The savory aroma of fire roasted meat slowly faded into the cool night air as the evening meal finally came to a close. The courtyard grew quiet, save for the gentle splashing of the fish swimming within the decorative stone pond. The casual and relaxed atmosphere that Li Yu had cultivated during the dinner slowly began to dissipate as the grim reality of their political captivity settled back over the group.
Sera Astor set her empty ceramic tea cup down on the smooth stone table and let out a soft sigh. She smoothed the wrinkles from her elegant silver robes and looked around the secluded garden before fixing her amber eyes directly on Li Yu.
"The food was exceptional and the company was surprisingly pleasant for the situation we are all in," Sera said with a genuine and warm tone. "But the sun has fallen and the morning will bring the trial by combat. I cannot in good conscience allow you all to walk into that arena tomorrow to bleed for a conflict you did not start or are even a part of."
Li Yu raised an inquiring eyebrow while casually wiping his hands on a clean silk cloth. "Is the Astor heir planning to step in and cancel the event?"
Sera shook her head slowly while her expression turned incredibly serious. "I do not have the political authority to cancel a formal agreement that was agreed upon by the ruling elders of both clans. However, I know the secret pathways winding deep beneath this family estate. The tunnels were carved during the founding of Silverguard City and they are lined with dense spirit stone to block all forms of divine sense scanning. Even a Tribulation expert cannot peer through those buried walls. I can guide your group through the ancient pathways and smuggle you past the outer city gates before dawn breaks. You can leave this territory behind and avoid the tournament."
The three Zhan disciples exchanged surprised glances across the table. They had spent the entire afternoon assuming the ruling Astor Clan would gladly use them as convenient pawns to placate an angry rival. Yet, here the heir was actively offering them a free path to safety at her own peril.
Li Yu did not immediately jump at the generous escape offer. He leaned forward while resting his elbows on the stone surface and studied her face.
"If we disappear in the middle of the night under your watch, wouldn't you and your clan get in a lot of trouble because of that?" Li Yu asked while searching her eyes for any deception. "The Thorne Clan will demand immediate answers and they will likely direct their accumulated fury toward your family for breaking the agreement."
Sera kept her posture perfectly straight while nodding her head in agreement. "Yes, they will certainly use your sudden escape as a political weapon against us. It will create a very difficult situation for my father to manage and it might spark the war we are trying to prevent. I understand the heavy risks but I feel it is simply not correct to let innocent people like your group bear the burdens of our clan. You did not ask for this conflict and you should not be used as sacrificial lambs to solve our power struggles."
Zhan Feng crossed his arms over his chest and decided to speak up regarding the harsh realities of leadership as he suddenly felt bad for her while his respect for her went up a lot.
"Sometimes making that difficult choice is exactly what an heir has to do," Zhan Feng stated with a pragmatic tone. "We have seen similar situations unfold within our own clan back home. While everyone is loved and protected within the family walls, the overall health and survival of the clan always comes first."
Zhan Ren nodded in agreement while looking at the silver robed woman to reinforce the lesson. He too had a good impression of the woman in front of him.
"If an individual needs to be sacrificed for the greater good of the clan, that decision must be made without hesitation," Zhan Ren added with a solemn expression. "A ruling power does not survive the harsh ages of this cosmos without making ruthless choices to preserve its core foundation. If a junior provokes a beast they cannot slay, the clan must sometimes sever the limb to save the body. We are outsiders here with no ties to your legacy. It is the logical choice to discard us to pacify a rival clan if needed. That is not to say a leader should do that all the time but usually that is the necessary path chosen by those sitting on the throne."
Sera looked down at her hands resting in her lap. She understood the cold logic spoken by the wandering warriors since she had been taught the exact same principles since childhood. It was also quite strange to be told by the people that her family was throwing to the wolves on what she should be doing. Her tutors always emphasized strict pragmatism over personal feelings.
"They aren’t wrong but it’s not always the right choice." Li Yu said softly while pouring the last remaining drops of warm tea into his cup. "A true leader must protect the many even if it costs the few. However, showing genuine kindness is also sometimes the right decision to make. An act of good here could mean the difference between life and death later on down the road."
Li Yu took a slow sip of the bitter tea and let his understanding of the laws guide his words.
