Chapter 49: A true brother
After Death Eye left the platform, another officer in a dark uniform approached the four contestants still sitting on the field.
His gaze passed over Qin Haoran, Han Zhen, Miao Tianhe, and Xingluo before he spoke. "The four of you, follow me."
Xingluo pushed herself up, her legs still slightly unsteady after enduring the final wave of killing intent.
The other three also stood, each of them quietly observing the rest while pretending not to be as exhausted as they appeared.
Whispers continued spreading through the spectator stands as the officer led them beneath one of the large arches at the side of the arena.
Most of the attention remained on Xingluo.
Qin Haoran, Miao Tianhe, and Han Zhen were already recognised throughout the city, but almost nobody knew anything about the girl who had stood beside them until the end.
Xingluo ignored the voices and followed the officer into a long corridor beneath the arena, while Wuxia floated beside her with his gaze fixed mainly on Miao Tianhe.
After several turns, the officer stopped before a sealed white door and placed his palm against the panel beside it.
The door divided silently, revealing a large chamber with smooth pale walls and rows of glass pods arranged across the room.
Most of the pods were already occupied.
The qualified contestants floated inside a faint blue liquid with masks covering their mouths and several thin devices attached to their arms and chests.
Their eyes were closed, while soft light moved across their bodies and the mental exhaustion on their faces gradually eased.
Xingluo stopped near the entrance and stared at them curiously, she looked toward Wuxia, silently asking what the machines were.
"They are recovery pods," he explained. "The fluid inside repairs physical strain, stabilises mana pathways, and helps the mind recover from injuries and fatigue."
Xingluo looked across the chamber again. "They are using something this valuable after only the first assessment?"
Wuxia gave a quiet laugh. "These are not ordinary recovery pods, they are high-grade military models meant to restore soldiers quickly between battles."
She counted the rows and noticed that there were exactly sixty-four pods inside the room. Sixty were occupied, while four remained closed and empty near the end.
Her gaze moved toward the door again as she remembered how many contestants had collapsed during the assessment.
"What about everyone who was eliminated? Some of them looked worse than the people here."
"Do you believe the military will spend the same amount on every contestant?" Wuxia asked.
Xingluo frowned slightly.
"These sixty-four qualified for the next round, so the military needs them restored quickly and kept in equal condition. The eliminated participants will still be treated, but most will receive ordinary recovery pods, medicines, healers, or natural rest."
He glanced toward the students suspended inside the liquid. "One session inside equipment like this probably costs more than many ordinary Awakened earn in several months. The military has resources, but it does not waste them without a reason."
Xingluo looked at the pods with renewed interest, besides restoring physical and mental exhaustion, the liquid appeared to be entering the contestants’ bodies in faint streams, strengthening the areas strained by Death Eye’s pressure.
"It can reinforce the body too?" she asked quietly.
"Only slightly," Wuxia replied. "It repairs the small damage created during the test and allows the body to adapt.
Repeated military training works the same way, except these pods make the process faster and safer."
While they spoke, the officer walked toward a raised control platform at the centre of the chamber.
He placed his hand against a floating interface, and several layers of blue information opened before him.
The names of the sixty-four qualified contestants appeared across the screen, each connected to one of the recovery pods.
He moved through the records before selecting the final four names.
[Han Zhen — Pod 61.]
[Miao Tianhe — Pod 62.]
[Qin Haoran — Pod 63.]
[Luo Xingluo — Pod 64.]
The four empty pods responded immediately and their glass covers lifted as the liquid-storage chambers beneath them activated, filling the lower sections with pale blue fluid.
A faint mist spread around the openings while the internal restraints adjusted themselves to match each contestant’s height and body structure.
The officer turned toward them. "Enter your assigned pods. The recovery process will last forty minutes."
Qin Haoran looked toward Xingluo before walking to Pod 63 without complaint.
Han Zhen entered his own pod immediately, while Miao Tianhe paused near Pod 62 and briefly examined the machinery before stepping inside.
Wuxia continued staring at him until Xingluo moved toward the last pod.
She placed one hand against its edge and looked at the rising liquid with slight hesitation. "This is safe, right?"
