'All of those pills… and I only got 2,000 Rank 3 Spirit Stones,' Itachi thought as he made his way toward the arena to place his bet. 'I definitely need to find a better way to build an income.'
Each spirit stone rank reflected a cultivation realm.
Rank 1 stones matched the Body Tempering Realm.
Rank 2 stones were tied to Qi Refinement.
And it continued upward from there.
In terms of value, Rank 2 stones were five times more valuable than Rank 1, while Rank 3 stones were ten times more valuable than Rank 2.
Right now, Itachi's fortune wasn't insignificant. The spirit stones he held were equivalent to 100,000 Rank 1 stones, or roughly 160 Rank 4 stones.
It was a lot. Especially considering the simple fact that Itachi had created all of it using grasses he had picked from outside his own home.
'I wonder if I could create spirit stones…' Itachi mused as he walked. 'Maybe by building a Spirit Stone Gathering Array…'
It was an idea worth exploring. Along with finding a way to gain a monopoly over anything and everything he could get his hands on.
He stepped into the arena and made his move without hesitation, placing his entire fortune on Su Yan.
With that done, he turned and headed home, Already lost in thought, already planning the first steps toward creating an array capable of forming spirit stones.
"…" Ling Han's eyes turned chillingly cold the moment he spotted Su Yan. She was wearing a servant's uniform—a clear mark within the sect that she served a core disciple.
And there was only one core disciple she could belong to. Itachi… Itachi had dared to make his wife a servant. The anger that flared in Ling Han's chest was nearly uncontrollable.
'Calm down,' the Black Tower warned inside his mind. 'You won't win her heart by acting like a madman. If you want her back, you need to move carefully.'
Ling Han took a slow, steady breath, forcing the rage down. The Black Tower was right. If he wanted to change things… He had to play it smart.
Ling Han threw a glance toward Su Yan, and froze when he saw her looking back at him. Su Yan's expression shifted immediately, a deep frown forming the moment she caught the intensity of his stare.
Ling Han panicked. For a second, he didn't know how to react. In the end, all he could do was drop his shoulders in defeat.
'This creep…' Su Yan thought with a flash of annoyance. But deep down, beneath the frustration, a faint sadness lingered. She had only ever held two people truly dear—Itachi and Ling Han.
Growing up, she had seen Itachi as a quiet, distant older brother. Someone who rarely played with the other kids, but would still join in whenever she nagged him enough.
As they grew older, and as children in this world matured faster, that image shifted. The distant older brother slowly became the boy she fell in love with. This is why it hurts so much when Itachi wants to break off their engagement.
Ling Han, on the other hand, had been with her since the beginning. They had grown up together—close enough that they might as well have been twins.
But everything changed a few months ago. Ling Han had begun to resent how close she was to Itachi, his attitude darkening with every passing day. When he heard about her engagement to Itachi, he exploded in rage.
He had even tried to attack Itachi, and would have, if she hadn't stepped in to stop him. It hurt… It hurt to see someone she had thought of as a brother lose himself so completely, as if some stranger had taken over his body.
And what stung even more… Was it Itachi's reaction? He had the nerve to suggest that she and Ling Han seemed perfect for each other. That was the first time she ever exploded at Itachi. And the memory still left a bitter taste.
She had had enough of the villagers saying she was perfect for Ling Han. Over time, she grew increasingly displeased with how everyone viewed Itachi—as if he were some creepy loner who did nothing but read books.
This reputation hadn't come from nowhere. It started when a young man from the village tried to blame Itachi for something he hadn't done. Itachi, being who he was, didn't take the accusation lightly. He had a few choice words in return, which escalated into a fight. The young man, thinking he could teach Itachi a lesson, ended up receiving a brutal beating instead. After that, many in the village began to fear Itachi, whispering behind his back, avoiding him.
Meanwhile, Ling Han was seen as the perfect golden child. Humble, honest, cheerful—everything Itachi was not. In the villagers' eyes, Ling Han could do no wrong. He was outgoing, bright, and easy to praise, making him the obvious choice they believed Su Yan should have been engaged to.
And she hated them for it.
In fact, the main reason she had fallen in love with Itachi was because of how he stood up for himself. No matter how much the villagers whispered, no matter how many dirty looks they gave him, Itachi remained unbothered. He never bowed his head. He never tried to please them.
