The central plaza had descended into glorious, delicious chaos.
While the other five martial platforms were hosting tense, bloody battles between top-tier inner sect disciples, fifty percent of the audience—and nearly seventy percent of the eliminated competitors—were crammed around Platform Three, waving pouches of spirit stones in the air like frantic stockbrokers.
"Move over, junior brother! I called dibs on the last cumin skewer!"
"Here! Take twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Just give me whatever cooked meat gives the attack buff before my next round!"
"Fairy Ling Yue, I have three High-Grade Spirit Stones! Please, just one order of the jerky!"
Ling Yue stood behind the wooden crate, her hands moving with icy, effortless efficiency. With a flick of her wrist, she collected pouches of sparkling blue gems, tossing wrapped skewers and jerky strips to paying customers while keeping a detailed ledger in her head.
[PING!]
[Concession Stand Sales Exploding!]
[Spirit Stones Collected: 1,200 Low-Grade / 45 High-Grade!]
[System Points Earned from Customer Satisfaction: +550 SP!]
[Current System Points: 1,120 SP]
Leo sat on the stone edge of the platform, leaning against the wooden railing while sipping a cold, honey-infused herbal tea he had crafted using his Basic Kitchen Mastery skill.
"See, Senior Sister?" Leo chuckled, tossing a High-Grade Spirit Stone up and catching it casually. "Who needs clan allowances when you have supply and demand? We're monetizing their pre-fight anxiety."
Ling Yue cast a quick glance at him, a tiny, almost imperceptible twitch of amusement at the corner of her lips. "If the Grand Elders don't execute you for high treason today, you're going to bankrupt the entire junior generation."
"Hey, it's a fair transaction," Leo smirked. "They get pure energy without pill toxins, we get liquid capital. Everyone wins."
"EXCEPT FOR THE LAWS OF THIS CLAN!"
A thundering roar shattered the festive atmosphere around Platform Three.
The crowd instinctively scattered as a figure dropped from the main VIP balcony like a falling meteor.
BOOM!
The obsidian platform trembled violently as a massive surge of fiery crimson Qi erupted across the stone tiles. The heat was so intense that the nearby wooden banners scorched instantly, turning into black ash.
Standing in the center of the platform was Senior Envoy Chen.
Envoy Chen was twenty-five years old, a peak Qi Condensation Stage 9 cultivator who served as Crown Prince Zhao Zhen's personal enforcer. Draped in black imperial armor decorated with gold dragon scales, his eyes burned with a mixture of cold condescension and intense humiliation.
"Envoy Chen!" the referee gasped, scrambling backward off the platform. "This... this is an internal clan evaluation for disciples under twenty! You cannot—"
"Silence, old man!" Envoy Chen barked, waving his arm. A wave of red Qi blasted the referee off his feet, sending him rolling across the stone floor.
Envoy Chen turned his dark gaze toward Leo, resting his hand on the pommel of a massive, broad-bladed crimson saber strapped to his back.
"Xiao Long," Envoy Chen sneered, his voice amplified by his powerful Qi so that every single person in the arena heard him clearly. "You have crippled an elder, assaulted the Second Prince, and turned this noble tournament into a filthy peasant market. On behalf of the Sunfall Imperial Court, I hereby declare you a rogue demonic cultivator!"
High up on the main balcony, Grand Elder Tianbang stroked his beard, a cold, ruthless smile spreading across his face. He made no move to stop Envoy Chen. To him, using an imperial envoy to eliminate an uncontrollable variable like Leo was the cleanest solution possible.
Ling Yue stepped forward immediately, her icy blue sword sliding halfway out of its sheath. "Envoy Chen, you are a guest of the clan. Stepping into a junior tournament platform to attack a disciple violates every rule of—"
"Stand down, Fairy Ling," Envoy Chen cut her off coldly, his Qi flaring to suppress her cold aura. "If you protect this criminal, the Crown Prince will view the Ling Clan as co-conspirators in rebellion."
Ling Yue’s eyes narrowed into sharp daggers of ice. She didn't retreat an inch.
