Wang's amplified laughter boomed through the arena. "It appears Crimsonpeak Martial Hall couldn't find anyone willing to face you, Liam! They've resorted to sending children! How embarrassing!"
More laughter from Thunder Hall's section. Several audience members joined in, finding the apparent mismatch amusing.
In the stands, one of the young men who'd been discussing Liam suddenly stood, squinting at the platform. "Zeng... is that..."
His companion stood as well, his expression going from confusion to shock. "That's Vaelor! Vaelor Draeth from our class!"
"What the hell is he doing up there?!"
Huo Thornwick studied both combatants with experienced eyes, his expression becoming more thoughtful as he observed Vaelor. That young man's vitality is... unusual. Denser than expected for someone his age. And his spiritual presence is remarkably controlled.
"Young man," Huo addressed Vaelor directly. "May I ask your age and cultivation level?"
"Seventeen years old," the clone replied calmly. "LV14, Tier 2 Warrior."
The declaration sent ripples of shock through the audience.
"LV14? At seventeen?"
"That's... that's actually higher level than Liam!"
"But Liam has rare profession and actual combat experience!"
"Still, LV14 at that age is genuinely impressive—"
Liam's mocking expression faltered briefly before hardening into something more serious. "LV14? Fine. I guess you're not completely helpless then."
He dropped into combat stance, electricity beginning to arc more intensely across his body. "But level means nothing without skill. I'm going to enjoy breaking you, pretty boy."
Vaelor's expression remained perfectly calm, almost bored. "We'll see."
Huo Thornwick raised one hand. "This is an official martial challenge sanctioned by Ironpeak Martial Hall. Combat will continue until one party surrenders, is rendered unconscious, or in my judgment is unable to continue safely."
His gaze swept both combatants.
"Lethal techniques are forbidden. Permanent maiming is forbidden. Excessive cruelty will result in immediate disqualification and potential legal consequences."
He paused, letting those rules sink in.
"Do both parties understand and accept these terms?"
"Understood," Vaelor said simply.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Liam replied with dismissive wave.
Huo's hand dropped.
"BEGIN!"
Liam exploded forward immediately, electricity surging through his body as he activated his Storm Ravager abilities. Lightning crackled beneath his feet, increasing his speed dramatically as he closed the distance.
"STORM FIST!"
His right hand became wreathed in concentrated electrical energy as he drove it toward Vaelor's face with Tier 2 warrior speed—fast enough that normal people couldn't track the movement.
The audience gasped, several people flinching at the brutal opening attack.
Vaelor didn't move.
He simply raised his left hand—casual, unhurried—and caught Liam's electrified fist in his palm.
CRACK!
The sound of impact echoed through the arena, but it wasn't the sound of bone breaking.
It was the sound of electrical energy dissipating harmlessly against an unmovable object.
Liam's eyes went wide with shock. His full-power attack—enhanced with electrical energy, backed by Tier 2 strength—had been stopped completely. Effortlessly.
"That's your opening move?" Vaelor's voice carried mild disappointment. "I expected more from Thunder Hall's 'champion.'"
Then he squeezed.
CRACK!
Liam's hand bones fractured instantly under pressure that exceeded anything a normal Tier 2 warrior should generate. He screamed, trying to pull away, electricity surging in desperate attempt to shock Vaelor into releasing him.
The electrical attack washed over Vaelor's body and dispersed harmlessly. His physique—already partially transformed into energy-based existence—simply absorbed the lightning as if it were gentle massage.
"Interesting," Vaelor mused. "Electrical attacks. Unfortunately for you..."
He yanked Liam forward off-balance while simultaneously raising his right hand.
"I'm completely immune to energy-based damage."
His palm struck Liam's chest—not a full-power blow, just approximately 0.9 percent of his available strength.
The impact sounded like thunder contained within flesh.
BOOM!
Liam's body launched backward, flying across the entire hundred-meter platform like a cannonball. He crashed into the far barrier with bone-cracking force, the reinforced wall cracking from the impact.
He slid down slowly, leaving a blood smear, and crumpled to the ground unconscious. His chest showed a perfect palm imprint where Vaelor had struck him—the flesh already bruising in the distinctive pattern.
Silence.
Complete, absolute silence filled Thunder Martial Hall.
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The streamers' cameras remained locked on the platform, but the commentators had gone completely quiet, unable to process what they'd just witnessed.
The entire "fight" had lasted approximately three seconds from start to finish.
Vaelor lowered his hand, examining his palm briefly as if checking for injury, then turned toward Huo Thornwick.
"Is the match concluded? He appears to be unconscious."
Huo stared at Vaelor, his experienced mind racing to comprehend what his senses had just detected. That strike... the force behind it... that wasn't Tier 2 power. That was easily Tier 4, possibly approaching Tier 5.
And he made it look effortless.
"The match..." Huo's voice emerged carefully, "is concluded. Crimsonpeak Martial Hall's representative achieves victory."
The announcement broke the spell. Noise erupted as the audience reacted.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
"Liam got one-shot! ONE SHOT!"
