Coin of Fate

On the arena platform, Qin Chuan drew the Clown Dwarf's phantom back into his palm.

"First Soul Skill, Coin of Fate."

His first Soul Ring lit up.

All his soul power surged back into his palm, churning and compressing within it before finally condensing into a gold coin, held firmly between his index and middle fingers.

The gold coin was small, only the size of a thumbnail. A smiling face was engraved on one side, a crying face on the other. Its workmanship was so exquisite that it hardly looked like something formed from soul power; it looked more like a craftsman had spent half a month making it.

The entire arena fell silent for a moment.

Tang San's expression changed.

His soul skill wasn't released outward, but worked on himself?

His powers of observation were exceptional, and he immediately noticed what was wrong-this soul skill wasn't released outward. All its energy remained inside that gold coin.

It didn't look like an attack, a defense, or a support enhancement.

He couldn't determine how this thing would hurt anyone.

Whispers began spreading through the stands, too.

"Is that all a support-type can do? I think he's been beaten stupid."

"You don't think he's planning to throw that gold coin at Tang San, do you?"

Laughter erupted.

Yu Xiaogang didn't laugh. He stared at the gold coin in Qin Chuan's hand, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

He had noticed the same problem as Tang San: all the soul skill's energy was sealed inside the coin, without a trace leaking out.

When a normal soul skill was released, some soul power fluctuations would spread outward. That was common knowledge. But Qin Chuan's soul skill was unnaturally clean.

What did that mean?

Yu Xiaogang didn't know. But his instincts told him this soul skill was far more dangerous than it appeared.

On the platform, Qin Chuan balanced the gold coin upright on his thumb and waggled it at Tang San.

"Once Coin of Fate is activated, the target must choose a side. Heads or tails."

"The coin is tossed, and the result is settled when it lands. Guess right, and you're rewarded. Guess wrong, and you're punished."

He paused.

"I'll go first this round. I choose heads."

Tang San narrowed his eyes.

He was using it on himself?

Not on his enemy?

He had no time to think further. Qin Chuan's thumb had already flicked upward.

The gold coin flew into the air.

It spun as it rose, the smiling and crying faces flashing in alternation. It spun faster and faster, becoming a swirling halo of gold.

Tang San made his decision almost the instant the gold coin left Qin Chuan's hand.

Whatever happened after the coin landed, he couldn't wait. An unknown soul skill with an unknown effect-once he allowed his opponent to finish casting it, the situation would no longer be under his control.

He bent down and swiftly picked up Soul Bone fragments from the ground. They were as sharp as iron nails.

Three Soul Bone fragments flew from his hand, trailing wisps of pale blue soul power.

One shot toward Qin Chuan's right shoulder, one toward his left ribs, and one straight for his throat.

He used the Eight Spider Lances' fragments to execute a Tang Sect hidden weapon technique.

At such close range, a support-type Soul King couldn't possibly react in time.

Behind him, Hu Liena cried out, "Qin Chuan!"

Her voice cracked.

The three bone fragments struck.

Qin Chuan didn't dodge.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. Three ribs in his chest were broken, and the ligament in his right shoulder was torn. He was only standing through sheer mental strength. Where would he find the strength to dodge?

The first bone fragment sank into his right shoulder.

An inch deep.

The second pierced his left ribs, right beside the broken bones.

The third stabbed half an inch into the side of his neck.

Qin Chuan swayed backward. A thin line of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, ran down his chin, and dripped onto the tiles beside his feet.

But he didn't fall. He didn't even look down at the three bone fragments.

His eyes remained fixed on the gold coin still spinning in midair.

It hurt.

But it would be over soon. He was guaranteed to guess correctly in his first round each day.

Laughter exploded through the stands.

"See that? He just stood there and took it!"

"He didn't even dodge. Isn't he just a target?"

"A support-type is still a support-type. He conjured a coin and thought he could step into the arena. Three bone fragments later, he's gone stupid."

"Spirit Hall expects someone like him to turn this around?"

Ma Hongjun scoffed. "Third Brother immobilized him with nothing but bone fragments. What comeback could he possibly make?"

Beside him, Oscar shook his head. "Maybe he really has been beaten stupid. Something's wrong with his brain."

Tang San was deeply puzzled.

All three Soul Bone fragments had hit. His opponent hadn't used any defensive soul skill, dodged, or blocked. That wasn't normal.

A person's instinctive reaction at the brink of death couldn't lie. Even an ordinary person would unconsciously turn their head or draw in their shoulders when a needle came at them.

Qin Chuan's gaze wasn't unfocused.

He stared at the gold coin with the concentration of someone watching something that was already certain to happen.

Without realizing it, Tang San conjured the phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer between his fingers.

On the papal dais, Bibi Dong tapped a finger lightly against her armrest.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan couldn't make sense of any of it.

Then the gold coin fell, striking the blue stone tiles.

It bounced once, made one final hop, and settled flat on the ground.

The smiling face was up.

Heads.

The change didn't happen immediately.

After roughly a breath of silence, the Soul Bone fragment in the side of Qin Chuan's neck moved on its own.

Its exposed end trembled slightly as some force pushed against it from within. Then, with a clang, the [bone fragment] shot out, traced an arc through the air, and embedded itself in the arena tiles.

The second followed, withdrawing from his left ribs with a trace of bloody froth before flying away.

The third pulled free of his right shoulder and was flung thirty feet away.

Qin Chuan's body had expelled all three Eight Spider Lances fragments on its own.

Tang San's pupils contracted.

This wasn't a protective soul power barrier, detoxification, or any healing method he had ever seen. The Soul Bone fragments had been expelled by a rule utterly unfamiliar to him.

The next instant, golden light flared.

It didn't come from outside. It shone out through every pore in Qin Chuan's body at once.

Golden light seeped through the cracks in his body.

Three sharp cracks came from the caved-in area on the left side of his chest.

The broken ribs realigned and healed on their own within the golden light. His dislocated right shoulder jolted, and the bones returned to place with a series of dull clicks.

As the golden light swept over the blood soaking his clothes, it faded into dark, dried stains. No fresh blood seeped out.

The entire process took less than three seconds.

The golden light faded.

Qin Chuan stood where he was, breathing steadily, his back straight.

He rolled his right shoulder and turned his neck, as though he had just woken up.

The laughter throughout the arena died, syllable by syllable.

Thousands of pairs of eyes in the stands stared at the platform. No one spoke.

On the platform, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue all stared, dumbfounded.

Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet, scraping his chair half a foot backward.

Flender turned toward him and saw that Yu Xiaogang's face had gone white.

On the platform, Qin Chuan raised his head and looked at Tang San.

Tang San's hand gripping the Clear Sky Hammer didn't move, but his feet unconsciously retreated half an inch.

Qin Chuan smiled. The blood at the corner of his mouth had already dried, making his smile look a little grimy, but he didn't care.

"Your aim was pretty good. Twin martial souls, Tang Sect hidden weapon techniques-not bad."

He took a step forward.

"But this ends here."

He took another step.

"Now..."

He spread his hands, and the Clown Dwarf's phantom lit up in his palms again.

"I'm going to let you experience the terror of being ruled by a game!"