The morning sun hung low, but the elite training grounds were already filled with intense qi pressure.
Dozens of disciples continued their cultivation, but whispers rippled through the group like hidden winds:
"That newcomer lasted against Xu Jian.""He even created afterimages…""He impressed Senior Brother Xu—and Senior Brother Mu noticed him too.""That's dangerous. The higher you stand, the harder others push you down."
Lian Hong walked into the grounds with a steady stride.
Zhou Shan followed behind him like a trembling duck.
"Bro… today feels different. The atmosphere is… murderous."
Lian Hong didn't need Zhou Shan to tell him.
He felt it the moment he arrived—
A sharp, poisonous wisp of intent brushing the back of his neck.
Someone is preparing something.
But he didn't stop walking.
Mu Yanting's Assessment
Rank 1, Mu Yanting, stood tall at the center.
His eyes swept over the disciples, cold and indifferent.
"Training today will determine your placement for the upcoming evaluation," he announced.
The crowd stiffened.
The evaluation.
The "Placement Ranking Assessment" was the most important event for elite disciples.
Depending on their performance:
They could be selected as future Inner Sect candidates
Given rare pills
Granted personalized guidance by elders
Or—cast back into ordinary outer sect status
It was war without bloodshed.
And everyone knew it.
Mu Yanting's gaze finally settled on Lian Hong.
"We will start with footwork drills," he ordered."Newcomer, step forward."
Zhou Shan writhed internally.
"BRO—THEY WANT TO START WITH YOU!?? IS THIS A TARGETED ATTACK?? IS THIS POLITICAL—??"
But Lian Hong simply walked forward.
Calm.Unflinching.
The Trap
As Lian Hong entered the practice area, several elite disciples exchanged glances.
Some even smirked.
Chi Yao stepped out from the crowd, his grin wide and malicious.
"Senior Brother Mu, if we're testing footwork, shouldn't I join the drill as well?"
Mu Yanting didn't even blink.
"Do as you wish."
Zhou Shan collapsed on the ground.
"AHHHH WE'RE DEAD—!! THAT'S THE DEFINITION OF A DEATH SENTENCE—!!"
The disciples whispered:
"They're targeting Lian Hong…""Chi Yao is going to break him for sure.""This will send a message to all newcomers.""What will Xu Jian do?"
As if answering that question—Xu Jian stepped to the side and crossed his arms.
He wasn't going to interfere.
Not yet.
His sharp gaze watched every move.
The Footwork Drill Begins
Mu Yanting drew a circle with his wooden sword again.
Two people entered.
Lian Hong and Chi Yao.
Mu Yanting gave a simple instruction:
"Last one to leave the circle wins."
No weapons.No direct strikes.Only footwork, pressure, and displacement.
Chi Yao cracked his knuckles.
"This'll be easy."
Lian Hong remained silent.
Mu Yanting raised his hand.
"Begin."
Chi Yao Attacks First
The moment the command fell, Chi Yao lunged.
His movement was heavy—explosive—like a boulder rolling down a mountain.
He stomped forward, sending a shockwave through the circle's center.
Lian Hong slid one foot back.Dust lifted around his ankles.
But he didn't move.
Chi Yao sneered.
"Let's see you dance now!"
He swept to the left.
Then the right.
An aggressive zigzag—aimed to force Lian Hong out through raw momentum.
Lian Hong breathed lightly.
Every movement scanned, calculated, predicted.
He watched Chi Yao's foot.
Then his shoulder.
Then his breathing pattern.
He telegraphs too much.
Just as Chi Yao lunged again—
Lian Hong shifted half a step.
Not back.Not sideways.Forward.
Chi Yao's strike cut through empty space.
His momentum carried him straight past Lian Hong, almost tripping him.
Whispers rose across the training ground.
"He predicted the angle…""And he countered by moving forward?!""That's insane!"
Xu Jian's eyes glowed faintly.
Beautiful read.
Mu Yanting's expression remained unreadable.