"Karma operates like a flowing river weaving through the vast cosmos," Li Yu explained while gesturing toward the rippling water of the pond. "It connects every living being with invisible threads of cause and effect. Sometimes good deeds lead directly to good outcomes and you reap the positive rewards of your actions like harvesting ripe fruit. Sometimes a good deed goes unrewarded in the present moment, maybe never, but it usually leads to something beneficial eventually. Even if the cosmic return is not equivalent to what you gave. I like to believe that the Dao watches those who act with a true righteous heart."
Li Yu smiled and set his cup down. He thought the outcome of her kindness would be quite good for her future but he did not elaborate.
"You possess a good heart Sera but you do not need to worry about us facing the arena," Li Yu assured her with a confident tone. "We know exactly what we are doing and have a back up plan if I am truly wrong. But more importantly, you should be careful moving forward. If you try to make decisions like this on your own, others will not necessarily let you act on them."
Sera furrowed her brow in confusion. She did not know what he meant by that cryptic warning since they were standing alone in a sealed courtyard. She was the highest authority present within the garden walls and the guards answered directly to her command.
However, her parents standing just outside the array barriers understood his spoken words perfectly.
The Astor Patriarch and his wife stood in the evening shadows alongside their Head Elder. They listened to their daughter offer the secret escape route and if this was before the meal they had, they would have been fully prepared to step in to stop her. They knew she possessed a gentle nature and they anticipated she would probably try something foolish like this to save the innocent wanderers. The elders would have intervened and locked her away for the night to ensure the trial proceeded as planned.
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The only reason the Patriarch had not breached the courtyard doors to enforce his will was because Li Yu had already broken the illusion that they were not there. By launching the soup and skewers over the walls earlier in the evening, Li Yu had established a silent dialogue with the hidden experts.
The Astor Patriarch rested at the Tribulation realm which placed him a full major stage above Li Yu. The Head Elder also possessed a Tribulation cultivation base. Despite the vast difference in raw realm levels, the two veteran experts did not feel like Li Yu was worried about them at all. He acted with casual grace in their hidden presence and did not seem bothered by tomorrow either.
The Patriarch watched the young man smile at his daughter and realized a truth. If this mysterious youth was not worried about two Tribulation experts hovering outside his door, he surely would not worry about fighting a few matches in the arena tomorrow.
Sera realized she could not change the minds of the six people in front other and she did not want to push the issue any further. She offered a respectful bow to the group and excused herself for the evening. She needed to prepare the city guards for the upcoming spectacle and secure the perimeter of the arena.
After she left the courtyard and the heavy wooden doors clicked shut, Li Yu remained seated at the table. He turned his head and spoke directly to the empty air facing the stone wall.
"The Astor Clan has a truly great heir, a rare one indeed." Li Yu praised with a clear voice that carried over the barrier. "Any clan in the Myriad Realms would be proud to have someone with her character leading their next generation with proper guidance."
Outside the wall, the Patriarch and Matriarch smiled with a sense of pride. They had always been proud of their daughter but hearing it from someone else in such a candid way still uplifted them. They turned and quietly departed into the night to prepare for the dawn. The three disciples looked at Li Yu with puzzled expressions.
"Why did you suddenly say that after she left?" Zhan Lei asked while scratching his head.
"I was just stating a fact," Li Yu answered smoothly while packing his cooking tools into his spatial ring.
"I agree with your assessment of her character though." Zhan Feng noted while finding a comfortable spot on the grass to meditate. "Her kindness is definitely a strength that inspires loyalty but it is also a glaring weakness in a world ruled by the strong."
Li Yu just laughed softly into the night air. He knew that only true strength allowed a person to afford the luxury of kindness but sometimes kindness was the only thing the weak had against the strong. The group spent the rest of the dark hours resting and refining their internal Qi to prepare for whatever the morning would bring.
The next day arrived with a bright blistering sun beating down over the metallic walls of Silverguard City. The central arena was an expansive coliseum forged from hardened white stone and reinforced with layered defensive arrays designed specifically to contain the destructive shockwaves of cultivators. The sweeping stands were packed to the brim with citizens and opportunistic merchants eager to witness the bloody spectacle. The atmosphere felt thick with anticipation as the local forces gathered to watch the struggle unfold in real time.
Li Yu walked into the designated challenger area alongside Borum, Faen and the three Zhan disciples. They stood calmly near the edge of the stone fighting ring.
