The Crimson Blade Elder stepped forward slowly.
"If talent is real," he said calmly, "it must survive pressure."
His gaze settled on Xiao Rin.
"Foundation Early versus our Foundation Mid."
A clear gap.
Intentional.
The courtyard fell silent.
Everyone understood the message.
If Xiao Rin lost badly, the constitution would look overhyped.
If he won—
Heavenly Ember would no longer be dismissed.
Chen Wei took half a step forward instinctively.
Lian Zhou raised a hand slightly.
"Let him."
Xiao Rin stepped onto the platform.
No trembling.
No arrogance.
Just focus.
Across from him stood Crimson Blade's Foundation Mid disciple.
Steel blade at his waist.
Sharp aura.
He had trained for years.
He was not average.
"Begin," Green River's elder announced.
The array shifted into combat mode.
Barrier activated.
No fatal blows allowed.
The Crimson Blade disciple moved first.
Blade drawn in a smooth arc.
Metal Qi reinforced the strike.
Fast.
Direct.
Xiao Rin didn't retreat immediately.
He shifted sideways instead.
The blade grazed his sleeve.
Heat flared from his palm instinctively.
The air distorted slightly.
The crowd murmured.
That wasn't normal Foundation output.
The Crimson Blade disciple attacked again.
Three rapid slashes.
Xiao Rin blocked one, avoided the second, absorbed the third partially.
The impact pushed him back two steps.
Foundation Mid was still stronger.
But—
His internal flow remained stable.
No Qi disruption.
The Ember Spirit Body was protecting his core stability.
"End it quickly!" Crimson Blade's Elder shouted.
The disciple obeyed.
He increased output.
Full Foundation Mid pressure exploded outward.
Blade technique intensified.
Steel energy surged.
Xiao Rin's eyes sharpened.
He stopped retreating.
Instead—
He circulated faster.
The heat around him increased noticeably.
The platform temperature rose.
The blade struck again—
This time Xiao Rin met it head-on.
Palm against blade flat.
Fire Qi erupted.
Not wild.
Not explosive.
Dense.
Compressed.
The clash echoed.
The Crimson Blade disciple's eyes widened slightly.
The heat was overwhelming his metal reinforcement.
Xiao Rin stepped forward.
Not reckless.
Controlled.
He didn't spam techniques.
He didn't chase flashy moves.
He simply maintained pressure.
Fire Qi wrapped around his forearm and surged outward.
The blade technique faltered.
Metal energy weakened under sustained heat.
The crowd leaned forward.
"His control is too clean…"
"Foundation Early shouldn't output that density…"
The Crimson Blade disciple gritted his teeth.
He switched tactics.
Direct thrust toward Xiao Rin's chest.
Fast.
Precise.
Xiao Rin didn't dodge.
He compressed his Qi inward.
The Ember Spirit Body flared.
His palm struck the blade mid-thrust.
A sharp crack echoed.
The blade shattered at the midpoint.
The Crimson Blade disciple froze.
Xiao Rin stepped inside his guard immediately.
Palm to chest.
Controlled impact.
The disciple flew backward and hit the barrier.
Silence.
Then—
Green River's elder raised his hand.
"Match concluded."
Foundation Early.
Defeated Foundation Mid.
Cleanly.
Without instability.
Without collapse.
The courtyard erupted into whispers.
"That's high-tier constitution…"
"He's not brute-forcing. He's overwhelming by density."
"He'll be Core Formation within a year."
Crimson Blade's Elder's face darkened visibly.
This wasn't embarrassment anymore.
This was threat.
Xiao Rin stepped down calmly.
No celebration.
He returned to Lian Zhou's side.
"You held back," Lian Zhou said quietly.
"Yes."
"Good."
The Ember Spirit Body activation bar had risen to 79% during the fight.
Combat accelerated development.
Excellent.
Suddenly, a calm voice cut through the noise.
"Such a constitution should not be wasted."
All heads turned.
A middle-aged man in deep blue robes stood near the VIP seating area.
Azure Mountain Sect.
A larger, established sect.
Core Formation Peak aura.
Stronger than Crimson Blade's Elder.
He stepped forward slowly.
"Little friend," he said, looking at Xiao Rin, "would you consider joining Azure Mountain?"
The courtyard fell completely silent.
There it was.
Poaching attempt.
Public.
Deliberate.
Crimson Blade's Elder did not intervene.
He was watching.
If Heavenly Ember lost Xiao Rin—
They would collapse naturally.
Xiao Rin did not answer immediately.
He looked at Lian Zhou.
Not the Azure Mountain elder.
Not the crowd.
His sect master.
The decision would shape everything.
Lian Zhou stepped forward calmly.
"He belongs to Heavenly Ember."
The Azure Mountain elder smiled slightly.
"Talents do not belong to ruins."
"He does," Lian Zhou replied evenly.
Silence stretched.
Political tension thickened.
This wasn't a duel anymore.
This was sect hierarchy.
Power versus loyalty.
Xiao Rin spoke quietly.
"I will stay."
The words were simple.
But they landed heavily.
The Azure Mountain elder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Think carefully," he said.
"I did," Xiao Rin replied.
The message was clear.
Heavenly Ember was not just producing geniuses.
They were keeping them.
That was more dangerous.
Inside the system interface:
[Disciple Loyalty Confirmed Under External Recruitment Pressure.]
[Bonus Reward: 8 Talent Points.]
[Host Spiritual Load Stabilized.]
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened slightly.
The system rewarded loyalty events.
This wasn't just cultivation.
It was sect building.
The regional gathering had shifted permanently.
Heavenly Ember was no longer small.
And larger sects had just noticed.