The morning mist had barely lifted when Kuangshen arrived at the western courtyard again. The sunlight reflected off his snow-white hair, making him seem like a shard of frost moving among the ancient stones. Today was different. Today, his sparring with Feng Xuan would not be a casual test—it would be a formal duel, sanctioned by the elders of the northern and western training grounds.
Feng Xuan was already waiting, his amber eyes sharp, body coiled like a spring. Around them, young disciples and junior elders gathered, murmuring in anticipation. The air thrummed with qi as both boys stepped onto the stone platform that served as the dueling ground.
"Yan Kuangshen," Feng Xuan said, his tone firm, "I will not hold back today. I hope you won't either."
Kuangshen's abyssal gaze swept over him, cold yet curious. "I expect nothing less. Show me everything you've learned, Feng Xuan."
---
The duel began with a flurry of energy. Feng Xuan's attacks were fast and adaptive, blending wind and fire with precise footwork. He shifted directions mid-strike, testing Kuangshen's spatial awareness and reaction. Kuangshen responded with calculated manipulations of qi and space, redirecting elemental surges without even moving his feet. Yet this time, he paid closer attention to timing and rhythm, his movements flowing in harmony with the boy before him.
Feng Xuan noticed subtle changes. Kuangshen was no longer simply countering—he was predicting, adapting, and even shaping the flow of battle. Every feint and strike had a purpose. The boy's body was small, but the aura of mastery he radiated was undeniable.
"You've improved," Feng Xuan admitted, frustration creeping into his voice. "But I've been studying your patterns. I can anticipate your calculations now."
Kuangshen's lips curved faintly. "Then I will make you adapt rather than predict."
With that, he unleashed a sudden distortion of space. The stone platform seemed to ripple beneath them as Kuangshen bent the environment around his movements. Feng Xuan leapt back instinctively, barely keeping his elemental threads aligned.
The crowd gasped. Even the junior elders could feel the subtle manipulation of reality around the duelists. Two children, not yet five, were engaging in combat with techniques that rivaled seasoned disciples twice their age.
---
The spar continued for hours. Neither boy yielded, each countering, adapting, and learning from the other. Feng Xuan's creativity forced Kuangshen to think beyond calculation—he had to improvise in real time. Kuangshen's raw precision and bloodline power pushed Feng Xuan to refine every movement, every strike, every breath.
As the sun began to dip toward the western peaks, the boys paused, breathing evenly, eyes locked. Both were exhilarated, energized by the duel rather than exhausted.
"You… are remarkable," Feng Xuan said, a rare smile breaking through his usual intensity. "I've never met anyone who fights like you, Yan Kuangshen."
Kuangshen's abyssal eyes studied him, then relaxed. "Nor I like you, Feng Xuan. Today I have learned much—not from your strikes, but from your unpredictability. That is a strength most adults lack."
Around them, the gathered disciples and elders whispered in awe. A rivalry was no longer mere talk—it had become legend in its infancy.
---
That evening, Kuangshen returned to his private meditation chamber. His mind replayed the duel endlessly: Feng Xuan's techniques, his timing, his adaptive strategies. For the first time, Kuangshen felt a hunger beyond personal power—a desire to surpass not only his previous self but those who could challenge him, even rivals so young.
Yan Tianhuo and Mei Xueling observed quietly from the doorway.
"You see, Xueling," Yan Tianhuo said softly, "Kuangshen has found a rival worthy of shaping him. This is the beginning of something that will define his future."
Mei Xueling nodded, her eyes lingering on her son. "And yet he is still just a child. What he gains now will last him centuries if nurtured correctly."
Kuangshen, sensing their presence, turned briefly and nodded. "Father, Mother… I will not waste this chance. Every encounter, every duel, every challenge will become part of me. I will grow."
As he resumed his meditation, the first tendrils of advanced cultivation techniques began to flow through his body—energy he had never accessed before, unlocked by the challenge posed by Feng Xuan. The duel had done more than test his skill; it had forced his Primordial Chaos Physique to expand, adapt, and integrate a new level of subtlety into his movements and perception.
And in the shadows beyond the estate walls, unseen eyes watched.