The Martial Hall disappeared.
Kael stood in the darkness.
There was no arena.
No crowd.
No walls.
Only a vast black space stretching in every direction.
Then—
Clang!
A sword appeared in front of him.
Kael immediately raised his own.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
A masked cultivator.
Kael recognized the stance.
His heart tightened.
It was the same stance as the man who had killed him in his seventh life.
The figure attacked.
Clang!
Kael blocked.
The impact forced him backward.
His arms went numb.
“Too strong…”
The masked man attacked again.
Kael dodged.
A third strike came.
He barely avoided it.
The Human Flame flickered across his palm.
Kael didn't attack.
He watched.
The man's movements were familiar.
Too familiar.
Then Kael noticed something.
Every attack followed the same rhythm.
Left foot.
Shoulder movement.
Sword.
Again.
Kael remembered his first fight in this life.
Zhou Han.
The same weakness.
Kael waited.
The masked man raised his sword.
Kael stepped forward.
Bang!
His fist struck the man's chest.
The figure shattered.
Kael froze.
There was no blood.
No body.
Only black smoke.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
“First lesson.”
Kael looked around.
“Who are you?”
“Your memories can show you the past.”
The voice became colder.
“But they cannot show you the future.”
Kael clenched his fist.
“So this is a test?”
“No.”
A pause.
“It is a choice.”
The darkness suddenly changed.
Three paths appeared before Kael.
On the left was the Ruined Moon Sect.
On the right was Lushan City.
Straight ahead was a completely unfamiliar road.
Three golden words appeared above them.
POWER.
TRUTH.
FREEDOM.
Kael stared at them.
The voice returned.
“Choose one.”
Kael didn't move.
Power.
Truth.
Freedom.
The answer seemed obvious.
But something felt wrong.
“What's the price?”
Silence.
Then the voice laughed softly.
“Good.”
The three paths disappeared.
The darkness vanished.
Kael suddenly found himself back inside the Martial Hall.
Hundreds of contestants were scattered around him.
Some were unconscious.
Others were fighting strange creatures formed from black Qi.
The formation had turned the tournament into a battlefield.
A creature lunged toward Kael.
He drew his sword.
Slash!
Its arm fell.
The creature screamed.
Kael stepped forward and struck its chest.
Boom!
It dissolved.
His Human Flame absorbed the remaining energy.
A warm sensation spread through his body.
Then—
Breakthrough.
Kael's Qi surged.
The barrier around his cultivation cracked.
His muscles tightened.
His meridians expanded.
Body Tempering — Fourth Layer.
Kael stared at his hands.
He had broken through.
Not through a pill.
Not through luck.
Through battle.
A second creature attacked.
Kael smiled.
This time, he moved first.
His sword flashed.
Slash!
The creature fell.
But before Kael could breathe—
A familiar voice came from behind him.
“Congratulations.”
Kael turned.
The man from Black Lotus stood across the arena.
His mask was gone.
His eyes were cold.
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
Kael raised his sword.
“You killed me in my seventh life.”
The man smiled.
“Yes.”
He drew his sword.
“But that was before you became interesting.”
A wave of Qi exploded from his body.
The surrounding contestants were pushed away.
Kael's expression hardened.
The man's cultivation was far beyond his.
Yet Kael didn't retreat.
The Human Flame burned brighter.
The man pointed his sword at him.
“Let's see…”
“Can the eighth life survive longer than the seventh?”
Kael lowered his stance.
His answer was simple.
“This time, I'm not fighting to survive.”
His silver spark ignited.
“I'm fighting to win.”