Chapter 5 – The Trial by Fire and Lightning
Mist rolled over the Wudong Mountain Range like living silk, coiling around the twisted trees. Every step squelched in mud, every breath reeked of damp rot and hidden danger. Yin Jin and Baifang stood at the edge of a dark marsh, their bodies bruised but unbroken.
The first trial of Azure Sky Academy had lasted three days. They had hunted, fought, and survived — but now, the ground trembled. Something vast stirred beneath the swamp.
With a deafening roar, the Mud Lizard Leader erupted from the mire, towering twice their height. Its hide shimmered with hardened scales, its eyes gleaming with primal hatred.
Baifang spun his spear, lightning crackling around him like serpents. "Finally, a real opponent!"
Yin Jin didn't reply. His gaze locked on the creature's chest, his expression calm yet fierce.
The lizard struck first — a blur of claws and sludge. Baifang dodged, lightning streaking from his spear as he countered mid-spin. "Thunder Fang!" he roared.
The blow landed squarely, sending shockwaves across the bog — yet the monster only staggered back, enraged. Its tail whipped through the air, catching Baifang in the ribs and hurling him into a boulder.
"Baifang!" Yin Jin shouted, flames erupting from his palm.
Baifang coughed blood but laughed weakly. "Tch... Don't hold back, brother."
The orange flames in Yin Jin's hand flickered violently — then deepened into crimson fire, hot enough to bend the air. His aura surged, fierce and untamed.
The lizard lunged again, venom spraying from its maw. Yin Jin's fire roared to life, burning through it effortlessly. He dashed forward, each step leaving trails of red heat. His fists became blurs of light as he struck — once, twice, thrice — hammering the beast backward with each fiery blow.
Baifang leapt up beside him, lightning and flame intertwining in a dazzling storm. "Together!"
But Yin Jin's eyes hardened. "No... this ends with me."
He spread his hand, condensing his flames into a spiraling vortex. The fire twisted, compressed — until it took the form of a blazing crimson sword, humming with raw energy.
Yin Jin raised it slowly. "I shall use you... to perfect my test skill."
He vanished in a flash of red.
"Infernal Flame – Crimson Sever!"
The world exploded in light. A single arc of crimson carved through the battlefield, cutting the Mud Lizard Leader cleanly in half. The blast was so intense it turned the marshland to glass, and the shockwave rippled through the mountain range.
Silence fell. Then — the ashes of the beast scattered in the wind.
Baifang blinked, lowering his spear. "...Remind me never to spar with you."
Yin Jin exhaled, letting the flaming sword dissolve into sparks. "Then stop talking and start walking."
Baifang chuckled, slinging his arm over Yin Jin's shoulder as they trudged forward through the steam. "You may be all fire and mystery, but I'm still faster, you know."
Yin Jin smirked faintly. "Prove it."
As they disappeared into the mist, a faint glimmer shone where the lizard had fallen — a small crimson core, still warm. Neither of them noticed the pair of golden eyes watching from the shadows beyond.
The trial was far from over.