"Xiao Die, return."

  Zhi Xuan's voice was hoarse, still affected by the backlash from the Single Blood Blade manifestation moments earlier. His voice was low and soft, yet in the midst of the silence filled with absorbed Spiritual Essence and suffocating fear, it sounded like an absolute command.

  Xiao Die, the Heavenly Moth, immediately ceased its angry, shrieking Titan hum. The rainbow aura on its wings dimmed, and it floated gracefully back to Zhi Xuan’s shoulder, disappearing into the folds of the expensive red silk robe. Its presence was now completely hidden, but the fear it left behind felt more real than the large hole in the cave wall.

  The cultivators, who had been kneeling on the ground under the sudden Titan pressure, slowly rose, their bodies trembling. The silver-robed man, who had demanded a hundred Spiritual Stones, now stared at the remains of the withered corpse on the ground with wide eyes.

  Instantly, everyone knew: they had just tried to prey on a tiger disguised as a sheep, and the tiger possessed a Fortieth Order Heavenly Insect capable of harvesting life essence in a flash.

  Zhi Xuan, without moving from his cross-legged position, opened his eyes fully. His sapphire eyes swept over the crowd coldly, displaying clear distaste.

  "Very well, gentlemen and ladies," Zhi Xuan said, his voice returning to its indifferent, flat tone. "The matter of this cave is settled. I hope you can overlook my mistake in making a hole in this cave."

  The silver-robed man, swallowing a choked gulp, immediately nodded. He no longer cared about the damage to his spiritual cave; the only thing he cared about was not disturbing the Black-Haired Devil who possessed a Fortieth Order Heavenly Moth.

  Zhi Xuan patted his waist and took out the remaining spiritual fruits and herbs, which he had previously obtained during his secluded cultivation on the dragon jade ridge years ago. He had no choice but to keep them silent and prevent them from spreading anything about him.

  "Take these," Zhi Xuan said, piling all the spiritual fruits and herbs. He then clasped his hands and bowed his body. "I apologize, once again."

  With those final words, Zhi Xuan walked past them out of the cave. His act of providing material compensation and bowing was a strange contrast—a Devil who had just used Titan power yet still upheld mortal etiquette, an irony that made the cultivators' hearts tremble even more.

  ‘If it weren't for Xiao Die, I would surely have died,’ Zhi Xuan muttered in his mind, sighing softly. ‘I was lucky enough to withdraw Xiao Die just in time.’

  Zhi Xuan knew that if he did not immediately stop Xiao Die, the Five Element cultivators in the city would immediately feel the spiritual fluctuation released by Xiao Die through its shriek.

  And that would bring far more troublesome danger than dealing with a hundred spiritual stones. Zhi Xuan left the cave, leaving behind the trembling crowd of cultivators, torn between accepting the spiritual herbs and the fear they had just experienced.

  A suffocating silence hung in the air. The silver-robed man, who had been hovering in anger, now slumped at the threshold of Zhi Xuan's cave, his hand trembling as he touched the pile of Misty Cloud Fruit and some Black Jade Grass—spiritual herbs far more valuable than the hundred low-grade Spiritual Stones he had demanded.

  “He… he gave us this?” the silver-robed man whispered, his voice filled with disbelief mixed with deadly relief. His eyes constantly glanced at the withered corpse on the ground, the remnants of the greedy cultivator.

  "Not Spiritual Stones, but Heavenly Herbs."

  A woman in a blue robe, known for her alchemy skills, quickly approached the pile of herbs. She picked up a stalk of snow ginseng that was beneath the pile of herbs, her eyes widening.

  “This is at least a hundred-year-old Snow Ginseng!” the blue-robed woman whispered, her voice choked. “And this Misty Cloud Fruit… even on the black market, the price would reach fifty Spiritual Stones per fruit! He gave this as compensation for a hole!”

