Chapter 8: Blood in the Courtyard
The night air grew thick with killing intent. The courtyard was no longer a sanctuary; it was a battlefield. Ten Zhi Clan cultivators, ranging from the 5th to 7th Layer of Qi Gathering, surrounded the pavilion. Their leader, a gaunt man with a jagged scar on his cheek, sneered. "Hand over the art, or we burn this place to the ground."
Lin Xuan stood firm, his gray robes fluttering in the wind. His crimson eyes glinted in the moonlight. "You'll burn first." He lunged, a shadow in the night. Tooth Dagger tore through the leader's arm, blood spraying. The other cultivators' qi blades flashed, but Lin Xuan's newly-mastered Illusion Diversion created a clone that drew their fire. While they were distracted, Celestial Glide wove him through their ranks. He moved with brutal efficiency, Tooth Dagger leaving bleeding wounds. Energy Devour siphoned their qi, weakening their attacks.
A 7th Layer cultivator summoned a qi serpent that bit Lin Xuan's leg. The poison spread quickly, but his Iron Body Art mitigated the damage. He siphoned the serpent's qi, then ended the foe with a decisive Tooth Dagger thrust.
The remaining cultivators fell one by one, their shocked faces turning to horror as Lin Xuan systematically devoured their qi. The surge of power pushed him to the 5th Layer of Qi Gathering.
Liu Yue emerged, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. "You killed them all," she whispered.
Luo Shuang hurried her forward. "We can't stay. They will send more."
Lin Xuan nodded, the fight proving their time was short. "The Alchemist's Guild competition is tomorrow," he said. "It's a way to get resources and allies." In his room, he used his hidden silver-blue flame to refine a powerful healing pill, the brilliant light a stark contrast to the blood that stained his robes.