Xin Li took a deep breath, her eyes closed. Her slender, alabaster white hands lifted, both palms meeting in front of her chest in a sacred prayer pose. It was a subtle gesture, transforming her grace into a spiritual gate.
As the tips of her delicate fingers met, five cards emerged from the void, not from a pocket, but from the energy swirling around her. The cards shone with a silvery moonlight, rotating in a perfect orbit around Xin Li, like five small satellites obedient to their center of gravity.
"Chen Huang," she called, her soft voice now sounding like a sacred bell, carrying a tone of calm authority.
Xin Li opened both her palms, facing upwards, a silent gesture inviting Chen Huang to make contact.
Chen Huang responded to the signal. He extended his hand and placed it carefully on top of Xin Li's palm. The touch did not generate a rough energy shock, but a gentle, creeping warmth.
As soon as their palms touched, the cards floating in the air suddenly began to spin faster, their orbital speed increasing drastically, blurring their silver light into a shimmering ring of energy around them.
"Breaking boundaries... piercing the future, transcending everything," Xin Li uttered her short sentence, each word sounding like a key unlocking a hidden door.
Slowly, her closed eyelids opened again. Her real eyes, now shining with astonishing golden intensity, emitted a light that coincided with the ascent of the five cards to the peak of their rotation. The light pulsed for a moment, then dimmed.
A few moments that felt like an eternity passed. Then, one card, as if drawn by inevitable fate, separated from the orbit. The card descended slowly, floating straight toward Chen Huang. On its now stationary surface, the single word 'Death' was engraved.
Chen Huang froze. His gaze was fixed on the word written by destiny. The surrounding scenery—the trees, the sunlight—everything faded, leaving only that single card.
At the same time, Xin Li trembled. Tears, clear as crystal, began to stream from her beautiful golden eyes, carving two wet trails on her milky white cheeks. Her body shook, her shoulders slightly hunched, signifying that she had witnessed something profoundly sad, an unavoidable tragedy. She had seen the future.
"Xin Li... what does this mean?" Chen Huang asked. His voice sounded like a muffled whisper; he completely ignored why the woman was crying, his focus absolutely on the haunting word 'Death'.
Xin Li, still halfway through crying, took a shaky breath. Her shoulders rose and fell with a rhythm of sorrow. "Chen Huang..." her voice was cut short by a choked sob. She quickly and desperately wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "You will be killed by the person you love the most."
The confession hit Chen Huang like a spiritual bolt of lightning. The energy in his body, which he had just stabilized, instantly vanished. His entire body became instantly weak and empty. The prophecy card slipped from his weakened grip and fell to the forest floor. His body did not completely collapse, but his back swayed slightly, a physical manifestation of his shocked and shaken inner core.
"I..." Chen Huang could only manage a single syllable.
"I'm sorry!" Xin Li suddenly interrupted, her voice filled with regret. "I shouldn't have read your fortune... if only I hadn't done it..." The sorrowful weeping continued; Xin Li bowed her head, her black hair falling to cover part of her face.
Amidst the woman's crying and regret, an unbreakable will enveloped Chen Huang. He extended his right hand, his movement slow and meaningful, and touched Xin Li's shoulder. The touch was very gentle, not a demanding touch, but a reassuring affirmation.
"I will not die..." he said. His gaze, now sharp again and radiating newfound conviction, pierced through Xin Li's layer of sadness. "If that prophecy has a 90% chance of happening, then I will strive hard to get the remaining 10%."
Xin Li lifted her head. Her tears were beginning to stop, her golden eyes looking into Chen Huang's, searching for the truth in those words. "But..."
Chen Huang tightened his touch on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I will become the strongest. So strong that no one will ever worry about me again." It was not an empty promise.
Xin Li's tears still left faint traces at the corners of her eyes, remnants of the overshadowing sadness of the prophecy. She slowly wiped her tears away, her hand movement showing an effort to pull back the overflowing emotions, letting calmness flow in.
Just as that calmness began to form, a black shadow darted from behind the trees with air-splitting speed. The man landed next to Chen Huang, his foot striking the forest ground with a forceful impact. Without greeting, without warning, his right fist lunged in a straight trajectory, aimed at the side of Chen Huang's head.
Chen Huang's movement was lightning-fast, but with an almost invisible efficiency. He only moved his upper body, rotating his hip slightly backward, allowing the energy-laden punch to only sweep the empty air in front of his chest.
From the other side, a woman with pale yellow hair tied back darted forward. Her movements were agile and firm. She grabbed Xin Li's arm, pulling her away from the sudden swirling tension. Xin Li, who had just finished crying, was surprised and hadn't managed to utter a word.
"How dare you make Xin Li cry!" The attacking man roared. His voice was filled with protective anger.
