The morning in Stormveil City was quiet, too quiet. Shops were just opening, and the smell of fresh dumplings floated from the market square. But beneath the calm surface, tension pulsed like a hidden current.
Li Tian stood at the top of a tall tower in the inner city, overlooking the cobbled streets below. His dark robes fluttered in the breeze, and his eyes, sharp as glass, followed the people moving about their daily lives. Most didn't even know a war was brewing beneath their feet.
Xiao Chen stepped onto the balcony behind him, carrying a scroll tied in red silk. "Word from the Zhao Clan," he said, handing it over.
Li Tian took the scroll, but didn't open it yet. He stared at the sun rising slowly above the eastern mountains. "How many days left before the Moonblade Gathering?"
"Four," Xiao Chen answered. "And we've had spies reporting that the Zhao Clan has already chosen their champion."
Li Tian smiled, but it wasn't a friendly one. "Let me guess. Zhao Rui."
Xiao Chen nodded grimly. "And he's been seen training with a sword style that was once banned by the Five Great Sects."
Li Tian finally unrolled the scroll. The Zhao Clan's seal cracked open like dried wax. Inside, a single sentence was written in perfect calligraphy:
"We meet beneath the Falling Moon. Come if you dare."
Below the sentence was the symbol of the Moonblade — a crescent etched in blood.
"The trap is set," Li Tian said quietly. "But they've forgotten something important."
Xiao Chen looked at him, confused. "What?"
"I'm not the one walking into it," he replied, rolling the scroll back up.
Down in the training yard, Li Tian's new recruits were running drills. Each wore a black band around their arms — a sign they were personally trained by the new Head of the Li Clan. Many were orphans, street fighters, or exiles. But under Li Tian's brutal methods, they were becoming something more a shadow army.
He descended the stairs, moving quickly and silently. At the yard, the trainees stopped at once and bowed. "Master!"
"Continue," he said. "We don't fight to win. We fight to survive. And survival begins in discipline."
A young boy at the back raised a hand. He was thin, with bright eyes that didn't match his bruised arms.
"Master, why do we train so hard? Will we really be fighting the Zhao Clan?"
Li Tian walked up to him and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yes," he said simply. "Because if we don't, they won't just take our name. They'll take everything we love."
His voice rang with truth. Even the elders watching from the upper halls paused at his words. Once, they had called him arrogant. Now, they called him necessary.
Later that night, the city lanterns were lit, casting soft golden light across the alleys and courtyards. Inside the Li estate's war room, Li Tian met with his three trusted allies: Xiao Chen, Elder Fan, and Mei Lian the sharp-tongued strategist from the Southern Isles.
"They want you to face Zhao Rui alone," Mei Lian said, rolling her eyes. "That's not a duel, that's a public execution."
"Then we make it private," Li Tian said. "Let them think I'm playing their game. We'll turn the tables before the first sword is drawn."
Elder Fan stroked his beard. "You'll need someone on the inside. Someone who can get close to Zhao Rui."
Li Tian's eyes drifted to Mei Lian.
She raised an eyebrow. "You want me to flirt with the madman?"
"You've done worse," Xiao Chen muttered.
She sighed. "Fine. But if he touches my hair, I'm cutting off more than his pride."
Plans were made. Signals agreed upon. Escape routes drawn in ink.
When the meeting ended, Li Tian remained in the war room, staring at the old family map spread across the table. His finger traced the mountains, the rivers, the valleys where his ancestors once rode victorious.
He whispered, "If we win, we survive. If we lose, we disappear."
The System spoke again, its voice now deeper, more commanding.
[Villain Mission: Outplay the Champion of Zhao.]
Success: Gain +10% Territory Influence.
Failure: -30% Respect among Neutral Clans.
And beneath it, one line pulsed like fire.
Do you accept?
Li Tian didn't hesitate.
Yes.
He walked outside, letting the moonlight hit his face. It was full and bright the Falling Moon was near. And so was the battle.