The arena had not yet settled from Fang Wu's defeat. Disciples still muttered furiously, and elders whispered behind their sleeves, eyes darting toward Lu Tian with a mixture of suspicion and interest.
Lu Tian, however, sat cross-legged in a quiet corner of the tournament grounds, his breath slow and measured. Frost mist curled from one palm, flame flickered from the other, and the Heaven-Devouring Meridian pulsed with quiet satisfaction.
A translucent panel shimmered faintly before his vision:
[Heaven-Devouring Meridian] - Bonds Active: 2/10 1. Lan Xue → Bond Level: 1 (Hostility) → Reward: Frost Qi Fragment 2. Zhao Mei → Bond Level: 1 (Hostility) → Reward: Flame Qi Fragment - Devouring Progress: 3% of Qi Condensation Realm absorbed - Current Realm: Early Qi Condensation (Devouring Path)
Lu Tian exhaled slowly, the panel dissolving. So it isn't just fragments. The meridian converts every clash, every bond, into real progress. I've already stepped firmly into early Qi Condensation… without a single pill or manual.
He clenched his fist. At this pace, I'll crush Xu Han long before he expects it.
"You!"
The sharp voice cracked through the murmurs. Lan Xue strode across the grounds, her icy aura sending nearby disciples scattering. Her gaze locked on Lu Tian, cold enough to freeze steel.
"You dare to use my Frost Qi?" she demanded.
Disciples turned instantly, their whispers swelling.
"She confronted him!""Lan Xue, the sect's icy fairy…""Wasn't she promised to him? I thought she despised him!"
Lu Tian rose slowly, brushing dust from his robe. He offered her a faint smile. "Your Frost Qi fits me well. I should thank you."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, fury flashing in her eyes. "You stole from me."
"Stole?" Lu Tian chuckled. "Then why is the bond still there?" He tapped his chest, where the faint thread of icy qi lingered. "If the meridian binds us, then perhaps the heavens themselves decided we should share."
Lan Xue faltered, just for an instant. Her cultivation knowledge was vast; she could feel the bond. No matter how much she hated him, some force connected them now.
But her pride blazed higher. "Don't think this makes you worthy of me. In the tournament, I'll crush you myself."
Before Lu Tian could reply, a voice like a playful flame cut in.
"My, my… cold as ever, Xue." Zhao Mei approached with languid steps, crimson robes hugging her figure. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she circled Lu Tian, her fiery aura teasing at the edges of his own.
"To think, our trash fiancé devoured Fang Wu so easily. Frost and fire both? Mm… perhaps you're not entirely useless." She leaned in, her breath hot against his ear. "But if you think you can control me the way you did him… you'll burn."
The bond thread to Zhao Mei flared inside him, volatile and tempting. Her disdain stoked his meridian like kindling to a fire.
[Bond with Zhao Mei Strengthened] - Hostility Level: 1 → 2 - Reward: Flame Qi deepened. Compatibility with Fire Arts increased by 15%.
Lu Tian's smile didn't waver. "Burn me, freeze me… either way, I'll devour it."
The crowd exploded in whispers, scandalized.
"He spoke like that to both of them?!""Does he want to die?""Or… is he really taming his fiancées one by one?"
Lan Xue's cheeks burned despite herself, and Zhao Mei's laughter rang bright as firecrackers.
The elder overseeing the matches finally barked, "Enough! Return to your stations. The second round begins soon!"
The fiancées retreated, though their gazes lingered on Lu Tian. Lan Xue's eyes promised vengeance; Zhao Mei's promised something far more dangerous.
When the brackets updated, Lu Tian stepped forward to look. His name shone on the stone board:
Second Round Match – Lu Tian vs. Wei Cheng.
Whispers broke out immediately.
"Wei Cheng? He's mid-Qi Condensation, a genius of the Spear Hall!""Lu Tian barely beat Fang Wu—he won't stand a chance.""Unless… unless he has more tricks hidden."
Lu Tian studied the name with calm eyes. He remembered Wei Cheng—arrogant, disciplined, obsessed with spearmanship. A man who had once spat on him for being "unworthy to hold a weapon."
Perfect prey.
The second round began at noon. The sun blazed overhead, casting long shadows across the arena.
Wei Cheng stood at the center, spear in hand, his aura sharp as a blade. He radiated confidence, twirling the weapon with effortless grace.
"You've made a little noise, cripple," Wei Cheng said as Lu Tian approached. "But noise doesn't make strength. Today, I'll break your bones and show the sect your tricks are worthless."
Lu Tian smiled faintly. "Then come try."
The elder's hand sliced the air. "Begin!"
Wei Cheng moved instantly. His spear lunged like lightning, a golden dragon of qi surging from its tip. The air itself split under its force.
Gasps tore through the crowd.
"That's the Spear Hall's Golden Dragon Thrust!""He'll kill Lu Tian in one strike!"
But Lu Tian's meridian pulsed. Frost Qi flowed into his legs, Flame Qi into his arms. He sidestepped, body flowing like water, and the dragon roared past him harmlessly.
In the same motion, he thrust his palm forward—Frostfire Devourer!
A storm of flame and ice surged, clashing with the dragon. The dragon shrieked as chunks of it froze, while its flames were devoured into black embers. The explosion shook the platform, throwing disciples in the front row to the ground.
The meridian drank greedily.
[Devour Successful!] - Technique Absorbed: Golden Dragon Thrust (Fragment) - Cultivation Progress: +4% (Qi Condensation Realm) - Realm: Early Qi Condensation → Mid Qi Condensation achieved!
Power roared through Lu Tian's veins, doubling his strength in an instant. He grinned as his aura burst outward, pressing against Wei Cheng like a tidal wave.
Wei Cheng staggered, eyes wide. "You… advanced mid-fight?!"
Lu Tian stepped forward, frost and fire swirling around his fists. "Didn't I tell you? I devour."
His fist crashed into the spear shaft, shattering the weapon's glow. Wei Cheng stumbled back, coughing blood. Lu Tian followed, relentless, his palm slamming into Wei Cheng's chest.
Boom!
Wei Cheng flew across the arena, slamming into the wall with a groan. His spear clattered uselessly to the ground.
Silence held the arena for a heartbeat.
Then—chaos.
"He advanced realms during the fight?!""That's impossible!""No… that's monstrous!"
Elders leaned forward, their eyes sharp, some gleaming with greed, others with fear.
Zhao Mei's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Stronger again… how far can you climb, Lu Tian?"
Lan Xue's heart pounded despite herself. If he keeps growing like this… even I may not be able to stop him.
The elder raised his hand, voice booming. "Winner: Lu Tian!"
The cheers, gasps, and shouts merged into a storm around him. Disciples who had once mocked him now stared with awe and dread. Lu Tian stood at the center of it all, calm, hands folded behind his back, frost misting one hand and fire dancing from the other.
Inside, the Heaven-Devouring Meridian purred.
Devour… grow… ascend…
Lu Tian's eyes swept the crowd until they landed on a figure in crimson silk standing far across the arena—Xu Han.
Xu Han's smirk hadn't faded. If anything, it had sharpened, eyes gleaming with dangerous amusement.
"You've grown interesting, Tian," he murmured, too softly for others to hear. "But I'll still break you."
Lu Tian's lips curved faintly, as if in answer.