Chapter 11 First Shot

Chapter 11 First Shot
"Die like the insect you are."
​Su Rou did not bother to step down. She looked down from her golden VIP balcony with eyes completely devoid of human empathy.
​She casually flicked her delicate wrist. A crescent blade of Qi severed the air itself.
​The attack fell toward Ye Chen with terrifying silence.
​Ye Chen felt his skin prickle violently. His Perception screamed that this attack was locked directly onto his core life force. He could not dodge it.
​He funneled every single drop of his Qi directly into his sword. He swung the iron blade upward with both hands.
​He aimed precisely for the center of the descending crescent.
​The collision was absolutely deafening.
​The force shattered the remaining arena floor entirely. A massive dust storm exploded violently outward and blinded the front rows of the stadium.
​Ye Chen stood his ground inside the deep crater. The blade glowed white hot from the intense friction.
​He successfully shattered the crescent attack into completely harmless fragments of light.
​\[Critical Warning. Severe internal trauma detected.\]
​\[Host skeletal structure severely compromised. Muscle fibers tearing under extreme stress.\]
​The system interface flashed a violent red in his vision. Ye Chen dropped heavily to one knee.
​He coughed up a massive mouthful of dark blood onto the glassed stone.
​He wiped his mouth slowly with the back of his charred sleeve. He understood the chilling truth immediately.
​His combat techniques were flawless. His internal energy reserves were unfathomably deep thanks to the toxic abyss.
​But his physical vessel was simply a fragile mortal shell.
​He was essentially a glass cup trying desperately to hold a raging ocean. He would literally tear his own body apart from the inside out in a prolonged fight with her.
​His body was a bottleneck.
​Up on the balcony Su Rou narrowed her eyes in genuine annoyance. A filthy bug had actually survived her direct strike.
​She raised her pale hand again. Her pristine white silk sleeve fluttered gracefully in the wind.
​A second and much denser ball of lethal Qi began to form rapidly in her palm. She intended to erase him completely from existence.
​"Stay your hand Su Rou."
​The sharp command echoed loudly from the dark entrance of the VIP pavilion.
​Lin Xi stepped boldly into the light. She was flanked entirely by three high ranking Inner Sect Law Enforcement Elders.
​They wore the stark black and white robes of absolute sect authority. Their faces were carved from cold stone. The man leading them was Elder Zhao.
​Elder Wang scrambled quickly across the ruined arena floor below. He pointed a trembling fat finger directly at Ye Chen.
​"He is a demonic traitor Elder Zhao," Wang shouted desperately. "He used forbidden magic to cripple my champion. Su Rou is merely cleansing the sect."
​"Shut your mouth Wang," Elder Zhao commanded strictly. ​"The boy invoked the Token of Life and Death publicly," Elder Zhao stated loudly. "He won his trial by combat. Your incompetence is not a legal excuse for murder."
​Elder Zhao stepped closer to the golden railing. He looked directly at Su Rou.
​"Striking him down now is a blatant violation of our founding laws. Do you wish to show the entire sect that our ancient rules are just meaningless jokes?"
​Su Rou clenched her jaw tightly. The glowing ball of lethal Qi in her palm dissipated instantly into nothing.
​She understood the game perfectly. If she killed him now her rivals would use the blatant law breaking to strip her of her core disciple status.
​She looked down at Ye Chen bleeding heavily in the crater. Her eyes held pure cold disdain.
​"You earned a very brief delay beggar," Su Rou declared loudly so the entire stadium could hear her.
​"The Inner Sect Ascension Tournament begins in exactly three months. If you are so incredibly eager to die I will gladly finish this public execution there."
​She turned her back completely on the arena and walked out of the pavilion.
​Ye Chen left the ruined arena alive under the strict protection of the Law Enforcement Elders.
​He walked quietly beside Lin Xi and Elder Zhao.
​They led him directly up the mountain toward their exclusive territory. It was the Inner Sect Sword Pavilion.
​The contrast was sickening to Ye Chen. His servant quarters were rotting wood and damp straw.
​The Sword Pavilion was a sprawling paradise of silver towers and pristine jade courtyards. Thick rivers of pure spiritual energy flowed visibly through the air here.
​Ancient glowing swords hovered silently around the meditation shrines. Elite disciples walked around wearing robes woven from priceless spirit silk. They stared at Ye Chen with obvious disgust.
