The Heaven List arena was nothing short of madness.
Carved into the cliffs outside Qingzhou, the massive coliseum's stands were packed with thousands of sect elders, rogue cultivators, spirit beast tamers, merchants, gamblers, and opportunists. Banners from the Four Great Prefectures waved proudly above, casting colorful shadows over the bloodstained fighting grounds below.
It wasn't just a tournament.
It was a proving ground.
A declaration.
A hunt.
Only twenty names would make it onto the Heaven List. The rest? Forgotten. Or buried.
1. Walking into the Storm
Lin Bufan stood at the bottom of the waiting pit, gazing up at the light spilling in from the arena above.
Around him, the other participants sharpened their weapons, whispered incantations, or sat in silent focus.
One kid from the Jade Heart Sect kept staring at him.
Another, from the Mountain Break Clan, snorted. "You're the guy who made it here by accident, right? Some street urchin who beat a weak envoy?"
Bufan looked at him.
He didn't speak.
He didn't blink.
The guy frowned. "Oi! You deaf or dumb?"
Bufan slowly tied back his hair. "Neither. Just bored."
The guy raised his hand to throw a punch.
A sudden burst of killing intent stopped him cold.
Mu Qingxue appeared beside Bufan, her aura flickering like a blade halfway unsheathed.
"Try it," she said, "and they'll need two stretchers: one for your body and one for your ego. One for your body, one for your ego."
The Mountain Breaker kid turned pale. He stepped back.
Bufan gave a lazy smirk. "Told you. Boring."
2. The first round begins.
A gong echoed across the arena.
"Heaven List Preliminaries—Round One!"
The announcer's voice thundered. "Match one: Lin Bufan vs. Qin Shaoye of the Iron Flame Sect!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Qin Shaoye wasn't just anyone—he was an elite at the Foundation Core stage. He was known for burning down an entire bandit fort in one night. He was ranked in the top ten of his class.
"Guess I drew attention," Bufan muttered.
Qingxue tilted her head. "They want to crush you early."
Bufan stepped forward. "Let's disappoint them."
3. Match One: Fire Meets Shadow
Qin Shaoye strode into the arena, surrounded by orange flames licking his fists. His hair was tied with iron wire, and his eyes blazed with contempt.
"You? You're the nobody everyone's gossiping about?"
Bufan didn't answer.
"I'll make sure no one remembers your name."
Shaoye raised both hands, and twin fire dragons exploded forward, scorching the stone floor.
The crowd roared.
But Bufan vanished.
Step One: Ghostwalk.
He reappeared behind Shaoye in the blink of an eye.
Step Two: Flicker Blade.
Blood exploded from Qin Shaoye's shoulder as Bufan's sword tore through his defense.
"What the—?!"
Step Three: Soulstep Counter.
Bufan twisted and ducked a flame blast before slamming his palm into Shaoye's gut. Internal energy surged.
BOOM!
Qin Shaoye flew across the arena and slammed into the far wall, coughing up blood.
Silence.
Then, cheers erupted.
Wild, thunderous cheers.
"WINNER—LIN BUFAN!"
4. Shockwaves
Up in the stands, sect elders exchanged sharp glances.
"That speed...that movement. It's beyond Body Tempering."
"But his cultivation aura isn't stable. He's hiding something."
"It's more likely that someone boosted him. Secret art? Bloodline technique?"
A wrinkled old man in gray robes leaned forward. "No, that wasn't borrowed power."
They turned. "Then what?"
The old man's eyes gleamed. "That was system flow. Raw and brutal."
5. Interlude: From the Shadows
A figure cloaked in shadow watched from the highest spire of the arena.
"He's accelerating too fast," she whispered.
A male voice answered through a jade slip. "Let him. If he burns too hot, he'll destroy himself."
"But if he survives..."
"...then he may break through the tier ceiling. And that's when we'll really kill him."
The shadowed figure vanished.