"That can't be real! That has to be fake!"
"Did you see how fast he moved? That wasn't normal Tier 2 speed!"
In Thunder Hall's section, Wang Thornbeak sat frozen, his face cycling through shock, disbelief, and dawning horror. His carefully prepared champion—the student he'd been building promotional materials around—had been defeated in three seconds.
Humiliated. Destroyed. Made to look like a complete amateur.
The implications crashed down on him with suffocating weight.
In the front row, Scarlet Ashcroft sat perfectly still, her crimson eyes locked on Vaelor with laser focus. Her mind worked at maximum speed, analyzing what she'd witnessed, recalculating her entire assessment.
"That strike..." she whispered. "That level of power..."
Raina grabbed her arm excitedly. "Did you see that?! He just—he just destroyed a Tier 2 rare profession warrior in one hit! ONE HIT!"
"I saw," Scarlet replied quietly. Her gaze never left Vaelor. "I saw very clearly."
Lyanna leaned forward, her violet eyes wide with shock. "His spiritual control during that strike was perfect. Every movement optimized. No wasted energy. That's..."
"Masterful," Scarlet finished. "That's the combat efficiency of someone with decades of experience. Not a seventeen-year-old high school student."
Stone, the silent Guardian, finally spoke—his voice a deep rumble from behind his helmet. "Strong."
Kieran sat with her mouth hanging open, too shocked to even process what had happened. She'd known Vaelor was powerful—had witnessed him send Wang's warriors flying days ago—but this...
Three seconds. He ended the fight in three seconds. Against a Tier 2 rare profession warrior. Like swatting an insect.
On the platform, Vaelor walked calmly back toward the stairs, completely ignoring the chaos his demonstration had created.
Medical personnel rushed onto the platform to attend to Liam, who remained unconscious with several broken bones and severe internal bruising. Not life-threatening—Vaelor had controlled his strength precisely—but enough to hospitalize him for weeks.
As the clone descended the stairs, Huo Thornwick's voice rang out again, this time with steel beneath the polite tone.
"Director Wang. According to the terms you yourself proposed, this matter is settled. You will not pursue the false debt claim again. You will not trouble Crimsonpeak Martial Hall further."
Wang's face had gone pale, sweat visible on his forehead. "I... yes. Of course. The matter is... is settled."
"Good." Huo's eyes carried warning. "I will be monitoring this situation personally. Any violation of today's agreement will bring consequences you cannot afford."
The threat was clear. Wang slumped in his seat, all his earlier confidence evaporated.
The clone returned to the front row, settling back into his seat with perfect composure as if he'd simply taken a brief walk rather than publicly humiliated Thunder Hall's champion.
Kieran stared at him, words failing completely.
Scarlet leaned forward, her crimson eyes glittering with intensity that suggested major decisions crystallizing in her mind.
"Vaelor Draeth," she said slowly, tasting the name. "I think we need to have a very serious conversation about your future. I dont think the SSS-Level Contract is enough."
The clone met her gaze calmly. "Oh?"
"Yes." Scarlet's smile was sharp, predatory. "Because what I just witnessed suggests you're not just an anomaly. You're the kind of anomaly that appears once in a generation."
Around them, the arena continued buzzing with shocked conversation. The streamers' comment sections had exploded with activity. Several martial hall representatives were already making calls, reporting what they'd witnessed to their leadership.
In the stands, Luo Xi sat with her friend, her purple eyes thoughtful as she studied Vaelor from a distance.
"That wasn't normal spiritual power," she murmured to herself. "The way he controlled that strike... the precision..."
"Xixi, did you say something?" her friend asked.
"Nothing." Luo Xi continued observing. "Just... thinking about something interesting."
On the platform, medical personnel were loading the unconscious Liam onto a stretcher. The damage assessment showed multiple fractured ribs, severe internal bruising, a shattered hand, and mild concussion.
All from a single, casual strike that had lasted less than a second.
Wang Thornbeak sat in his section, surrounded by his deflated warriors and disappointed students, staring at nothing as the full consequences of his loss began crystallizing.
He'd wanted a public spectacle. Wanted to demonstrate Thunder Hall's superiority. Wanted to humiliate Crimsonpeak.
He got his public spectacle.
Just not the kind he'd imagined.
And as video footage of the three-second fight began circulating through social media, streaming platforms, and martial arts forums—as "mysterious golden-eyed teenager destroys Tier 2 warrior in one hit" became the trending topic—Vaelor's reputation was about to undergo explosive growth.
Whether he wanted it or not.
The clone, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm, already thinking ahead to the next steps.
Guild recruitment established. Public demonstration complete. Reputation enhanced sufficiently to access better resources.
Now to maintain this identity while the main body continues cosmic cultivation.
Everything according to plan.
TO BE CONTINUED...
[Main Body Status: Continuing cultivation, 60+ subjective hours passed]
[Clone Status: Thunder Hall challenge complete, guild interest secured]
[Reputation Impact: Massive increase - viral moment spreading across city]