  “Compensation?” The Silver-Robed Man snorted, his voice returning to normal, but his tone was now filled with profound respect. “This is not compensation. This is an expensive bribe of fear. He does not want us to talk about what happened tonight.”

  He turned towards the gaping hole in the cave wall, which now looked like a dragon's claw mark. The hole no longer felt irritating, but more like a Monument to their foolishness.

  “A Heavenly Moth,” another cultivator muttered, his voice trembling. “We are not just dealing or fooling around with a cultivator who tames an ancient insect.”

  "What if we report this to the law elder?" said one of the brown-robed men, his eyes looking in horror at the withered body on the ground. "This is a deviation in cultivation; he is a devil cultivator!"

  "Are you stupid?" the quiet Consciousness Transformation cultivator roared, his voice low and full of intrigue. "If that boy possesses a heavenly moth, he is certainly not a cultivator who can be easily messed with."

  "Yes, didn't you see the gold-jade bead in his hair? That's a divine cauldron! I can feel its fluctuation."

  "Yes, that's his spiritual artifact. However, I feel it's very ancient and there's something strange inside it."

  "Silence," the silver-robed man said, his face grim and restless with calculation. "We will not report this to the city law elder; we are witnesses, and witnesses are wise."

  "But, he is a devil cultivator!" the brown-robed man repeated, his hands trembling as he remembered how the heavenly moth sucked the life out of the now-withered cultivator on the ground. "We cannot allow this deviation to roam around us!"

  The quiet man snorted, glancing at Zhi Xuan who had disappeared from view. "Devil? Which devil would pay compensation for cave damage with heavenly fruits and herbs and bow his body? He is merely a genius with an unorthodox path."

  "You are right," the blue-robed woman said, her voice trembling. "That young man... he is not just strong; he is a hidden dragon. That Heavenly Moth is the key that proves his lineage or his great karma. We cannot afford the consequences that will occur if we get involved."

  "Not only will we not report this," the silver-robed man said, taking the Snow Ginseng from the blue-robed woman's hand and examining it thoroughly. His caution now surpassed fear—it was respect mixed with the thought of profit and loss. "We will not do what he wants."

  The blue-robed woman was slightly shocked by that statement. "Why?"

  "Didn't you see? He is trying to draw us into a bloody vortex," the silver-robed man said calmly and with deep calculation. "If we bet, we lose if he wins, and likewise if he loses."

  The silver-robed man sighed for a moment, his eyes sharpening. "That youth must have already made a wager with the arena side, promising what he promised us. Then when the time comes, he will just walk out of the arena and watch us fight the arena side over the blood crystals he promised."

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  "What do you mean, sir?" the blue-robed woman asked, her slender eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She looked at the silver-robed man who rented the caves in that area.

  The silver-robed man stared at the gaping hole in the cave wall, where the remnants of Zhi Xuan's spiritual blood essence still faintly lingered. His face was grim. He put the Misty Cloud Fruit into his storage pouch, his movements now calculating and devoid of emotion.

  "That young man—he is cunning. He offered us as if he was giving a golden opportunity, when in fact he was just transferring the risk," the silver-robed man said. "He promised Blood Crystals, which means he has to kill. He knows that our bets, the cultivators in this area, will draw much greater attention from the Arena spectators. They will see it as a major show, and the stakes will be even higher."

  "Right," the quiet Consciousness Transformation cultivator interjected, now stepping forward, his voice low and wise. "If he wins, he will get enough wealth. But he will leave us, who bet, to negotiate with the Devil's Bite Chain Arena about the Blood Crystal revenue split."

  "And if he loses?" the blue-robed woman added, now understanding the horrifying logic.

  The silver-robed man smiled bitterly, pointing at the withered corpse on the ground. "If he loses, he dies. His Blood Crystals will belong to the Arena. And we, who have publicly announced our support for him, will become enemies of the Arena. We will be branded as obstructors and disruptors. We will face the arena side, who will not hesitate to make us wither like this fool."

