Han Yu's gaze flickered briefly toward one particular figure.

The First Kidney Peak Head.

The man stood apart from the others, his presence still and unchanging. His expression did not shift. No emotion surfaced. No Eight Emotions energy flowed from him.

Like a statue.

Unmoving.

Detached.

Han Yu noted it.

Then let it go.

The announcement came shortly after.

"Take your places!"

Clear.

Simple.

Direct.

Both fighters stepped onto the arena.

The ground stretched wide beneath them, nearly two kilometers across, offering more than enough space for a battle of this scale.

There was no ceremony.

No prolonged introduction.

The overseeing elder from the Discipline and Law Hall stepped forward.

"Begin."

The word had barely left his mouth when Meng Ji moved.

He did not hesitate.

WHOOSH

Blood Qi surged around him instantly, condensing into sharp, concentrated forms. With a single motion of his hand, multiple crimson projectiles formed and shot forward.

Slaughtering Blood Bolts.

Fast.

Direct.

Deadly.

They tore through the air with piercing whistles, aimed precisely at Han Yu's vital points.

Han Yu did not move immediately.

He watched.

Measured.

Then, at the last moment, he stepped.

A slight shift.

A turn of the body.

The bolts passed by him, missing by mere inches, striking the ground behind him and exploding into bursts of corrosive Blood Qi.

He did not use a technique.

Only movement.

The audience stirred.

Meng Ji's expression tightened.

"So you do have some skill..."

He did not pause.

SHUA

His cultivation surged as he took to the air, rising above the arena with ease. From that vantage point, his advantage became clear. Flight granted him control over distance, over positioning, over the flow of the battle.

He raised his hand again.

This time, the Blood Qi gathered differently.

Condensed and then extended.

Shaped into long, spear-like constructs that hovered momentarily before launching downward.

"Battle Blood Spear Fall!" Meng Ji roared.

The first spear descended.

Then another.

Then dozens.

Shiu shiu shiu

They rained from above like a storm of crimson, each one carrying enough force to pierce through reinforced defenses.

Han Yu's expression remained calm.

This time, he moved.

His Blood Qi surged outward, forming a dense barrier in front of him. The first few spears struck it, cracking the surface but not breaking through completely.

He stepped forward.

A halberd appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming faintly under the light.

The next spear came.

Han Yu swung.

CLANG

The halberd met it mid-air, deflecting its trajectory with a sharp metallic clash. The redirected spear struck the ground at an angle, embedding itself deeply into the stone.

Another came.

He parried again.

Then another.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

He moved through them, weaving, deflecting, blocking, each motion precise, each action efficient.

The audience's murmurs grew louder.

Meng Ji's brows furrowed.

'This guy...'

This was not what he had expected.

He had assumed superiority.

Assumed control.

But now…

That assumption was breaking.

He increased the intensity.

More spears formed.

Faster.

Stronger.

Han Yu responded in kind.

His movements became more fluid, his halberd an extension of his will. He redirected attacks, broke others apart with concentrated strikes, and occasionally reinforced his defenses with Blood Qi constructs.

Still…

He did not use the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art.

Not yet.

Even without it, his control over the Blood Qi was a lot better than Meng Ji. After all, what Han Yu was using wasn't the basic Slaughtering Moon Blood Baptism Art but rather the complete Moon Conquering Divine Art.

Minutes passed.

The battle settled into a strange balance.

Meng Ji controlled the air.

Han Yu held the ground.

Neither gaining a decisive advantage.

But beneath that surface…

Things were changing.

Meng Ji's breathing grew heavier.

His attacks, while still powerful, began to lose their initial precision.

And his emotions shifted.

Anger rose.

Frustration followed.

Han Yu felt it clearly.

Absorbed it.

Converted it.

His soul stirred.

This…

Was the moment approaching.

Meng Ji clenched his teeth, his aura flaring as he prepared another attack.

He could not accept this.

Not this stalemate.

Not this resistance.

He raised both hands, gathering a larger mass of Blood Qi, compressing it into a single, dense construct.

A spear.

Larger than the others.

Heavier.

More lethal.

"Bloody Siege Breaker!" He shouted before he hurled it downward with full force.

Han Yu looked up.

His eyes sharpened.

The air around him shifted.

Cold.

Subtle.

Almost imperceptible.

But there.

The ground beneath his feet began to frost.

The temperature dropped.

The audience fell silent for a moment.

Something was changing.

Han Yu lifted his halberd.

And this time…

He did not rely on Blood Qi alone.

The Freezing Abyss Glacial Art was about to awaken.

The shift was immediate.

One moment, the arena was filled with the familiar surges of Blood Qi, the clash of techniques, and the steady rhythm of combat.

And the next the world itself seemed to change.

Han Yu raised his halberd slightly, his gaze fixed upward at the descending spear. The moment stretched, tension coiling within the air. Then, without any dramatic motion, he released it.

The Freezing Abyss Glacial Art.

It did not erupt.

It did not explode outward with force.

It spread.

Quietly.

Relentlessly.

From beneath Han Yu's feet, a layer of frost crept outward, crawling across the ground like a living thing. The temperature dropped instantly, the air growing heavy as an unnatural chill settled into the arena.

The disciples watching leaned forward.

"So he's finally using it…"

"Is that the Kidney Peak's signature technique?"

"It must be the Endless Frost Tomb Art…" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Their assumptions formed quickly.

Naturally.

That was the only explanation they knew.

But then…

They saw it.

And confusion replaced certainty.

The ice that spread from Han Yu was not what they expected.

It was not pale blue.

It was not white.

It was not even translucent.

It was black.

Not a natural black.

Not a shadow.

But something deeper.

Something that seemed to swallow light itself.

The surface of the ice did not reflect. It did not shine. It absorbed everything, turning the ground into what looked less like frozen terrain and more like a tear in reality itself.