Dust settled across the courtyard as the group exhaled, each member drenched in sweat and spiritual energy. The intense days of training had stretched body, mind, and qi to their limits — but now, it bore fruit.
"Your resonance is improving," Master Ruo Lin said finally, his voice like smooth iron. "You're not merely individuals anymore. You're beginning to fight like a unit."
Zhang Xin, panting, gripped his sword as a faint glow shimmered around him — the telltale sign of a breakthrough.
> Zhang Xin — Level 7 (Peak Stage 9)
Lian Hua, kneeling in her graceful lotus stance, exhaled sharply. Her petals surged with more strength than before.
> Lian Hua — Level 7 (Stage 8)
"Finally," she muttered. "I thought I'd be stuck at Stage 7 forever."
From the side, Xiaobo grinned.
> Xiaobo — Level 7 (Stage 4)
"Guess I'm not the only one powering up," he said, tossing a fire crystal between his fingers.
Yuxin opened her eyes, now deeper in hue.
> Yuxin — Level 7 (Stage 3)
Wei Luo and Chen Bo burst in through the side hall.
> Wei Luo — Level 7 (Stage 2)
Chen Bo — Level 7 (Stage 2)
"Don't look so surprised," Wei Luo grinned. "Hard work does pay off."
And Mei Lan, quiet but steady, stood up with a calm smile.
> Mei Lan — Level 7 (Stage 1)
"I'm ready," she whispered.
---
Silver Slip Qualification
Later that night, Master Ruo Lin summoned them to the jade-lit strategy room. He laid a radiant scroll on the table — a map glowing with symbols and sigils.
"The Crimson Ascendance Tournament lists have been released," he said.
The Dawn Wrath Team gathered around him.
"You're officially registered… as a Silver Slip Team."
There was a pause.
"But—how?" Yuxin blinked. "Aren't most teams entering at Golden or Diamond?"
Master Ruo Lin nodded. "Yes. But your team's combined cultivation level has reached Level 7 — and that qualifies you. Even with weaker stages, your coordination and combat ability put you far above the average Silver Slip. The council made an exception. Use it well."
---
Tournament Entry List
The scroll shimmered, names glowing in tiers:
Silver Slip Teams:
Dawn Wrath (Zhang Xin's Team – Zi Xuan Academy)
Emerald Thorn Sect – Stealth assassins with twin blade techniques
Thunderroot Sect – Physical strength-focused, hammer users
Sun-Soul Brotherhood – Diverse team with high mobility and light qi usage
Golden Slip Teams:
Silver Tiger Sect – Ferocious agility, claw-based combat
Celestial Horn Sect – Elemental casters, wind & storm focus
Blazing River Pavilion – Speed + water-style defense
Iron Root Sect – Earth-based tanks and fortified formations
Windhowl Sect – Stealth and archery, forest specialists
Star Gaze Sect – Illusion and mind-interference specialists
Diamond Slip Teams:
Crimson Blade Sect – Merciless fire users, explosive opening styles
Nine Vortex Sect – Poison and illusion hybrid arts
Ebon Night Sect – Dark qi manipulation, night ambush tactics
Heaven-Piercing Sect – Sword elite, never lost a solo duel
Frozen Vale Sect – Ice-based sealing techniques, crowd control
Serpent Flame Sect – Hybrid inner flame and beast spirit cultivators
Yuxin read aloud, "Frozen Vale and Ebon Night... they're both Diamond Class?"
Wei Luo chuckled. "I hope they fight each other first."
Xiaobo grinned. "Or we get to beat them ourselves."
---
Strategy Night – Three Formations
Around a lantern-lit table, the team prepared.
Zhang Xin set down three formation markers:
Shan Feng – Defensive shell formation
Lian Yi – Rotational diversion tactic
Huo Zhen – Fire burst close-combat
Lian Hua traced her finger over Crimson Blade's coordinates.
"They'll open with large-range burn talismans. Yuxin, we need your dampening wave."
"And if they try to isolate one of us?" asked Chen Bo.
"We pull back using Mei Lan's shadow decoy scrolls," said Wei Luo. "And retaliate using twin assault formation."
Everyone nodded, trust forming like invisible silk between them.
---
Moonblaze Auction – A Glimpse from the Past
The next day, the Moonblaze Auction glimmered under the rising sun. Huocheng buzzed with cultivators, nobles, and spiritual traders.
Zhang Xin and team walked in with the Silver Slip Team cloak, the Dawn Wrath sigil stitched proudly on their backs.
Other teams stood tall:
Crimson Blade Sect in blood red.
Frozen Vale Sect like living snow.
Heaven-Piercing Sect stood still like statues.
Windhowl Sect watched silently from the balcony.
Star Gaze Sect with glittering, dreamy eyes.
A girl from Frozen Vale glanced at Mei Lan.
"She's only Stage 1? She'll freeze the moment she steps into the ring."
Mei Lan simply smiled. "Make sure your feet don't slip before that."
But then… Zhang Xin paused.
A faint qi. A familiar pull.
He turned.
There — by the second auction floor, standing beside a black jade lantern — was a cloaked figure.
Tall. Sharp posture.
Uncle Li.
No motion. No words. But a direct gaze.
Their eyes met for half a second…
And then — he vanished behind the curtain of nobles.
Again.
But not a dream this time.
He had been there.
Watching.
Moonblaze Auction — Shadows and Silver Tongues
The auction roared on like a storm in velvet. Spiritual treasures glittered under moon-shaped lanterns, talismans hummed with sealed energy, and whispers flew sharper than blades. It was more than an auction — it was a battlefield of coin, reputation, and legacy.
Zhang Xin sat with his team, calm but alert. Across the hall, teams lounged like lions ready to pounce. Crimson Blade's captain lounged with a lazy smirk, flipping an inferno talisman like it was a toy.
Then, one of them — broad-shouldered, flames coiling around his fists — swaggered past Dawn Wrath's seating.
"Did they let the juniors in early this year?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Wei Luo stood up with a smile. "No. They're just letting has-beens warm the stage first."
The Crimson Blade warrior paused, heat rising around him like a furnace. But he said nothing — just let out a scoff and walked on.
Lian Hua leaned closer, her smile sugar-sweet but venomous. "He burns so bright... must be compensating for his low IQ."
Even Mei Lan, silent as always, gave a slight smirk.
---
Tension in the Wind — The Royal Revelation
Later that night, back at the jade-lit strategy room, Master Ruo Lin gathered them again. His expression was still and grave. A candle flickered beside him, casting long shadows.
"There's something you must know," he said, placing a newer scroll onto the table.
"The Diamond Slip teams have a new addition."
The scroll unsealed with a soft hum. A new name burned into its surface.
> Imperial Sky Warden Unit — Special team under Jing Fu Empire's royal command. Personally trained by the Crown's elite cultivators. Shielded by imperial secret arts.
For a moment, silence.
"Are they even allowed?" Xiaobo muttered.
"They don't follow rules," Yuxin said, her voice dropping. "They make them."
Pressure dropped like a stone on the Dawn Wrath team. Everyone knew the reputation of the Sky Warden Unit — they were ghosts, blades, and judges of battle all in one.
"They've never lost in combat trials," Lian Hua whispered. "Ever."
Zhang Xin said nothing. But inside him, something churned — a pulse of doubt.
Or was it fear?
No.
Not fear.
A memory.
Uncle Li's gaze behind the curtain. Not angry. Not proud. Just... watching. Cold. Measuring.
As if the fight hadn't even started yet.
As if Zhang Xin hadn't even begun to rise.