Su Yan had watched the world curse his name, and Itachi had answered with silence and strength. It was something she couldn't help but fall in love with—and deeply respect. In her eyes, someone like that was meant for greatness. And if he wasn't… then the world was truly unfair.
As for Ling Han, she found herself slowly pulling away. She couldn't stand the way he seemed to quietly agree with the villagers, who believed they were destined to be together, as if her choice didn't matter. As if her future was something to be decided for her.
And for that, she grew to resent him.
"Silence!" A roar shook the arena, snapping everyone's attention upward. Floating high above was an elder, his robes billowing as he looked down upon them with a sharp, commanding gaze.
"The Outer Sect Tournament will begin tomorrow," the elder announced, his voice carrying across the entire field. "Those who wish to participate, make your way to the mountain over there."
He turned slightly, gesturing into the distance. Far away, a lone mountain stood, towering into the sky—its peak piercing straight through the clouds.
"The first one thousand to reach the peak will be allowed to participate in the Outer Sect Tournament. Everyone else will be disqualified. You have twenty-four hours."
With those words, the elder flew off, heading straight toward the distant mountain.
Ling Han stood there, frozen for a moment. 'The only reason Su Yan and I made it last time… was because we worked together.'
For a second, he hesitated, debating whether he should approach her and suggest the same. But he stopped. Su Yan was already gone, the very first to sprint forward, her figure cutting through the crowd with a speed he hadn't expected at all.
'When I had you regress, I also allowed her physique to follow you and merge with her past self. Because I was feeling generous, I even improved her physique afterward,' the Black Tower said calmly.
Ling Han couldn't help but smile lightly, feeling a flicker of happiness for Su Yan. But reality snapped him back quickly.
He surged forward, running at full speed, wanting to catch up to her, wanting to protect her in case something happened. But it didn't take long for him to realize something painful.
Even while running at top speed, he couldn't close the gap. Su Yan wasn't slowing down. If anything, she was pushing herself faster, determined not to let him anywhere near her.
"Su Yan! That's the Forest of Black Fog! It's filled with poisonous plants and dangerous beasts!" Ling Han shouted after her, worry creeping into his voice.
But Su Yan didn't so much as glance back. She rocketed forward, straight toward the Forest of Black Fog, the same forest that everyone would have to cross if they wanted to reach the mountain.
Ling Han rushed in after her, trying to follow her traces. But the thick Black Fog that blanketed the forest made it nearly impossible to navigate, let alone track someone else.
He gritted his teeth and focused on moving forward, heading in the direction of the mountain. All he could do was hope he would run into her along the way.
Meanwhile, Su Yan tore through the forest with frightening speed. Her eyes easily pierced through the heavy fog, spotting every threat before it could get close.
Wild beasts lunged at her from the shadows, and every single one was cut down without hesitation. Even the monstrous plants that slithered from the trees to ensnare her met the same fate, sliced apart by her swift, decisive strikes.
Nothing could slow her down.
Her eyes were sharp, the world around her seeming to move in slow motion the moment she willed it to.
That's right, Su Yan had cultivated the Primordial Uchiha Cultivation Art. She didn't need to be a Uchiha to cultivate it, although the effects of the technique were heavily weakened without the bloodline. Even so, it was still enough to elevate her far beyond her peers.
Without suffering even a single scratch, Su Yan tore through the forest, cutting down anything that tried to stop her.
Bursting free of the dense fog, she came face-to-face with a raging river. But she didn't slow down. She leapt forward without hesitation, and just as she was about to hit the water, a sheet of ice instantly formed beneath her feet, freezing the river solid.
Before the waves could shatter the thin layer of ice beneath her, Su Yan had already leapt forward, landing on the water once again and freezing a new patch instantly beneath her feet. Repeating this over and over, she easily crossed the raging river and entered the next challenge—the Blizzard Forest.
The forest was wrapped in a constant, howling blizzard, where visibility dropped to nearly nothing and icy winds battered everything in their path. But Su Yan paid it no mind. Ice was her element. To her, the blizzard was nothing but a light breeze.
Not long after Su Yan disappeared into the white haze, Ling Han arrived at the riverbank. His senses immediately caught the lingering Ice Qi still drifting through the air. Smiling lightly, he dove into the river without hesitation, relying on his overpowering physique to brute-force his way through. Using a technique that boosted his swimming speed to superhuman levels, he powered across the river, determined not to fall behind.
