Jin stepped inside.
The room was quiet—too quiet for a place buried inside the arena complex. No noise from the crowd, no distant echoes.
A single man sat behind the table, hands folded, posture relaxed. At first glance, he looked ordinary. No oppressive aura. No deliberate pressure.
But his eyes were sharp.
Sharp enough that Jin noticed immediately.
The man smiled faintly.
"Welcome, Wei Jin."
Jin stopped a few steps in. He didn't sit.
"You called for me?"
The man placed the tablet on the table and leaned back, his gaze sweeping over Jin slowly. Not like he was reading data—more like he was weighing something invisible.
"I watched your run," he said. "From start to finish."
Jin stayed silent.
"You moved like someone who's been fighting for years," the man continued, voice calm. "Your timing. Your restraint. That doesn't come from talent alone."
He tapped the table once.
"Especially not for a student who, on record, didn't even have stable gene energy a month ago."
Jin finally spoke.
"You didn't bring me here to praise me."
The man chuckled softly.
"No."
He folded his hands.
"According to the files, you were a one-star warrior. Today—" his gaze sharpened slightly as something unseen brushed past Jin's body, "—three-star."
He paused.
"…No. Four-star. Your reserves are thin, but the structure is real."
Jin met his eyes without flinching.
"So what?"
The man studied him for a moment, then shrugged.
"If I wanted to make trouble, I wouldn't be talking to you like this." He leaned back again. "If I submitted a report to the Gene Association, what do you think would happen?"
Jin didn't answer. He simply looked at him.
After a beat, the man waved a hand.
"Relax. I'm not interested in prying into your secrets. Anyone who rises fast has one."
He leaned forward, fingers interlacing.
"What I want… is something else."
A pause.
"I'll tell you when the time comes."
Jin frowned slightly.
"You're being vague."
"For now," the man replied easily.
At that moment, a distant announcement echoed faintly through the walls—Phase Three preparations beginning.
The man glanced toward the ceiling.
"Go. The individual matches are about to start."
Then, more quietly,
"Just remember—hiding forever doesn't keep you safe. In this world, knowing when to show your fangs matters more than having them."
Jin nodded once.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He turned to leave, then stopped at the door.
"One more thing," he said without turning. "Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"Xu Wenhao," he said.
"Chief of the Gene Education Bureau of Starfall City."
Jin's eyes widened—just a fraction.
Then he smiled.
He stepped out, the door closing softly behind him.
Inside the room, Xu Wenhao remained seated, his faint smile lingering.
"That boy…" he murmured.
The arena was no longer a single battlefield.
It had split into hundreds.
Platforms rose from the ground like islands, each sealed by translucent barriers. Inside them, fights were already unfolding—steel ringing, gene energy flashing, medics standing ready at the edges.
This wasn't spectacle anymore.
This was Phase Three.
Then—
"Platform Forty-Five. Wei Jin."
He moved.
Platform #45
Jin stepped onto Platform Forty-Five as the barrier sealed behind him.
Across from him stood Gao Yuren of Starfall Fourth Academy. Metal-like纹纹 lines ran faintly along the boy's forearms and neck, tightening as his gene energy circulated.
The system display hovered briefly.
Student: Gao Yuren
Academy: Starfall Fourth
Main Gene: Ferraspine Weaver
Affinity: Steel
Combat Type: Close-range suppression
Gao Yuren rolled his shoulders, eyes sharp but restless.
"So you're Wei Jin," he said, voice carrying clearly through the barrier. "The miracle from Tenth Academy."
Jin didn't reply.
Gao Yuren sneered. "You know, people like you don't just appear out of nowhere. Someone must've helped you cheat."
The countdown reached zero.
The signal flashed.
Gao Yuren lunged immediately, steel-aspected gene energy hardening his arms as he aimed straight for Jin's chest. His style was direct—close in, lock down, overwhelm.
Jin moved.
Sideways.
The strike grazed air.
Before Gao Yuren could adjust, Jin's foot pivoted against the platform, lightning threading briefly through his muscles—not exploding, not visible to the crowd, just enough to sharpen the motion.
[ Thundercrash Kick ]
His leg snapped upward.
The kick landed under Gao Yuren's ribs.
The impact wasn't loud—but it was deep.
Steel reinforcement buckled inward. Gao Yuren's breath left him in a single violent gasp as his body lifted off the ground and slammed into the barrier.
He slid down, eyes unfocused.
The medic signal lit up instantly.
The barrier dropped.
The match had lasted less than ten seconds.
Jin stepped off the platform without looking back.
Two platforms away, Zhao Chen was already engaged.
His opponent from Northriver Combat School fought barehanded, fists wrapped in dense gene energy, each step shaking the platform slightly.
Chen didn't rush.
He circled, sword low, eyes calm.
The brawler roared and charged.
Chen met him halfway.
Steel rang sharply as blade met hardened forearm. Chen slid with the force instead of resisting it, boots scraping against the platform.
Then his wrist turned.
[ Gale Sever ]
Wind-aspected gene energy compressed along the blade's edge, extending the cut just enough.
The strike passed cleanly across the brawler's torso.
The opponent froze, then collapsed forward.
Chen exhaled slowly and lowered his sword.
On a much larger platform, Lu Shen stood motionless.
Across from him, a Third Academy student clenched his weapon so hard his knuckles were white. His breathing was uneven. Sweat ran down his temple.
Why… why him?
Lu Shen didn't advance.
He waited.
The boy hesitated—then rushed, desperation driving him.
Lu Shen stepped forward at the last moment.
[ Blazing Frame ]
Heat surged through his body, reinforcing muscle and bone. He caught the incoming strike with his forearm.
The impact cracked the platform beneath them.
Lu Shen twisted his waist and drove a short, controlled punch into the opponent's chest.
Fire-aspected force detonated internally.
The Third Academy student was thrown backward, skidding across the platform before coming to a stop, unconscious.
Lu Shen turned away before the barrier even dropped.
Han Yue's platform was chaos.
Her opponent fought with twin blades, constantly moving, trying to pressure her footing.
She didn't chase.
She flowed.
Each step redirected force, her movement never stopping completely.
When the opponent overcommitted, she raised her hand.
[ Tidal Redirect ]
Compressed water-aspected gene energy twisted the air around the blades, throwing the attacker off balance.
Han Yue struck once—precise, restrained.
The opponent fell.
Mistshade illusions flickered on Shen Lian's platform.
His opponent tried to overwhelm him with speed and misdirection.
Shen Lian closed his eyes briefly.
[ Umbral Trace ]
Shadow energy rippled outward, mapping distortions rather than forms.
When he opened his eyes, he stepped forward and struck exactly once.
The illusion shattered.
The real body collapsed.
Venom mist hung low around Qiao Ren's platform.
His opponent coughed violently, movements slowing as toxin built up.
Qiao Ren didn't rush the finish.
He waited.
When the opponent finally fell to one knee, Qiao Ren stepped forward and ended it cleanly.