​They sat Ye Chen down inside a lavish guest hall. Elder Zhao sat across from him on a carved wooden throne.
​"Tell me again Lin Xi," Elder Zhao said quietly. He stroked his long white beard. "You claim this Outer Sect servant cured your corrupted meridians."
​"He did not just cure me Master Zhao," Lin Xi replied urgently. She stood perfectly straight despite her lingering exhaustion.
​"He siphoned the Demonic Qi directly out of my body. He absorbed it all into his own flesh and survived."
​Elder Zhao narrowed his eyes. He scrutinized Ye Chen from head to toe.
​"That is impossible for an Outer Sect member" Elder Zhao stated flatly.
​"He did it Master," Lin Xi pleaded. She stepped closer to the wooden throne.
​"He has unimaginable potential. Please take him as your personal disciple right now. Protect him from Su Rou."
​Ye Chen sat in complete silence. He did not beg. He simply watched the old man weigh his life against sect politics.
​"I cannot do that Lin Xi," Elder Zhao sighed heavily. "He is an Outer Sect member. The ancient traditions strictly forbid an Elder from taking a servant directly into the Inner Sect without proper examinations."
​"Tradition is just an excuse," Lin Xi argued hotly. "Su Rou will slaughter him in three months."
​"My decision is final," Elder Zhao said coldly. He stood up from his throne.
​"I saved his life today to uphold the sect's laws. I will not break those same laws to hold his hand. He is on his own."
​Elder Zhao walked out of the lavish hall without looking back.
​Ye Chen felt absolutely no disappointment. He never expected the righteous elites to save him. He knew they only cared about their own rigid rules and reputation.
​"I am sorry Ye Chen," Lin Xi said softly. She looked down at the jade floor in deep shame.
​"Do not apologize," Ye Chen replied calmly. He gripped the heavy hilt of his sword.
​"Your master is completely right. I cannot rely on charity to survive."
​He looked directly into her eyes. He was acutely aware of his fatal weakness.
​"My Qi is deep enough to fight her," Ye Chen stated plainly. "But my physical body is far too weak. The recoil from her attacks will shatter my bones."
​He stood up from the comfortable silk chair.
​"I need an upgrade immediately," Ye Chen told her. "I need a high tier Outer force or body tempering manual."
​"The System Shop is completely empty," Ye Chen thought to himself. "I need external resources."
​Lin Xi paced nervously across the jade floor. She wanted to help the boy who saved her life. But she could not help him directly if her master refused to accept him.
​She stopped pacing and looked at Ye Chen. A dangerous idea flickered in her eyes. She gave him the idea reluctantly.
​"I cannot give you sect manuals," Lin Xi said quietly. "But there is another place. A place entirely outside the sect's jurisdiction."
​"Where," Ye Chen asked.
​"The Mortal Capital," Lin Xi answered. She lowered her voice to a bare whisper.
​"There is a massive underground black market happening tonight in the Capital. It is an anonymous and highly dangerous underground auction called the Black Meeting."
​Ye Chen leaned forward slightly.
​"They deal in strictly forbidden goods," Lin Xi continued rapidly. "Items looted from dead zones. Things the righteous sects pretend do not exist."
​"Are there manuals," Ye Chen asked directly.
​"I heard a rumor this morning," Lin Xi confirmed.
​"A heavily corrupted ancient Outer force manual just surfaced on the black market. It is being sold tonight at the Black Meeting."
​Ye Chen felt a cold spark of genuine interest. "Corrupted how."
​"It is infused with pure malice," Lin Xi warned him. Her face grew incredibly serious.
​"It is rumored to be so dangerous it actively kills anyone who tries to learn it. Three wealthy rogue cultivators have already died just trying to read the first page."
​Ye Chen smiled. It was a cold and terrifying expression.
​A corrupted manual was completely useless to normal elites. It was a guaranteed death sentence to them.
​But to him it was an absolute feast.
​His Chaos Body Tempering Art was literally built to devour lethal corruption. What killed others would simply fuel his rapid ascension and fortify his weak bones.
​"That manual is exactly what I need," Ye Chen declared firmly.
​"You cannot just walk into the Black Meeting," Lin Xi cautioned him. "The ruling criminal families will kill you just for asking directions. You need an invitation."