6. System Alert:
Back in his quarters, Bufan sat cross-legged as energy surged through his limbs.
[DING! Victory Bonus Claimed.
→ EXP +1200
Cultivation +0.3 Levels
Trait Unlocked: "Flicker Counter": +15% speed on reactive strikes
Threat Level: Rising
Estimated Power Rank:
Estimated Power Rank: Bottom of Tier B+
Bufan exhaled. The air shimmered around him.
Mu Qingxue stood nearby with her arms crossed. "They'll throw monsters at you next."
"I hope so."
She raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy this?"
He looked up at her.
"I'm not fighting to survive anymore.
"I'm fighting to dominate."
7. Name Among Giants
Three more matches passed.
Three more victories.
Bufan beat a wind cultivator in under ten seconds.
He broke a Stone Body brute's arm with one hit.
He dodged a Thunder Fist disciple's attacks as if they were child's play.
By sunset, the scoreboard had been updated.
Heaven List — Preliminary Leaderboard:
Xie Yu (Heaven Blade Sect)
Bai Linyue (Frostcloud Palace)
Lu Fanchen (Mystic Tomb Hall)
...
Lin Bufan (Unaffiliated)
— Record: 4 wins, 0 losses
Duration: Average Duration: 49 Seconds
Status: Flagged
8. Flagged:
Being "flagged" on the Heaven List meant two things.
First, you were strong enough to be noticed.
Second, someone wanted you gone.
Bufan saw it. He smiled.
Then he looked up at the next bracket.
Next match: Lin Bufan vs. Yu Canghai (Black River Sect).
A name famous for cruelty. He was rumored to have killed a sect elder at age sixteen. He is known for one thing:
The Soul-Binding Chains.
9. Soul-Binding Chains
The next day, when Lin Bufan stepped into the arena, the sky was a bruised shade of red.
Yu Canghai was already waiting for him.
Tall. Lean. He was wrapped in dark robes stitched with ancient talismans. Two long black chains coiled like living snakes on his back.
He didn't speak. He just smiled.
The chains slithered out and struck.
Fast.
Bufan barely dodged the first one.
—but the second one slammed into his side and latched onto his ribs like a living leech.
Pain flared. The chain pulsed and—
"Are you draining my spiritual energy?!"
[WARNING! Host energy leak detected. System defenses auto-deployed.
System Defense: 37% integrity.
Soul-Binding Chains: Cursed Type — Forbidden Art, Class B
Effect: Drains qi and disrupts internal flow.
Bufan grimaced. He slashed with his sword, but the chain wrapped around the blade and flung it aside.
Yu Canghai chuckled.
"Nice tricks, peasant," he said calmly. "But this is where you stop."
The chains erupted from the ground like vipers, spiraling around Bufan in a binding formation.
"Bind the soul. Lock the dantian. Shatter the will."
10. Limit Broken
Bufan knelt with blood dripping from his mouth. The crowd began to murmur.
"Is he losing?"
"He was all hype after all."
Yu Canghai raised a hand to finish him off.
[System Trigger: Crisis Threshold Passed.
→ Adaptive Evolution Initiated.
Suddenly—
A pulse erupted from Bufan's chest.
The chains snapped back as if burned.
The system spoke again:
New Trait Unlocked: "Soul Recoil."
Reflects partial soul-type damage.
Counter: 120% rebound on cursed bindings.
Yu Canghai staggered. His arms trembled. "What—?!"
Bufan stood up.
His eyes glowed gold. Qi swirled around him like a storm.
"You like chains?" he said coldly. "Here, let me return the favor."
He vanished.
11. System Combo: Soul Recoil, Flicker Counter, Phantom Step.
Yu Canghai tried to retreat.
Too late.
Bufan's fist cracked against his jaw, disrupting his control. The chains fell limp.
Then, as Bufan spun, he kicked the sword up and slashed it across Yu's chest.
Blood sprayed.