On the opposite side of the arena stood the elite forces of the Thorne Clan. They wore vibrant purple robes and projected an aura of strength but Li Yu only felt it as an aura of rot and disease, a stain upon this world. Both of the major clan heads were present to oversee the death match.
The Thorne Clan leader was a tall and imposing woman named Vanya Thorne. She possessed sharp features, piercing grey eyes and radiated the undeniable pressure of the Tribulation realm. Her presence alone made the surrounding air feel heavy and suffocating to the common people sitting in the lower tiers as she did little to restrain her natural aura.
It was like she was afraid others would not know about her strength. Sitting right beside her was her husband, Ronan Thorne. He carried a jagged broadsword resting across his lap and projected a fierce aura resting firmly in the Karma Severing realm.
Sera Astor stood on a raised balcony overlooking the arena with her father and some of the Astor elders sitting behind her in grand stone chairs. The ruling clan maintained a stoic silence while watching the two forces square off.
There was not much talking or grand ceremonial gesturing. The tension had already reached a boiling point and everyone just wanted the matches to start. An official judge wearing neutral grey robes stepped into the center of the ring and raised a flag to signal the beginning of the trial.
Li Yu stepped forward and crossed the boundary line to enter the fighting space. He looked up at the elevated platform where Vanya and Ronan sat looking down upon him like he was a mere insect.
"You are all incredibly small minded," Li Yu declared with a voice infused with Qi so it echoed clearly across the entire stadium. "You have escalated such a petty thing into this grand disaster and spectacle. A broken carriage wheel has led you to throw away the lives of your own people just to soothe your fragile pride."
A man wearing a dark purple combat tunic jumped down from the Thorne viewing platform and landed heavily in the center of the ring. He carried a pair of jagged curved blades and sneered at the black robed youth standing before him.
"The only disaster here is your impending death, fool!" The Thorne fighter mocked while twirling his twin blades to show off his dexterity.
Li Yu let his divine sense sweep over his opponent and found that the man was resting firmly in the Paragon realm. This was a highly calculated move by the Thorne Clan leadership. They knew from the initial reports that Li Yu traveled with two Domain King protectors so they intentionally sent out a Paragon realm expert for the very first match to secure an overwhelming advantage. They wanted to crush the two protectors immediately, thinking they would be used, to set a terrifying tone for everyone to witness.
The crowd murmured as the Paragon aura flared to life. The immense pressure of the high tier cultivation base washed over the crushed stones and caused the defensive barriers around the stands to ripple with energy. The Astor elders frowned at the blatant display of overwhelming force but they could not intervene since the rules did not restrict cultivation levels, this was a true fight to settle the score.
Zhan Feng clenched his fists while watching from the sidelines. Sending a Paragon expert against a junior was a shameless tactic, albeit very effective tactic, meant to guarantee a slaughter.
Li Yu stood with his hands resting casually at his sides and did not look concerned. He did not bother to summon his heavy outer armor or prepare any of his defensive techniques. Since there was no reason to go easy on these arrogant fools or hold back his lethal intent, he decided to end the match as quickly as it began.
The official judge dropped his arm and shouted for the battle to commence.
The Paragon expert vanished in a blur of motion as he channeled his wind element Qi to cross the distance and aimed his jagged blades directly at Li Yu's throat. Unfortunately for him, it did not matter.
Li Yu did not even blink as he activated his Nexus Mind technique. His soul expanded and split into parallel streams of thought, operating with a calm and detached perspective. Li Yu called upon his flying weapon arsenal and summoned Pale Extinction.
The lethal sword flashed into existence right beside his shoulder. He then used his soul strength and his dense Qi reserves to propel the weapon forward in an instant. Pale Extinction shot across the arena like a bolt of divine lightning. The velocity and crushing weight of the blade tore through the air with a deafening boom to where the man was moving.
The Thorne fighter saw the flash of bone but his body could not react in time to the staggering speed and sharpness. The blade bypassed his twin weapons and smashed through his defensive aura as if it were made of thin paper. Pale Extinction drove right through the face of the enemy and shattered his entire head upon impact, it didn’t look like it slowed down at all.
The headless body of the Paragon expert stumbled forward due to the momentum for two more steps before collapsing onto the crushed stones in a lifeless heap. Pale Extinction disappeared from its spot in the air and reappeared next to Li Yu as it hummed with residual lethal energy.
Li Yu had killed him on the spot in an instant.
