"Cough... cough, cough..."
A bout of violent coughing rang out.
Han Yuchen covered his mouth, his shoulders heaving violently.
When he lowered his hand, a glaring streak of red seemed to show between his fingers.
"Gasp—"
The entire audience sucked in a breath of cold air.
Was this even a soul master?
He was clearly a patient on the verge of death!
Xue Qinghe stood atop the platform, watching the swaying figure with a slight frown.
"Had he really become this useless?"
"Or was he... pretending again?"
A trace of doubt flashed through her golden eyes.
But it was quickly replaced by indifference.
Whether he was pretending or not, facing that inhuman monster, even a Soul Ancestor at their peak would not fare well.
"Let me see your Trump Card, Han Yuchen."
"This is that genius... who wiped out Heaven Dou Team 2 with a single finger?"
Someone rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
"How had he turned into such a wreck?"
"I heard he suffered a cultivation backlash and destroyed his foundation to save his life."
"How tragic. Truly tragic."
The mockery from before instantly turned into a complicated mix of pity and contempt.
In this world where strength was revered above all else.
The weak did not deserve respect.
Especially those weaklings who had once stood high above, only to fall into the mud.
Han Yuchen turned a deaf ear to it all.
He lowered his head and watched the path beneath his feet.
In truth, his Spiritual Power had already spread across the entire arena like a vast net.
[Star Atlas] was operating at full capacity.
He was analyzing the environment.
Wind speed, humidity, the angle of the light.
Even the hardness of the arena's stone slabs and the location of every crack had formed a