Chapter 33 The First Fall

Chapter 33 The First Fall
The silence that followed the first exchange did not break immediately, as though the entire arena had collectively lost the ability to process what it had just witnessed, the image of a peak disciple being sent flying still hanging in the air like an illusion that refused to settle into reality.
The man who had attacked first laid several meters away, his body half-sunken into fractured stone, dust rising slowly around him as the force of the impact dispersed into the arena floor, yet he did not rise, nor did he attempt to, because the strike he had received was not merely a deflection but a decisive blow.
A low murmur began to form carrying uncertainty.
“That… what just happened?”
“He dodged it…”
“No… that wasn’t just a dodge…”
The remaining four disciples did not speak, but the shift in their expressions was immediate and unmistakable, because whatever assumptions they had when they walked into the arena had just been torn apart in a single exchange, leaving behind a tension that none of them could ignore.
Lu Tian stood calmly at the center of the arena, his posture relaxed, his breathing steady, as though he had done nothing more than brush aside an inconvenience, yet it was precisely that calmness that unsettled them most, because it carried no strain, no urgency, no trace of exertion.
It was natural, effortless and that was wrong. It was not something expected from a cripple.
“You held back,” one of them said suddenly, his voice lower now, sharper, as his gaze locked onto Lu Tian with newfound intensity.
Lu Tian did not answer him. He simply looked at him but that silence was answer enough.
The four of them exchanged brief glances, the unspoken agreement passing instantly between them as their earlier arrogance gave way to caution, their stances shifting subtly, their spiritual energy rising more distinctly now, no longer concealed beneath casual confidence.
At the edge of the arena, Lu Tian’s mother stared, her hands trembling slightly, not with fear this time, but with something far more difficult to grasp. Because the scene before her did not align with everything she had believed about her son’s condition, and yet it was undeniably real, unfolding before her eyes with a clarity that left no room for denial.
His father’s gaze hardened. Not in anger but in realization.This… is not the same child.
In the arena, one of the remaining four stepped forward, his expression now serious, the casual arrogance gone, replaced by focus as he drew his twin blades, the metal catching the light as he lowered his stance slightly.
“No more underestimating,” he said quietly to the others.
The third and fourth nodded and the fifth exhaled slowly.Whatever they had expected, this was not it.
“Together,” the blade wielder added.
This time no one objected. Their positions shifted, tightening the formation, their spiritual energy rising in unison as they closed in, cutting off angles, controlling space, their movements coordinated with the ease of those who had trained together countless times.
From the stands, a murmur rose again.
“They’re getting serious…”
“Four against one… now it’s over…”
But even as those words were spoken doubt lingered because the one standing at the center of that tightening
They all suddenly moved but not one at a time. They wanted to end the fight with the cripple as soon as possible to prevent disgrace to their names and disappoint the Clan Leader.
The second attack came from the left, swift and precise, the wielder of twin blades closing the distance in a blur, his movements light yet deadly, each step calculated to limit Lu Tian’s options, while at the same moment, another approached from the front, his aura surging as he prepared a direct strike meant to overwhelm through sheer force.
The other two held back watching and waiting for an opening.The coordination was clean and a clear indication that they were no longer treating this as a simple match.
Lu Tian’s gaze flickered as he took their timing, angles and intent in before he moved. His body shifted just as the twin blades flashed toward him, the edge slicing through the space where he had stood only a heartbeat before, his figure already slipping past the attack with minimal movement, as though he had anticipated the strike long before it was executed.
The second opponent’s attack followed immediately with aheavy strike, aimed to intercept his evasion and force him into a disadvantageous position. But Lu Tian did not retreat, instead he stepped forward into the attack.
The moment the strike descended, his hand rose, not to block directly, but to redirect, his palm making contact at the precise point where force could be diverted rather than resisted, his body turning slightly as he guided the attack off its intended path.
The force shattered the stone beside him instead but did not harm him slightly. The attacker’s eyes widened. Lu Tian’s other hand moved quickly and it struck the man’s chest.
In that instant the difference in power became undeniable. The man’s body jerked violently as the force penetrated through him, his breath leaving him in a single, choked exhale as he was lifted off his feet and thrown backward, crashing into the arena floor with a heavy impact that echoed across the now-silent stands.
Two down.
The murmurs grew louder.
“No way…”
“That wasn’t luck…”
“He’s… controlling the flow…”
At the edge of the arena, Lu Tian’s mother covered her mouth, her eyes wide, not with fear now, but disbelief, as the image before her clashed violently with everything she thought she knew about her son.
His father stood frozen. His gaze locked onto Lu Tian, searching, questioning, as though trying to reconcile the person before him with the one he had believed to be powerless.
In the arena, the remaining three did not move immediately.
Because now they understood. This was not a cripple or weaklink. This was something else entirely.
“You’ve been hiding this,” the one with the coiled aura said slowly, his voice tight, his eyes narrowing as realization settled in.
Lu Tian remained silent but his gaze spoke clearly.
The man’s expression darkened. “Then we won’t hold back either.”
The three of them spread out again, but this time, there was no underestimation, no casual positioning, as their spiritual energy surged fully, filling the arena with a pressure that finally felt worthy of a real confrontation, their killing intent no longer concealed, because what stood before them was no longer someone to be tested but someone to be defeated.
They attacked together with faster and sharper moves. More lethal than before and this time the arena truly shook.
Lu Tian moved through it all with a calm that bordered on terrifying, his body flowing between attacks as though guided by an unseen rhythm, each step precise, each movement efficient, never wasting energy, never overextending, as though every outcome had already been calculated before the battle even began.
A strike came from behind and he turned just enough for it to graze past him. As a blade flashed toward his throat, he tilted his head, letting it pass within a hair’s breadth. A surge of spiritual energy rushed toward him and he stepped through it, breaking its flow before it could fully form.
To the spectators, it looked impossible but to Lu Tian it was familiar.
Because he had lived through far worse. He had fought enemies stronger, faster and deadlier than this and now he was simply remembering.
The third opponent fell first among the remaining three.
A single misstep created a single opening and Lu Tian’s strike landed cleanly, and the man collapsed before he could recover.
Then the fourth was driven back, overwhelmed by a tempo he could not match, his defense shattered under the pressure of precision rather than brute force.
Finally, the last lasted longer and fought harder. But the resultwas the same.
When it ended, Lu Tian stood alone and looked down at the five defeated opponents who were either unconscious or too weak to stand. He didn’t even use his void power because he did not want to attract attention to himself but his opponents were too weak.
The arena fell completely silent in awe.
There were no cheers or laughter. Because what had just occurred could not be dismissed.
At the highest platform, the Clan Leader’s expression had changed completely, the earlier cold disdain replaced by something far more complex, as his gaze remained fixed on Lu Tian, no longer seeing a cripple but something far more valuableand far more dangerous.
Lu Tian exhaled slowly. Then turned and lifted his gaze to meet the Clan Leader’s directly.
The meaning was clear.
It’s done.