The first round had culled the weak.
Now, only fifty warriors remained.
Xiao Lan stood at the edge of the battlefield, his body unscathed despite the fierce battles. Around him, the surviving fighters were catching their breath, tending to their wounds.
The Tournament Overseer's eyes swept over them, his expression cold and unreadable.
"Congratulations," he said. "You have survived the first test. But that was merely a warm-up."
His voice sent a chill through the air.
"The true trials begin now."
A low rumble shook the ground beneath them.
Xiao Lan frowned, his instincts flaring. Something was changing in the arena.
Then, without warning—
The battlefield itself began to shift.
Massive stone pillars rose from the ground, creating a labyrinth of obstacles. The once-open arena was now a maze of jagged rock formations, some burning with mystical blue fire, others coated in poisonous mist.
It was a battlefield designed to break the weak.
The Overseer raised his hand.
"The second round of the Blood Trials will be a survival test," he declared.
"You will be given one hour."
"During this time, you must eliminate as many opponents as possible."
"If you fail to eliminate at least one fighter, you will be disqualified."
Silence fell over the competitors.
Xiao Qing muttered under her breath, "They're forcing people to kill or be eliminated."
Xiao Lan's smile widened.
"This just got interesting."
As soon as the horn sounded, chaos erupted.
Fighters vanished into the labyrinth, some searching for prey, others choosing to hide and ambush.
Xiao Lan didn't move immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes and focused his Dao energy, stretching his senses across the battlefield.
Footsteps.
Heartbeats.
The faintest flicker of killing intent.
His eyes snapped open.
"There."
Without hesitation, he vanished from his spot.
Deep within the maze, a figure clad in black moved swiftly, his presence almost undetectable.
He was a Night Stalker, one of the infamous assassins participating in the tournament.
He had already silenced two cultivators, and now he moved toward his next target—a young warrior, unaware of the danger lurking behind him.
The assassin drew his blade, preparing to strike—
But then, he felt it.
A presence.
A monster was watching him.
Before he could react—
BOOM!
A force slammed into him like a thunderbolt, sending him crashing into a nearby stone wall.
He coughed, struggling to regain his balance.
Then, he looked up—
And his blood ran cold.
Xiao Lan stood there, his gaze piercing.
"You were trying to be sneaky," Xiao Lan said casually. "But you picked the wrong battlefield."
The assassin's heart pounded. He was an expert in stealth, a killer in the shadows—
And yet, he had been caught so easily.
"Who… what are you?" he whispered.
Xiao Lan smirked.
"Someone you can't escape from."
The assassin snarled and lunged forward, his blade glinting with poison.
A normal fighter wouldn't even see the strike coming.
But Xiao Lan wasn't normal.
With inhuman speed, he caught the assassin's wrist mid-strike.
CRACK!
The assassin screamed as his bones shattered.
Xiao Lan didn't give him time to recover.
A single palm strike to the chest—
And the assassin was sent flying, his body slamming into the rocks.
He didn't get back up.
The Overseer's voice echoed through the arena.
"Xiao Lan eliminates one fighter!"
The ground trembled. A faint golden glow surrounded Xiao Lan for a moment before vanishing.
He frowned.
"That energy…"
Xiao Qing's voice suddenly came through the communication talisman.
"Xiao Lan! The tournament isn't just a test of strength. The more people you eliminate, the more Dao energy you absorb from the battlefield!"
Xiao Lan's eyes widened slightly.
So that was why the strongest fighters weren't holding back.
This wasn't just about survival—
It was an opportunity to grow stronger.
His grip tightened.
"Then I guess I need to eliminate more fighters."
He turned his gaze toward the battlefield.
And vanished into the hunt.
All across the battlefield, the strongest warriors clashed.
A dual-wielding swordsman faced off against a beast-kin warrior, their blades clashing in a flurry of sparks.
A druid summoned vines to entangle his enemies, only to be burned alive by a fire-wielding cultivator.
Screams of pain and the roar of battle filled the air.
And in the middle of it all—
Xiao Lan moved like a phantom, striking down opponents with terrifying precision.
A spear user lunged at him—
Xiao Lan dodged and countered with a devastating elbow strike to the jaw.
A group of three warriors tried to corner him—
He shattered the ground beneath them, sending them tumbling before finishing them off with swift, lethal strikes.
"Xiao Lan eliminates four more fighters!"
The Overseer's voice rang out again.
The energy in the arena shifted.
Those who had been watching realized the truth—
Xiao Lan wasn't just another fighter.
He was a predator among prey.
And now, the strongest warriors had set their sights on him.
As Xiao Lan stood among the fallen warriors, he felt it—
A powerful presence approaching.
He turned and saw a tall figure, clad in crimson armor, his sword radiating blood-red Dao energy.
The crowd murmured.
"It's him…"
"The Crimson Fang Clan's prodigy—Bai Yun!"
Xiao Qing's voice came through the talisman.
"Xiao Lan, be careful. That guy… he's on a completely different level."
Bai Yun's crimson eyes locked onto Xiao Lan.
"You've been having fun," he said, his voice cold. "But your time ends here."
He drew his sword—a weapon forged from the blood of fallen warriors.
Xiao Lan's heart pounded, not with fear—
But with excitement.
Finally.
A worthy opponent.
The real battle was about to begin.