Past Memories — Heavenly Thunder Clan
Within the cold, storm-shrouded mountains of the Heavenly Thunder Clan, snow never touched the ground—it evaporated midair from the sheer pressure of the clan's force.
Inside the training grounds, the cries of a child echoed through the stone halls.
A young girl, no more than five, stumbled as her tiny feet attempted to mimic a technique far too advanced for her age.
Shadow Steps—an elite assassin movement technique requiring perfect control over one's breath, steps, and intent. It was meant to make the user vanish like mist.
But every time she slowed…
Crack!
A cane struck her legs again.
"Focus, Tianlei Yu!" barked Tianlei Fei, her father, his cold gaze like thunderclouds. "You must master this! You are born to be the greatest assassin of this generation!"
Tears streamed down her face as she limped forward, her small feet leaving trails of blood on the stone.
"F-Father… I-I can't… my legs hurt…"
Another strike. No mercy.
"No assassin complains. Pain is weakness. Cry, and you'll never survive this world."
From that moment on, something in Tianlei Yu broke. Her tears stopped. Her emotions faded.
Her smile vanished, never to return.
And her expression—became the one she wore to this day.
A frozen mask.
---
Back to Present — Heavenflame Ridge — Outer Cliffs
The molten lava still bubbled nearby. The charred remains of the serpent beast had begun to sink into the lava pool, steam rising into the air in curling wisps.
Tianlei Yu, now known to others as Shu Yu, sat silently at the cliff's edge, the dark cave yawning behind her. Her gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, as though watching a storm in her mind.
Suddenly—
Gao Tian stirred.
His eyelids twitched before snapping open, and he shot up with a groan, rubbing his temples.
"Agh… What happened? Where's that damn serpent—?!"
He looked around in a panic.
"Did I… get knocked out again?"
He turned—and his eyes landed on her.
Sitting calmly. Motionless. That familiar expressionless look still on her face.
"Oh," she said in her usual flat tone. "So you're finally awake."
Gao Tian blinked. "…Wait, what happened?"
"You killed the beast," she said. "Then tried to kill me."
Gao Tian's jaw dropped. "E-Eh?! What?!"
"You were unconscious," she added, standing up and dusting off her robe. "If you try to attack me again then you are dead."
"…Y-You could've led with that second part!"
Shu Yu said nothing, simply turning toward the abyssal cave.
Gao Tian paused, his head still foggy—but something about her presence… felt heavy. As if she'd just walked out of a storm of her own.
He stood up slowly, walking beside her.
"So, what now? We go in there?"
She didn't look at him. But after a moment, she said, "Yeah. We're here for a reason – To grow strong."
And without another word, the two stepped into the black abyss together, shadows swallowing them as the entrance vanished behind them—along with everything they'd been until now.
---
Wai City — Gao Clan — Main Gate — Nightfall
The air was silent—too silent.
The stars above shivered behind drifting clouds as eight shadowy figures dropped from the night sky, their robes fluttering like ghosts in the wind.
Seven wore white bone-like masks, each engraved with the blood-red number "11" on the forehead.
And one—taller, more composed, his presence suppressing even the wind—stood before them with a "10" etched into his pale, featureless mask.
The man in front stepped forward, voice as cold as frost:
"Is this the clan… that dared hide Miss Tianlei Yu?"
One of the masked assassins stepped beside him, clasping a jade talisman.
"Yes. Our last trace confirmed her spiritual essence lingered here. She stayed the night."
"Number 10" did not respond.
He simply raised one hand—and all eight vanished into the darkness, their killing intent melting into the wind like poison.
---
Meanwhile — Whitefield Forest — Hidden Chamber
In a sealed underground chamber nestled beneath the forest canopy, the Second Body of Gao Tian sat in deep meditation.
The air trembled with the power flowing around him. Threads of elemental force spun like silver silk through his meridians.
Suddenly—
His eyes snapped open.