As soon as Ling Han reached the other side of the river, he used a small array to dry himself off, the water evaporating in moments. Without wasting any time, he jumped straight into the Blizzard Forest. His powerful physique allowed him to ignore the cold entirely—the blizzard wasn't nearly strong enough to even make him feel it.
Up above, standing atop the distant mountain peak, the Sect Master watched the scene unfold with keen eyes. His gaze lingered on Su Yan and Ling Han, both cutting through obstacles with ease.
"What talented Outer Sect disciples… and to think they're all from the same village," he muttered, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was pleased that his sect had picked up such promising individuals.
Still, a sliver of confusion gnawed at him. Based on their original test results, neither Su Yan nor Ling Han had shown talents above 20. And yet, their performance told a different story.
He made a mental note to have their talents remeasured later. There was no doubt about it—these two were anything but normal.
The Sect Master's gaze shifted toward Su Yan, who had already reached the base of the mountain and begun the harsh climb upward. It wasn't an easy ascent. She had to fight off countless wild beasts while scaling steep, crumbling cliffs. Every few steps, she was forced to make risky jumps across broken bridges or unstable ledges. One misstep could send her plummeting.
But even so, the Sect Master was confident. He believed she would make it. The same could be said for Ling Han. Both of them were moving faster than anyone else.
In fact, if everything continued at their current pace, they would reach the peak before sunset—a feat that would break the standing record, with Su Yan setting the new mark.
***
Time skip.
Time flew by. The Outer Sect Tournament officially began, starting with exactly one thousand qualified disciples. However, it didn't stop there. A series of brutal elimination rounds was held, gradually cutting down the numbers.
Only one hundred disciples would be ranked by the end, and only after that would the real tournament begin.
The tournament grounds were packed. Many from the sect, along with honored guests from nearby powers, had come to watch the Outer Sect Tournament unfold. It didn't take long for two names to dominate everyone's attention—Ling Han and Su Yan.
Their performances left the crowd stunned. Ling Han's overwhelming physique allowed him to shrug off attacks that would have crippled other contestants. No matter how fierce the blows, he stood tall, unmovable. Su Yan, on the other hand, moved like a ghost. Her unmatched speed ended battles before her opponents could even react, leaving them defeated before they even realized what had happened.
What made them truly stand out, however, was the simple fact that neither of them had even reached level 10 Body Tempering. Both Ling Han and Su Yan were only at level 6 or level 7, yet they fought and defeated opponents at the peak of Body Tempering as if it were effortless.
And that… left everyone watching in silent awe.
Su Yan was at level 6 Body Tempering, while Ling Han stood at level 7. The former favorites—those who had once been considered top contenders for the tournament—were quickly forgotten. All attention shifted to these two, as they dominated every match they participated in.
To make sure the finals would draw the biggest crowd, the tournament organizers arranged the brackets carefully, setting it up so that Su Yan and Ling Han would only face each other if they kept winning.
And they did. Days later, the two finally stood across from one another on the main stage.
"Itachi, just watch me," Su Yan said with a bright smile. "I'm going to win… and I'll give you the reward as a birthday present."
Itachi simply shook his head,
"I don't need the reward," Itachi said lightly. "Just go out there and have fun. Ling Han will be your rival—keeping up with him won't be so simple."
Su Yan pouted at his words, clearly displeased. Without saying another word, she spun on her heel and left, leaving Itachi to simply shrug and head toward the arena himself.
Upon arriving, he made his way toward the special seating area reserved for the Outer Sect Master, Inner Sect Master, Core Sect Master, and the Sect Master himself. It was there, among the highest authorities of the sect, that Itachi went and watched the finals.
He greeted them, then quietly took a seat at the edge of the viewing platform. From where he sat, he had a clear view of the massive arena, an arena that held over one hundred thousand seats. And every last one of them was filled.
Su Yan and Ling Han soon stepped onto the arena floor, drawing an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
Su Yan's eyes briefly swept across the sea of faces, and almost instantly, she found Itachi sitting among the honored guests. Their eyes met for only a moment. She smiled lightly, small, but genuine, before turning her full attention back to Ling Han, who was already standing across from her. Ling Han caught the exchange, and his frown deepened.