Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang woke up bright and early and made their way to the Colosseum. There were already a lot of people by the time they arrived. Wu Jian glanced at a buff man with arms bigger than his head flexing for several people. Turning his head left, he spotted a young woman with scars running across her face and a pair of swords strapped across her back.

There are so many people…

“Everyone here is at the Asura Realm… except for you,” Huǒ Shuchang said. “Even the weakest person here is at the first subrealm of the Asura Realm.”

That only made sense. The White Tiger Sect Ruins would only allow people below the Human Limit Realm to enter. Anyone at the Asura Realm who knew about the ruins opening would flock here for a chance to go inside. Most Anima Realm cultivators wouldn’t even bother coming here since the chances of them winning were so low, but it wasn’t like they weren’t allowed. It was just common sense that an Anima Realm cultivator couldn’t beat someone at the Asura Realm.

“Well, knowing you, you’ll be fine,” Huǒ Shuchang added.

“What’s the strongest cultivation base here?” asked Wu Jian.

“Eighth subrealm.”

Wu Jian only nodded in response.

The Colosseum here might have looked different from the ones he had seen before, but it’s purpose was the same. Tournaments and exhibition matches were often held there. Many cultivators, both young and old, would pit their skills against other cultivators and even some magical beasts to earn money and fame. Wu Jian would have been interested in testing his skills against others a long time ago, but now he only cared about getting stronger.

They traveled inside and found several people standing in four lines. Each line ended at a table. The table had several implements, including a quill and some strange black rock. A young man or woman sat behind the table and spoke with whoever was before them at that time.

Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang got into one of the lines. Wu Jian watched curiously as one man went up to the table. He was a buff man with bronzed skin and shock yellow hair. It was such a garish color that Wu Jian was thrown off.

“Name?” the young man asked.

“Tian Tang.”

“Age?”

“Thirty.”

“All right. Pick up that testing stone and pour your chi into it.”

The man, Tian Tang, picked up the testing stone, which soon emitted a vibrant light from deep within. It went from white, to yellow, then to orange. It stopped there, but soon began changing into a deeper orange color. The number two suddenly appeared inside the stone.

“Second Subrealm. Asura Realm. You’ve been registered. Take this token and present it to the guards once the tournament is under way. Don’t lose that. If you do, you won’t be able to participate.”

“Got it.”

The man took the token and walked off with a confident smirk. Wu Jian had no idea what he was smirking about. He wasn’t that strong, especially for a man in his thirties.

Several gasps caused him and Huǒ Shuchang to look at the line adjacent to them, where a young man stood with surrounded by beautiful women. He had long black hair, skin as pale as snow, and looked almost like a woman himself. Only his adam’s apple gave him away. He was holding the testing stone in his hand. It was not only a deep orange, but the number 9 was firmly displayed on it.

“Ninth… subrealm of the Asura Realm?!” The young woman sitting at the counter exclaimed in shock.

“You’re so strong, Liao Hai!” One of the women tittered.

“You’re the greatest!” Another stroked his ego.

“There’s not a single cultivator alive with more talent than you!” said a third.

The more those women spoke, the bigger Liao Hai’s ego seemed to become. He puffed out his chest like a peacock. This man must have been one of those narcissistic young masters who enjoyed keeping women around him as trophies. He probably relished being in the spotlight. Well, far be it for Wu Jian to care about such things.”

“I thought you said the highest cultivation level here was eight subrealm,” Wu Jian said.

“I did, but that was outside. The walls of the Colosseum prevent people from being able to sense someone’s cultivation, so I have no idea what level everyone is at in here,” Huǒ Shuchang defended himself.

“Tch. Useless.”

“How mean!”

Another gasp erupted from a different line. Wu Jian looked over with everyone else and froze in shock.

A young woman stood before the counter. She wore a hanfu, but one side had a long sleeve and the other was sleeveless. Wrapped around the sleeveless arm was a golden band that stood out due to it's color. Several pink scars littered her arm. They stood out starkly against her tan skin. Her light blonde hair tied into a ponytail swayed from side to side, and her fierce green eyes glared at the testing stone in her hand, which had the number 9 boldly displayed on it.

