Inside a dark, gloomy castle, the shadow of a mysterious figure loomed behind a drape of white curtain.
At the front, two teenagers—a boy and a girl—stood with their heads bowed. If Mengxuan were here, he would have recognized these two as Li Feng and Ji Baixi, members of the Abyssal Spider Demonic Zone.
"We should be killed for failing the sect's mission," Ji Bai muttered grimly.
"Two newbies," came a cold voice, neutral and hoarse. It was impossible to discern whether it belonged to a male or female.
"Failing to kill a young boy without holy force... Aren't you shameless?" the voice sneered.
The two trembled in place. The pressure radiating from the shadow was suffocating—they didn't even dare to glance up.
No one noticed, but the shadow behind the curtain seemed to flicker like candlelight.
Li Feng clenched his fists in fury, so tightly that blood nearly seeped from his knuckles.
---
_That Mengxuan was like a cockroach—impossible to kill, always escaping death by a thread.
Li Feng hadn't wanted to openly kill him; that would have drawn the academy's attention. Though he had the chance to end him swiftly, he restrained himself. A perfect clean work was still the ideal route.
With his body gravity art, he had sent the abyssal spider to relentlessly attack, but the boy somehow managed to evade death again and again. And that meddling girl, Xiaolong, was always at Mengxuan's side, like a thorn in the teeth, constantly helping him.
When he led them to the mutated, master-ranked Abyssal Spider, Li Feng believed he'd finally dealt with them. But who could have guessed the boy would unleash some insane sword skills? And with help from that green-eyed girl, they defeated the mutated spider.
Even now, Li Feng still couldn't believe it.
---
Using his final trump card, Ji Baixi had forced Mengxuan to use the Times-Five Strength Technique—a forbidden move that would cause severe backlash, even death, to a normal mortal like him.
But somehow, Mengxuan survived. All of Ji Baixi's schemes had crumbled. Mengxuan had escaped and returned to the academy.
He even had the idea that the demonic zone was secretly helping him.The hundred spider summoning were still a mystery.
Together, with jibaixi, they had activated the formation and returned to base, and even now, Li Feng couldn't understand how a normal mortal could achieve such an impossible feat.
"Go to the Skin-Flaying Punishment Hall and atone for your sins," the voice behind the curtain commanded coldly.
"Thank you for your mercy, Immortal Lord," they replied, their voices shaking.
---
"How do you feel about handling these two students?" Fiend Monk spoke up
Meng Xuan stepped into his room, the silence greeting him like an old friend.
After gaining the Primordial Demonic Flame, he'd been pondering its first use. But before he could decide, fate knocked—two students barged in, looking for trouble.
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
They had no idea what they had walked into.
With a mere flick of thought, the Primordial Demonic Flame surged forth. In an instant, he incinerated them—bones, flesh, even their shadows—reduced to nothing but ash. Not a single trace remained.
The night wind slipped in through the cracks, whispering like a thief. It carried the ashes away, scattering them into the darkness, never to be seen again.
It wasn't that those students were weak—no. They were just too shocked, too arrogant to believe someone like Meng Xuan could control the fire element.
He had made sure to burn everything—even their coin pouch—anything that could link the act back to him.
Standing amid the fading warmth of the flame, he whispered to himself:
"I felt nauseous and full of regret at first... killing those two. But now... my mind feels clear. Calm.
It seems… ending them was the best accomplishment I've ever made."
He exhaled, a low sigh echoing in the room.
"Meng Xuan, you should learn how to control it,The Primordial Demonic Flames also came with a cost—bloodthirst."
"The more you kill," the voice whispered darkly, "the more hungry for blood you become..."
Meng Xuan paused, his eyes widening in surprise.
"I never imagined I'd hear those words from you," he said softly, his voice touched with disbelief. "Telling me to control it... A devil like you?"
"Your safety matters, my lord," the voice replied, unusually gentle.
That night, Meng Xuan slept soundly. The toll from using the Primordial Demonic Flame for the first time had drained his entire energy. His body collapsed into rest, desperately needing recovery.
---
The next morning...
Meng Xuan slowly opened his eyes, greeted by the warm caress of early morning sunlight on his face.
He stretched lazily, taking in the silence—until something felt... off.
A strange scent lingered in the air.
Suddenly alert, he sat up properly—only to find his bed completely scorched, the sheets reduced to nothing but blackened ashes.
His brows furrowed.
"Morning, Master," came a familiar voice—it was the Fiend Monk.
Meng Xuan turned sharply. "What's happening?"
"The Primordial Demonic Flame..." the monk began.
"You need to gain full mastery of it."
The golden sun shone brightly over Jade City, making the whole place seem ablaze.
It was the day of Radiant Sky Academy's weekly tournament. Students crowded into the academy's battle arena, buzzing with excitement for the fights ahead.
The winner of the previous match would step onto the stage again, waiting for a challenger.
After a while, with still no sign of Meng Xuan, Teacher Bai — the tournament's coordinator — stepped forward and announced the start of the rough battle. Any student could step up and challenge another. It was called "rough" because up to ten opponents could appear in the same battle arena, all vying for the top position.
"That Meng Xuan didn't even show up. I'm sure he's afraid of getting beaten," someone muttered.
"I don't think so," another replied. "I heard he suffered heavy casualties in the Abyssal Demonic Zone."
"That's good for him. How did he think he could survive in a demonic zone without any holy force?"
Two friends chatted idly as they watched the fights unfolding in the arena.
The battle was in disarray — dust billowed into the air, fists and kicks thudded, and shouts echoed through the field.
After about an hour, a boy with long blond hair stepped forward — the winner of the rough battle.
"Di Tang!" someone shouted.
The name spread quickly among the students.
"That's Di Tang. He's filthy rich," a voice whispered.
"The Di clan are the only ones in the Northern Region with their own personal Demonic Zone."
"Wow… how come I'm just seeing him for the first time?"
"That's not strange. He rarely comes to school."
"He's really cool."
"Compared to the Di clan, the Jiao clan seems a bit inferior," another student said.
"That's obvious, but don't underestimate the Jiao clan."
"There are three strongest backers of the academy: the Di clan, the Jiao clan, and one other mysterious clan I don't even know."
Far from the academy's battle arena, Meng Xuan smiled faintly as he turned away, heading back toward his residence.
"What are you up to now?" someone asked.
"Let's see…"
In the days that followed, Meng Xuan began a strict daily routine. He would go to the academy field and perform one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, then run ten laps around the training grounds.
His persistence soon caught the attention of the students. The academy field was on the usual route to their classes, so many noticed him.
"It's just a pity that Meng Xuan doesn't have holy force," one girl sighed. "He could have been my next boyfriend."
"Are you really that petty?" Two girls chatted as they walked toward their class.
"Don't you think he's looking more charming these days?" a girl, who seemed to be fawning over Meng Xuan, said with a dreamy voice.
"What have you drunk lately?" her friend asked.
"Just take a look…"