Not long after he left the Cave Mansion, the people watching from the shadows emerged from their hiding places one after another.
One of them approached the entrance first and pressed a hand against the wooden door.
The instant his palm touched the door, the intricate lines covering its surface lit up in unison. A steady, low electrical current traveled up his arm, transferring energy from the door into his body in a fraction of a second.
His body abruptly went rigid, his hair stood on end, and the skin on his face rapidly blackened. A muffled grunt escaped his throat before he pitched forward and slid down the door. He was already unconscious when he hit the ground.
The others watched from ten paces away. None dared approach. Some backed away a few steps, while others turned and hurried off, crossing the Plaza in different directions to report to their respective factions.
Only one person stayed behind, hiding in a recess in the rock wall beside the cave and continuing to watch the entrance.
By then, Xiao Yun had returned to the Plaza.
He had barely come to a stop in the open space when someone called from the Arena area, "Xiao Huohuo, get up here."
He walked through the crowd and onto the stone platform. A burly man with a bulging belly already stood opposite him, his upper body bare and his stomach covered in old scars.
The man carried two ghost-headed broadswords, each nearly two meters long. Their edges gleamed coldly in the gray-white light.
As soon as Xiao Yun stepped onto the platform, several spectators began talking, their voices tinged with unmistakable fear.
Someone said the man was called Man-Eating Ghost. He had long since earned the ten wins needed to enter the core area, but