The forest outside Wu City was silent, save for the faint hum of Dou Qi in the night.
Xiao Chen stood in a clearing, cloak torn and stained, watching as eight masked figures emerged from the darkness. Da Dou Shi. They carried themselves like executioners, blades drawn, killing intent plain.
He didn't speak. Neither did they.
They struck.
The first blow came for his throat — Xiao Chen twisted, letting the blade graze his shoulder. Two more slashes aimed for his ribs; he met one with his forearm, redirected the other with a spin. A palm slammed into his ribs, sending him reeling back.
Yaksha Shield.
A jagged barrier of black-green Dou Qi erupted around him as a spear of energy pierced forward. The shield cracked under the assault, shattering just as he slipped free.
Then the clones came.
Six Paths Demonic Clones.
Six phantoms of Xiao Chen erupted from his form, charging with wild aggression. The clearing erupted into chaos, Dou Qi clashing violently in flashes of red and green.
But the assassins were trained for this. They cut down the clones one by one, forcing the original Xiao Chen back into the center of their ring.
He didn't resist.
He let them work.
Scourge of Heavens.
His eyes turned crimson, and the threads appeared — luminous lines of Dou Qi connecting them. The pattern emerged. They weren't simply circling. They were weaving.
A formation.
He didn't interrupt.
Instead, he watched.
Their Dou Qi surged in unison, building until the air vibrated with lethal intent. The threads tightened, glowing brighter, and then —
A massive blade of condensed Dou Qi formed above them, large enough to cleave the clearing in two.
Xiao Chen exhaled slowly.
Sentient Realms — Threefold Yaksaha.
The phantom erupted from his body, towering fifteen feet tall, three heads and six arms gripping colossal sabers.
The sword fell.
The Yaksaha met it.
The collision fractured the night. Trees bent and snapped under the pressure, the earth splitting beneath their feet. The Yaksaha held for a heartbeat — then two — before the phantom shattered, the massive blade breaking along with it in a blinding flash of light.
Silence followed.
Xiao Chen stood hunched, chest heaving, his Dou Qi nearly drained.
The assassins didn't hesitate. They charged, smelling blood.
But Xiao Chen wasn't done.
He lowered his head.
And breathed.
Dou Qi flooded back into his meridians like a tide reversing course. Faster than it should. Faster than humanly possible.
The assassins hesitated, confused by the sudden surge of power.
Xiao Chen raised his hand.
Mahakala Mantra — Blade of the Big Dipper Calamity.
The air warped as Dou Qi condensed in his grasp, twisting and folding in on itself. The saber that formed was monstrous — a deep crimson edge traced with veins of black-green malice, humming with destructive power.
He didn't waste words.
He moved.
The first assassin's head hit the ground before his body realized it had been cut. Xiao Chen spun, the saber howling as it carved a second man from shoulder to hip. The rest tried to retreat, but the forest was too small for cowards.
He hunted them one by one, each swing of the Mahakala saber cutting through blade and bone alike.
In less than a minute, the clearing was silent again.
Eight corpses bled into the dirt.
Xiao Chen stood among them, blood running down his arms, breathing steady. His saber dissolved into mist as he turned and walked deeper into the forest, as though nothing had happened.
---
Wu City, Misty Cloud Sect Guest Hall.
"Dead," the scout said, kneeling low. "All eight. Not one survived."
The Misty Cloud Sect elder leaned back, expression unreadable. "Eight Da Dou Shi… all slaughtered by a single boy."
Beside him, a Xiao Clan elder snarled. "He's a blight. We should've ended him when we had the chance."
"Complaints won't change what's done," the elder said coldly. "If he wins this tournament, his name will spread beyond Jia Ma. He'll become untouchable."
Their gazes locked.
"We cannot allow that," the Xiao elder said.
"Then we change the game," the Misty Cloud elder replied. "If his strength can't be broken… the rules will be."