“Hey! Hey! Isn’t that the Crimson Sands’ newest recruit?” asked one person in the crowd.

“I think so. Damn, they really found themselves a good egg this time. She can’t be much older than twenty-five.”

“Beautiful and strong. That’s my kind of woman.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. I heard a rumor about that woman’s bad temper. The last person who hit on her had their entire cultivation wiped out.”

“What?! Really?!”

“Yeah. She destroyed his dantian. What’s more, he was a young master of the Desert Snakes mercenary group.”

“So she doesn’t even show mercy to the powerful. I’d better not mess with her then.”

“See to it that you don’t.”

Wu Jian listened to the conversation happening around him. Was this woman the Crimson Sands’ recruit he had heard so much about?

“Another cultivator at the peak of the Asura Realm,” Huǒ Shuchang murmured. “And both are so young. Looks like there are some hidden monsters within this crowd.”

“Yeah,” Wu Jian murmured.

Huǒ Shuchang looked at him curiously. “Hmm? You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Wu Jian said as he summoned the mask from his storage ring and placed it over his face.

His actions invoked confusion from Huǒ Shuchang, but the man eventually shrugged and went back to looking at the front of the line.

No one else shocked the crowd like Liao Hai or the mysterious woman who belonged to the Crimson Sands. The line moved at a snail’s pace until it was Huǒ Shuchang’s turn.

“Name?”

“Huǒ Shuchang.”

“Age?”

“Nineteen.”

The man paused to look up at Huǒ Shuchang, then continued. He gestured toward the stone.

“Pick up the testing stone and channel your chi through it.”

Doing as told, Huǒ Shuchang held the testing stone in his hand, which lit up and went through two colors before settling on orange. The number 2 appeared on it.

“Second Subrealm of the Asura Realm. Not bad for someone at your age,” the man nodded. “All right. Take this token. Don’t lose it. You’ll need to present it to the guards once the tournament starts to be let in.”

“Okay.”

“Next.”

Wu Jian replaced Huǒ Shuchang, who moved off to the side. The man looked at him for a long moment as though not sure what to make of someone so young participating.

“Name?”

“Jian Wu.”

“Age?”

“Sixteen.”

The man bit his lip, but then shrugged and told Wu Jian to grab the testing stone. He did exactly what everyone else had, channeling his chi through it. The testing stone lit up. It was pure white at first, but then it slowly shifted to yellow. It stopped there and displayed the number 7.

“Seventh Subrealm of the Anima Realm… that’s really good for someone so young, but listen kid, are you sure you want to compete? I don’t mean to be rude, but everyone else competing is gonna be an Asura Realm cultivator. You don’t stand a chance against them.”

Wu Jian shrugged. “We won’t know how well I do until I try.”

The man merely shook his head. “Haaaah. Well, you’re free to join if you want. No one said an Anima Realm cultivator can’t participate. Just don’t be too shocked when you’re beaten black and blue. Anyway, take this token.”

“Thanks.”

Wu Jian grabbed the token and left with Huǒ Shuchang. He waited until they were outside to remove his mask, which brought him another strange look from his friend.

“What should we do now?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

“I’d like to keep cultivating,” Wu Jian said. “If possible, I want to break through to the Eighth Subrealm before the tournament begins.”

“Right. Listen, I know you’re like some cultivating guru, but even you’re gonna have a hard time breaking through in less than a week.”

“I would like to at least try. That man was right. While I’m confident I can beat anyone at the lower end of the Asura Realm, I don’t think I can defeat someone who’s at the peak… not on my own at least. I’d like to reach at least one more subrealm.”

“Well… fine. Why don’t you head to our inn then? I’m gonna go explore,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

“All right. Don’t get lost.”

“As if I would! My sense of direction isn’t that bad!”

***

A week passed quickly.