  Silence fell. They all realized that they had just been bribed with very expensive heavenly herbs only to keep silent and not interfere with the young man's plan.

  But they also felt the horror of the manipulation that, if they accepted it, they would be drawn into a blood vortex that would lead to the death of several parties. This was something very cruel and meticulously planned, as if they had almost made a wrong move in trusting Zhi Xuan.

  "You are right," the brown-haired man said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "If we take that offer, we will end up with problems that should not be ours."

  The silver-robed man, now an unwilling leader, nodded slowly. He felt a combination of respect and horror for the blood-smeared youth.

  The youth acted as if he was merely a cog in the great wheel of destiny, and he sought a way to turn that wheel, even if it meant sacrificing the people around him.

  “He is a hidden dragon with a Devil’s mind,” the silver-robed man muttered, looking in the direction where Zhi Xuan had disappeared. “He bought our silence with spiritual herbs and fruits, and he tried to buy our involvement with Blood Crystals. We will not do either.”

  The blue-robed woman, whose hands were still trembling from the experience of witnessing rapid death, asked, "So, we just... stay silent? We pretend nothing happened? And we accept his bribe?"

  The silver-robed man took the valuable Misty Cloud Fruit and nodded. “We must. This compensation is far more valuable than the cost of my rented cave damage, and it is a small price to buy peace. We will consider this as Heavenly Karma we obtained for not interfering with the foolishness committed by that greedy one.”

  “But, sir,” the brown-haired man interjected, “If he wins tomorrow night, he will be the headline in the Lower District. He will pay off his debt to the thugs. Then he will pay his debt to us. We will look foolish if we don't interfere.”

  The blue-robed woman snorted. “We will look foolish if we die. Isn't it better to look foolish than to be withered and dry like that skeleton?” She pointed with her chin at the corpse on the ground.

  The silver-robed man closed his eyes for a moment, stabilizing his Essence. He made a decision. “We will not participate. But we must gather information. We must know what is happening at the Devil's Bite Chain Arena.”

  He opened his eyes, and in them was a new, much more cautious flash of calculation. “If he is a dragon in disguise, we must not become his enemy. We must become his wise witnesses.”

  Outside the spiritual cave, in the middle of the forest and the darkness of the night, Zhi Xuan moved at high speed towards Green Cloud City. He had recovered about a third of the backlash from the Single Blood Blade technique, and the rest he would heal with light meditation during the journey.

  ‘You are bold. Exploiting their fear to solve your debt problem,’ Ruo Xianxue echoed, her voice filled with boredom yet rare respect. ‘Monkey, I almost do not recognize your brutality. You provided material compensation and a betting promise, transferring the risk from yourself to them.’

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a faint amusement appearing on his lips. He was jumping from one tree to another, his movements like a shadow under the crescent moon.

  ‘I just do not want to have problems, Tombstone,’ Zhi Xuan replied in his Sea of Consciousness. ‘If I cannot turn a crisis into an opportunity, then what is the point of the Dao I tread? This injury is merely the cost of forging a sword.’

  He knew that if the cultivators in the spiritual cave truly placed large bets on his name, the Devil's Bite Chain Arena would treat it as the main event. This would guarantee a more brutal fight, stronger opponents, and most importantly, bigger stakes.

  Zhi Xuan needed Spiritual Stones; he needed many, and fast. The fastest way was through bloodshed amplified by the greed of others.

  ‘And that mortal girl?’ Ruo Xianxue asked, her tone returning to skepticism. ‘That monkey statue now carries the trace of your Spiritual Blood. Will you go back just to see her?’

  Zhi Xuan sighed. He jumped down from a tall banyan tree, landing softly on a mossy path.

  ‘She is a mystery, not a burden,’ Zhi Xuan answered, his mind returning to Mei Hua's clear eyes. ‘A mortal who does not age, who can temporarily tame madness. If I can unravel her secret, it will be far more valuable. But now, I must find money to buy a stronger technique.’

