Lin Shu and Kai sat in the arena stands, watching the ongoing fights below. Yanqi had assigned them this task personally—they needed to study their future opponents, learn the arena's countless match types, and understand the special rules that could be used to their advantage. Knowledge was one of the strongest weapons a team could have.
Kai, however, looked half-asleep, head tilted back as if he were moments away from dozing off. Lin Shu, on the other hand, watched every movement on the stage with sharp eyes. Over the past weeks, he and Kai had grown closer, talking more during downtime.
Lin Shu made several attempts to trick Kai into revealing something about his techniques—how he made them, where he learned them, anything at all. But Kai never slipped. Every time Lin Shu tried to pry deeper, Kai shut him down instantly. That only made Lin Shu more curious.
Still, his ambitions extended far beyond Kai.
He was slowly inching closer to Yanqi and Aoyan as well, making sure not to seem obvious. Yanqi, who used to dismiss him bluntly whenever he asked too much, had recently begun giving him answers—small ones, but enough to encourage him to keep pushing.
Aoyan talked even more openly. She was the true prize. If she actually became the Chi Clan heir, then being close to her would lead to endless opportunities. With her authority, he could exploit loopholes, gain resources, slip deeper into the clan's inner circle, and eventually steal things he'd never be allowed to touch otherwise.
The possibilities were endless.
Lin Shu intended to help her, just as Yanqi wanted them to—but only because it aligned with his interests. If another heir or another team offered him a better deal, he would betray Aoyan without hesitation. If killing her brought him wealth and certainty, he'd consider that as well.
Why wait for a goose to maybe lay a golden egg someday, when he could kill it now and sell the meat for guaranteed profit?
His path was wide, with many branching roads—and Lin Shu enjoyed every one of them.
Lin Shu kept his eyes on the arena floor as the next announcer stepped forward with booming excitement.
"NOW FOR OUR NEXT MATCH—A CLASH BETWEEN TWO RISING STARS OF THE BRONZE RANK! REDROSE, DISCIPLE OF THE DRUNKEN FLAME… AGAINST THE FIGHTER YOU ALL KNOW AND LOVE… FAST, POWERFUL—RAMPAGE!"
Aoyan stepped into the arena, and when Lin Shu spotted her, he nudged Kai awake. Kai blinked, rubbed his eyes, then followed Lin Shu's pointing finger.
"I guess it's her turn," Kai muttered.
Aoyan stood on one of the central platforms, her posture firm. Opposite her approached a bluish-haired young man, slightly older, wearing a short white robe trimmed with black. Aoyan summoned her beast—a blazing Inferno Salamander—which landed beside her with a hiss. She raised her guard, waiting.
Rampage barely glanced at her, utterly calm.
The judge raised his hand. "BEGIN!"
The rules were simple: knock your opponent out, force a concession, or push them out of the stage.
Aoyan's beast lunged first, flames trailing behind it. Rampage slipped past it effortlessly using his movement technique. Aoyan was already on him, her fist wreathed in fire as she punched forward. Rampage sidestepped, counterattacking with a concentrated fist of light. She barely dodged.
Her salamander pounced again, but Rampage dipped under it and flickered deeper into the arena.
"I hate those who rely on others," he muttered, eyes cold.
He pulled two sphere-shaped objects from his spatial ring and slammed them against the floor. Instantly, thick smoke swallowed the entire stage. The crowd roared with excitement—this trick was known to create chaotic, unpredictable battles.
Lin Shu frowned. Why would he use smoke? The salamander should still be able to smell him…
But Aoyan immediately sensed the issue: the gas stung her nostrils. She couldn't smell anything. Neither could her beast—its confusion was obvious.
A burst of light flashed from her left.
Before she could react, a fist slammed into her stomach, hurling her backward. The salamander lunged at Rampage again, but he vanished into the smoke. Then, from somewhere else entirely, Aoyan heard a voice—crying, painful, identical to the sound she'd make after being hurt.
The salamander hesitated… then raced toward that voice.
Aoyan struggled to stand, calling her beast back, but her voice felt muffled—like the smoke swallowed her shouts whole.
Rampage stepped out of the veil of smoke as if it were nothing.
She fired flaming arrows, but he weaved through them with insulting ease. Forced into close combat, she met him head-on, but his strength overwhelmed her. Every blow sent shockwaves through her bones.
He struck her in the stomach again, then grabbed her by the neck and lifted her.
"Your master invited me to join his little team," Rampage said calmly. "But I see no future in it. Especially because of you."
Aoyan clawed at his arm, but his grip was iron.
"You can't even stand without your beast. I've watched your teammates—Behemoth and Detonator. Detonator isn't stronger than you with your salamander, but alone? He'd do far better against me." His lip curled. "This was a random match. I didn't even ask for this. And honestly, the arena insulted me by placing you against me with no restrictions. They think we're equals."
He dropped her.
Aoyan tried again to call her salamander.
"Don't bother," Rampage said. "It can't hear you."
He stepped closer, voice low.
"Your team has one member with potential—Behemoth. A small challenge. But even he will be crushed when you climb higher. A team of dead weight can't stay afloat forever. You're all going to drag him down."
He stepped back. "I refused your master because your team is doomed. Maybe he chose you because you're from the Chi Clan. Maybe Behemoth thinks he'll get something out of you. Poor fool."
Aoyan's eyes widened with fury.
"I heard your patriarch has been trying to find the perfect heir for the clan after him and that got me thinking if you're really a contender for heir with this strength," he added coldly, "Then i believe it's better for you to walk put of the race now since from what i heard your nephews and nieces aren't as easy to defeat like you."
She lunged at him in rage.
Rampage shoved her aside and kicked her in the gut. The blow sent her flying out of the smoke cloud and off the stage entirely. She crashed onto the grass, clutching her stomach, gasping.
The smoke lifted under the judge's command. The salamander finally smelled her and thundered toward her side.
The judge raised Rampage's arm.
"VICTORY—RAMPAGE!"
The crowd exploded in cheers.
Kai stared down from the stands. "Honestly, I expected that. She should've listened to Elder Yanqi and avoided this match."
Lin Shu nodded. "Mhm. Just because they share cultivation doesn't make them equals."
Kai smirked. "Exactly. She's higher than both of us, but we know she isn't a real challenge. Should've stayed in her lane."
Lin Shu didn't argue. He noticed Rampage glance up at them—and smile. Lin Shu returned the smile calmly.
"I think he doesn't like us much, Kai."
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Probably something to do with Elder Yanqi. Didn't he try recruiting him? Maybe Rampage didn't take kindly to that hahaha, after all elder kai does tend to act a little childish sometimes maybe he didn't like that.."
"Maybe," Lin Shu said lightly.
He looked back at Aoyan, now surrounded by arena healers. She was still shaking.
Lin Shu's thoughts turned cold.
"Yeah… I should abandon the idea of gaining anything meaningful from the Chi Clan. With that level of strength, she isn't winning anything. She'll be shredded by her clan's contenders.
My best bet is to take everything I can from her and her master now. Once my contract ends, I'll look for a new team. For now… I'll take as much of the spotlight as I can and as much knowledge and resources from her master."