As Xinxin walked back, the crowd roared with excitement.

The sound of it caused her to wrinkle her nose. Seeing that man die in such a gruesome way, their response was to cheer? Not only that, but to do so in pure glee?

Ridiculous. Those people were animals- no, less than animals. To find entertainment in such a terrible thing…

“What a tremendous turn around!” The masked man’s voice echoed through the arena. “It appears that Faith’s name was not chosen blindly! To think that such an enchanting beauty is a demon! How delightful!”

Xinxin’s eye twitched.

A demon? Her? While she couldn’t deny her… pragmatic approach to finishing that fight and gaining the most benefits, to call her a demon for that-

No. It was fine. Considering the fact that her Sifu called himself a nameless ghost… perhaps herself, who had lost everything and sought only power to return to his side suited the title of ‘demon’.

Xinxin’s attendant, that silver-haired young woman in the lacy black and white dress, waited at the door where Xinxin entered the arena. She bowed her head to Xinxin and said, “Congratulations on your victory, Miss Faith.”

“Thank you.” A brief response and a nod.

The attendant nodded back and then opened the door for Xinxin before leading the way back to Xinxin’s private waiting lounge.

Winding halls, shady individuals with obscured faces… walking back, Xinxin realized that the place was truly a dichotomy of luxury. No, a den house for sin. While the doors were closed, certain activities between men and women were clearly going on behind them. And not all of it sounded consensual.

That was the fate waiting for her if she lost.

The attendant stopped for a moment and turned back to look at Xinxin. “Are you afraid, Miss Faith?”

Xinxin scoffed. “Afraid? No… I am not afraid. If anything… I am disgusted.” She shook her head. “To think that such things are occurring in this supposedly brilliant Sun Kingdom…”

The attendant shrugged. “Even the brightest lights cast shadows, Miss Faith. And those shadows are steeper the brighter the light.”

“Perhaps…”

But if that was true… if Wang Tian truly was unaware of this, then that meant he had weakened considerably, both in power and spirit. The Wang Tian she remembered… while he indulged in luxuries and beauties, he at least had a bottom line. This…

The attendant unlocked the door to Xinxin’s private lounge and said, “We have arrived, Miss Faith.” She bowed again and said, “Is there anything that you desire while you wait for your next match? Food? Desire?” The attendant paused and then said, “…Company?”

Xinxin scoffed. She swept the room with her spiritual sense, just to be sure, and then walked inside. “All I desire is peace and quiet until the next match.”

The attendant bowed. “Understood. Then… I will return when it is time.” After that, she closed the door behind her and locked it, leaving Xinxin alone once more.

With nothing to do, Xinxin walked out to the balcony. Since this world was still new to her, she decided it would be best to observe the fighting styles and techniques used by her potential opponents in the near future.

The masked man’s face appeared over the arena again and spun around. “I’m sure you all were thrilled by Faith and her enchanting strength. But I’m afraid it’s time for our next match!”

Xinxin leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms, observing the arena below.

The masked man swept his arm to the left and said, “In this corner, we have the mysterious Dark Knight! A new contender in this tournament, but not new to combat! Yet, with such a name… does he have the skills to back it up?”

Dark Knight… it was indeed presumptuous.

The one going by that name was a young man, perhaps only a few years older than Xinxin herself. Pale skin, crimson eyes, and gray hair. An odd set of features that created a stark contrast, especially paired with the black armor he wore over his body. Also, objectively Xinxin could say that the young man was fairly attractive, perhaps on par with Wang Tian in his prime.

That immediately made Xinxin despise him.

Attractive men were never honest, especially when it came to women like herself.

Moreover… from what Xinxin could see, the man was strong.

She didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but an aura of darkness emanated from his body. Yet, it was strange.

If Xinxin’s darkness was tyrannical, moving methodically in accordance with her will, the darkness around the man was instinctual and moved to protect him. It pulsed with his breath, as if it was a part of his body rather than a tool.

While Xinxin was analyzing the Dark Knight, the masked man swept his arm to the right and said, “In the other corner, we have the Absolute Sword! A crowd favorite, returning for another tournament! One sword, one slash to end a life!”

Xinxin scoffed. Absolute Sword? One sword, one slash to end a life? When Wang Tian existed, declaring such a thing in his kingdom was the epitome of arrogance.

However… when Xinxin thought about it, the fact that the Absolute Sword dared to call himself such was odd.

Wang Tian’s specialty lay in the sword. Knowing that, he should have been the ‘sky’, meaning that none would have dared to challenge it. Even in his old age, the brief clash they had when Xinxin first arrived showed that he was far from weak.

In that case…  was Wang Tian hiding his true powers? Did he fear retaliation from the Goddess, or-

“Let the fight begin on three!”

Xinxin sighed. Whatever the case, she could think about it after the fight.

The masked man counted down.

The Absolute Sword, an ordinary looking middle-aged man with a simple steel sword in his right hand, waited. His gaze was confident, unafraid.

The Dark Knight’s gaze was the same… at least in terms of being unafraid. As for confidence, instead of that there was apathy. As if he was assured of the outcome and was already planning his next steps.

“Begin!”

The Absolute Sword charged. His sword flashed, cloaked with silver energy, and he slashed at the Dark Knight.

It was a… decent attack. For mortals, at least. The slash was about on par with the Imperial Scythe Xinxin used long ago. Probably some martial technique that he had the good fortune to master.

In spite of the attack, the Dark Knight didn’t react.

The crowd roared. Some gasped, others laughed.

But Xinxin didn’t react.

It seemed foolhardy, but because of that, Xinxin was expecting it.

The Absolute Sword’s blade reached the Dark Knight’s neck. Yet, mere moments before it connected, the Dark Knight grabbed the sword.

