In the richly decorated hall of the Liu Clan, the patriarch, Liu Zhen, contemplated the manual his granddaughter had brought back at the cost of the lives of many members of his clan from the beastmen's lands.
"A dome?"
In front of him, his granddaughter, Liu Mei, nodded. "That is what everything seems to suggest. Elder Bo has not yet understood its purpose, but that is what his first deductions have led to."
Liu Zhen seemed baffled. "All that for a dome…" Anger and disappointment appeared on his face. "We need superior techniques, not… useless walls."
Holding the manual in his hands, he contemplated it one last time before handing it back to Liu Mei. "Have Elder Bo continue his research. Let us hope we can extract something else from it."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"As for that potential cultivator who reached Body Destruction whom you encountered, it seems no information has spread beyond Hope City…" Liu Zhen continued. "That is very strange."
"The members of the sect branch in Hope City did not seem concerned by his appearance. Perhaps he is one of theirs?" Liu Mei suggested.
"A hidden elite of the sect? That seems unlikely. We would have heard of his existence long before…"
"What does the clan intend to do with this information?" Liu Mei asked hesitantly.
Rising from his seat, the old patriarch calmly replied, "Share it. We will share the information. Let everyone know what happened in Hope City. Let us see how the Empire reacts to this."
…
Akeno stood at the edge of the secondary arena, arms crossed, watching the fights unfold one after another before him.
For more than five hours now, the confrontations had followed each other quickly, without ceremony, without grandiose announcements.
Here, there was no roaring crowd, no shouting or applause. Only a few scattered instructors, attentive referees, and disciples waiting for their turn in studious silence.
The qualification rounds interested no one.
Akeno himself was growing slightly bored from watching.
"What the hell am I doing here…"
His plan was simple: become stronger in the shadows, in secret, quietly. So why was he here? Why had he accepted?
He had spent the year training, refining his techniques, strengthening his body and his Qi. Day after day, in the relative calm of Hope City, far from the spotlight and visible stakes. But after progressing in the shadows for so long, one feeling had imposed itself on him.
Improving without ever confronting others was like sharpening a blade without ever testing it.
Faced with competitions where he had always failed, where he had always come out wounded and battered, he wanted his revenge and wanted to show that he could fight without chakra.
"In the end, I want to feel the excitement of proving myself…" he murmured.
And then, there were the pills. The rewards for the winners varied depending on rank.
Starting from rank 250, participants could obtain pills that could help cultivation for those in the Body Forging stage.
The better the rank, the greater the number of pills won. In his hands, they would become resources for his young ninjas, precious support, even if modest.
Watching the ongoing matches, Akeno calmly touched the sheath of his sword.
"Still as serious as ever, I see."
The voice came from his right.
Akeno slightly turned his head and met Liu Jie's gaze.
The young man stood straight, dressed in the sect uniform, a slender sword attached to his waist. Taller than Akeno, broader in the shoulders as well, with a stable posture and an aesthetically handsome face. Clearly far more powerful than an ordinary disciple of their age.
The memory of another Liu Jie briefly crossed his mind. An arrogant child, quick to remind others of his status, to press where it hurt, and who took pleasure in harassing him.
But this Liu Jie was not quite the same anymore.
"I could say the same about you," Akeno calmly replied.
A faint smirk stretched Liu Jie's lips. Not mocking. Not friendly either.
"I didn't think I'd see you here," he admitted. "With your assignment to Hope City, I thought you would avoid the tournament."
"And you?" Akeno replied. "Training to catch up to your sister?"
Liu Jie's eyes darkened for a moment before a firm determination settled in them.
"I won't catch up to her," he simply said. "I'll surpass her."
A brief silence settled between them, filled with tacit respect. They would never be friends. But they were no longer children either. Liu Jie had grown, and the future duties of his clan had brought him a new maturity.
"Apparently, I ran into your sister in Hope City. Your clan seems to have taken a little too much interest in the territory of the Chaos Empire."
Seeming surprised, Liu Jie did not have time to answer before a referee called a name.
"Liu Jie! Arena three."
Liu Jie placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, then cast one last glance at Akeno.
"I don't know what my clan is plotting. I hope to see how much you've improved since last time," he said before stepping forward.
Akeno followed the fight with his eyes.
Liu Jie's opponent was older. Twenty-one years old, and at the Organ Fortification level, just like Liu Jie. He seemed somewhat hesitant facing a member of the Liu Clan.
However, Liu Jie paid no attention to that and advanced.
One step, then a second. Three rapid exchanges. A feint. A twist of the wrist.
The fight ended in less than ten breaths.
Liu Jie's sword already rested against his opponent's throat, while the latter panted, disarmed, one knee on the ground.
A clean victory.
Akeno sighed, letting out a faint smile. Liu Jie had grown stronger.
Except now, Akeno felt that with Reibi and his newly learned techniques, he could defeat him easily.
"Akeno, arena five!"
Pulling himself out of his self-admiring thoughts about his new strength, Akeno stepped toward his match.
His opponent was young, barely sixteen as well. But unlike Akeno, he had only reached Bone Reinforcement.
That was already considered very good.
The young man gritted his teeth, activating all his strength from the very beginning. His bones produced gunshot-like sounds with every movement.
Akeno placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. His opponent took his spear in both hands and assumed a combat stance.
Akeno did not use all his power, leaving his body as silent as normal. The chakra in his body was also switched off, leaving only Qi and his sword mastery for this match.
He was not underestimating his opponent.
Or was he?
One thing was certain: Akeno wanted to see how far his sword art and the Hundred Lotus technique could go against this kind of opponent.
Over the past few months in Hope City, he had been able to ask Fang Qin for advice on several occasions, training his sword technique with the goal of reaching the state of Domain.
But although he had improved greatly, he had unfortunately not yet reached perfection and formed his Domain.
Focusing on the slightest movement of his opponent, Akeno pivoted half a step, the tip of the spear passing only a few centimeters from his face, before his sword naturally slid forward.
Clang.
The impact was brief, precise. No brute force, no explosion of Qi. Just a perfect angle.
His opponent followed up, striking again and again, each blow heavier than the last, his bones cracking under the effort. But the more he forced it, the more rigid his movements became.
Akeno, however, remained fluid.
He had understood it during his training: the Hundred Lotus was not a technique meant to dominate through violence, nor to crush an opponent with overwhelming power.
It was a technique of grace and agility.
Reading the fight as a whole and letting each movement flow naturally, like lotus petals carried by the current.
The blade brushed against the shaft of the spear, breaking his opponent's balance.
The young man took a step back, surprised. Akeno advanced.
One more exchange was enough.
Akeno's sword came to rest against his opponent's chest, without violence, without trembling. The fight was over.
The referee raised his hand. "Victory for Akeno."
The young man on the ground breathed heavily, stunned, while Akeno sheathed his sword in a calm motion.
A discreet smile stretched across his lips. "I've improved!"