The sect's disciples bustled about the training grounds, preparing for the Inner Sect Tournament. For most, it was a chance to prove themselves. For Lu Tian, it was survival.
He needed to grow stronger—fast.
As he crossed the courtyard, whispers trailed after him."That's the trash who beat Xu Han…""Probably some cursed technique.""He won't last a round in the tournament."
Lu Tian ignored them, but his meridian didn't. It pulsed hungrily, feeding on their doubt, their scorn, faint threads of strength weaving into his veins. The growth was tiny—like drops of water on a desert stone—but it was there.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw her.
Lan Xue.
The icy beauty stood in the shade of a blossoming spirit tree, her pale blue robes fluttering in the breeze. A group of disciples surrounded her, hanging on her every word. She dismissed them with a wave, her gaze locking on Lu Tian.
Her eyes were sharp as frost."So, the cripple dares to walk with his head high now?"
Lu Tian stopped before her. "Better a cripple who rises than a genius who kneels."
A flicker of annoyance crossed her perfect face. She stepped closer, her aura pressing down like winter snow. "Do not mistake one lucky strike for talent. In the tournament, men like you are swallowed whole."
The Heaven-Devouring Meridian pulsed. The faint thread of light connecting him to Lan Xue brightened, feeding on her disdain. Lu Tian felt a chill seep into his core, not harmful but invigorating.
[Bond Detected: Lan Xue][Status: Hostility → Connection Strengthened][Reward: Frost Qi Fragment Acquired]
Lu Tian's breath fogged as a wisp of icy energy flowed into him. His eyes widened—so even hatred deepens the bond… and grants me power.
Lan Xue must have noticed the sudden shift in his aura, because her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you just do?"
Lu Tian smirked faintly. "Nothing. Just breathing the same air as my fiancée."
Her cheeks colored, though her voice turned colder. "Shameless. Do not think for a moment that I'll acknowledge this farce of an engagement."
She turned sharply, her robes sweeping behind her as she walked away, leaving the scent of frost in her wake.
But Lu Tian hardly noticed. He was too busy staring at the faint frost dancing across his palm. His meridian had given him a fragment of Lan Xue's cultivation—just from a moment of confrontation.
His heart pounded.If hostility grants me power… what will happen when I forge bonds of loyalty? Of desire? Of love?
The possibilities stretched before him like an endless horizon.
And for the first time, Lu Tian welcomed them all.