Silence, a deathly silence.

Amidst the thunderous cheers of the ten-thousand-strong crowd at Fallen Phoenix Mountain, there was a patch of the grandstand where no one made a sound. On the stands, the lifeless body of Xu Renke, the Broken Blade, lay silently.

It was a long time before someone spoke in a dry, hoarse voice. "How could he lose?"

These words seemed to jolt everyone back to their senses. Yes, how could he lose?

Xu Renke was undeniably powerful. Known as the Broken Blade, he was one of the two great Protectors of the Poshan Gang and had earned widespread fame roaming through numerous markets. Yet moments ago, he lost to Gao Tingyuan, someone they had looked down upon.

***

Zeng Wen, who had returned to the stands, looked slightly flushed. He spoke in disbelief, "Earlier, Xu Renke activated that Broken Blade, unleashing a trace of an enchanted treasure’s power. He definitely struck Gao Tingyuan. Why didn’t Gao Tingyuan die?"

"Against such power, even if I performed beyond my limits, I couldn’t win."

Yet Gao Tingyuan had won and survived.

Mi Shuhua furrowed his brows, his gaze fixed on the short, stocky man slumped weakly on the Debate Platform. After a long pause, he hesitantly said, "A substitute puppet?"

"Huh?" Murong Qinglian exclaimed in surprise, as if realizing something. "He actually has a substitute puppet!"

On the Debate Platform, Gao Tingyuan sat paralyzed, his face full of terror. He mumbled to himself, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Wasn’t I told this would be an easy win before going on stage? Why did he aim to kill me?

"An enchanted treasure—it was far beyond a supreme-grade enchanted artifact, almost reaching the power of a true enchanted treasure. If I didn’t have a substitute puppet from the Luoyun Sect, I’d be dead by now."

He clutched his abdomen. Though there was no visible wound, bright red blood seeped continuously through his skin. His dantian was destroyed!

His energy sea was ruptured, and spirit energy leaked uncontrollably. Even if he used miraculous elixirs to repair the damage, he’d likely never hope to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. This was caused by a trace of blade energy imbued with a treasure’s power. It wasn’t an external blow, but the blade energy infiltrating his dantian and agitating his spirit energy.

***

"Huh, he actually has a substitute puppet from the Luoyun Sect?"

Elder Zhou’s surprised exclamation came through the voice transmission, loud and clear. Wang Haichao smiled faintly and, without responding, began clapping softly. Following his lead, the members of the Dajiang Gang erupted into wild applause and cheers.

Truly deserving of being our gang’s top Qi-Refining cultivator, even the Broken Blade wielding an enchanted treasure fragment couldn't beat him.

"The River Dragon is invincible!"

"His name belongs on the Elite Prodigy Board!"

"Long live the Dajiang Gang!"

When Gao Tingyuan weakly arrived at the stands, he was showered with praise by the entire gang. Even Wang Haichao, the Foundation Establishment leader of the gang, greeted him warmly.

"Are your injuries severe? Oh, your energy sea is ruptured!

"Here, I have a qi-stabilizing pill for you. Take it and use it. No need to be polite. We’re all family."

Gao Tingyuan lowered his head, clutching the pill, trembling with rage. That old bastard! How dare he set me up like this!

To outsiders, it seemed like he was merely overwhelmed by the Gang Leader’s favor.

Look at how considerate and sincere our Gang Leader is to his people!

***

"Properly gather Xu Renke’s remains. He will be buried in the tomb behind our main hall. Our brothers in the Poshan Gang are not wandering spirits without a home. Even in death, they will have a place to rest."

Mi Shuhua meticulously arranged Xu Renke’s posthumous affairs. The gang members were deeply moved by his words. In this life, being a rogue cultivator was already difficult; following such a leader was undoubtedly a blessing.

Mi Shuhua sighed, but for some reason, a sense of unease lingered in his heart. Failing to secure the fourth victory and match point left him deeply unsettled. The Broken Blade, highly anticipated by the Dajiang Gang, had fallen to the River Dragon. Ninety percent of people wouldn’t have predicted such an outcome.

Xu Renke, a man he highly regarded, had died on the newly inaugurated Debate Platform. That was the match point, featuring their two strongest Protectors. Now, although they had still won three matches, their trump cards were dwindling. As for the Dajiang Gang, their remaining participants were reinforcements like Min Longyu, who had opened the match.

"Next match should be the Forest Tiger, right?"

The sixth match pitted the Poshan Gang’s Forest Tiger against the Dajiang Gang’s Gongsun Changji. The fight was remarkably brief. When Gongsun Changji unleashed his azure flying sword, it marked the Forest Tiger’s death. That was the personal sword of Wang Haichao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator—a supreme-grade enchanted artifact.

Mi Shuhua’s eyelid twitched as he watched his men retrieve the Forest Tiger’s remains.

"Can the Leaping Tiger win the next round?"

The answer was no.

The answer was no. He faced Yang Rusheng, a renowned Qi-Refining rogue cultivator from Tianye Market. Or rather, Yang Rusheng wasn’t a true rogue cultivator; he was born into a cultivation family. He had only become a rogue cultivator after his family was annihilated. However, his resources and skills were far beyond those of an average Qi-Refining cultivator. With two enchanted artifacts detonating in succession, the Leaping Tiger, known for his agility, was directly pulverized into a bloody pulp. This time, not even his remains could be collected.

The Poshan Gang’s record had gone from one loss, to three wins, and now three consecutive defeats—a rollercoaster performance. Now, even the critical match point had been taken from them. If they lost the next match, this deathmatch tournament would come to an end.

Mi Shuhua’s heart was heavy as he looked at Murong Qinglian. Murong Qinglian smiled faintly. "Old Qin will do his best."

Luo Chen, sitting beside them, observed everything clearly. Her smile was incredibly complex. It held trust, hope, worry, and a mix of sorrow and fear. A smile like that—he had never seen it in either of his lives. Not even the greatest actor could portray such complexity.

The new Broken Jade Tiger, Ke Yuelin, clenched his hands tightly, his teeth grinding together. He knew that rather than Wang Yuan taking his spot, it was actually his sworn elder brother, Qin Liangchen, who had stepped in for him. If not for this arrangement, it would have been his turn next.

But! The reinforcements brought by the Dajiang Gang were exceptionally strong, one after another. If he had gone up, he would either have been shredded like Han Dang or blown apart like the Leaping Tiger.

He couldn’t bear to imagine such a scene. He was still young; his path of cultivation had just begun. Fear for himself, concern for his elder brother, and the gruesome deaths of his comrades all tangled in his mind.

When I entered the world of cultivation, it was to seek enlightenment. Why does this feel like I’m just brawling in the mortal underworld again?

It shouldn’t be like this! Where is the serene and untroubled cultivation I was promised?

In the underground palace beneath the Debate Platform, Qin Liangchen stood while Wang Yuan sat. The two were not close; their usual interactions were no more than polite nods.

The Qin family had its own modest business, selling spirit fish, raising children and their days were prosperous and peaceful. Wang Yuan, on the other hand, traveled between rogue cultivator markets and the Ancient Plains, living the harsh life of a solitary cultivator.

At this moment, Qin Liangchen stood tall, his brand-new purple robe billowing without wind.

Outside, a booming voice announced: "The eighth match: Qin Liangchen of the Poshan Gang versus Bai Qi of the Dajiang Gang."

Qin Liangchen took a deep breath and strode out, leaving a single remark behind. "I’ll force the ninth match!"

Wang Yuan kept his eyes closed. His eyelids trembled but ultimately did not open.