Morning training started normally, but Kai let his cultivation aura show slightly more than before. Not dramatically, just enough that observant disciples would notice.
Lin Wei picked up on it immediately during sword practice.
"Brother Kai, your qi flow... did you advance?"
Kai nodded, keeping his expression modest. "Last night during meditation. This junior's foundation finally stabilized enough to progress naturally. Second Stage isn't much, but it's better than First."
"That's excellent!" Lin Wei's genuine pleasure was refreshing in a sect full of competitive tension. "Two stages in less than two weeks. Your foundation must have been more solid than the healer thought."
Word spread quickly. By midday, half the outer disciples knew that the lucky survivor had advanced again. The reactions were mixed, some impressed, some jealous, some dismissive.
"Second Stage is still weak," Kai heard one disciple mutter. "He just got lucky with his breakthrough conditions."
"Lucky twice," another responded. "Maybe the farm boy has better fortune than skill."
Perfect. Let them think he was fortunate rather than formidable. Underestimation was a weapon.
Senior Disciple Chen Yun summoned him that afternoon.
"Outer Disciple Kai Chen. I heard you advanced to Second Stage."
"Yes, Senior Disciple Chen Yun. This junior's foundation stabilized and allowed natural progression."
Chen Yun studied him with those cold, calculating eyes. "Two stages in two weeks. Your cultivation speed is... notable."
There was weight in that word, notable. Not suspicious, not impressed, just... noted. Filed away for future reference.
"This junior attributes it to the life-threatening pressure during the ambush, Senior Disciple. The breakthrough foundation was stronger than expected."
"Perhaps." Chen Yun circled him slowly, like a predator assessing prey. "The tournament starts in three days. You're matched against Feng Li, a Second Stage cultivator with two years of experience. Do you think you can win?"
"This junior will do his best, Senior Disciple."
"Your best might not be enough. Feng Li is competent, methodical, and experienced. You're newly advanced and unstable." Chen Yun paused. "But you've survived situations that killed stronger disciples. Maybe you'll get lucky again."
After the dismissal, Kai analyzed the interaction. Chen Yun was watching him carefully, but not with active hostility. More like a scientist observing an interesting specimen. The senior disciple suspected something unusual about Kai but couldn't identify what.
That was fine. As long as suspicion didn't become certainty, Kai could work with it.
The remaining three days before the tournament passed in focused preparation. Kai trained with Lin Wei's group, studied Feng Li's fighting style through observation, and continued his nightly cultivation sessions in the caves.
He also noticed something interesting through his Death Mark on Han Feng.
The tournament favorite's death probability had increased from 23% to 31%. Something was making him more vulnerable, more likely to die during or after the evaluation.
[DEATH MARK ANALYSIS - HAN FENG]
[CULTIVATION: Qi Gathering Third Stage]
[STATUS: Confident, well-prepared]
[DEATH PROBABILITY: 31% (Increasing)]
[CAUSE: Unknown - Suggest investigation]
Kai made a point of observing Han Feng during public training. The favorite was impressive, refined techniques, strong cultivation base, excellent control. He demolished practice opponents with casual efficiency.
But Kai's Death Vision showed something others couldn't see. Han Feng's spiritual energy had a faint irregularity, like a crack in glass. Not enough to affect his fighting, but present. A weakness waiting to be exploited.
Had someone sabotaged him? Or was it natural weakness that would manifest under tournament pressure?
Either way, if Han Feng died during the tournament, Kai intended to be close enough to harvest that death energy. A Third Stage cultivator would provide significant power.
On the final night before the tournament, Lin Wei's group gathered for a final strategy session.
"Remember," Lin Wei said seriously. "The goal isn't to win the entire tournament. It's to perform well enough to keep your position and ideally advance toward inner disciple candidacy. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Brother Lin is right," Mei Ling added. "Some disciples will be fighting desperately because their positions are already weak. Those fights are the most dangerous."
"What about Brother Kai?" Little Chen asked. "His match against Feng Li, that's not easy for a newly advanced Second Stage."
All eyes turned to Kai.
"This junior will fight carefully," Kai said. "Feng Li is experienced, but this junior has faced life-threatening combat before. This junior won't freeze or panic."