The officer gave her a flat look. "It is safer than remaining outside in your current condition."
Xingluo awkwardly cleared her throat and climbed inside, the interior adjusted around her back as the cover slowly began descending, but before it sealed completely, she looked toward Wuxia.
"What about you?"
"I will remain nearby," he replied. "Unless the machine somehow learns how to heal the dead."
Xingluo rolled her eyes as the glass closed over her, the blue fluid rose around her body, passing through her clothes without soaking them, while a breathing mask extended from the side and settled over her mouth.
Coldness spread through her muscles at first, followed by a gentle warmth that began removing the heaviness from her limbs and mind.
The officer returned to the interface and confirmed all four pods.
[Recovery cycle initiated.]
[Estimated completion time: 3 hours.]
The chamber became quiet as the four contestants closed their eyes, Wuxia floated beside Xingluo’s pod, but his gaze soon moved toward Miao Tianhe again.
Time passed as Wuxia wandered around the recovery chamber, watching the qualified participants leave their pods one after another.
Once a contestant completed the recovery cycle, medical attendants checked their condition before leading them out through another door.
Wuxia remained beside Xingluo’s pod, though his attention repeatedly shifted toward Miao Tianhe.
3 hours soon passed, and the blue light surrounding the final four pods began to fade.
Xingluo stirred inside the liquid as the breathing mask withdrew from her face. At the same time, the covers of the other three pods slowly opened.
The liquid drained through the bottom, leaving their clothes completely dry as the internal supports released them.
Han Zhen stepped out first and quietly stretched his shoulders, while Qin Haoran immediately checked the condition of his body and suppression mark.
Miao Tianhe climbed out without showing much reaction, though the exhaustion that had covered his face earlier had completely disappeared.
Xingluo was the last to emerge.
The moment her feet touched the floor, she stretched both arms above her head before jumping lightly several times and swinging her body from side to side.
"All the exhaustion is gone," she said, sounding surprised. "Even my head feels clearer than before."
Wuxia looked at her movements. "Stop jumping around before they place you back inside for further observation."
Xingluo ignored him and stretched one leg behind her, earning a strange look from the nearby medical attendant.
Once all four passed the final examination, an officer led them out of the recovery chamber.
They followed him through another corridor before entering a large waiting room where the other qualified participants had already gathered.
Rows of seats faced a huge screen covering most of the front wall. The competition bracket was displayed across it, showing the sixty-four contestants divided into thirty-two matches.
The room was filled with quiet conversations as everyone searched for their names and examined their first opponents.
Xingluo looked through the bracket until she found her own name.
[Match Seven]
[Luo Xingluo — Beichen University]
[Han Zhen — City Military Youth Division]
A picture of a serious young man appeared beside the name.
Xingluo studied him briefly before saying, "It seems my first opponent is some random guy."
Miao Tianhe, who happened to be standing nearby, nearly choked after hearing her.
He turned toward her with an unusual expression. "Miss, that is Lin Xiao tian."
Xingluo looked at him blankly.
Miao Tianhe pointed toward the screen. "He is the son of the captain of city guards and one of the final eight who remained standing during the pressure test."
Xingluo’s cheeks reddened slightly as she looked back at the picture. "Oh. Him."
Wuxia sighed beside her. "Reading too many webnovels has convinced you that everyone whose name you do not recognise must be an irrelevant side character."
Xingluo glared at him before turning back toward Miao Tianhe.
"I knew who he was," she said, attempting to recover. "I only meant that the result will be the same regardless of his identity."
Miao Tianhe looked slightly surprised by her confidence before a smile appeared on his face. "That is a bold claim."
Xingluo crossed her arms. "You will see when the match begins."
Miao Tianhe studied her for another moment before offering his hand.
"Miao Tianhe."
Xingluo accepted it. "Luo Xingluo."
"I already know your name," he said. "After today, almost everyone here probably does."
His gaze moved briefly toward the screen before returning to her. "You are quite the dark horse, Miss Luo. It seems participating in this competition will not be as boring as I expected."
Before Xingluo could answer, another voice interrupted them from behind.
