Night fell, but the imperial capital of Scarlet Flame City remained as vibrant as ever. The countryside outside the eastern gates, however, was desolate indeed. Along a barren road, a figure moved forward with ghostly speed.
In the blink of an eye, the figure had already covered a hundred meters.
This person was none other than a personal disciple of the Martial God — the dazzling new star of the imperial capital — Blumer Achisolen.
The terrain around the imperial capital of Scarlet Flame City was mountainous. West of the city lay the Martial God Mountain and numerous other ranges, while to the east there were also some lesser-known peaks. Blumer quickly arrived at what appeared to be an ordinary tall mountain.
Atop this mountain stood a peak as sharp as if cut by a blade. Seated cross-legged at its very summit was a figure. Seeing this person sitting there, one would feel an odd sense that he had been there since time immemorial.
Blumer approached the peak and spoke respectfully: "Big brother."
It was clear that this man meditating silently upon the peak was none other than Blumer's elder brother — the so-called genius Sword Saint, "Olivia." In the darkness of night — especially on this night when the sky held neither stars nor moon — the blackness allowed only a vague outline of Olivia to be discerned.
"Second brother, is something the matter?" A cold voice rang out.
Blumer knew that his elder brother had been meditating in cultivation on this desolate mountain peak for a full three years. For three years, his brother had neither eaten nor drunk, using the sky as his canopy and the earth as his bed.
Three years ago, when Blumer had last seen his elder brother, he had still felt that terrifyingly sharp aura emanating from him — an aura that seemed capable of defeating Blumer with nothing more than a passing thought.
But three years later, his elder brother was like a stone upon this barren mountain — without the slightest trace of a piercing aura.
No one knew just how terrifying Olivia had become!
"Big brother, on the fourth of next month — fifteen days from now — I will face off against a descendant of the Dragon Blood Warrior family at the imperial capital's Battle Arena," Blumer said respectfully.
"The Dragon Blood Warrior family?"
The previously flat voice seemed to gain a hint of emotion. "Legend holds that Saint Realm Dragon Blood Warriors are the strongest among all Saint Realm cultivators. I would very much like to test my skills against a Saint Realm Dragon Blood Warrior, but on the Yulan Continent, there haven't been any for a long time. Hmm, and the one you'll be fighting — how strong is he?"
"After transformation, he should have peak ninth-rank strength," Blumer replied respectfully.
"Oh. With the sword techniques I taught you, you should be invincible among the ninth rank." Olivia's indifferent voice rang out. "Very well, you may withdraw."
Blumer hesitated in place for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Big brother, on the day of my duel... could you come?"
Olivia was silent for a moment.
"February fourth. I know. If I have time, I'll make my way there." Olivia's voice remained as flat and emotionless as ever.
"Then I'll take my leave." Blumer immediately withdrew.
The peak of the desolate mountain returned to its tranquility. That shadowy figure in the darkness remained perfectly still, as though it might remain there for all eternity.
---
Yulan Calendar, year 10,009, February 4th. This was the day two great geniuses would face off in decisive combat. The entire imperial capital buzzed with excitement as crowds surged toward the Battle Arena. All eighty thousand seats had long since sold out. Those who came to witness the duel were not merely from the capital — people had traveled from other cities, and even from other provinces.
Lin Lei and his large group had already arrived at the Battle Arena. In the rooms arranged inside, Lin Lei, Rein, and Yeru were chatting animatedly.
"Boss Yeru, I can't believe you made it here at the very last moment," Rein said with a laugh.
There were still beads of sweat on Yeru's forehead, but seeing Lin Lei and Rein, he grinned broadly. "I heard that Fourth Brother had come to the capital, and Third Brother was here too. No matter how important my business was, I had to put it aside. Besides, I should be here to cheer for Third Brother's younger brother."
"Boss Yeru, Fourth Brother — you're both here now. All we're missing is Second Brother," Lin Lei sighed.
"Second Brother is currently a minister of the Yulan Pavilion in the Yulan Empire — his position is quite elevated. Besides, the distance between us is tens of thousands of miles. How could he possibly have time to make the journey?" Yeru remarked.
Rein laughed and cursed: "Back when the four of us brothers were together, Second Brother was the slipperiest of all. He joined every academy activity and had a real talent for organizing. I knew even then that Second Brother was cut out for politics. And look — it's been less than ten years, and he's already risen to become a minister of the Yulan Pavilion."
"Fortunately, with the new emperor ascending the throne in the Yulan Empire, Second Brother's status has been climbing even more rapidly," Yeru sighed.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the room's door.
"Brother, we need to go out to the Battle Arena. Let's go." At the call, Lin Lei, Yeru, and Rein all rose and left the lounge.
---
The central battle stage of the arena measured three hundred meters across and three hundred meters long. Its surface was composed entirely of large, flat slabs of solid stone, overlaid with an extensive magical formation.
To the east and west of the stage were the seating sections for the families and friends of the two combatants.
Directly in front of the stage sat the row of seats reserved for the presiding officials.
When Lin Lei, Wotton, and their large group emerged from the passage below, they saw the dense sea of figures filling all eighty thousand seats stretching in every direction around the arena. A wave of awe washed over their hearts.
"So many people." A smile appeared on Wotton's face.
Among the Buck brothers, "Gates" grinned and said: "Wotton, there are eighty thousand people here today. You'd better not embarrass yourself."
The roar of the crowd outside surged like a tsunami across heaven and earth. The passion of the spectators was something Lin Lei's group could feel with perfect clarity.
The O'Brien Empire was a martial nation. A battle between two supreme geniuses naturally drew the attention of countless people. Eighty thousand were watching from within the arena, and outside, many more wished they could witness this great battle.
On Wotton's side of the arena, Lin Lei, Yeru, Rein, the five Buck brothers, and a large group of others took their seats. On Blumer's side, people had already arrived as well.
Blumer's faction was numerous — over a hundred strong.
"Quite a few of them are nominal disciples of the Martial God Gate. It seems they've come to cheer for Blumer," Lin Lei said with a faint smile.
He could tell that every one of them was quite formidable.