*CLANG!*
The bell shrieked across the arena like a battle cry. Li Wei didn't waste a second - his form blurred as he lunged forward, a wicked barbed whip uncoiling from his hand.
But this wasn't just any whip. Mana swirled around it, solidifying into a shimmering field that made the air itself feel heavy.
[WEAPON IDENTIFIED: CONSTRICTING SHADOW]
[ARTIFACT TYPE: FIELD MANIPULATION]
[EFFECT: MOVEMENT SPEED REDUCTION - 60%]
'Of course he gets the good gear.'
"Try to run, mongrel," Li Wei hissed, his sneer widening. "You'll just be slower when I catch you."
CRACK!
The whip lashed toward Vorn. The moment its shadow fell over him, he felt it - like trying to move through thick mud. The air became resistant, every step a struggle.
'Shit. It's not a direct attack - it's a field effect.'
The whip's resonant thrum echoed ominously as Li Wei cracked it again, already preparing his next strike.
Vorn was forced into desperate evasion. Li Wei used the whip's reach perfectly, lashing out and retreating before Vorn could counter. The arena's circular design worked against him - nowhere to run, and every dodge brought him closer to the wall.
"What's wrong, little dog?" Li Wei's laughter echoed with cruel confidence. "Legs feel heavy?"
'He's playing with me. Using the field to control the pace. I can't get close enough to land a hit.'
Vorn managed a few clumsy blocks with his training blade, each parry feeling like lifting weights underwater. His frustration mounted - a hot knot of rage building in his chest.
WHIP!
Another strike barely missed his head.
'He wants to tire me out. Keep me sluggish until I make a fatal mistake.'
Li Wei pressed his advantage, the whip a constant, harassing presence. "You really thought you could stand against a true Xiaotian? Your kind belongs in the gutter where they found you!"
Vorn gritted his teeth. 'Enough. This isn't about pride anymore. It's pure survival.'
'Time to reset the board'
As the whip snaked toward his legs, Vorn subtly activated his Matter Manipulation. Not on the weapon or the field - on himself.
'Bone density... increase. Muscle fibers... align for explosive movement. Tendons... optimize for speed.'
There was no outward sign, but internally he felt the change. A faint clicking and whirring sensation as his body composition shifted at the molecular level.
The field's drag was still there, but Vorn's movements became sharper, more economical. He sidestepped an attack that should have caught him easily.
Li Wei's eyes widened. "What the—?!"
[MATTER MANIPULATION: BIOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT ACTIVE]
[MOVEMENT EFFICIENCY: +40%]
[BONE DENSITY: +25%]
[MUSCLE RESPONSE: OPTIMIZED]
With his enhanced physicality, Vorn began closing the distance, weaving through attacks that had been impossible to avoid seconds before.
"You rely too much on your toy," Vorn said, voice carrying newfound confidence that genuinely startled Li Wei.
'Time to end this.'
As Li Wei wound up for an overconfident finishing strike, Vorn used his enhanced speed to step inside the whip's reach. But he didn't go for Li Wei's body.
Instead, he targeted the weapon itself.
SNAP!
His modified blade connected with the whip's locking mechanism - the exact point where the mana field originated.
The resonant thrum died instantly. The slowing field vanished like it had never existed.
'Perfect.'
Freed from the artificial drag, Vorn moved with speed Li Wei couldn't match anymore. He disarmed the stunned young master with ease and delivered a precise, non-lethal strike to the jaw.
THUD.
Li Wei hit the arena floor hard, sprawling in the dust.
The arena erupted in confused murmurs. Nobody had expected this outcome.
Li Wei stared up in disbelief, face a mask of shock and humiliation. The golden boy of the Xiaotian family, beaten by the street rat with a training blade.
"Winner... Vorn," the announcer declared hesitantly, clearly as surprised as everyone else.
But as Vorn turned to leave the arena, he felt eyes boring into his back. Elder Jin had risen to his feet, no longer looking at him with contempt.
Now it was suspicion. Cold, calculating suspicion.
'That wasn't just luck...'
[BATTLE RESULT: VICTORY]
[EXP GAINED: +150]
[LEVEL: 4 → 5]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: BIOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION]
[POLITICAL STATUS: THREAT LEVEL UPGRADED]
[ELDER JIN'S SUSPICION: CRITICAL]
Vorn walked out of the arena with steady steps, his modified blade still humming with absorbed mana.
'Round one to me. But that was just the opening act.'
The real game was about to begin.
[CURRENT LEVEL: 5]
[EXP: 15/500]
[PATH: VEILED NOIR - INTEGRITY: 79%]
[WARNING: INCREASED SCRUTINY DETECTED]