However, before she could draw her blade completely, a hand gently patted her shoulder.
"Take a breather, Senior Sister," Leo said smoothly, stepping past her to stand at the front of the platform. "The customer service department will handle this complaint."
Envoy Chen laughed, a mocking, dry sound. "Handle it? You arrogant little worm. You relied on sneaky tricks and brute physical strength to beat trash like Xiao Ba. But against a true Qi Condensation expert, your Body Refining strength is nothing more than an insect wrestling a dragon!"
Envoy Chen drew his crimson saber. SHWING!
A wave of scorching heat blazed across the arena as a ten-foot blade of concentrated red fire manifested around the metal.
"Kneel and beg for mercy!" Chen bellowed. "And maybe I will leave you an intact corpse!"
Leo didn't panic. He didn't even draw a weapon. Instead, he calmly tapped his chin, looking at Envoy Chen with a thoughtful expression.
"Qi Condensation Stage 9, huh?" Leo mused aloud. "That's pretty high. If I fight you at Stage 7 Body Refining, my clothes might get singed... and this black silk robe was expensive."
"Are you losing your mind out of fear?!" Chen snarled, stepping forward as his flaming saber whistled through the air.
Leo ignored him and opened his System interface inside his mind.
"System," Leo commanded silently. "Convert 1,000 System Points into pure Chaos Qi and execute the breakthrough!"
[PING!]
[1,000 System Points Deducted!]
[Converting to 10,000 Units of Primitive Chaos Qi!]
[Host Realm Advancing: Body Refining Stage 7 ➔ Stage 8 ➔ Stage 9 ➔ BREAKTHROUGH!]
[QI CONDENSATION REALM ACHIEVED!]
BOOM!
A sound like an ancient thunderclap reverberated directly inside the souls of everyone present in the arena.
The skies above the central plaza suddenly darkened as thick, grey-and-gold clouds churned overhead. The fiery Qi surrounding Envoy Chen’s saber didn't just flicker—it was instantly snuffed out like a tiny candle caught in a hurricane.
A column of blinding, dark-golden light erupted from Leo’s body, piercing straight into the heavens.
The terrifying, pressure of ancient, primordial Chaos energy washed over the entire arena. Thousands of outer and inner sect disciples fell to their knees, their own inner Qi grinding to a complete halt under the sheer, absolute dominance of the aura.
"W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Envoy Chen shrieked, his face turning paper-white as his arms trembled violently, barely able to hold his broadsword. "HIS QI... IT'S NOT ELEMENTAL! WHAT KIND OF MONSTROUS METHOD IS HE CULTIVATING?!"
On the VIP balcony, Grand Elder Tianbang knocked over his own chair as he stood up in sheer terror, his eyes wide as saucers. "B-Breakthrough mid-combat?! From Stage 7 Body Refining straight into Qi Condensation in three seconds?!"
As the golden beam of light slowly receded, Leo stood in the center of the platform, surrounded by flickering sparks of dark-gold lightning.
His eyes, now glowing with a deep, majestic golden luster, fixed onto Envoy Chen.
[CURRENT STATUS UPDATE]
Host Name: Leo Miller (Xiao Long)
Realm: Qi Condensation Stage 1 (Chaos Dantian Formed)
New Skill Unlocked: [Chaos Kitchen Manifestation (Lv. 1)]
Passive Perk: Physical damage immunity increased by 50%.
Leo slowly reached into his System inventory, pulling out his trustiest companion—the heavy, pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet.
Except this time, as he channeled his newly formed Chaos Qi into the metal, the skillet didn't just glow. The black iron expanded, covered in intricate, glowing golden runes of ancient chaos, humming with enough weight to crush a mountain.
"Envoy Chen," Leo said, his voice carrying a heavy, resonant echo that vibrated through the stone floor beneath their feet. "You complained about my market stall..."
Leo raised the glowing, rune-covered cast-iron skillet high over his head, stepping forward with a calm, terrifying smile.
"...so now you're gonna be the main ingredient."
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