Two fingers. The Dark Knight pinched the blade between his left index finger and thumb, holding it, as well as the Absolute Sword, completely still.

“Impossible!” The Absolute Sword stepped back, trying to wrench out his sword. Yet, before he could, the Dark Knight moved.

Crack.

The Dark Knight pinched his fingers, shattering the sword. In the next moment, darkness spread, wrapping around the Absolute Sword.

The crowd went silent.

A moment later, the masked man reappeared and said, “What’s this?! It appears that the Dark Knight is a demon as well! How rare! To have not one, but two foreigners participate in the Dark Tournament… it seems our prestige has spread quite far!”

Xinxin frowned.

Those words… and the fact that Xinxin could not determine the masked man’s true identity.

Originally, she departed to verify the information Wang Tian told her, but now… it seemed that she would need to verify the information she had found out for herself.

This ‘Dark Tournament’ and the presence of a ‘demon’. A true demon, unlike her who was a human.

Something else was at play here… and Xinxin was beginning to think that Goddess was involved.

“Kuh-!” The Absolute Sword strained to break free of the Dark Knight’s bindings. Yet, try as he might, the swordsman was unable to escape.

The Dark Knight… the demon slowly approached the Absolute Sword, eerily echoing the actions that Xinxin had previously taken.

Because of that, she watched with a curious eye.

The moment the Dark Knight was in arm’s reach of the Absolute Sword, darkness wrapped around the demon’s hand. After that, he plunged it into the swordsman’s abdomen and… ripped out the Absolute Sword’s dantian?

Xinxin frowned and leaned forward, focusing her eyes to look at the demon’s hand.

There was no mistaking it. While weak, barely beyond Foundation Establishment, there was no doubt that the demon was holding that Absolute Sword’s dantian.

Such a thing… while possible, in theory, to do so in practice would require someone on the level of Wang Tian or her Sifu, especially with the pristine condition the demon kept it in.

The Absolute Sword screamed, shrill sounds that grated the ears.

The Dark Knight grimaced and then kicked the Absolute Sword off the stage.

Since the match was clearly over, the barrier didn’t stop the swordsman. As a result, he flew through the air and then landed on his head. There was a loud crack and the screams stopped.

The Dark Knight… the demon shook his head. After that, darkness rippled up his arm before enveloping the dantian. When it had, the dantian vanished.

It was similar. Eerily similar to her own powers… but also different. Others might not have been able to notice, but she could. While it appeared that the demon had devoured the dantian, he was simply storing it. The darkness had enclosed the dantian, but had not assimilated it like Xinxin had with her foe’s powers.

The demon turned around and started walking off the arena. Yet, by chance, he caught Xinxin’s gaze.

Did he notice something? The demon’s eyes widened when he looked upon her.

In response, Xinxin’s eyes narrowed.

If he thought that he could do the same thing to her… well, he would be sorely disappointed.

She still wasn’t sure what her Sifu had done to her cultivation base, but she was certain. What she had wouldn’t lose to anyone. It might be a ‘core’, but she definitely wasn’t at the Core Formation stage.

The demon shook his head and walked off. At the same time, the masked man reappeared and began the post fight announcements.

Xinxin sighed and walked back to her lounge.

That had been interesting. This world… it was quite a bit more diverse than the Xia Kingdom. Unpredictable as well.

Was that a result of the Goddess’s boredom? Coincidence, or design? And if the latter…

A knock on the door. “Miss Faith. It is time for your next match. May I come in?”

“Go ahead.”

There was a click and the door opened. The attendant walked in and bowed her head. “Your next match will be with the Madam of Illusions. As such, I wish to know if you intend to continue or finish your challenge here.”

Xinxin scoffed. “Madam of Illusions? Give up to one calling herself that?” She shook her head. “Never.”

The attendant nodded. “I expected as much. Then… shall we go?”

“Yes… Ah. But I am curious.” Xinxin frowned. “Why are there so many obnoxious names in this tournament?”

The attendant’s mouth twitched and then she said, “Most practitioners in the unorthodox world use names embodying their powers. Miss Faith is an exception.”

Xinxin frowned. “I have faith in my powers. How is that an exception?”

That time, the attendant smiled. She shook her head and said, “Miss Faith truly is… different. Regardless, we should be on our way.”

Xinxin nodded and followed her out. At the same time, she remembered to be cautious and use her spiritual sense to both map the way and check for hidden dangers.

Because of that, Xinxin realized that they were taking a different route this time. It still would lead to the arena, but in doing so it passed a small stage with a sign: Dark Tournament Grand Prize.

On the right side of the stage, there was a vast pile of platinum coins. At a glance, she could tell that it was the one million Tian promised. But on the left… while Xinxin didn’t care for that exotic Western Continent slave, she couldn’t help but find herself staring at it.

A beautiful woman with sharp Western features. Unblemished milky skin, with emerald eyes and long, honey-colored hair. But perhaps the most striking features were her ears, slightly pointed and sticking out from beneath the woman’s hair.

Xinxin had never seen anyone like the woman before. And yet… Xinxin found her familiar.

“Miss Faith?” The attendant stopped and turned around to look at Xinxin. “Is there a problem?”

“No.” Xinxin shook her head. “Let us be on our way.”

HappyVainGlory

I was rudely volunteered to do extra work today, so I didn't get to finish this until late. :sigh: 

Anyway, thanks for reading and leaving comments. I'm glad that the story seems to be enjoyable. 

Though, if it's been a while since you've read the story, I'd recommend doing a reread. If you do, you might be able to catch a few of the upcoming twists...

Once again, thanks for reading, and I'll see you sometime tomorrow.