Lin Shu moved swiftly through the broken walls and scattered trees, his steps light and cautious as he advanced toward the center of the arena. Behind him, Chi Aoyan stood guard beside their flag, her Infernoheart Salamander crouched protectively at her side, its scales glowing like molten embers.
Soon, Lin Shu caught sight of three opponents moving through the ruins on his left. He considered striking from a distance but quickly dismissed the idea — the dense trees and uneven terrain would throw off his aim. He wasn't an archer; precision from afar wasn't his strength.
"Better leave them to Aoyan," he thought. "If they get through her, I'll deal with them when I've got the flag."
He pressed forward until he reached what should've been the enemy's base — only to find it completely empty.
"What?" he muttered, looking around. "Isn't the flag supposed to be here?"
Up in the stands, laughter erupted.
"Hahaha! This never gets old!" an old man bellowed, slapping his knee.
A blue-haired young man sitting nearby frowned. "What do you mean? Isn't the flag supposed to be there?"
The old man smirked knowingly. "You must be new here, kid. Tell me — what were the rules again? Simple, right? Protect your flag, steal the other team's. Now, was there any rule saying a team can't move their flag somewhere else?"
The young man blinked. "Wait — they can move it?"
"Of course," the old man said, grinning. "They can carry it wherever they like. The only catch is if it's destroyed, it respawns at its original spot. Smart teams take advantage of that. You see? These rookies are fighting a fully coordinated team of veterans. This is going to be good."
Meanwhile, Lin Shu stood frozen for a moment, realization dawning on him. "Damn it… they moved it. There's no rule against that."
Now, he had two options: waste precious time scouring the entire arena for the hidden flag — or retreat to defend his own before it was stolen. He clenched his fists, thinking fast. Aoyan's beast had a keen sense of smell; she could track the flag's aura far better than he could. He, on the other hand, was better suited for defense and interception.
"Fine," he decided. "I'll head back and protect ours. She can find theirs."
Up in the audience, the old man chuckled again. "Smart choice. No point searching through the ruins when your own flag could be snatched any second."
The burned-faced boy nearby frowned. "But isn't their team strong? That girl has a Rank-1 peak beast. Wouldn't that make stealing their flag impossible?"
The old man grinned wider. "Who said they need to defeat her? You don't need to win the fight — just grab the flag and run. Look, they've already started."
Down below, two opponents charged toward Aoyan and her salamander. Fire surged as the beast unleashed a torrent of flame, and Aoyan signaled it forward with a sharp motion. The salamander barreled toward the two men, its claws igniting the air, while Aoyan stayed behind to guard the flag.
At first, it seemed like she had everything under control. The two men fought defensively, their movements cautious and evasive — almost too cautious. Aoyan dismissed it as weakness; after all, few cultivators of their level could match her beast's raw strength.
But the old man in the stands shook his head. "Big mistake. Her job's to defend the flag, not send her beast chasing after decoys. They're luring the salamander away."
The blue-haired boy leaned forward, realizing what was happening.
Two other opponents burst from the trees, attacking Aoyan directly. She deflected their strikes with waves of fire, pushing them back, but couldn't call her beast — it was already far away, engaged in a fiery brawl.
Then, in a blur, a shadow dropped from above.
A man leapt from the canopy, landed silently near the flag, and snatched it in one motion.
"You—!" Aoyan spun and fired flame arrows at him, trying to shatter the flag, but he was already gone — vaulting into the trees and vanishing.
Somewhere else, Lin Shu sprinted back toward his base — when he suddenly spotted a man dashing through the ruins, a red flag clutched in his hands.
"The flag!" Lin Shu's eyes flared with resolve. He gave chase instantly.
The thief bounded from tree to tree, moving fast and light, but Lin Shu's speed was monstrous. The ground cracked beneath his steps as he accelerated, the metallic essence of his cultivation rippling across his arms.
Up in the stands, the old man smirked. "Ah, here comes the big trick."
"What do you mean?" the blue-haired boy asked, but the old man only waved him off. "Just watch."
Lin Shu finally caught up. He leapt high, grabbed the fleeing cultivator by the neck, and slammed him into the ground hard enough to make the earth quake. The man dropped the flag instantly. Lin Shu picked it up and ran full speed toward his base.
Ahead, he saw Aoyan and her salamander locked in combat with four enemies. He didn't hesitate — he charged in, obliterating all four with brutal efficiency, and threw the flag toward Aoyan. She caught it midair and placed it beside the spot where their own flag had stood moments before.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Lin Shu landed beside her. They'd done it — or so it seemed.
Moments later, the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
"The winners of this match are… Master Deng's team!"
