I zoned out the crowd around me as I moved past them, my thoughts drifting away from the next fight. Though my mind wasn't absentminded, a strange calmness settled over me despite the rage boiling within my chest. The tension of anger and tranquility coexisting within me was an odd, almost surreal sensation.

Fu Yating followed behind me, and as we entered the dark hallways under the arena, the only sound we heard was our footsteps echoing around us.

A heavy tension filled the air as I tried to devise ways to kill that bastard.

"Do you even know where Song Song's room is?" asked Fu Yating, looking around cautiously. Her eyes had an unreadable look, and I wondered if she regretted coming along with me.

"Yes," I answered.

Though we weren't going to Song Song's room. First, I was going to pay her opponent a visit.

We ended up in a secluded part of the maze-like hallways, and I looked around to check if anyone was nearby. Thankfully, it seemed like we were alone, and I already had some ideas about relieving that guy of his mortal coils.

"Do you even know where we are?" asked Fu Yating, frowning as she saw me looking around like a lost lamb.

I didn't bother answering her, and with a wave, I took out two uniforms from my storage ring. One was a pure white uniform, and the other was a dark gray uniform that resembled that of the Titanic Blade Sect's disciples. I took the gray uniform and threw it to Fu Yating.

"Here, put this on. Also, turn around, I'm about to change," I said.

Fu Yating hurriedly did as she was told, and I quickly changed into the white uniform and put on a cloth that resembled a face mask. My fiancée, on the other hand, looked more confused than ever as she turned around and stared at me.

"What are you waiting for? Change uniforms, too. I know it might be a bit big for you, but we have to make do with what we have," I instructed.

"What even is this?"

"You were the one who wanted to come along," I reminded her. "So, you're free to leave whenever you want. But from this point on, you will have to listen to me and play along. Remember, you are my apprentice; that is all you need to know."

Her confusion remained, but Fu Yating wore her new uniform and handed me her old one. "Keep it in your storage ring."

Thankfully, by the time she was done dressing, she had an innocent look in her eyes like a lost lamb, ready to learn anything. It seemed like she had come to her senses and was prepared to play her character.

"Good," I nodded.

"Of course, teacher! Thank you for the compliment!" She smiled enthusiastically.

It was creepy how good she was at acting and how fast she changed characters. Though she didn't change appearance, it still felt like I was standing before a shapeshifter. Her body language and expressions were so different; it was like she had become another person.

After that, we continued walking around the empty hallways. Though most of the people from the inner Sect were watching the tournament above, the Sect hadn't wholly abandoned security measures. There were still some patrols around the Sect and, of course, in the underground tunnels.

I spread my senses, trying to detect any guards nearby, and there were a couple.

As I approached one of them, I hunched my back and began humming a song, a nonchalant smile on my face.

The person we stumbled upon was an inner disciple dressed in blue. He stood around with a spear in hand and looked bored. It appeared like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

I understood where he was coming from. After all, the Sect Leader was around. What were the guards helpful for if a fight broke out? They were mainly here just to stick around and perhaps for crowd control… Even then, this wasn't like my previous world, where crowds could be dangerous to a leader.

"Excuse me, young man," I called out to the guy who was physically older than me. "I was sent here to manage some kind of cursed wound? Apparently, a bleeding curse or something?"

The inner disciple straightened his posture and opened his mouth as if he were about to answer on instinct. But he quickly came to his senses and frowned, "Who are you?"

"Just some random guy who specializes in dealing with curses. You don't have to act so rigid; I'm nobody important," I chuckled good-naturedly.

He relaxed a bit after I said that. My words didn't necessarily assure him, but my casual demeanor did. No high-ranking, uptight elder would act like this.

"Do you have some form of identification?" he asked.

"Of course," I nodded and put my hand on my inner robe as if to take something out. I formed a palm-sized plaque using Dancing Jade Armor and used enough Qi to make the jade feel real and heavy.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I took out my plaque and showed it to him. It was rectangular, with two snakes intertwined around a flower and a fake name written at the bottom of the jade token. The technique also gave the token an unnatural shine.

"I remember when I first got this," I chuckled, as if going down memory lane. "I thought it was the biggest deal ever as if I were the next big Healer Saint. Then again, I thought the same when I joined the Void Piercing Sect but never achieved anything there."

He nodded, whether confirming my identity or because he agreed, it was hard to tell.

"Just go that way, and it is room 413," he pointed toward one of the hallways and handed me back the jade token. "Make sure to always go right. That will lead you to the guy injured during the previous fight; I think that might be your patient."

"Thanks, young man." I nodded and walked away, waving at him. "If you ever get a cursed wound or something like that, call me."