A faint ripple in his spirit thread… A sense of wrongness pulling at his core.
He placed two fingers on his forehead and focused.
"Something's happening at the Gao Clan… this energy, this pressure—"
Without hesitation, he used Spiritual Transmission to contact his true self.
"Gao Tian, intruders have entered the clan. Should I engage?"
---
Heavenflame Ridge — Magma Basin — Black Caves Exit
Steam hissed around them as Gao Tian and Shu Yu stepped out of the cave's opposite side. The lava glowed faintly behind them, illuminating their path through the jagged volcanic terrain.
Just as Gao Tian placed his foot on solid ground—
"Gao Tian, intruders have entered the clan. Should I engage?"
His pupils contracted sharply.
Time froze in his mind.
Shu Yu, just steps ahead, stopped and turned. Her sharp eyes picked up on his sudden stillness.
"What happened?"
But he didn't answer.
His gaze darkened.
He clenched his fist.
"Quickly go. Protect our clan. Don't let a single one touch my family."
His Spiritual Transmission was clear, commanding.
Shu Yu furrowed her brow slightly. His silence wasn't natural.
"What is it?" she asked again, voice steady, expression calm as always.
Gao Tian exhaled slowly.
"…Shu Yu," he said at last, "Assassin's found your traces."
She tilted her head.
"…They found your clan?"
"Yes."
---
Whitefield Forest — Hidden Chamber
The air stirred. The moss-covered ground trembled faintly as the Second Body of Gao Tian opened his eyes.
"Engage," the real Gao Tian had said.
Without a sound, he vanished.
---
Wai City — Gao Clan — Midnight Garden
The once tranquil garden of the Gao Clan now echoed with tension. The wind carried the scent of ash and fear.
Dozens of clan members had been captured, forced to kneel in neat rows, their hands bound tightly with spirit-reinforced rope. Even Gao Hai and Gao Chi, normally proud and resolute, had been subdued.
At the head of the masked intruders stood the figure with the red '10' etched into his white mask. He radiated Nascent Soul–level pressure, and his chilling voice slithered through the air:
"Tell me—where have you hidden our Miss Tianlei Yu?"
Gao Hai bared his teeth, blood at the corner of his lips from earlier resistance.
"You bastard—we don't know who you're talking about!"
One of the masked subordinates, bearing the number "11," stepped forward. Without hesitation, he slapped Gao Hai across the face—a harsh crack echoed across the courtyard.
"Watch your tone. Someone might hear you… though it won't matter if everyone dies."
Suddenly—
The sky split with a pulse of spiritual force.
A figure descended from above like a falling star.
Gao Tian's Second Body hovered mid-air, his robes fluttering, his gaze sharp as steel. He raised one hand—and a golden barrier rippled across the perimeter of the Gao Clan, sealing all exits.
"Who are you," he thundered, "and what are you doing in my clan?"
The assassins snapped their heads upward, shocked by the sudden appearance.
Number 10 stepped forward, scoffing beneath his mask.
"You dare interfere? Get down here and kneel before—"
But he didn't finish.
In an instant, Second Body vanished.
The next moment—SLAP!
A palm smashed across the masked leader's face, sending him flying like a broken kite, crashing against the outer wall of the clan's inner residence.
BOOM!
Dust flew. Stone cracked.
The masked cultivator coughed blood onto the moss-covered ground, his mask tilting sideways.
The other assassins froze.
"That… that was their leader… and he's in the Nascent Soul Realm..."
One of them sensed his cultivation.
"H-he's only at Body Tempering — Fifth Layer?!"
They couldn't believe it.
Gao Chi, despite her worry, widened her eyes in disbelief. That aura… that figure… could it be—
From the rubble, Number 10 climbed to his feet, wiping blood from his lips.
"Impossible… my cultivation is leagues above his! How did he—"
But deep inside, fear bloomed.
This wasn't the strength of a mere Body Tempering cultivator. This was something else entirely.