His name was Pang Bo, and he also belonged to the Heaven Cloud Sect, just like Xin Li.
He immediately launched a rapid sequence of attacks. Every punch he released was wrapped in dense yellow Dou Qi that swirled, giving a massive visual effect of threat. "Haa!" he shouted, his Dou Qi rustling like ripped silk.
Chen Huang used his right leg as a pivot, spinning his body, then leaped back a few steps. This was not flight; it was a controlled evasion technique, using distance to assess the opponent.
"Wait!" Chen Huang said, his voice attempting to dampen the fast-moving momentum of misunderstanding.
However, the woman who pulled Xin Li, Yun Yuan, interrupted with a sharp, commanding voice. "Senior Brother! Hit him, he made Xin Li cry."
Pang Bo, who had a tall and lean posture, ignored Chen Huang's plea. He let the Dou Qi in his hand spin faster, slowly forming a blade made of pure energy—a dense yellow Dou Qi sword that emitted an aura of sharpness. He lunged again, his movements now more focused and deadly, releasing a series of rapid slashes toward Chen Huang.
Chen Huang danced between the deadly slashes. He avoided them all with minimalist, almost invisible movements. Sometimes he only tilted his head by two fingers, other times, he only ducked his waist backward, letting the Dou Qi sword blade only touch his hair. Every movement was the result of perfect calculation, expending as little energy as possible.
After a moment of defense, Chen Huang realized that Pang Bo would not stop. He sighed, his aura of calmness fading, replaced by the focus of a fighter.
"You really want to fight, don't you?" Pure silver Dou Qi enveloped Chen Huang's hand, condensing until it looked like a glove of molten metal. "Then let's do it!"
On the other side, Xin Li began to speak. She pulled Yun Yuan's sleeve with a firm grip. Yun Yuan, who had pale yellow hair, was shocked to see the strength behind her junior's pull.
"Sister Yun. Stop their fight now! It's a misunderstanding!" she said with a high note of anxiety.
Yun Yuan glared sharply at Chen Huang, her protective attitude undiminished. "What's wrong with you, Xin Li? That bastard made you cry, we must teach him a lesson!" she retorted, her voice allowing no argument.
Yun Yuan and Pang Bo were prominent geniuses from the Heaven Cloud Sect. Pang Bo, with his Dou Qi Sword, possessed great sword skills.
The fight between Chen Huang and Pang Bo grew more intense. Both unleashed their best abilities. Pang Bo, surprised by his opponent's incredible evasion skills, began to face Chen Huang seriously.
Chen Huang, after several evasions, found an opening. With his right hand enveloped in silver Dou Qi, he was about to launch a punch, a full-force punch. He pulled his fist back, his shoulder rotated, his hip locked. Energy was centered in his arm, ready to be unleashed.
However, at that crucial moment, when Chen Huang's fist was just about to be launched, blocked by Xin Li, who was in front of Pang Bo, Xin Li acted. With a sudden and desperate movement, she broke free from Yun Yuan, darted forward, and stopped right between the two fighters.
"Stop! It's a misunderstanding!" she screamed.
In that deadly split second, Chen Huang stopped his entire momentum. His punch, which was only a fraction away from reaching Pang Bo, was canceled.
The muscles of his arm and shoulder tensed, restraining the massive energy release; the silver Dou Qi swirled and quickly disappeared, a testament to absolute control. If he had been a second late, the punch would have injured Xin Li.
Chen Huang immediately diverted his attention entirely to the woman. He placed his free left hand, touching Xin Li's face carefully and gently, as if she were fragile porcelain. His eyes, which had been radiating fighting determination, were now filled with deep worry.
"Xin Li! Are you hurt? Did my attack hit you?" he asked, his voice trembling with guilt; he was worried that the energy he released might have injured Xin Li.
Xin Li looked at Chen Huang's anxious face. Her fear vanished, replaced by amusement. She laughed softly, a delicate and crisp sound. "I'm fine."
Then Xin Li turned around. She faced her friends, who now looked confused and surprised. With new determination, she began to explain everything, a rather long story, recounting all the events, except for Chen Huang's future.
After hearing the long explanation, Pang Bo lowered his Dou Qi sword. "Then why were you crying at that time?" he asked, his tone still skeptical.
Xin Li paused for a moment. Her eyes rolled upward, searching for a plausible reason; she was confused about what to say. A small panic crossed her beautiful face.
"That... ah yes! Chen Huang told me a sad story. That's why I cried!" she said loudly, her voice volume slightly too high, her hands seeming to act out the tragic scene she explained, her hand movements awkward and out of sync with her expression.
Yun Yuan and Pang Bo, both, began to look at Chen Huang with suspicion and doubt. Meanwhile, Chen Huang could only smile wryly. He touched his forehead with a finger. He didn't expect Xin Li to be so bad and poor at lying.