms bulged with muscle, but it wasn't brute strength alone—his movements were controlled, methodical, a warrior forged through countless battles.

The crowd erupted as the announcer bellowed, "The Iron Butcher returns! Ninth-stage Qi Refinement! Unbroken in the last twenty matches!"

Jin Ye studied him, watching how the man carried himself. There was no wasted movement, no unnecessary flaring of Qi. He was fast. Too fast for a brute his size.

The Butcher's gaze swept over him, and for the first time in this tournament, Jin Ye felt something different.

His opponent wasn't looking at him as prey.

He was looking at him as a real threat.

The announcer's voice boomed, cutting through the chaos.

"Place your final bets! The match begins!"

Jin Ye rolled his shoulders, his Qi coiling through his meridians like a drawn bowstring. The power he had stolen, the fights he had won, the strength he had refined—it had all led to this moment.

The Butcher cracked his knuckles. "I don't kill fast."

Jin Ye's grip tightened around his sword hilt. "Neither do I."

A heavy gong sounded, signaling the start of the fight.

The Butcher moved instantly.

A stomp shook the entire pit, cracks splintering through the stone. A shockwave of Qi exploded outward, forcing the dust in the air to whip violently in all directions.

Jin Ye barely had time to react before a massive fist came hurtling toward his ribs.

Faster than it should have been.

He twisted, activating Shadow Step, his body flickering out of reach just as the punch tore through empty air, the force alone sending a gust of wind that rattled the arena walls.

But the Butcher wasn't done.

Jin Ye barely landed before the brute adjusted mid-motion, pivoting with unnatural speed and launching a second strike—a backhanded blow that carried just as much force as the first.

Jin Ye blocked.

Pain exploded through his arm as he skidded backward, the sheer power behind the strike forcing his feet through the sand. Even with a perfect defense, he still felt the impact rattle his bones.

The Butcher grinned, shaking out his fist. "Good. I was worried you'd break too quickly."

Jin Ye exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as the pain settled. This wasn't just a 9th-stage cultivator.

This was someone who knew how to use every ounce of their strength.

The Butcher cracked his neck, taking a low stance. "Again."

Jin Ye smirked, shifting his weight, his Qi burning.

This fight would be exactly what he needed.

And by the end of it, he would take everything the Butcher had.

Jin Ye's breath was steady, but his body thrummed with power. The stolen strength from his past fights coiled within him, unrefined, waiting to settle. The Iron Butcher had already drawn blood, but that didn't matter. The fight was pushing him—forcing his stolen fate to fully integrate.

The brute charged again, his footsteps shaking the arena, each step reinforcing his Qi, layering himself with raw defensive power. Pulling out a greatsword he was moving faster than a man his size should be capable of, his 9th-stage Qi surging like an unstoppable avalanche.

Jin Ye didn't run.

He met the charge head-on.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying. The Butcher's greatsword swung in brutal, wide arcs, each strike a calculated execution. But Jin Ye had already begun thinking.

His footwork flowed between Shadow Step and Moonlit Phantom Steps, his body flickering in and out of reality, leaving afterimages that twisted around the battlefield.

The Butcher's blade slashed through empty space again and again, his frustration mounting. "Stand still, you damn rat!"

Jin Ye appeared behind him. His sword flickered once—a clean, shallow cut across the ribs.

The Butcher roared, spinning on his heel with inhuman speed, his fist crashing toward Jin Ye's face.

Jin Ye stepped into the strike, vanishing at the last second—only an afterimage remaining.

He reappeared at the Butcher's blind spot, his sword already descending. The tip of his blade pierced the back of his opponent's leg, severing the tendons.

The brute staggered, his Qi faltering for a split second.

And that was all Jin Ye needed.

His entire cultivation flared, his meridians burning with stolen energy. The fragmented skills, the stolen combat experience, the power he had absorbed—everything snapped into place.

Shadow Phantom Step—Complete.

His movement no longer felt separate—no longer a forced combination of two different techniques. It was one singular technique now, a seamless dance of deception and speed.

At the same time, his Qi raged, the barrier to 7th-stage Qi Refinement shattering.

Jin Ye exhaled, his energy settling into something more refined, more stable. His stolen talents were no longer borrowed strength.

They were his.

The Butcher bared his teeth, still standing, his Qi still flaring in defiance. "You're strong. But you don't have the power to finish this."

Jin Ye didn't answer.

He simply moved.

One step forward, his body flickering through reality.

An afterimage split, then another.

Three of him appeared in the arena—one attacking from the right, one from the left, one in front.

The Butcher's eyes widened.

He swung wildly, slashing through one of the afterimages. It vanished.

A second blade came from the left—he spun to parry, but there was nothing there.

The real Jin Ye was already behind him.

His sword sank into the base of the Butcher's skull.

The brute tensed. His Qi flickered once, then faded. His weapon dropped from his hands, clattering onto the bloodstained sand.

Jin Ye twisted his blade and pulled it free.

The Iron Butcher collapsed.

The crowd exploded in madness, cheers and screams mixing into a storm of noise as coin changed hands, gamblers cursed, and a new legend was born in the underground arena.

Jin Ye wiped his blade clean on the dead man's robes.

Above the corpse, the golden-red wisps of fate flickered.

Jin Ye reached out.

The Butcher's overwhelming physical strength, his battle instincts honed through countless fights, his raw, unyielding Qi control—all absorbed.

Jin Ye closed his eyes for half a breath as the power settled into him. The stolen strength didn't overwhelm him anymore. It became part of him instantly.

He had broken through. His new technique was perfected. His stolen fate was now completely his.

He knelt down and took the heavy pouch of gold from the Butcher's belt, weighing it in his palm. Over five thousand gold taels. Enough to fund his next steps, secure more resources, and fuel his growth.

Jin Ye tucked the pouch of five thousand gold taels into his robe, but before he could turn, the tournament official pulled out another smaller pouch and tossed it toward him. Jin Ye caught it without effort, the familiar clink of gold heavier than expected.

"That's your cut from the bets," the official said, smirking. "Fighters who draw big crowds get a share of the profits. You, my friend, just made these bastards richer than they expected."

Jin Ye loosened the drawstring and took a quick look inside—another two thousand gold.

He raised an eyebrow. "Generous."

The official shrugged. "Good fighters keep the bets flowing. Most of these rich bastards like to see blood, but they like predictable blood. You? You're an unknown factor. No one expected you to last past your first fight, and now you're the biggest draw this arena's had in months."

Jin Ye tightened the pouch and slipped it into his robe beside the rest of his earnings. Seven thousand gold in one night.

The official said "A high-profile auction is happening soon. Word is, there's rare cultivation materials, spirit artifacts, and even restricted alchemical ingredients up for sale. You look like the type who might be interested."

Jin Ye's silver eyes flickered. "Where?"

The official smirked. "Merchant Quarter. Two days. Only serious buyers allowed."

The official leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Look, normally I'd offer a fight slot in next week's tournament, but someone like you? You're playing a bigger game. That's why I mentioned the auction."

Jin Ye met his gaze. "Two days, Merchant Quarter."

The official grinned. "Exactly. You've got the gold to enter, and with your skills? You might walk out of there with something that could push you even further."

Jin Ye nodded once, slipping past him and stepping toward the exit of the underground pit. He could hear the gamblers shouting, the next fight already starting, but he was done for tonight.

He had gotten what he needed.

He had grown stronger.

And now, he had a new target.

Two days. The auction would be his next step.