The final blow was a rising palm that shattered the cursed talisman on Yu's heart.
BOOM!
Yu Canghai flew out of the ring like a broken arrow.
Silence.
Then—explosion!
"Lin Bufan wins again!"
12. Word Spreads
In the crowd, a cloaked figure from the Sword Sect wrote on a jade scroll.
"The target is evolving. Too fast."
"I recommend forced recruitment or immediate suppression."
Another voice responded.
"Too late. He's already been seen."
13. The Dragon Looks Down
At the highest seat in the arena, Xie Yu, the top-seeded fighter, leaned forward.
He was young. Calm. He held a teacup.
His eyes locked onto Bufan.
"Interesting," he said.
Seated beside him, Bai Linyue flicked her fan. "He's loud."
"Loud gets noticed. Loud gets killed."
"Do you think you'll fight him?"
Xie Yu sipped his tea. "I hope so."
14. System Upgrade: Heaven List Variant Unlocked
That night, the system rang louder than ever before.
[System Evolution Triggered]
You have entered the "Public Combat Recognition" state.
Heaven List path unlocked.
[New Feature: Public Kill Count Ranking.
Visible to observers.
The top 10 ranked players receive fame buffs, combat pressure debuffs, and encounter priority.
Bufan stared at the screen.
"Great," he muttered. "Now I'm playing with aggro on full blast."
Qingxue leaned in from behind him. "You're officially famous now."
He turned around. "Worried?"
She smiled.
"No, just...proud."
15. Eyes from the Dark
Night fell.
But the Heaven List arena didn't sleep.
In a shadowed alcove beneath the eastern pavilions, two figures whispered over a soul lamp.
"His growth is accelerating too fast. Three trait awakenings in one day?"
"He's adapting mid-combat. That's not just talent. It's evolution."
"Should we move?"
There was a pause.
"No, let the Sword Sect test him first. If he survives Xie Yu, then we'll take him."
16. The List Updates Again
The next morning, the Heaven List shifted once more.
Heaven List Preliminary — Top 10 Update:
Xie Yu — 5 wins (total time: 2 min. 41 sec.)
Bai Linyue: 5 wins (average time: 37 seconds)
Lu Fanchen: 5 wins (status: clean sweep).
Yu Canghai — Eliminated
—
...
Lin Bufan: 5 wins (average time: 29 seconds)
System Flag: "Disruptor"
Status: Observed by four major sects.
Bufan scanned the board as he walked.
The number beside his name glowed blood red:
"Disruptor," huh?
He liked the sound of that.
17. The Girl in White
As he passed through the inner courtyard, someone blocked his path.
A girl in white. Hood up. Her hair was like ink. Her aura was restrained to the point of vanishing.
Bufan stopped. He narrowed his eyes.
"You're not from any sect."
She tilted her head. "Neither are you."
Silence.
Then she asked, "Why do you fight?"
Bufan blinked. "To win."
"No," she said. "Why do you keep winning?"
Before he could answer, she disappeared—like mist dissolving in the dawn.
18. Meanwhile, at the Sword Sect Camp:
Xie Yu stood alone with his blade resting across his lap.
His junior brother crouched beside him. "He's reckless. Crude."
Xie Yu didn't respond.
"You could crush him in seconds."
Still, silence.
The junior frowned. "He's nothing compared to you."
Xie Yu finally spoke.
"No," he said quietly. "He reminds me of me—before the blade turned cold."
19. Back at camp,
Mu Qingxue tossed Xie Yu a peach.
Bufan caught it. "You always show up right after I bleed."
"That's part of my charm."
He bit into the fruit. Juice ran down his chin.
"I made the top ten."
"I saw."
He paused. "Do you still think I'm not ready?"
She looked at him. Long. Quietly.
"You're almost ready," she said. "But the next stage? It's not just about power. It's about control."
Bufan nodded.
Deep inside him, something else was waking up.