Once we were far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear us, Fu Yating looked around to make sure no one else was around.

Still cautious, she leaned in and whispered, "Are you going to… eliminate that guy?"

"Which guy?"

"You know, the one who illegally attacked your… friend. The same friend who you looked like a demon incarnate when she was injured. To someone who might not know you, they might think you are more than just friends," Fu Yating went on a rant.

"Yes, I'm going to eliminate him," I said, careful not to mention words like "kill” just in case any recording arrays were around that triggered by certain words.

"Huh, I thought you were a logical guy. But it seems like even you can be overtaken by emotions," Fu Yating commented.

No doubt she knew what her words were going to incite. I stopped walking and turned toward her. Despite the difference in our cultivation levels and the fact that we were alone, there was not an ounce of fear in her.

"Are you sure that is the right thing to do?" She asked, meeting my gaze and stepping closer until we were half an arm's length away. Her dark eyes stared into mine. "Do you think killing him will heal Song Song? Do you think this is the right time to pull a tantrum? Perhaps you should be supporting your friend. Being there for her when no one else is."

That…

All the aggression that had built up drained out of me.

She was right; this was just me drowning in my own bloodlust. I should let cooler heads prevail instead of acting like Song Song.

Right now, Song Song was injured to an unknown extent and alone in her room. If anyone wanted to assassinate her, now would be the perfect time. I should not be here.

"Thanks," I said and turned around. My senses spread out, and I charted a route toward the section of the arena where Song Song was.

Without saying anything, I put my arm around Fu Yating's waist, and we shot off like a bullet, moving through the tunnels at breakneck speed.

Thankfully, I had memorized the way to Song Song's room last time. So we were soon in front of her door. However, I couldn't sense her inside.

Was she away?

I frowned and was about to open the door when I sensed something from the inside. It was like a glass bottle breaking when left in the freezer for too long. So I put my arm around Fu Yating and backed off as an explosion rocked the hallway and knocked Song Song's door off its hinges.

A cold feeling spread through the hallways, and the dust cleared out as both fighters flexed their Qi, creating a strong wind.

On one side was Song Song, holding her bleeding ear and leaning against the door hinge. On the other side was a dark-haired young woman with icy-blue eyes and perfect skin. She was the epitome of jade-like beauty.

"Ye An," I muttered under my breath.

Someone had taken the chance to try to take out an injured Song Song. The reason why I couldn't sense Song Song even though I was just outside her door was because Ye An had done something.

The jade-like beauty turned toward me, a gleeful smile on her lips, and said, "Hey, Liu Feng, I'm finally having an advantage in a fight against Song Song."

I didn't bother responding. Instead, with a thought, I created a spherical translucent jade barrier around Fu Yating.

"This will hold on for a couple of minutes. Go as far away as you can," I advised my fiancée and added, "Don't bother notifying anyone. It would be a shame if they came here before we could kill her."

Fu Yating understood the situation and knew she would be useless in a fight of this caliber. Before she left, she took out a wooden pearl bracelet, and the barrier made way for her hand as she handed it to me.

"This is an artifact made by my father that can shoot a Foundation Establishment level attack once, and only once," Fu Yating said. Just outside of Ye An's view, her left hand held three fingers, signaling that the artifact could shoot three such attacks. She wanted Ye An to remain unaware of this fact.

I took out her previous white uniform with black sleeves and handed it to her.

"Please don't die. It would be a shame if I had another arranged marriage to some arrogant bastard," she said before running away.

I think that was the first time she was genuinely honest with me. It was far from a romantic declaration of love, but it was better this way.

My gaze returned to Ye An. She still wore her blue uniform and looked like a princess, but her beauty did nothing to change the genuine hate I felt for her.

"Can you at least stay away?" Ye An asked, looking at me with a conflicted gaze. "It would be a shame if you got harmed in the aftermath. You would leave your fiancée without a husband she seemed quite fond of."

Ye An had a way of imitating other people's manner of speech. This time, she was mimicking Fu Yating. Judging by the smirk on her face, she knew how annoying it was.

"C'mon, we both know you can't do anything with your level of power. It won't even turn the fight in her favor, as she would have to always protect you," Ye An reasoned.

She was right—a one-star Qi Gathering Cultivator stood no chance against someone like Ye An, who was a nine-star Qi Gathering Cultivator and could even challenge Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

On the other hand, a Level Three Array Conjurer definitely could.

I clasped my hands, and Song Song glanced at me from the corner of her eye. It was hard to tell whether she could even hear me with her burst eardrums or how much they had healed.

But we had practiced this together, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

I erected a barrier throughout the hallway, trapping us three inside.

Thousand Lightning Array!