Charles's Martial Path

Gongxi Hong watched the young man, covered in wounds, slowly steady himself on the arena, then watched him tear the ruined upper garment from his body and toss it onto the ground.

The rapidly healing wounds vanished one by one amid the dark-gold glow, as though time were flowing backward.

That sight was more convincing than any victory.

Ye Yixin leaned against the edge of the viewing platform with his eyes closed, his deep green robe fluttering faintly beneath the light of the sea of stars.

The relief had faded from his face, replaced by complete calm. It was not the calm of deliberate restraint, but the peace that came only after truly letting go.

He was considering a question: if he had gone all out from the beginning, would the outcome have been different?

After thinking for a while, he reached his answer: no.

Xu Wuyi's regenerative power had not been honed through attrition. His rules fundamentally countered sword intent.

So long as sword intent could not utterly destroy his body in a single blow, he could dissolve everything in his counterattack.

And Ye Yixin could not destroy him in one strike, because Xu Wuyi's bones were too hard. His sword intent had stopped at the finger bones. It was not that he did not want to cut deeper; his sword intent had simply run out.

That was the gap between them.

The light screen lit up above the arena once more.

The semifinal round had ended. Of the four names, only two remained: Charles and Xu Wuyi.

The voice of the rules rang in the minds of all sixteen people.

"The thirteenth summons will proceed after the break. This round will be a one-on-one deciding battle. The victor will receive the highest individual reward of this summons. All