Paragon Of Sin Chapter 5 - 5: Su Mei

Grand.

The Scarlet Solaris Sect's stadium could be defined by that solitary word. Stretching across several miles, its walls formed a massive oval reminiscent of an ancient gladiator’s colosseum. The structure was crafted from ironborn limestone and reinforced with a layer of obsidian.

The materials used for the colosseum were extraordinary, radiating a faint trace of battle qi. This aura agitated the minds of those present, stoking their aggressive instincts. For those with weaker spirits, the sight of combat and gore would trigger a flamboyant arrogance; however, true warriors found that their focus reached an unparalleled level of sharp clarity.

Battle qi has been recognized since antiquity as a rare metaphysical energy born from pure intent. It is nearly impossible to gather or cultivate through standard means. Instead, it manifests naturally within specific environments or through prolonged exposure to certain conditions, such as the heat of combat, the presence of death, or intense cultivation.

Because it originates from intent, it is categorized as an Ethereal Qi—a type of qi stemming from an imbalance between mind, spirit, matter, and essence, unlike common qi which represents a perfect harmony. In the realm of Ethereal Qi, the mind and spirit are the dominant elements. Weapon Qi, including sword, saber, and spear qi, serves as a frequent goal for many ambitious cultivators.

Conversely, there is qi generated by the environment rather than from internal intent. The Scarlet Qi produced by the Scarlet Mountain is a type of Material Qi, arising from a disparity between matter and essence. This characteristic makes it significantly simpler to cultivate than its ethereal counterparts.

Wei Wuyin was struck by the colosseum's aura and exquisite craftsmanship. No matter how many times he had stood here—whether fighting for his destiny or settling a blood feud—the location never failed to inspire awe.

Legend says a certain cultivator once utilized this very arena to forge his Heart of Battle Qi, standing alone against ten thousand foes equipped only with a sword, shield, and a suit of armor. This was also the site of that warrior's final breath, where his lingering will was etched into the surroundings, allowing future generations to experience a fragment of his ancient resolve.

Wei Wuyin held profound respect for such a predecessor. The man's willpower and prowess were ideals worth chasing. Though no statues or visual records of the figure remained, the presence of the battle qi was sufficient evidence of his historical existence.

Upon reaching the stadium, Wei Wuyin was met by various members of his faction. He acknowledged each of them with a brief nod. As a core disciple commanding nearly seven percent of the inner disciples, he encountered many familiar and unfamiliar faces alike. Nevertheless, he made a point to memorize the appearances and vital details of everyone under his banner.

"Lord Wei, may I lead you to the V.I.P area?" an elderly, wrinkled attendant asked with a polite bow.

Holding the rank of core disciple granted him numerous privileges unavailable to the masses, including private viewing boxes and personal quarters. Since the tournament usually spanned several days or even a full week, having a secluded place to unwind during breaks was standard.

Wei Wuyin dismissed the attendant with a wave, however. He chose instead to observe the opening matches alongside Su Mei and his other followers. He felt there was plenty of time to move to the private booths once the Core Disciple Competition actually started.

His subordinates did not dare question his decision, following him until they reached their assigned seating area.

Wei Wuyin surveyed the combat platforms. They were flat, hexagonal stages that appeared to be carved from polished stone. Extending his spiritual sense, he detected that every block was saturated with a high concentration of earthen energy.

These hundreds of platforms would be perfect for anyone attempting to refine natural earthen energy into elemental forms. They were clearly built to be dense and enduring, specifically designed to withstand Earth Qi Arts. Even Wei Wuyin was unsure if a full-strength punch from him could actually shatter one of those stone stages.

"Su Mei, I wish you luck," Wei Wuyin said, offering his blessings as he turned his gaze back to the platforms. The others were secondary to Su Mei; with her Qi Condensation Realm cultivation, her transition to an inner disciple was essentially guaranteed.

"Mn," she replied with a soft, focused nod.

Shortly after, the announcer stepped forward, revealing a massive black board measuring fifty meters in width and a hundred meters in height.

"The designation board," Wei Wuyin whispered. This board served to take pre-registered numbers and randomize them into specific matches. While it ensured seeded experts were not grouped together too early, the rest of the brackets were determined by chance.

Names began to glow in white on the board, paired with numbers that indicated their assigned platforms. The Outer Disciple Competition was officially beginning. Su Mei’s name appeared alongside the rest of the participating outer disciples.

Before long, the outer disciples swarmed toward their designated stages like a sea of ants. The format for the Outer Disciple Competition was vastly different and much more rapid than the upcoming Inner or Core events.

With hundreds of platforms and nearly a hundred participants per stage, it was a massive, simultaneous battle royale. This format was exactly why those at the Qi Condensation Realm were almost certain to advance. Their Heart of Qi and Metaphysical Qi gave them physical power, stamina, and perception that far outstripped their peers.

