Nyra's grandfather, Nangoum Arion, widened his eyes in shock.
"That… That's the Heavenly Rain Sword Technique!"
Gasps rippled through the elders. The Heavenly Rain Sword Technique was a sacred art, one belonging to the ancient Demon Clan. It wasn't just rare—it was feared.
Arion's voice trembled as he continued, "Long ago, the Demon Ancestor slaughtered one million enemies with this technique in a single battle. To master even the basic form takes fifty years of practice."
He turned to Jin's grandfather, Xing Tian. "How did that boy learn such a technique?"
Xing Tian exhaled slowly. "I don't know. One day, he asked me to show him one of the strongest sword techniques I had. I demonstrated it once…"
"And then?" Arion pressed.
Xing Tian shook his head. "He copied it. Perfectly."
"You're serious?"
"I was stunned. Honestly… I was jealous. My own grandson did something I can't explain."
Arion glanced toward the battlefield. "She doesn't even realise the future she's missing out on. If she married him, her path would shine beyond measure."
Back in the Arena
Jin stood tall, eyes calm. Then, he launched his move.
Hundreds of spiritual swords burst from his aura and rained down like a storm.
The arena trembled violently. Wind howled. Pressure filled the atmosphere like an oncoming thunderstorm.
Stone cracked beneath the pressure. Dust rose in thick clouds as sword energy tore through the battleground like a tempest.
Geniuses from various clans screamed and scattered in fear. Some raised barriers. Some swung weapons. Most were too slow.
Protective shields shattered like glass. Swords of pure spiritual energy pierced the ground, exploding into flashes of light.
Some prodigies were blown off their feet, landing hard against the arena walls. Others rolled across the ground, blood trailing behind.
The elders in the audience jumped to their feet.
"Please, Lord Xing Tian! Stop him!"
Xing Tian didn't move. He stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"This is his battle."
When the assault ended, the smoke cleared.
The arena lay in ruins. Cracks webbed across the stone floor. Debris littered the edges of the field. Moans of the wounded echoed in the silence.
Only ten geniuses remained standing—bloodied, trembling, but conscious.
Among them: Nyra, Xiao Yan, Zara, Ming Lan, and Sian Bai.
Nyra gritted her teeth.
"He's stronger than I thought."
Beside her, Xiao Yan whispered to his master, "How do we defeat a monster like that?"
His master looked grim. "I don't see a single weakness. Defence, offence, reflexes—he's flawless."
"Then what should we do?"
"Prepare the Blue Lotus Technique."
Xiao Yan's eyes widened. "That could destroy the whole arena. It might injure Zara and the others."
"You don't have a choice. I'll assist you in combining the flames."
"I'm not good at merging them yet. If I fail, I'll be burned alive."
"Then succeed."
Xiao Yan clenched his fists. "I need five minutes."
"Buy the time."
Xiao Yan turned to Zara. "Can you hold him off for five minutes?"
Zara, fear in her eyes, nodded slowly. "I'll try."
Nyra joined her, gripping her sword tightly. The two girls exchanged a glance.
No more words were needed.
They ran toward Jin.
The Battle Begins Again
Jin tilted his head.
"So they're all in now?"
He chuckled. His voice echoed through the broken arena.
"Let's see how long you can last."
Zara struck first. Her blade flashed like lightning, coming down with all her strength.
Jin didn't even blink. He sidestepped and tapped her sword with two fingers, sending it spinning out of her grip.
Nyra followed up with her Butterfly Dance Sword Technique—quick, graceful, deadly.
Jin moved like water. Smooth, untouchable. He caught her final strike in his palm and pushed her back effortlessly.
Zara gasped.
"He's playing with us."
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan sat in meditation.
A blue flame formed in his right hand. A sky flame on his left.
With his master's help, he began the delicate process of merging them.
The air distorted. The ground trembled beneath him.
Sweat streamed down his face. His arms burned. His clothes began to catch fire.