Chi Yao Escalates
Chi Yao snarled.
"Stop running and FIGHT!"
He stomped harder.
Qi erupted around his feet.
He used brute force to distort the airflow in the ring—a technique meant to suppress movement.
The circle trembled.
Several spectators sucked in a breath.
"Chi Yao's qi pressure is strong…""No newcomer can stand under that!"
Zhou Shan screamed:
"BRO!! ESCAPE!! HE'S TURNING INTO A QI BULL!!"
Dust swirled around Lian Hong.
Yet he remained still.
He exhaled softly.
A small step back—
then left—then right—each movement placed with surgical precision.
He was reading Chi Yao's momentum.
Letting it collapse under its own weight.
Chi Yao charged again.Lian Hong slipped aside again.
Chi Yao growled.
"You… COME BACK HERE—!!"
Lian Hong finally spoke.
"You're too slow."
The crowd gasped.
Chi Yao roared and unleashed everything.
A full, reckless charge—the kind meant to end the match instantly.
Lian Hong moved.
He activated—
〈Shadowstep Phantom Movement – Double Afterimage〉
His body blurred.
Two afterimages split from him.
Chi Yao's attack plowed directly through the illusions—straight out of the circle.
He stumbled forward—
past the boundary.
Silence.
The entire training ground froze.
Then—
Mu Yanting spoke:
"Chi Yao loses."
His tone bent neither praise nor mockery.
But it echoed like a hammer.
The watching disciples nearly exploded.
"He lost!?""To a newcomer!?""Using his own attack against him…""That wasn't luck—Lian Hong forced him out!"
Chi Yao's face flushed red with humiliation.
He rounded on Lian Hong, veins bulging.
"You little—!!"
Before he could strike, Xu Jian stepped forward.
"Enough."
Chi Yao froze.
Xu Jian looked directly at Lian Hong.
"You handled that well."
Lian Hong replied calmly.
"It was easy."
Gasps rose again.
Even Mu Yanting's eyebrow lifted a fraction.
"He does not fear anyone…""He is provoking Rank 7…""He is insane…""He is a genius."
Zhou Shan sobbed in awe.
"BRO… I suddenly feel proud… and terrified…"
Chi Yao's Hidden Rage
Chi Yao's teeth clenched.
He backed away—
but whispered:
"You won today.But tomorrow…"
His eyes burned with poisonous intent.
"I'll crush you."
The system chimed in Lian Hong's mind:
[Threat Level Increase: Chi Yao – 91%][Hostility Approaching Attack Threshold]
Lian Hong turned slightly.
"You're welcome to try."
Chi Yao trembled with fury.
Mu Yanting's Verdict
Rank 1 finally spoke again.
"Training continues."
He gestured toward the next phase of training.
But as disciples returned to their drills—
Mu Yanting looked at Lian Hong from the corner of his eye.
Shadowstep awakened twice…Reads movements perfectly…Predicts attacks like instinct…
He tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
He will be a threat to the ranking.And I…will need to test him myself.
But danger was already coming.
High above the training ground, hidden behind a veil of qi, a cloaked figure watched the entire scene.
He lowered a jade talisman.
"It seems he's growing faster than expected."
A voice whispered through the talisman.
"Proceed with Phase Two."
The figure nodded.
"Yes, Young Master."
He vanished into thin air.
Lian Hong Leaves the Grounds
As training ended, Zhou Shan nearly collapsed from secondhand trauma.
"Bro… I aged another ten years…"
Lian Hong said nothing.
But his eyes glowed faintly with determination.
Chi Yao.Xu Jian.Mu Yanting.Hidden observers.Unknown forces moving in the dark.
The world around him was beginning to shift.
He clenched his fist.
Good.Let them all come.
The system chimed.
[Main Mission Progress: 18%][Side Mission Unlocked:Defeat Chi Yao Within Seven Days]Reward: Shadowstep Breakthrough]
Lian Hong walked forward, the sun illuminating his path.
"I will climb," he murmured.
"No matter who blocks the way."