The Gruesome Death of an Inner Sect Disciple

The next morning, as Ian Song walked toward the Inner Sect Martial Arena Plaza, every Inner Sect disciple he met was talking about one thing.

Last night, an eighth-layer Qi-Refining Inner Sect disciple was found dead in his own room, his corpse horrifyingly drained of flesh and blood—only a human skin and skeleton remained.

The Enforcement Hall had already taken over the case, but so far there was no word on the killer's identity.

A death itself wasn't so terrifying, but the sight of nothing left but skin and bones sent chills down everyone's spine.

A large crowd of Inner Sect disciples had already gathered at the Martial Arena.

Most of them were clustered in small groups, all discussing the tragic death from last night.

"Brother Huang, you're here. Hey, did you hear about Senior Brother Zack Zong's gruesome death?"

An Inner Sect disciple took the initiative to grab Ian Song and ask.

"I overheard some people talking about it on the way here," Ian replied.

The disciple spoke in a hushed, mysterious tone: "I heard that after failing to advance in yesterday's tournament, Senior Brother Zack Zong was so depressed he drank himself into a stupor. A few seniors escorted him home around midnight, but just after they left, they heard him scream in terror. When other brothers rushed in, they found him already reduced to that horrifying state!"

"Didn't the killer leave any traces?" Ian frowned. To kill Zack Zong in such a short time and drain his flesh and blood, the murderer must be above the Qi-Refining stage.

"Apparently, the Enforcement Hall searched Zack Zong's room from top to bottom but found absolutely nothing," the disciple said, a flash of fear in his eyes. "The killer comes and goes like a ghost—it's terrifying!"

After chatting for a while, it was time for the tournament matches to begin.

Thirty-seven disciples had advanced yesterday: thirty at Qi-Refining nine, five at Qi-Refining eight, one at Qi-Refining seven, and one at Qi-Refining six.

The Qi-Refining seven was Nate Moore, and the Qi-Refining six was Ian Song.

Standing among the qualifiers, the two of them stood out sharply.

Today's referee was Inner Sect steward Zane Zong. His face was dark, and his eyes radiated killing intent—it was clear his mood was foul, since the murdered Zack Zong was his biological nephew.

Ian greeted fellow qualifier Harriet Gu with a smile. "Good morning, Senior Sister Gu. We meet again."

"Mm."

Harriet Gu answered coldly, showing no warmth despite Ian's gift of the go set yesterday.

Ian's attempt at small talk drew the ire of a nearby ninth-layer senior, who sneered, "A kid who lucked his way into the qualifiers has no right to stand with us!"

Ian fired back, "If you don't want to stand here, you can leave. Did I invite you to stand with me?"

He retorted without the slightest politeness.

The senior's face darkened. "I hope you don't meet me on the platform—otherwise, you'll regret it."

"Is that so? Honestly, I doubt you've got what it takes to make me regret anything," Ian said, curling his lip in disdain.

"We'll see!"

Ian muttered under his breath, "Idiot."

"What did you just say? You dare insult me?" The Inner Sect disciple exploded in anger, his voice rising.

"Quiet!"

Just then, Zane Zong on the platform shot a cold glare their way, making the angry disciple feel like he couldn't breathe.

"Anyone who dares to shout again will be disqualified immediately!" Zane barked, his tone icy and severe.

Faced with Zane's rebuke, the disciple didn't dare argue and could only lower his head, his hatred for Ian rising several notches.

Meanwhile, Ian just smiled with a touch of schadenfreude.

Zane Zong announced in a deep voice, "Today's first round will be direct elimination. All thirty-seven of you will pair off for battle—the winners advance. Hand in your number plates for the draw!"

This time, the draw wasn't staggered—it produced eighteen pairs at once, with one contestant getting a bye and advancing automatically.

"Number Nine gets the bye. The rest will go up according to the draw order!" Zane announced coldly.

"Who's Number Nine?"

"Damn, Number Nine's luck is off the charts! Got a free pass!"

Ian couldn't help but smile when he heard Zane's words. His luck was unbelievable—he'd gotten a free pass in the Outer Sect tournament, and now, in the Inner Sect tournament, he was lucky again.

This time, though, he wasn't dumb enough to announce he was Number Nine and attract unnecessary hostility.

Soon, the first two contestants drawn stepped onto the platform to start their match.

Both were at Qi-Refining nine and used top-grade three-star martial arts. Their fight was dazzling, lasting over two hundred moves before a winner emerged.

The second group took the stage next—one at Qi-Refining nine, the other at Qi-Refining eight.

Surprisingly, the Qi-Refining eight disciple won.

Third group...

Fourth group...

The fifth group included Nate Moore, whose opponent was at Qi-Refining nine.

At first, Nate Moore was on the defensive, and everyone could see that the ninth-layer senior was toying with him.

But after thirty moves, Nate suddenly erupted, unleashing three incredibly powerful sword strikes that left his opponent severely wounded.

Those three sword strikes felt strange to Ian—he could sense that Nate was burning his own life force.

After leaving the stage, Nate's face was noticeably pale.

After a moment's hesitation, Ian handed him a healing pill.

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Huang, but I'll pass."

Nate replied coolly, declining Ian's kindness.

Ian just smiled and put away the pill, thinking Nate was simply too proud. He also sensed that Nate harbored some hostility toward him, though it was well hidden.

Does he know I took his opportunity, and that's why he's hostile?

Ian couldn't help but wonder to himself.

Still, he didn't dwell on it. Nate might be the protagonist of this world, and Ian had once thought about sticking close to him to share in his luck, but now that Nate was hostile, he wasn't about to cozy up to someone who didn't want him around.

The sixth round began.

This match was spectacular too—both contestants were at Qi-Refining nine. The platform was filled with surging energy, sword and blade qi flying everywhere. If Zane Zong hadn't confined their power to the stage, it would have spilled out.

After two and a half hours, all eighteen matches were finished.

The seventh match featured Harriet Gu, who was also at Qi-Refining nine. Her three-star sword technique was so refined it seemed ethereal, and in just ten moves she defeated her equally strong opponent.

Only one person hadn't fought yet—Ian Song. Now everyone knew he was the lucky Number Nine.

"You really lucked out! Escaped today, but let's see how you dodge tomorrow!" The senior who'd clashed with Ian earlier came over to taunt him again.

"None of your business!"

Ian replied irritably.

Today's matches were over. The seventeen qualifiers would compete tomorrow for the Inner Sect top ten.

Early the next morning, Ian heard some news: another senior had been killed last night, just like Zack Zong yesterday—only skin and bones left behind. This time, the victim was at Qi-Refining nine.