Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The Mystic Cloud Sect was buzzing with an excitement that bordered on hysteria. Today was the Internal Sect Selection, the grand tournament to decide which disciples would represent the sect at the upcoming Five Sect Alliance Summit.
The Grand Plaza of the Main Peak had been transformed into a coliseum. Four massive stone arenas were floating in the air, supported by arrays. Thousands of disciples from the seven main peaks filled the stands, waving banners and shouting slogans.
"Sword Burial Peak is invincible! Senior Brother Liu will cut the sky!"
"Pill Peak is rich! We will buy the victory!"
"Beast Taming Peak! Release the tigers!"
In the VIP section, the Elders sat on elevated thrones. Sect Leader Liu Cang sat in the center, looking regal, though his eyes kept darting toward the empty seats reserved for the 12th Peak.
"He's late," Elder Pill grumbled, checking her jade watch. "That Jiang Chen is probably packing his bags to flee. I heard his disciples haven't been seen in three months."
"They are likely dead," the Sword Elder scoffed. "I heard a rumor that lightning struck their peak continuously for ten minutes. No Foundation Establishment trash survives that."
Just as the Sword Elder finished his sentence, a hush fell over the crowd.
At the entrance of the plaza, a group of four walked in.
Leading them was Jiang Chen. He wore a pristine white robe (silk, very expensive) and silver gloves that glinted in the sun. He fanned himself lazily, walking with the swagger of a man who owned the place.
Behind him walked his three disciples.
They looked... normal.
Ye Kai was wearing a simple sleeveless shirt, revealing his muscles, but he wasn't emitting any powerful aura.
Su Ling walked with her head down, clutching a stack of papers, looking like a nervous accountant.
Wei Wu tapped his cane gently, his eyes covered by a white cloth, looking frail.
"It's them!" someone shouted. "The Trash Peak!"
"They actually came?"
"Look at them! No aura at all! Did they lose their cultivation?"
"Hahaha! They look like tourists!"
Jiang Chen ignored the jeers. He walked straight to the Betting Station set up by the Administration Hall. The odds were displayed on a large spirit board.
[Match 1 Odds] [Beast Peak (Iron Ox) vs. Desolate Cloud Peak (Ye Kai)] [Iron Ox Wins: 1 : 1.01] [Ye Kai Wins: 1 : 100]
The bookmaker, a fat deacon with a greasy smile, looked at Jiang Chen. "Guest Elder Jiang? Here to place a bet? Perhaps betting on Iron Ox to minimize your emotional damages?"
Jiang Chen smiled. He reached into his sleeve.
He didn't pull out a bag of coins. He pulled out a Dimensional Ring.
He turned the ring upside down and shook it.
Crash. Clatter. Boom.
A literal mountain of Spirit Stones poured out, burying the betting table and the fat deacon's legs. The pile was blindingly bright.
"Fifty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones," Jiang Chen announced, his voice amplified by Qi so the entire arena could hear. "On Desolate Cloud Peak. To win the entire tournament."
Silence.
The crowd stared. The Elders stared. The fat deacon dug himself out of the money pile, gasping.
"Fifty... fifty thousand? Elder Jiang, are you insane? If you lose, you're bankrupt!"
"I don't like small bets," Jiang Chen snapped his fan shut. "And I don't plan to lose."
He turned to his disciples.
"Ye Kai. You're up first."
Ye Kai stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. He looked at the massive pile of money.
"Master," Ye Kai whispered. "That's our lunch money for the next hundred years."
"Don't lose," Jiang Chen patted his shoulder. "And remember the rule: Concealment."
"Understood," Ye Kai nodded.
He jumped onto the floating arena.
His opponent, Iron Ox of the Beast Taming Peak, was already there. Iron Ox was a giant of a man, standing seven feet tall, wearing armor made of rhino hide. His cultivation was Golden Core Level 1.
Iron Ox looked at Ye Kai and laughed. "Hey, little guy. Did you get lost? The spectators sit over there."
Ye Kai didn't answer. He just stood there, arms at his sides, looking bored.
"Ignored me?" Iron Ox roared. "Fine! I'll crush your bones into dust!"
Iron Ox activated his technique: [Rhino Charge].
His aura exploded. A phantom of a giant steel rhino appeared behind him. The ground shook as he charged. He moved like a freight train, aiming a massive fist directly at Ye Kai's chest.
"He's dead," a disciple in the crowd wced. "Iron Ox breaks boulders with that charge."
"Splat," another agreed.
On the podium, the Beast Taming Elder grinned. "My disciple is efficient. One hit."
Iron Ox's fist collided with Ye Kai's chest.
BOOM.
Dust clouds erupted. The shockwave rattled the protective barrier.
The crowd cheered. It was a direct hit. No defense. No evasion. Just pure impact.
"And the winner is—" the referee began to shout.
But then the dust settled.
Ye Kai was still standing there.
He hadn't moved an inch. His feet were planted in the exact same spot.
Iron Ox's fist was buried in Ye Kai's chest muscles. But Ye Kai didn't look hurt. He looked... disappointed.
"Is that it?" Ye Kai asked, looking down at the fist pressing against his chest.
Iron Ox's eyes bulged. "What? Impossible! My Rhino Charge has 50,000 pounds of force!"
"My gloves weigh 5,000 pounds," Ye Kai muttered. "I slept on a rock that weighed two tons. And my Master hit me with lightning that weighed the sky."
Ye Kai sighed. He raised his right hand.
He didn't make a fist. He extended his index finger.
"Master said I can't kill you. So... boop."
Ye Kai flicked his finger against Iron Ox's forehead.
It looked like a playful gesture. A flick you would give a naughty child.
But when that finger connected, the air exploded.
CRACK.
The sound was like a cannon firing.
Iron Ox's head snapped back. His feet left the ground. His massive, seven-foot body was launched backward as if he had been hit by a wrecking ball.
He flew across the arena. He smashed through the protective barrier. He flew over the heads of the screaming audience. He flew out of the Grand Plaza entirely, vanishing into the clouds like a shooting star.
Twinkle.
A moment of silence.
Then, the sound of Iron Ox crashing into a distant mountain peak echoed through the valley.
Ye Kai lowered his finger. He blew on it gently, as if blowing smoke from a gun barrel.
"Next," Ye Kai said.
The entire arena was silent.
The fat deacon at the betting table fainted.
In the VIP section, the Beast Taming Elder crushed the armrest of his throne. "What... what was that?"
Jiang Chen sat in his seat, sipping tea he had brought himself.
"That," Jiang Chen said loudly, "was a flick. Imagine if he used a fist."
He looked at the stunned crowd.
"Who else wants to bet against my trash?"