Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation

Chapter 228: Cloud Empire (48)

Midday arrived quickly.

The noise in the stands grew like an inevitable wave.

Countless voices shouted, anxious, mixing the names of favorite ranked fighters, provocations, last-minute bets, and cries of pure excitement.

The Cloud Coliseum was completely packed, tens of thousands of spectators filling every visible tier, flags fluttering, spiritual lanterns blinking in patterns of support. The air vibrated with expectation.

There were ten minutes left until the official start of the fights.

A man appeared at the center of the main arena.

He emerged from nowhere, a step that crossed the space as if the air had opened for him. Tall, thin, black robes with golden edges, a short gray beard, and piercing eyes that seemed to see through anyone. He released his cultivation for a brief instant.

Peak of the Spiritual Awakening Realm.

The pressure fell like an invisible mountain. Even the Top 100 ranked fighters felt the weight on their shoulders. The crowd fell silent almost instantly.

"I am today’s Chief Judge, Elder Tian," he announced, his deep voice amplified by a formation that reached every corner of the Coliseum.

"The rules are clear and known. No treasures above the spiritual level. No external interference. Death is permitted. Begin."

The ten minutes passed in tense silence.

Then the spiritual bell rang, deep, definitive, echoing like distant thunder.

Elder Tian raised his hand.

"First challenge. Nan Feng Yu, of the Southern Wind Dynasty, against Rank 98, Liu Shan!"

A murmur rose from the crowd.

Nan Feng Yu stood up in the reserved stands. He turned to Kyrian, Bai Zhu, and the others with an ironic smile.

"Looks like I’ll go ahead of you."

He jumped directly from the elevated stands. His wind Qi wrapped around him like a controlled gust, propelling him in a straight line to the center of the arena with impressive speed. He landed lightly, hair fluttering, spiritual fan already in hand.

In the sky, information about the two appeared, the bets were balanced, but there were still more people betting on Liu Shan, due to the great confidence everyone had in the Coliseum’s ranked fighters.

Thirty seconds later, Liu Shan walked out from one of the side gates. Tall, muscular, reinforced gray tunic, a pair of spiritual iron gloves on his hands. Peak of Qi Liberation. He looked at Nan Feng Yu with disdain.

Elder Tian gestured to both of them.

"Begin."

Liu Shan attacked first, a direct punch reinforced with earth Qi, the ground trembling beneath his feet.

Nan Feng Yu spun the fan. A cutting gust of wind deflected the punch, creating an explosion of dust. He counterattacked immediately, the fan opening, releasing sharp wind blades that sliced through the air toward Liu Shan’s chest.

Liu Shan crossed his arms. The iron gloves absorbed the impact, but he was pushed two steps back. He growled and advanced again, heavy punches creating shockwaves that cracked the arena floor.

The fight was fierce.

Nan Feng Yu was fast, movements fluid, wind carrying him from side to side, avoiding direct blows while launching cutting gusts.

Liu Shan was strong, each punch made the air tremble, each defense absorbed the wind with brutality. For several minutes, neither gained a clear advantage. The audience shouted.

Then, Nan Feng Yu finished it.

He spun the fan in a complete arc. An advanced wind technique formed, a concentrated gust that transformed into an almost invisible blade of air.

Liu Shan tried to block with the gloves, but the blade passed grazing by and stopped centimeters from his throat, the cutting wind causing blood to trickle from a thin cut on his neck.

Liu Shan froze.

Nan Feng Yu smiled.

"Give up?"

Liu Shan gritted his teeth but lowered his arms.

"I give up."

Elder Tian raised his hand.

"Victory for Nan Feng Yu, of the Southern Wind Dynasty!"

The crowd exploded. The first ranked fighter of the day had already fallen. At that moment, on a large wall of the Coliseum, where the Coliseum’s Rank 100 was displayed, a name suddenly disappeared. In its place, the name Nan Feng Yu appeared in gold.

Nan Feng Yu returned to the reserved stands with a light jump. He looked at Kyrian and Bai Zhu.

"See? Not that hard."

Kyrian and the others said nothing, but they understood during the fight.

Even the lowest-ranked fighters of the Coliseum were on par with young geniuses like them.

The ranked fighters were older, with years of experience in real battles and much more time in the same cultivation realm. And because of that, everyone would have to fight with all their strength from the start. Even so, everyone there was confident in their fights.

The next call came right after.

"Bai Zhu, of the Blood Court, against Rank 95, Zhang Kuo!"

Bai Zhu stood with a fierce smile. He gave Kyrian a nod.

"My turn."

He jumped from the stands. His heavy body landed in the center of the arena with a crash that raised dust and slightly cracked the stone. He looked at Zhang Kuo, who was coming out of the opposite gate, a robust man with partial spiritual iron armor and a double axe in his hands.

Elder Tian gave the signal.

"Begin."

Zhang Kuo attacked first, axes spinning in brutal arcs, metal Qi reinforcing each strike.

Bai Zhu did not retreat. His entire body shone in crimson red. Blood veins surfaced beneath the skin, visibly pulsing. His appearance changed, muscles swelling, eyes glowing red, and a bloody aura exploding around him. The military branch technique of the Blood Court was at full power from the very beginning.

He blocked the axes with his bare forearms. The impact created shockwaves that cracked the ground in a circle. Bai Zhu smiled.

"That’s all?"

He counterattacked. A direct punch to Zhang Kuo’s chest. The ranked fighter flew backward, armor dented.

Zhang Kuo recovered quickly and attacked again, the axe spinning in a storm of metal. Bai Zhu dodged with surprising speed for his size, then grabbed one of the axes by the handle and pulled Zhang Kuo closer. A knee reinforced with blood Qi struck the opponent’s stomach.

Zhang Kuo spat blood.

Bai Zhu finished with a punch to the forehead, a simple blow, but loaded with brute force. Zhang Kuo was sent flying out of the arena, crashing against the containment barrier with a bang. He fell unconscious, alive, but with a cracked skull and several broken bones. It would probably take days for him to recover.

Elder Tian raised his hand.

"Victory for Bai Zhu, of the Blood Court!"

The crowd roared again, many saddened at losing their spirit stones, but many were also happy for following their instincts in betting on someone from the Blood Court, after all, they were recognized for being arrogant fighters.

Bai Zhu returned to the stands with a wide smile, someone else’s blood dripping from his fist.

"That was easy."

Kyrian did not take Bai Zhu’s words seriously and judged coldly. Bai Zhu’s strength was on par with Nan Feng Yu and the other force leaders. Perhaps even a little above in raw power.

Then, two other names were called, Kyrian recognized them as well. Qin Luo, of the Gray Blade Sect, won with his sword intent, cutting off an entire arm of his opponent. And then, He Yun, of the Celestial River Alliance. He also won. Their names appeared on the wall that displayed the 100 ranked fighters of the coliseum.

As the audience shouted, impressed. In fact, so far, no fighter from the coliseum had won. But for the more intelligent ones, this was not something serious, after all, they were the weakest. And it was obvious that the core disciples of 4° level forces would be strong.

But then, a new name was called. A name that caused shouts and murmurs throughout the entire Coliseum.

"Kyrian of the Blood Court, against Wang Dahai, Rank 92. Step onto the arena."