The mountain winds screamed like dying beasts as the disciples of the Falling Shadow Sect gathered before the colossal obsidian arena. Jagged stone pillars ringed its edges, each carved with runes that pulsed faintly as though thirsty for blood.
This was no ordinary stage of combat. This was the Trial of Blades—the rite where disciples slaughtered one another for rank, resources, and life.
At the center of the arena, Feng Xieyun stood alone. His black hair streamed in the wind, his crimson eyes calm yet piercing. He did not posture, did not even stir his qi. And yet, every disciple who looked at him felt as if a shadow pressed against their lungs.
"Outsider," one spat.
"Arrogant bastard."
"He won't last a round."
But their voices trembled, betraying their fear.
An elder rose upon the dais, robes flowing like black waves. His voice cracked across the arena like thunder:
"Disciples of Falling Shadow Sect! Today, the Trial of Blades shall begin! Formations shall shift, illusions shall tear, blades shall fall! Survive, and claim your shadow! Fall, and be forgotten as dust beneath our feet!"
The ground rumbled. Blood-red light surged through the runes. The arena groaned as though alive.
A shimmering dome fell across the space, sealing the disciples within.
And the trial began.
---
The world shifted.
Stone melted into darkness. The disciples found themselves scattered in a realm of shifting illusions—forests of bone, rivers of blood, skies of burning flame.
It was not merely test of skill, but of will. The Trial preyed upon the disciple's fears, magnifying them until the weak drowned screaming.
Yet Xieyun walked forward without hesitation. The shadows parted before him, as if recognizing their master.
A group of disciples spotted him, eyes gleaming with murderous glee.
"There! The demon-seed! Together!"
Blades flashed. Five disciples charged. Their qi tore the air like knives.
Xieyun did not move until the first blade fell toward his neck.
Then, he vanished.
A whisper of shadow. A flicker of crimson light.
The disciples froze—blood spraying from their throats, their bodies collapsing in unison.
The crowd watching outside the formation erupted.
"What—he killed them in one strike!"
"Impossible! He didn't even draw a weapon!"
"Monster…"
On the dais, the Sect Master narrowed his eyes. The faintest smile tugged his lips. "So. The lotus blooms."
---
But the trial was far from over.
Formations twisted. New illusions surged. A disciple stumbled, screaming, as his flesh melted into maggots before his own eyes. Another cut his own throat, unable to withstand the terror gnawing at his mind.
Xieyun strode through it all, untouched. The illusions could not reach him. He had already known fear—the fear of betrayal, the fear of death, the fear of fire consuming his soul. Compared to Earth's treacherous boardrooms and the Lin Clan's looming shadow, this was nothing.
Then came the ambush.
Seven disciples burst from the bone-forest, their faces twisted with hatred. They moved as one—proof of conspiracy. Their blades crackled with synchronized qi, forming a killing formation.
At their center, a scarred youth grinned. "Feng Xieyun, the sect does not need you. Die here and be forgotten."
Xieyun's gaze sharpened. For the first time, his qi flared. Black lotus petals bloomed in the air, edged with crimson fire.
The seven disciples froze. The temperature dropped. Their knees trembled as if pressed by an invisible weight.
Then, Xieyun moved.
His figure blurred—Shadow Step—and the lotus petals ignited. Black fire roared, devouring blades, qi, and flesh.
The screams echoed, shrill and raw. The seven disciples collapsed, their bodies crumbling into ash.
Only silence remained.
Outside the arena, disciples clutched their robes in terror.
"He… he incinerated them!"
"That flame—it wasn't normal qi!"
"What is he?!"
The elder overseeing the trial turned pale. Even he, a Core elder, felt his soul stir uneasily.
---
Hours passed. The formation finally dissolved. The survivors staggered back into the arena, battered, bloodied, but alive.
And at the center, Feng Xieyun stood unscathed, his robes barely ruffled, crimson eyes gleaming beneath the moonlight.
The elder raised his trembling hand. "Trial concluded! Those who remain—ranked as Inner Disciples of Falling Shadow Sect!"
The survivors, barely a dozen, glared at Xieyun with fear and hatred. They had fought with sweat and blood, yet he had emerged like a god walking among mortals.
Above them all, the Sect Master's gaze lingered. "Interesting. Very interesting."
But in the shadows behind the dais, the Lin Envoy smiled faintly, his eyes fixed on Xieyun.
"So, the demon-seed bares its fangs." His voice was soft, venomous. "Good. The higher you rise, the sweeter the fall."
---
That night, Xieyun returned to his quarters. The System's chime echoed in his mind.
> [Mission Completed: Trial of Blades.]
[Reward: Shadow Arts Upgrade – Shadow Lotus Manifestation.]
[Hidden Achievement: Blooded in Front of Heaven.]
He sat cross-legged, flame flickering in his palm. The lotus petals now pulsed like living things, whispering promises of power.
But in the corner of the room, Lian Zhi's violet eyes watched him silently. Her voice was soft, tinged with unease.
"You killed too openly."
Xieyun met her gaze, unflinching. "Fear is a weapon. Tonight, I carved it into their hearts."
She hesitated. "…And what if Heaven itself begins to fear you?"
Xieyun smiled, cold and sharp. "Then Heaven will learn to bow."
And far above, beneath the blood-red moon, thunder rumbled faintly—as though the heavens themselves had heard his defiance.
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✨ End of Chapter 25 ✨
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