As the UFO drew closer, its true form finally came into view.
Hovering above the crowd was a platform of shattered space, fragments of broken dimensions swirling and cracking around it like chaotic glass. And lying atop it, motionless, was a lone figure. Whether he was alive, unconscious, or dead, they couldn't immediately tell.
At that moment, after what felt like an eternity, MeiYing , who had been deathly silent, her gaze dull and unfocused, finally reacted. Her eyes lit up, shimmering with a spark of life once again. A small, almost trembling smile crept across her lips.
Beside her, Du Yun, who had kept his eyes closed in anxious prayer the whole time, suddenly snapped them open. Relief flooded his face, and he laughed, a raw, unrestrained laugh filled with joy and disbelief.
BANG!
The platform of shattered space crashed violently into the center of the sect gathering.
The ground trembled under the impact, and a massive crater opened up, sending clouds of dust and debris flying in all directions. The sheer force of the landing stunned everyone present into momentary silence.
The First Elder and the others sitting on the podium instinctively tensed, tempted to rush forward and investigate. However, before they could even move, the old man's sharp eyes caught a flash.
MeiYing had already disappeared from her seat without a trace.
Without even needing a signal, Du Yun had moved alongside her, both of them rushing headlong toward the crater.
As the dust began to settle, all eyes were locked onto the crash site.
And then, through the lingering haze, a figure slowly emerged, disheveled, battered, but unmistakably alive.
Supported on either side by MeiYing and Du Yun, the figure was none other than Chen Zhen, or, as many knew him now, the infamous lunatic who dared to take a three-star mission in the Blackwater Region.
The collective gasp from the crowd was deafening.
"Isn't that Chen Zhen?!" someone shouted from the crowd, their voice breaking with excitement and disbelief. "I heard he took on a three-star mission in the Blackwater Region! Did that madman actually succeed?!"
"Fuck! He's alive?! This guy actually made it out alive! What a lunatic!"
The sect grounds erupted into a frenzy.
Elders, inner disciples, outer court disciples, even the bystanders, all surged to their feet, their gazes locked on the battered figure.
Everywhere, there were murmurs, shouts, exclamations of awe.For a moment, it was as if the entire Heavenly Luo Sect had forgotten the ongoing tournament, all that mattered was the miraculous survival of this one insane figure.
Meanwhile, MeiYing and Du Yun wore expressions that were half relief and half worry.
Relief that he was alive, but worry gnawed at their hearts seeing the state he was in.
Chen Zhen's iconic pure white hair was now streaked with dried blood. His usual pristine blindfold was stained and dirty. His robe was torn in several places, revealing wounds and bloodstains underneath.
The most concerning of all, a dark, bloody wound stretched across his abdomen, and even at a glance, it was clear he was still bleeding.
"Chen Zhen!" MeiYing cried, her voice cracking slightly. "Brother!" Du Yun echoed urgently.
"Are you alright?!"
Their voices overlapped in their panic. But Chen Zhen, true to his nature, simply gave a lopsided smile and, with effort, laid himself down against MeiYing's shoulder. Then, with a wet cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Hah... Turns out... falling from the sky is even harder and more painful than it looks," he joked weakly, grinning through the blood staining his lips.
MeiYing's eyes blazed with fury. She barely resisted the urge to slap the nonsense right out of him. How could he joke at a time like this? Du Yun, on the other hand, almost burst into tears from sheer relief.
"You idiot..." MeiYing muttered under her breath, biting her lip to keep from scolding him more harshly. Chen Zhen reached out and ruffled Du Yun's hair affectionately. "It's good to see you again, brat," he said fondly, before his hand gently cupped MeiYing's cheek.
"I thought I'd never see your beautiful face again..."
MeiYing froze. A furious blush painted her cheeks scarlet, and her eyes widened in panic. This shameless fellow! Of all places, why here, why now?!
Meanwhile, up on the podium, several of the Elders' faces darkened with complex emotions.
When they turned to look at the First Elder, they found him leisurely exhaling a puff of smoke, a curious glint in his eyes as he silently observed the interaction.
"Hoo hee... I suggest you give up, Wushuang," the half-drunken Feng Jianhong chuckled, patting his friend Jian Wushuang on the back with mock sympathy. "Looks like she's fallen for someone else..."
Jian Wushuang's face twisted as if he had swallowed a fly. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Meanwhile, the spectators exploded into an even bigger uproar.
"I knew it!! I fucking knew it!!"
"Senior Sister MeiYing fell for Chen Zhen?! Why him of all people?!"
Among the inner disciples, Luo Ping and Zhao Mei sat frozen, eyes wide in shock and growing resentment.
Especially Zhao Mei, she could hardly believe it. How had Chen Zhen managed to win MeiYing's heart, when he, an inner disciple, had been ruthlessly rejected?
Just how outstanding was Chen Zhen, in the end?
While the noise around them grew chaotic, MeiYing quickly composed herself and turned her attention to Gojo's wounds.
"You're injured..." she said gravely, reaching toward his bloodstained robes.
Chen Zhen gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, no shit. Mo Xie got me good with one attack. Good thing I killed that son of a bitch!" he said through gritted teeth.
With a strained motion, he lifted his shirt to show them, and both MeiYing and Du Yun gasped in horror.
A massive, jagged cut stretched from his left shoulder down to his abdomen. Blood oozed slowly from the wound, and worse, a sinister demonic Qi leaked out, black and writhing against his skin.
They watched, horrified, as the wound partially healed itself, only to rupture again under the influence of the demonic Qi.