Lin Shu froze. "What?"
Aoyan was the first to react, shouting furiously, "Hey! We got the flag before they did! What the hell is this!?"
The judge descended from the sky, holding the flag Lin Shu had taken. "This is the flag you captured, correct?"
Lin Shu nodded, still breathing hard.
The judge raised the flag for all to see. "Every official flag in the arena bears the Arena of Valor's mark — a golden lion sigil engraved at its base. It's unique and cannot be replicated without authorization. Now look closely."
He pointed to the bottom of the flag. It was blank.
"This flag," the judge said, "is a replica. A fake. The real one still carries the mark."
The crowd roared with laughter as a man emerged from the ruins, covered in dirt and leaves — carrying the genuine flag.
"He has the real one," the judge announced.
The old man in the stands laughed until he wheezed. "Hahaha! Classic rookie mistake. Happens every time they were tricked into following a bait they thought they were fighting for a golden egg onlyfor it to be a painted rock!"
The blue-haired boy leaned back, thoughtful now rather than amused. "So it's not just about strength," he murmured. "It's about awareness… strategy."
The old man nodded approvingly. "Exactly. This arena isn't meant to show who's the strongest — it's meant to forge real cultivators. Out there in the world, muscle alone doesn't win battles. Wits do. Look at that boy — the Behemoth, they call him. Strong enough to crush most of hsi opponents, but even he lost. Why? Because he forgot the simplest truth."
He smiled, eyes gleaming.
"To be a cultivator, you need more than power — you need a mind sharp enough to see through the tricks of the world itself."
Lin Shu walked alongside Chi Aoyan and Chi Yanqi. Aoyan fumed and glared at their master. "Why didn't you tell us about that? We could've won if you did."
Chi Yanqi only smirked. "Because I want you two to learn for yourselves. Matches like that force you to think — to find loopholes in the rules and exploit them. If I'd told you, the fight would've ended in a boring draw: you'd have armored the flag and they wouldn't have been able to break it, but you wouldn't have found theirs before time ran out. Draws teach nothing. But that's not the only lesson to be learned the other one is that you two are not enough to form a team that can move through lal situations and regulations you need more then just the two of you to actually contend for higher ranks in the arena as a team, that's why we need more members on the team."
Lin Shu nodded; the logic sank in. Chi Yanqi's grin faded when he noticed someone approaching. "Speaking of more members — meet our new recruit."
Aoyan peered where he pointed. "Kai? You picked Kai, master? You know he isn't exactly sane, right?"
Yanqi waved a hand. "Don't worry. I picked you too, and you're worse. We'll be fine." Aoyan lunged a playful punch; Yanqi merely toyed with the air like an indulgent uncle.
The newcomer moved in: black hair, most of his face covered in burns and scars, wearing a dark robe with red stripes. He stopped, bowed with blunt courtesy. "Chi Kai greets Elder Yanqi."
Yanqi laughed. "Save the pleasantries. You got my letter?"
Kai handed him the folded paper and as yanqi read he looked more and more satisfied with it's contents.
Yanqi clapped once. "Good. Now read it properly and then thank me."
Kai took the letter as he started reading. Aoyan watched with interest as Kai scanned its contents; his expression darkened to a suspicious frown. Lin Shu stood nearby watching with interest.
Kai's eyes sharpened. "You changed my faction to yours and paid for my punishment? Why?"
Yanqi sidled closer, arm draped over Kai's shoulder with shameless theatrical benevolence. "I couldn't stand to see you treated like that — labeled a criminal for defending yourself. I won't let an innocent boy be treated this way. So I helped you out of the goodness of my heart."
Kai's jaw dropped form how shameless and self praising this so called elder can get,Lin Shu privately registered a new understanding of Yanqi's brazen arrogance; Aoyan simply rolled her eyes.
Yanqi continued, blunt as ever as he revealed his true intentions. "Look, I run our clan's assets in this city. I'm forming a fighters' team for the Arena, and I want you as the third member. They tasted defeat today, but you saw Li the behemoth and his strength can win fights easily. so you cna rest assured that your team is of the best quality so what do you say?."
Kai weighed the options. Refuse Yanqi, and he'd likely be sent back to the clan — or worse, forced back into chains and servitude. Accept, and he'd gain protection and freedom under a powerful elder. He could pay his debt later.
"All right," Kai said after a breath. "I accept."
Yanqi beamed. "Excellent. Now let's go. Your new team has felt defeat for the first time — good. I have many lessons to teach you."
They headed toward the arena's exclusive quarters — the lodging reserved for aether cultivators. Lin Shu walked with them, mind already working through the lessons of the match: rules were weapons; strength alone wasn't enough.