  Zhi Xuan walked on foot across the forest towards the Green Cloud City gate, taking a detour that would lead him directly to the East Lower District. His body still felt stiff and tired, but the thought of fighting and harvesting wealth was enough to pump his essence.

  He arrived at the city gate, which was now guarded by more relaxed Empire patrols. He channeled his essence, hiding the fluctuation of his surging spiritual blood under a layer of normal Blood Transformation aura.

  He walked through the gate unimpeded, immediately heading towards the dark and squalid East Lower District. The atmosphere here felt heavy, filled with the smell of herbal smoke, cheap alcohol, and dried sweat.

  As he walked, Zhi Xuan recalled his interaction with Mei Hua. It was a strange interaction, as if he had met another, more fragile version of himself. He touched his storage pouch; he did not regret buying the Fire Blossom sweets. The sweets were the price for seeing a mystery, the price for triggering the mass foolishness of the spiritual cave cultivators.

  Three hours later, Zhi Xuan stood again in front of the dark 'Poison Cup' bar. The thick wooden door looked inviting, but Zhi Xuan knew that behind that door was the Immortal Path paved with blood and Spiritual Stones.

  That night, in the East Lower District, Zhi Xuan meditated in a narrow alley, leaning his back against a dirty stone wall. He did not sleep; he focused his remaining essence on healing internal injuries and stabilizing his spiritual blood that had just been forced into fusion.

  He allowed his essence to spin within the Heavenly Samsara Wheel, absorbing spiritual essence from the surrounding environment little by little. Each rotation healed small cracks in his Sea of Consciousness and purified his Spiritual Blood.

  ‘You will fight in the arena with a body that has not fully recovered, Monkey. Your madness truly has no end,’ Ruo Xianxue echoed, her voice now calm, filled with pure anticipation without a sneer.

  Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, opening his eyes. The third hour after sunset was near. He felt the spiritual blood pressure of dozens of cultivators around him now heading towards the 'Poison Cup' to watch the show.

  ‘Then what? My spiritual herbs and fruits are all gone,’ Zhi Xuan replied in his Sea of Consciousness, his tone flat but containing sharp conviction. "If I cannot turn a crisis into an opportunity, then what is the use of the Dao I follow? This injury is merely the cost of forging a sword.'

  He rose from his position, his movements smooth and calm, as if he had just completed a peaceful morning meditation, not a technique fusion that had almost ripped his Sea of Consciousness.

  He straightened his red silk robe, allowing a little cold aura of black jade essence to seep out, just enough to show that he was not easy prey.

  At that hour, the 'Poison Cup' had transformed from a squalid bar into a focal point of Spiritual Greed. In front of the thick wooden door, a queue of Blood Transformation to Organ Transformation cultivators lined up, not to drink, but to buy betting spots and entrance tickets to the underground.

  An aura of bloodlust and thick financial calculation filled the air.

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward, not queuing, but walking straight ahead, past the crowd who immediately parted when they felt the cold and deadly Essence aura.

  At the threshold, Jue Mu and Chu Feng were waiting. Jue Mu leaned against the wall, his single eye blinking sharply as he saw Zhi Xuan approach without a companion, but his robe was clean and his aura was controlled.

  "Right on time, Black-Haired Devil," Jue Mu said, his ugly smile now wider. He pointed to a thin scroll in Chu Feng's hand. "Your technique scroll. You look... too healthy for someone who just negotiated with death."

  "And you, Sir Jue Mu," Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat. "Look too passionate for someone who is about to deal with blood at night. Are the stakes good?"

  Jue Mu laughed hoarsely, a laugh that echoed in the narrow alley. "The stakes will be extraordinary, Young Master. I have spread the word about the Blood Crystals. There are several Organ Transformation cultivators interested to see if your spiritual blood is truly worth the Blood Crystals you promised."

  "Good," Zhi Xuan answered. This was the result he wanted. Higher pressure meant greater mastery and harvest.