The Greater Shadowfang Alpha shook itself, blood spraying across the gorge walls. Its left leg buckled but did not break, its eyes burning with a feral red glow. The howl it unleashed rattled the disciples' teeth, sending several stumbling back in fear.
Wu Ming squeaked from his perch, clutching an empty sack. "Senior Brother, I'm officially out of rocks! I repeat, I am out of rocks!"
Zhao Kun snarled, blade trembling. "It won't die! Nothing we do is enough!"
Lin Xuan's spear leveled, his eyes narrowing. Every beast, no matter how strong, carries flaws. The question is only whether we have the strength to strike them.
[System Notice: Weak points confirmed – left hind leg, throat cartilage, ocular cavity. Estimated kill efficiency: 47%. Recommend group synergy.]
The Alpha lunged, fangs gaping wide enough to swallow a man whole. One disciple screamed as claws ripped across his chest, throwing him like a ragdoll into the stone wall. Blood spattered the rocks.
Chaos erupted. The timid girl shrieked, her chipped sword trembling in both hands. The lanky boy tried to shield her, only to be knocked sprawling by the beast's tail.
Zhao Kun slashed wildly, but the Alpha's paw swatted his strike aside, nearly breaking his arm.
The disciples faltered, panic spreading. The formation collapsed entirely.
Lin Xuan's voice cut through the chaos, sharp as steel. "Hold the circle! Do not break!"
His spear blurred, intercepting the Alpha's next strike before it could crush Zhao Kun. Sparks showered as fang met shaft.
Zhao Kun froze, staring. Lin Xuan had saved him—again.
The Turning Point
[System Notice: Activating Adaptive Fusion – Gale Slash + Crane Step.]
Lin Xuan shifted. His feet slid into Crane Step's flowing rhythm, spear arcing in a sudden gust of speed. The Alpha reeled, blood spraying as its flank split deeper.
The timid girl gasped. "He—he's moving like three masters at once!"
Even Zhao Kun's jaw clenched. "Impossible…!"
But the Alpha roared louder, fury only growing. It lunged at the girl again.
Lin Xuan's eyes sharpened. He moved without hesitation—spear intercepting, body twisting, dragging her aside. The beast's fangs tore through his sleeve, grazing flesh. Pain lanced his arm, but his stance never faltered.
Wu Ming's voice cracked from above. "Senior Brother's bleeding! Somebody do something useful!"
The Alpha's fury turned the gorge into a storm. Disciples staggered, barely holding.
Lin Xuan planted his spear in the ground, qi flowing along the shaft like lightning. His voice was steady, commanding. "Strike when I strike. Follow my rhythm. One chance only."
They hesitated. Even Zhao Kun froze—then, seeing no other hope, nodded grimly.
Lin Xuan inhaled. His steps flowed into Crane Step, his spear lifted into Gale Slash, his stance rooted in Stone Palm's stability. Three arts fused seamlessly, elevated by the System.
[System Alert: Temporary Fusion – "Storm Fang Piercing." Efficiency: 92%. Warning: qi consumption heavy.]
The Alpha lunged. Lin Xuan thrust.
The spear blazed like a storm, slamming into the beast's throat with earth-shaking force. At that same instant, Zhao Kun's sword, the timid girl's chipped blade, even Wu Ming's desperate thrown dagger struck in unison.
Steel, wood, and stone sang together.
The Alpha howled, body convulsing. Blood geysered, hot and black. It collapsed in a thunderous crash, shaking the gorge floor.
Silence rang in the wake of the beast's death. The disciples staggered, staring at Lin Xuan with disbelief.
The timid girl fell to her knees, gasping. "We… we killed it?"
Wu Ming slid down from his perch, landing with a thump. "Correction: Senior Brother killed it! We were the enthusiastic decoration!"
Lin Xuan withdrew his spear, blood dripping from the blade. His sleeve was torn, arm bleeding freely, but his expression was calm as still water.
Too much. I showed too much.
But there had been no choice.
High on the ledge, Qiu Ran's eyes gleamed cold. He fingered the talisman at his belt, lips curling.
"Impressive. You bleed for those who would have mocked you yesterday. But you've drained yourself, haven't you, Lin Xuan? Perfect. Soon, the Alpha's death will mean yours as well."
He slipped into the shadows, silent as a viper waiting for its moment.
The disciples gathered shakily, staring at Lin Xuan with awe, suspicion, and fear all tangled together.
Zhao Kun clenched his fists, torn between gratitude and hate. Wu Ming puffed his chest out proudly beside Lin Xuan, declaring, "Behold, the wolf-slaying spear master of the Outer Sect!"
Lin Xuan said nothing. He only wiped his spear clean, eyes on the darkened gorge ahead.
Another howl echoed, deeper still, shaking loose stones from the cliffs.
The Alpha was dead. But the gorge's true secrets were only beginning to stir.