Even against a hundred opponents, their defeat was unlikely. It was comparable to a giant facing off against a hundred infants; the outcome lacked any real suspense.

Su Mei stepped onto her platform with a grim, focused expression, her gaze turning cold and distant. Like the other fighters, she remained on high alert.

Very few rules governed this battle royale. Because blades and fists have no eyes, the risk of being crippled or killed was a grim reality. This danger prompted many outer disciples to either withdraw entirely or focus solely on survival.

Each participant had a number; when they were slain, surrendered, or knocked out of bounds, that number would vanish and appear in the scoring section of the board. The earlier a name was listed, the fewer resource points the sect awarded them. Conversely, the longer one lasted, the higher the rewards and the better the chance of promotion.

This event was famous for distributing the most contribution points in the sect. Reaching the top hundred was equivalent to completing a decade's worth of missions for an honorary disciple. Such a massive opportunity meant few were willing to yield without a struggle.

Su Mei was no exception. Despite her gender and appearance, she expected no mercy in this environment—perhaps not even from allies. She understood the stakes and braced herself.

As she drew her longsword, which was roughly two fingers wide, her entire aura shifted. Having recently stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm, she knew that as long as she stayed cautious and avoided other cultivators of her level, reaching the next phase would be simple.

"Begin!" the announcer roared with excitement.

The tension snapped into pure chaos as the participants lunged at one another. Many wielded lethal weapons, striking out without a shred of hesitation. It took only moments for the first agonizing and pitiful screams to fill the air.

Lives were already being snuffed out.

Watching the carnage, Wei Wuyin felt a wave of nostalgia. The path of cultivation was brutal, and the world's resources were strictly limited. Those within a sect, particularly the Scarlet Solaris Sect, were conditioned to be fierce and merciless.

While betrayal wasn't an official part of the curriculum, the school focused heavily on the fundamentals of ambition and drive. To reach the highest summit and look down upon the world, one had to first scale a mountain of corpses.

Wei Wuyin had built his own mountain long ago. Now, looking at Su Mei, he wondered if she possessed the resolve to do the same.

Due to her superior cultivation, she moved like a tiger among a flock of sheep. Every swing of her blade claimed a life.

Though the violence seemed erratic, there was a hidden structure to the chaos. Faction members teamed up if they shared a platform, specifically targeting rivals from opposing groups. Those who were neutral or loosely allied were typically just incapacitated or thrown from the stage.

They were the fortunate ones.

Su Mei’s face remained frozen in a frosty mask as she cut down a female disciple. The woman's body was nearly severed in two. As her intestines began to spill out, her wide eyes reflected a mixture of agony and disbelief. Wei Wuyin watched as the young woman clutched at her own entrails, the realization of her death dawning on her.

Her life was flickering out when a massive warhammer descended, reducing her skull to a bloody pulp.

The fallen woman had belonged to Tao Gui’s faction—a group actively hostile toward Wei Wuyin and Mei Mei. While Su Mei had dealt the lethal wound, the finishing blow came from a hulking man with a hammer from Mei Mei’s faction.

Similar scenes played out across the arena, and not a single Elder moved to intervene. Joining the competition was a personal choice, and protection was not guaranteed. In fact, most of the Elders had likely survived the same brutal trials to reach their current positions, leaving them with little room for empathy.

Su Mei focused her aggression on members of Tao Gui’s and Jiu Lang’s factions. Her blade was relentless, offering no quarter. When faced with those she had no grudge against, she opted for heavy kicks or palm strikes, shattering bones but merely ejecting them from the arena.

Wei Wuyin was very particular about those he brought into his inner circle. He had hand-picked Su Mei from tens of thousands and placed a small amount of hope in her. She had served as his lieutenant during the campaign to wipe out the remnants of the Violet Moon Sect.

Her recent breakthrough was almost certainly a result of the resources they had seized during that time.

"She is ambitious and ruthless. She also follows instructions perfectly." Wei Wuyin’s eyes narrowed as old memories surfaced.

-----

"You bitch, ptooey!" A middle-aged woman spat, clutching a young girl by her hair. The girl had black hair, dark eyes, and a face covered in grime. The older woman shook the girl like a ragdoll, pulling her head back so violently that several strands of hair were ripped out.

A group of women in their twenties and thirties stood around them, wearing the uniforms of honorary disciples and laughing mockingly. A close observer would see they shared similar skin tones, hair, and eye colors.

A casual observer might think they were all kin, but that wasn't the reality.

The young girl tried to grab her tormentor's arm, but every time she found a grip, the middle-aged woman slapped her hands away. The girl simply lacked the strength to resist.

"S-stop! Stop!" the girl cried out, her eyes filling with tears as she endured the public shaming.