Wu Jian sat on his bed with his legs crossed, eyes closed, and fingers forming the shape of the tiger seal. Chi flowed through his body as he contemplated the intricacies of his cultivation method.

Loud snoring echoed from the bed. Huǒ Shuchang was fast asleep. Wu Jian paid him no mind as he focused inward. He was close to breaking through, but it felt like there was something stopping him. If he had to describe it, he would have said it felt like there was a wall preventing his energy from flowing further.

“Great. I’ve encountered a bottleneck,” Wu Jian murmured with a sigh.

This wasn’t his first bottleneck, but it was inconvenient to encounter one right now. He could only hope something happened soon to loosen it so he could break through.

The morning sun finished rising, and Wu Jian woke up Huǒ Shuchang so they could eat breakfast before heading to the Colosseum. Today was the beginning of the tournament.

They had a quick breakfast before setting off. A lot of people were already at the Colosseum by the time they arrived. Not everyone was a participant. In fact, it looked like there were more people attending to watch than participate. Wu Jian could hear the many conversations as people discussed who they thought was going to win.

They entered through the large doors, made their way to the participants room, and showed their tokens to the guards.

“You may enter,” the guards said.

The two stepped inside to find well over a hundred people already inside. Some were warming up their muscles, others relaxed against the wall, and a few talked shit to their fellow participants. There was so much tension in the air that Wu Jian could have cut it with a knife.

“Let’s find a place to stay and observe everyone,” Huǒ Shuchang said.

Wu Jian nodded and followed the older man to a section of the room with less people. A few of the other participants eyed them, but they were dismissed once everyone saw their cultivation. Several people even laughed when they realized Wu Jian was only at the Anima Realm.

“What’s an Anima Realm cultivator doing participating in this tournament?”

“He must have lost his mind.”

“Hah! I don’t think he had any brains to begin with!”

“He’ll be in for a rude awakening once the tournament starts. I’m sure he’ll realize he’s just a frog in a well once the fighting begins.”

Wu Jian had no trouble ignoring the people talking shit about him. He didn’t care what people thought or said. His actions would speak for him once the tournament started. Yet while he didn’t have an issue with what everyone was saying, Huǒ Shuchang did.

“Do you hear anything, Wu? I thought I heard some dogs barking.”

“What was that?!” one of the man growled.

“Oh! That must have been you. So sorry. You sounded like a mangy mutt, so I mistook you for an animal,” Huǒ Shuchang mocked.

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you, brat! You’ve still got a pair of eyes, but it appears you are quite blind. Do you not know who I am?”

Shrugging, Huǒ Shuchang asked, “Some random prick without an ounce of talent?”

The man’s face turned red. “You’re going to regret insulting me! I’m Hian Mo of the Desert Scorpions! We’re the third strongest mercenary force in the Qing Province!”

“I’m so scared. Look at me. I’m shaking in my boots… not,” Huǒ Shuchang rolled his eyes. “Who cares if you belong to the third strongest mercenary force here? It doesn’t matter how strong your forces are. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re weak.”

Hian Mo gnashed his teeth together and the veins in his neck bulged. More veins appeared along his bald head. He looked seconds away from attacking Huǒ Shuchang, but he didn’t, instead opting for a simple glare.

“You’d better hope I don’t face you during the tournament,” the man spat before turning away.

“Are you sure that was wise?” asked Wu Jian.

Huǒ Shuchang shrugged. “Was it wise? Maybe not. Was it funny? Hell yes.”

Wu Jian would have rolled his eyes, but it had been amusing, so he decided not to say anything.

At that moment, the doors they entered through opened and several people walked in. The man in the lead had tan skin, light hair, and brown eyes. He wore an elaborate shirt and puffy pants. The shirt had no sleeves, showing off his defined triceps. The two men behind him were clothed in long-sleeved clothes and wore masks.

The man in front stepped forward and spoke in a voice that reached every corner of the room. “Everyone! May I have your attention! My name is Lin Liang. I am in charge of this tournament. Allow me to explain the rules before we begin!”