"It appears you were fortunate enough to remain standing."
Qin Haoran approached with two followers, wearing the same pleasant smile he had shown earlier.
His eyes moved from Miao Tianhe toward Xingluo, and the hunger hidden inside them made Wuxia’s expression turn cold.
Qin Haoran stopped in front of her. "You should surrender if we meet in the arena, Miss Xingluo."
Xingluo looked at him without responding. "You know I have always been patient with you," he continued. "But once a match begins, even my hand might slip."
The smile on his face deepened as his gaze travelled across her body. "I would hate to damage something so beautiful."
Xingluo’s fingers tightened, but Miao Tianhe stepped between them before she could speak.
"You should worry about yourself, Haoran."
Qin Haoran turned toward him, and the false warmth on his face disappeared.
Miao Tianhe met his gaze calmly. "Keep acting this way, and sooner or later, you will meet an ending your family cannot protect you from."
Qin Haoran’s expression darkened. "You are still this arrogant?"
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Miao Tianhe. "Even after your guild master and closest friend died, you continue walking around as if you are untouchable."
Wuxia froze, the surrounding noise seemed to disappear from his mind as he stared at Qin Haoran.
Miao Tianhe’s earlier calmness vanished at once, he stepped forward, his mana stirring despite the suppression mark on his wrist. "Do not speak about my brother."
Qin Haoran gave a mocking laugh. "Brother?"
"He was a penniless commoner who dragged you into his worthless guild. Even after his death, you continue disgracing the Miao family by mourning someone so far beneath you."
Miao Tianhe clenched his fists. "You are nothing but a coward hiding behind the Qin family’s name."
He moved closer until only a small distance remained between them. "If you believe you are stronger than me, accept a one-on-one death match. No followers, no family guards and no interference."
The room gradually became quieter as nearby contestants noticed the confrontation.
Qin Haoran’s eyes darkened, he knew Miao Tianhe had always concealed part of his strength, and nobody outside the Miao family understood exactly what resources or abilities they had given him.
Accepting a death match against someone so unpredictable would be a risk he had no reason to take.
However, refusing openly would damage the reputation he worked so hard to maintain.
Qin Haoran smiled again, though the expression looked much colder than before. "There is no need to behave like an animal inside the waiting room."
He stepped back and looked toward the competition screen. "If fate places us together, we can settle our differences inside the arena."
Miao Tianhe’s eyes remained fixed on him. "That is what I expected from you."
The smile on Qin Haoran’s face stiffened, but he did not answer.
He gave Xingluo one final look before turning away and walking toward a distant row of seats with his followers.
Wuxia watched him leave, but his anger toward Qin Haoran had been temporarily buried beneath something else.
He looked at Miao Tianhe, whose hands were still clenched beside him.
You still consider me your brother.
For the first time since seeing his old friend inside the arena, the uncertainty in Wuxia’s expression weakened.
Whatever had happened after his death, Miao Tianhe had not forgotten him.
Miao Tianhe slowly relaxed before turning back toward Xingluo.
He gave her a slight bow. "I apologise for interfering in your matter, Miss Luo. Qin Haoran and I have some personal history."
Xingluo nodded awkwardly. "It is fine."
"I should prepare for my own match, we can speak again later."
Miao Tianhe stepped away and moved toward another section of the waiting room.
Xingluo watched him leave, but her attention was no longer on the competition bracket.
Qin Haoran had mentioned Miao Tianhe’s dead guild master and closest friend, Miao Tianhe had called that person his brother.
At the same time, Wuxia had been watching him differently from everyone else since the first assessment.
Xingluo slowly turned toward Wuxia, he was still staring at Miao Tianhe’s back, and the complicated look in his eyes confirmed that the connection was not something she had imagined.
Wuxia once led a guild...
Could Miao Tianhe have been part of it?
She wanted to ask him immediately, but an announcement rang through the room before she could speak.
[Five minutes until the first round begins.]
[Contestants assigned to Matches One through Eight, report to the preparation corridor.]
Xingluo looked toward her name on the screen and then back at Wuxia. The question remained inside her mind, but her match against Lin Xiao Tian had already been called.