It was true, if misleadingly framed. He'd killed three Foundation Building cultivators and harvested dozens of deaths. A tournament match against a Second Stage disciple was comparatively safe.
"Just don't die, Brother Kai," Zhang Hu said with dark humor. "We've already lost too many disciples this month."
They separated for the night, each retreating to their rooms for final meditation before tomorrow's evaluation.
Kai lay on his bed, reviewing his resources and strategy.
[TOURNAMENT STRATEGY - ANALYSIS]
[ROUND 1: Win decisively but don't reveal shadow techniques]
[Use basic sword technique and Second Stage qi enhancement]
[ROUND 2: Assess opponent before committing to strategy]
[LATER ROUNDS: Adapt based on death energy opportunities]
[DEATH HARVEST OPPORTUNITIES:]
[ESTIMATED TOURNAMENT DEATHS: 5-8 disciples]
[SERIOUS INJURIES: 20-30 disciples]
[POTENTIAL DEATH ENERGY: 200-400 points]
The tournament wasn't just a test of skill. It was a concentrated source of death energy, desperate combat, and disciples pushed beyond their limits. Some would die. Others would be broken and sent to punishment cells where they'd die later.
All of it was fuel for Kai's cultivation.
He felt a brief flicker of something, not quite guilt, but awareness. A month ago, he'd been a tech entrepreneur who'd never physically harmed anyone. Now he was calculating how many people would die tomorrow and how to position himself to harvest their deaths.
The system had warned him. Death cultivation changed you. Made you colder. More efficient. Less human.
But in a cultivation world where weakness meant death, where the sect systematically eliminated failures, where strength was the only thing that mattered...
Maybe becoming less human was just evolution.
[SYSTEM NOTATION]
[PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: Host adapting to cultivation world values]
[EMPATHY: Decreasing]
[PRAGMATISM: Increasing]
[SURVIVAL INSTINCT: Dominant]
[WARNING: Maintain core identity to prevent complete transformation]
Kai acknowledged the warning but didn't dwell on it. Tomorrow, he'd fight his first official tournament match. He'd demonstrate enough skill to advance while hiding his true capabilities.
And when other disciples died around him, he'd harvest their deaths to grow even stronger.
That was the path of the Shadow Sovereign.
Cold. Efficient. Inevitable.
Just like death itself.
---
Morning came with unusual fanfare.
The monthly evaluation was a major event in the Celestial Peak Sect. Inner disciples gathered to watch promising fighters. Elders attended to evaluate potential talents. Even some core disciples appeared, though they clearly considered outer disciple matches beneath their notice.
The arena was a large circular platform in the sect's central courtyard, reinforced with formations to contain combat damage. Seating surrounded it in tiers, already filling with spectators.
Kai stood with other first-round participants, studying the arena and his upcoming battlefield. His Death Vision scanned the crowd, noting the spiritual signatures of various cultivators.
Then he felt it, a massive spiritual presence that made even his death-attuned senses recoil.
An elder had arrived. Not just any elder, but one with cultivation far beyond anything Kai had encountered. The death probability marker above his head showed less than 0.1%, this man was leagues beyond mortal danger.
[ELDER PRESENCE DETECTED]
[CULTIVATION LEVEL: Core Formation Realm - Estimated 7th Stage]
[THREAT LEVEL: Absolute - Cannot engage under any circumstances]
[DETECTION RISK: High if shadow abilities used carelessly]
The elder settled into a seat reserved for sect leadership, his eyes scanning the assembled disciples with casual interest. This was Elder Zhang, the one who'd argued for Kai's admission despite his collapse during entrance exams.
"Disciples of Celestial Peak Sect!" An administrator's voice echoed across the arena, amplified by formation techniques. "The monthly evaluation tournament will now begin! Remember, display your skills, honor the sect, and strive for advancement! First match: Feng Li versus Kai Chen!"
Kai's heart rate remained steady as he walked onto the arena platform. Across from him, Feng Li stepped up, a lean young man with the confidence of experience. His staff was worn smooth from years of practice.
"Brother Kai," Feng Li said formally, bowing slightly. "I've heard about your survival against the bandits. Impressive fortune."
"Brother Feng," Kai returned the bow. "This junior looks forward to learning from your experience."
The administrator checked that both were ready, then stepped back.
"Begin!"