"Wait, you killed Mo Xie?!" MeiYing turned to him in shock, eyes wide.
Chen Zhen only smiled softly, then reached forward to poke her nose lovingly.
"Of course. Did you think I'd let him go after hurting you? Never. That bastard deserved to die. I've been bleeding for hours because of that Demonic Qi. Every time I try to heal, the wound tears open again!"
He grimaced as fresh blood soaked through his tattered robes.
Turning to Du Yun, he chuckled tiredly.
"And you... from the look on your face, you would've blindly charged into the Blackwater Region if I hadn't come back, huh?" He shook his head. "We'll talk about that later..."
With their support, Chen Zhen struggled to his feet, swaying slightly. He glanced around at the bustling crowd and the elders staring down at him like a group of vultures.
"This place looks even more lively than I remember it. And why are all those old geezers staring at me like that?"
MeiYing just shook her head and urged him forward.
"Come on. I have to introduce you properly."
She guided him toward the podium.
In front of the most prestigious seats, the Sect Master, the First Elder, and the other top figures, MeiYing bowed deeply.
"Grandfather, Sect Master, Elders, this is Chen Zhen. The bearer of the Spatial Saint Physique, and a descendant of the Godly Dual Pupils."
She kept her voice low, just loud enough for the important figures to hear, but it was enough.
The effect was instantaneous.
The Sect Master shot to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief.
And then, booming laughter erupted from his mouth, echoing across the grounds.
The entire sect was stunned. It was a rare sight to see their Venerable Sect Master show such emotion, all because of one battered youth.
"Good! Good! Good!" he roared with delight.
"The future of the Heavenly Luo Sect is truly in safe hands!"
Around him, the Elders burst into chatter, some shouting, some laughing, some simply shaking their heads in amazement.
"A Spatial Saint Physique! A descendant of the Godly Dual Pupils!"
"I can't believe it!"
Meanwhile, the First Elder remained calm, tapping his pipe thoughtfully before casting a sharp gaze at Chen Zhen.
"You may be talented," he said, "but talent alone isn't everything. You'll have to prove yourself."
He pointed toward the tournament arena.
"We want you to compete in the Outer Court Tournament. From there, we'll decide your place!"
Chen Zhen facepalmed internally. Couldn't they see he was bleeding out? MeiYing noticed his grimace and leaned closer.
"Can you fight?" she whispered.
Chen Zhen exhaled slowly, testing his Yuan Power output.
The space around his palm distorted with a dangerous ripple, a sign of unstable control.
He shook his head. "Probably not at my best. The Demonic Qi is interfering with my Yuan Power and techniques."
MeiYing bit her lip. She knew what that meant his power output was severely crippled.
"Sigh... when my Grandpa decides something, even I can't change his mind," MeiYing said apologetically.
Du Yun spoke up urgently. "Brother, you don't have to force yourself!"
But Chen Zhen just smiled and tousled his hair.
"I'll be fine."
He straightened up, wincing, and gave a lopsided grin.
"I might not put on much of a show... but I'll still win.
I just hope I don't accidentally kill someone by mistake," he joked, strolling toward the registration stand.
The reason for his battered state was simple, recklessness.
After killing Mo Xie, he had retreated into a Pocket Dimension to recover.
But he had attempted to control the dimension's unstable teleportation mechanisms, and had been torn apart by dimensional storms before barely making it back alive.
Meanwhile, in the crowd, Feng Jianhong let out a hearty laugh.
"A Spatial Saint Physique and Dual Pupils, huh? Things are about to get very interesting..." he said, raising his wine jug.
Jian Wushuang, by contrast, gritted his teeth, a cold glare fixed on Chen Zhen.
Among the Outer Court's top contenders, Ma Kui, Xiao Wusheng, Su Qingshi, similar reactions brewed: disbelief, awe, jealousy, determination.
Back on the podium, MeiYing returned to her seat, her grandfather giving her a sly smirk.
"You know he's badly injured, right?" she sihed.
"I know," the First Elder admitted. "But everyone here wants to see what he can do."
MeiYing nodded grimly. I know, but everyone and not just me is anxious to see what he can do. His control of Yuan Power is incredible. Even I couldn't sense his cultivation level!" The first elder revealed a smile for the very first time.
"He's been injured and poisoned by potent Demonic Qi, Grandfather, and it's affecting his control of Yuan Power." For a moment there, the first elder was stumped. MeiYing herself had to sigh. After staying with someone as abnormal as him for a while, even incredible feats looked bleak to her.
"One of the abilities of his eyes is that, it allows him to see Yuan Power at the atomic level. I've seen him at his best.
The effortlessness with which he utilizes his techniques and calls on his Yuan Power is so incredible to the point of being divine. In his current state, from the way he described it, the efficiency of his Yuan Power output would not be greater than 30 percent."
The first elder and the elders around gulped. If this wasn't coming from MeiYing herself, none of them would've believed a single word.
The elders gulped at her words.
The Sect Master leaned forward.
"Can he still win?" he asked. MeiYing chuckled coldly.
"You're asking the wrong question, Sect Master.
The right one is, can he hold back enough not to kill your precious disciples?" A chill ran through the elders.
The Sect Master wiped his forehead with a laugh.
"I see. Then... let the presiding elders stand ready, just in case."
The tournament was about to get far more interesting than anyone had expected.
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A/N: Wasn't planning on posting. But when I opened the app, saw the reviews, the donations and the comments. I was really impressed. You guys are doing really well. But we gotta do at least 20 reviews bro..
Also, I need more suggestions, criticisms, and allat.