The next morning, the city woke in chaos.
The sound of metal rang through the streets. Alchemists screamed about prices. Someone was chasing a two-headed dog down an alley. And far off, the sounds of weapons clashing echoed between stone walls like a war drum.
Obsidian Root never slept.
Shang Di pulled his cloak tighter, the medallion tucked beneath it tapping lightly against his chest as he stepped out into the city proper.
Wei Lin was already waiting near the gate of The Cracked Cup, biting into a thin strip of jerky and scanning the street.
"I was starting to think you fell asleep sitting up," he said as Shang Di approached.
"I almost did."
Wei Lin chuckled. "This place doesn't exactly sing lullabies."
They walked in silence for a while, weaving through the uneven crowd of traders, mercs, and cloaked figures that made up the Market Crescent.
Smokestacks coughed black plumes from tall furnaces. Spirit ore vendors shouted about unstable cores. A man with a half-burned beard tried to sell a demon's fang for a single silver.
Then they saw it — tacked to a leaning wall beside a forge stall, corners fluttering in the wind.
A faded but freshly stamped parchment.
UNAFFILIATED COMBAT TRIAL
Outer Ring Arena – Noon Bell
Entry: One Spirit Coin
Prize: Variable
Observers Confirmed: Two Sect Scouts, One Trade Guild Emissary
Rules: No kills under 10 seconds. Everything else goes.
"Standard meat market," Wei Lin muttered. "You show what you've got, and the vultures pick who they want."
Shang Di's eyes lingered on the bottom line. No faction. No rules. No structure.
Just blood and stage lights.
"You fighting?" Wei Lin asked.
"Obviously," Shang Di said.
Then added, "You?"
Wei Lin smirked. "Only if the prize is good or the insults get too loud."
They kept walking.
They didn't need to say more.
...
The Outer Ring Arena wasn't grand. Just a wide pit lined with layered stone, surrounded by bleachers made from black-forged scraps and reinforced rubble. The stands were already filling — mercenaries, rogue cultivators, cloaked observers from small sects, and gamblers with spirit-sensing beads in their hands.
Shouts echoed over the arena as a boy with a gourd shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Fights start at high noon! one Spirit coin to enter! No refunds if you're unconscious! Wounds treated after — if you pay for them!"
Shang Di stepped forward and tossed a coin onto the table beside the boy.
The boy blinked up at him. "Name?"
"Shang Di."
A few murmurs scattered through the crowd.
Someone whispered, "That the guy from Constellation?"
'Ah damn it, I knew I shouldn't have been so highkey in Four Constellation City.'
Shang Di ignored it. He turned and stepped toward the participant's staging ring.
...
Twelve fighters had signed up.
No formal pairings.
Just names called, blood spilled, and reputations forged or broken.
Shang Di stood quietly as the first fights rolled out.
A brawler with gauntlets laced in iron-thread dropped a saber user in under thirty seconds.
Then a talisman-wielding girl summoned vines of lightning to overwhelm a twin-spear user in a brilliant flash.
The crowd roared.
Then—
"Shang Di!"
Silence.
Then tension.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
Across the ring, a tall man in red leathers spun a hooked staff between his fingers, smirking as he saw his opponent.
"I heard you think you're an alchemist," he said. "Let's see if you burn as easy as your herbs."
Shang Di didn't respond.
He just entered the ring.
The crowd leaned forward.
...
[System Notification]
Combat Trial Engaged
Arena Advantage: None
SP Gain: Based on Impact + Crowd Response
Bonus Objective: Win Without Weapon Drawn
Reward: 75 SP + ??? (Hidden)
XP Boost Active (Party Link – Wei Lin): 2x Gain if Spectating Party Survives Trial
Shang Di let out a slow breath.
The man with the staff lunged.
"[Flying Darkness Sword]," Shang Di whispered.
Dark Qi spiraled to his palm — not forming a full blade, but coiling like a whispering shadow.
The man struck — but hit air.
[Silent Darkness Steps] activated.
Shang Di vanished from the man's view and reappeared behind him.
One strike, targeted at the base of the spine.
The man staggered, in shock he stepped back, but-
Before he could even realize…
'Wha-'
Another hit — his ribs.
The man dropped to a knee, covering his torso with his hands.
He tried to swing his staff in desperation, but Shang Di caught it with one hand and placed a palm against his chest.
Qi pulsed outward.
The man froze — and dropped the weapon…
"I…I give up."
He conceded with a groan.
...
The crowd murmured. Some gasped.
A black-robed scout leaned toward a cloaked observer.
Wei Lin whistled softly from the side, with a smirk on his face.
"Show-off."
[System Update]
Bonus Objective Completed
+75 SP
+30 Bonus SP (Crowd Response)
Hidden Flag Triggered: "Name Echo – Obsidian Tier"
System Note:
"Name Echo" marks the start of regional reputation. As recognition spreads, expect new opportunities, followers… or enemies.
[System Unlock]
Sect Survey Tool – Partial Overlay Access Unlocked
Function: Scan spiritual signatures within a small radius (10–15 meters). Reveals talent markers, rare affinities, or hidden cultivation techniques.
SP Cost: 25 per scan.
Note: May alert spiritually sensitive individuals.
Shang Di blinked once as the overlay description scrolled past his vision.
"So I really am building a sect," he muttered under his breath.
He stepped off the sand, calm and expressionless.
Wei Lin met him near the ring's edge.
"You're going to make enemies."
Shang Di smiled faintly.
"Let them come."
...
To be continued…
...