Qian Ye was immediately shocked, plunging off the cliff into a bottomless abyss.Cold wind tore at his clothes, the roar of the air deafening in his ears.
He frantically channeled his soul power, six dark wings unfurling behind him in a burst of black light, struggling to seize the air beneath him.
But horror struck almost instantly — the wings alone weren't enough to fly.The winds here were merciless, tearing upward like invisible blades.Every attempt to steady himself only made his body spin faster, tumbling through the violent currents.
So this is what it means to be powerless, he thought grimly, to fall without control. To die without leaving a mark.
Above, Azure Luan Douluo spread his vast azure wings and dove from the cliff, gliding effortlessly through the air like a streak of light. His voice thundered through the wind:
"Little Ye! Channel your soul power into your wings — stabilize yourself!"
Qian Ye forced himself to obey.He drew in a deep breath and poured his soul power outward, black and white flames igniting along his wings. The pressure of the wind shifted. His descent slowed.
His body wobbled in the air but finally stopped falling. He was floating — barely.
Azure Luan Douluo descended beside him, his azure feathers gleaming under the sunlight. "Good. Now prepare yourself, Little Ye — I'm going to attack you."
"What?" Qian Ye shouted over the wind. "Attack me? Now?"
Azure Luan Douluo's smile was calm but merciless.
"Do you think your enemies will stop attacking you just because you're learning to fly?"
In an instant, azure feathers appeared before the elder, hovering like countless sharpened blades.With a wave of his hand, they shot forward, streaking toward Qian Ye like meteors.
Qian Ye's eyes widened — he twisted his body midair, wings slashing through the wind. The first volley barely missed him.Then came the second. The third.
Each feather left a burning trail across his skin.Thin lines of blood appeared, only to seal a moment later as his Gluttony Form's regenerative power pulsed through his body.
Pain sharpened his focus. Fear faded. Instinct took over.
He moved with growing precision — a turn here, a dive there, each dodge smoother than the last.They danced through the open sky — one teaching, one surviving.
After three relentless hours, Qian Ye was no longer falling. He was flying.
The air bent beneath his wings as he soared upward, eyes cold, expression unreadable.So this is what freedom tastes like, he thought. A battlefield without ground — a stage where only power keeps you alive.
Azure Luan Douluo's gaze softened slightly. He could see it — Qian Ye's rapid growth, his unnatural control."This child…" he murmured. "Born for battle."
Then his tone hardened.
"Little Ye, I'm increasing my strength!"
A storm of azure feathers erupted, doubling in both speed and number.
Qian Ye's wings beat violently, pushing him through the sky like a darting shadow. He felt each shift in the wind, every ripple in the air. His reaction time grew razor-sharp.
But Azure Luan Douluo was far from done.
As Qian Ye evaded another barrage, he suddenly halted midair, both hands pressing downward.A whirlpool of black energy burst from below him — the Dark Wings' suction force.
The energy gripped the air like liquid shadow, slowing his fall and launching him forward.
It wasn't much — but it was enough.
He shot upward.Above him, the sky shimmered with incoming azure light. The feathers whistled through the wind, slicing toward him like divine judgment.
A cold smile curved Qian Ye's lips.
So be it.
Black mist exploded from his wings, swirling into a dark vortex. The azure feathers were pulled into it, swallowed whole.
Azure Luan Douluo's eyes widened in surprise. He's using a soul skill midair? At his level?
But the elder didn't panic. He snapped his fingers — and the azure feathers reformed instantly, glittering like glass blades reborn from light.
They shot forward once again, whistling through the clouds.
Qian Ye flared his Dark Wings, conjuring a whirlwind of shadow to meet them head-on.The sky split with the clash.
Boom—!
Black wind and azure light collided, filling the heavens with violent bursts of color. The black mist scattered, but the azure light pierced through, unstoppable.
And then — Qian Ye charged straight into it.
Azure Luan Douluo smiled faintly, confident in his control. Reckless boy…
But the next instant, his smile vanished.
The Qian Ye struck by his light shattered like smoke. The body dispersed, vanishing into the wind.
An illusion.
The real Qian Ye had already appeared behind him, eyes glowing crimson.
Azure Luan Douluo's pupils contracted.
"An illusion?"