"Stop? You think you can use your body and your looks to get more than the rest of us? You want him all to yourself? You think he’s only your dragon?!" The older woman’s fury seemed to intensify. She grabbed the girl’s robes and yanked, tearing the fabric and exposing her skin.

"You’re just a cheap slut!" Her anger was bottomless. The other women continued to jeer. While a few showed flashes of guilt or pity, those feelings vanished the moment the woman spoke of monopolizing the 'dragon,' replaced by resentment and jealousy.

A young man flew overhead on a variant eagle, a clear sign of his high status. He looked down with curiosity, accompanied by a chubby man sporting a goatee.

These were Wei Wuyin and Du Leng.

"What is happening down there?" Wei Wuyin inquired. He had been on his way to a mission and to collect his sect-issued crane, having recently accepted his rank as a core disciple.

Du Leng observed the growing crowd and the circling women, realizing what was happening.

"Master, you know the old saying: To rise, one can ride on the lap of a dragon. This is just the jealousy that comes with that path," he replied with a chuckle.

In the world of cultivation, that phrase had several meanings, but it most commonly referred to a cultivator—usually female—trading their body to someone of higher status for resources and protection.

These women all shared similar physical traits because they had been chosen for those specific qualities. Essentially, a man of high rank had established a harem of honorary disciples, and this was an internal feud within that group.

"It looks like the younger one is the new favorite, and the others aren't taking it well," Du Leng said, shaking his head. Resources were scarce and the path was hard. To advance, many were willing to do anything. A harem was a functional resource; dual cultivation allowed one to use sexual energy to stimulate qi, grow Yang, and even birth elemental energies.

From Foundation Establishment through the Ninth Stage of Qi Condensation, sexual energy could be a powerful catalyst. Consequently, women in a harem would often fight if one was receiving more attention—and thus more 'yang' energy—than the others.

Since the 'dragon' was usually more powerful, he provided stronger energy for cultivation. In this context, sex was a literal resource. Furthermore, because the 'dragon' was typically male, he would never allow these women to be with others, often under penalty of death for the perceived dishonor. Unless, of course, that was his specific preference.

Wei Wuyin understood the situation instantly. He had seen this in his own clan and throughout the sect. He was simply puzzled why it was happening so openly. Wouldn't the 'Dragon' be furious that his favorite was being publicly shamed?

Wei Wuyin watched the victim of the bullying. Her torn clothes left her exposed, and she looked humiliated enough to want to end her own life as the crowd grew.

Wei Wuyin was no saint. He had used women for their primal yin to aid his own cultivation before, so the scene didn't inherently offend him. However, looking at that woman...

He felt a strange sensation in his chest—a miraculous impulse that took hold of him.

"Hm?" Du Leng spotted something. He saw a man in the crowd casually eating bread. He was an inner disciple at the Dantian Establishment Phase.

"I think that’s the man in question, hahaha," he laughed, pointing him out. Wei Wuyin looked at the middle-aged man, who wore a mocking, entertained smirk.

"How can you be sure?" Wei Wuyin asked.

"Because I recognize him... and her." He pointed to one of the younger women watching the beating. "They were together."

"Together?" Wei Wuyin’s brow furrowed. "I see."

Wei Wuyin steered his eagle down toward the gathering.

"Master?" Du Leng was taken aback.

Wei Wuyin didn't answer. He landed in the middle of the crowd, startling everyone. With a swift movement, he used his Second Stage Qi Condensation power to leap forward, landing right next to the honorary disciples.

The women scrambled back in terror.

Wei Wuyin ignored them completely. He walked toward the girl and the middle-aged woman without saying a word. Without warning, he struck. His punch was brutal, slamming into the older woman’s chest. She was sent flying, blood erupting from her mouth like a fountain.

She hit the ground with a heavy thud, her status—alive or dead—uncertain. The crowd panicked, many fleeing while others watched from a safe distance.

The young girl was stunned. She looked up at Wei Wuyin, seeing his handsome face and silver eyes. She was frozen in silence.

"That excuse for a man watched while you were beaten and shamed," Wei Wuyin said flatly. He pointed at the inner disciple in the distance. The crowd turned to see the middle-aged man, who looked ready to bolt. His face shifted from confusion to shock and then a flicker of anger.

Fortunately for him, he was too cowardly to challenge someone in the Qi Condensation Realm.

The girl looked at her 'man.' Her eyes were a whirlpool of emotion, though sadness and despair were the most visible. It seemed she had always known the truth deep down; she didn't even look surprised.

Wei Wuyin nodded at her reaction. "Are you hungry?"

Du Leng was baffled but remained silent. His gaze toward the girl shifted instantly as he realized his master’s interest.

"I... maybe?" the girl whispered, sounding hesitant.

Wei Wuyin gave a small smile. "Then let me take you somewhere so you can decide." He laughed, pulling off his own robe and wrapping it around her to cover her. "What is your name?"

"Uh... Su... Mei..."