The pressure of the merging flames was immense.
Spectators whispered among themselves.
"What's that aura?"
"It feels like it could wipe out the entire arena…"
Family elders shouted from the stands.
"He's our last chance! Buy him time!"
The remaining geniuses surged toward Jin with everything they had left.
Ice spears. Fire whips. Wind blades. Swords, spears, fists.
Countless attacks launched from all directions.
Jin simply raised his hand.
A golden barrier bloomed around him.
It shimmered like a sunlit dome. The attacks hit it—and vanished. The barrier absorbed everything.
Then—
BOOM!
It rebounded. Every single attack was sent back, twice as powerful.
The stage shook violently. Dust burst upward in plumes.
Screams followed. Fighters flew backwards, injured by their own powers.
Zara skidded to a stop, blood dripping from her lips.
"How much longer?!" she shouted.
"Two more minutes!" Xiao Yan replied, teeth gritted.
"Keep him busy!"
Xiao Yan's Struggle
Back in the centre, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged.
The Blue Lotus in his hands began to take shape. Spiritual petals bloomed, blazing blue and white.
His body was breaking under the strain. His skin was covered in burns. His robes were shredded.
His master placed a glowing hand on his back, healing and guiding him at once.
"You're almost there. Don't stop."
Flames twisted around his arms like serpents.
"I have to finish it," Xiao Yan whispered.
The Monster Revealed
The audience was silent.
Hundreds of powerful prodigies had entered the battle.
Only a handful remained.
Jin, a boy of just five years old, stood tall and untouched.
An elder murmured, "Even if he falls here, he's already a legend. Golden Core at five. Defeating one hundred geniuses. Who could match that?"
"Genius? No. He's a monster," another replied.
"More than a monster," someone added. "He's a miracle—and a warning."
Zara's Revelation
Zara gathered her last strength.
She used her clan's forbidden sword technique, a move that could only be used once.
Jin batted it away casually. The redirected energy exploded behind him, injuring two more participants.
Zara dropped to one knee, gasping.
"I'm from the Holy Emperor Clan. We can predict the future. That's why I was sent to Xiao Yan—to support him. Because we see his future is great."
"But later he became a useless person. I thought that might be temporary, so I tried to support him so that he couldn't stop his cultivation. But after some time, my clan called me. Because they gave up on Xiao Yan. Then I discovered that my father arranged my marriage with his friend's child, who is many years younger than me.
Then one day they predicted the future and saw Xiao Yan rise again. So they sent me to find Xiao Yan. Now I am here.
"And yet... they never saw Jin. They never predicted this monster."
Her heart clenched.
"What kind of being is he?"
Nyra's Doubts
Nyra panted heavily, standing beside Zara.
Her thoughts were spinning.
"I only wanted to use this event to get stronger connections… not to die."
"I never imagined someone like him would appear. I thought I could manipulate things, but now—"
She looked at Jin.
"I don't even know if I'll survive today."
Jin's Amusement
Jin stood at the centre, looking down at the chaos he had caused.
He smiled.
"This is just like anime I saw in my memory," he muttered. "They're the extra characters and protagonists. I'm the Strongest Side Character. I'm Gojo. No—Sukuna. No…"
He grinned. "I'm Gokuna."
[System]: That's close to Goku.
"Who's Goku?"
[System]: You'll find out later.
He rolled his shoulders. "This is getting fun."
The Final Move
The ground shook. The temperature spiked.
Zara yelled, "Two minutes are up!"
Xiao Yan opened his eyes. The Blue Lotus was complete.
It floated above his palms—massive, glowing, lethal.
The petals shimmered with untamed fire. The air twisted around it like a vortex.
Everyone turned.
Even Jin paused.
"Interesting."
Xiao Yan roared. The lotus spun and launched.
A blazing wave shot forward, turning the sky blue with flame.
The attack roared toward Jin.