In the vast, silent arena, the tension among the high seats was thick enough to choke on. Yanqi sat perfectly still, but a deep frown carved lines into his normally impassive face. He watched the cube's silent drama—Aoyan's humiliation, Su's cruel taunts, Lin Shu's methodical intervention. He couldn't hear the words, but he could read the body language, the old wounds being ripped open in the dirt. It was a familiar, ugly play, and he was forced to watch from the worst seats in the house.
Even Lanyue held her tongue, her earlier boredom replaced by a watchful, uneasy silence. The cruelty on display was beyond simple mockery.
Tianhun observed with detached understanding. The Chi Clan's method was no secret to him. Let the heirs sharpen themselves on each other's bones; the strongest would rise, and the clan cared for nothing else. It was brutal, but it was their law.
Kuang Baotu, however, had no such reservations. A low, rumbling chuckle escaped him as he watched the clash. "Your disciples don't seem to be doing too good outthere yanqi i guess they met their match" he mused, not bothering to lower his voice. The other elders shot him sidelong glances, but out of respect for Yanqi's palpable, simmering anger, they said nothing. Baotu didn't seem to care if he ruined anyone's mood. His own enjoyment was paramount.
Yanqi's hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched so tight his knuckles were white bone. Every fiber of his being screamed to tear a hole through space and descend into that forest. He did not move. He could only watch, a statue of restrained fury.
---
In the forest, Lin Shu became a projectile. He rushed Su, a streak of dark metal and intent. Her flaming python struck from the side, fangs dripping molten venom. Lin Shu didn't break stride. He jumped, and as he passed over the serpent's body, he drove a heel down like a piston into its scaled back. The creature shrieked, its fiery aura dimming.
Su was already there, her saber meeting his charge. Clang! Sparks flew. As Lin Shu pressed, he saw her free hand dart to a ring on her finger. A slender, ornate brush appeared in her grip. Before he could decipher its purpose, a pool of shadow at his feet erupted.
Ink, not shadow. It surged upward in the form of grotesque, grasping hands that clamped around his ankles and calves with the strength of iron shackles. His forward momentum died instantly, rooted to the spot.
"Li!" Aoyan's shout was pure alarm.
Su smiled, a predator with pinned prey. She attacked. Not with single, powerful blows, but with a relentless, whirling storm of strikes. Her saber became a blur of steel and trailing ink, while her free hand wove seals that sent spikes of condensed flame at his joints, his visor, any perceived weakness. Lin Shu was forced into a purely defensive shell, his arms moving in a blur to parry and block, the impacts ringing against his armor like a frenzied bell. He couldn't counter. He couldn't chase. He could only stand and weather the storm, while trying to rip the ink-hands apart with his own reinforced grip. His fingers tore through the substance, but it simply flowed back together, reformed, held.
"She's too fast, and this technique is a perfect trap. I don't want to waste Infernal Force. I got it back to 80% of my storage, but I need to conserve it. To break free and damage her meaningfully, I'll need a significant output. She's a clan heir; she definitely has a life-saving artifact. I need a single, overwhelming strike to test its limits."
Su disengaged after a furious combo, standing a few feet away, her breath barely quickened. Her analytical mind was working just as fast as Lin Shu's. "I see. That's why those two couldn't beat him. That armor. I've used multiple peak-tier techniques and only shattered the metallic outer layer before it healed. But I saw what was beneath... a different material. And while it was dark too I don't think it was made from any form of metal." She raised her saber again, channeling her qi. This wouldn't be a flurry. This would be a key.
She attacked once more, a feint to keep him occupied as the ink prison held. Lin Shu struggled convincingly, pulling against the bindings. Su saw her opening. Her blade began to glow with a sinister mix of black ink and deep red flame. The air around it warped, whispering with phantom pain.
"Quasi-Rank 2 Technique: Agony Wraiths!"
From her blade, two monstrous shadows erupted—one a shrieking wraith of pure, hungry flame, the other a silent, spreading blot of corrosive ink. They screamed in psychic agony as they hurtled toward the trapped Lin Shu, a dual-pronged attack meant to incinerate his spirit and dissolve his form.
Lin Shu stopped struggling.
He smiled behind his helm.
An explosion of white flame erupted from his lower legs. It didn't blast outward; it superheated and vaporized the ink shackles in an instant, freeing him. But he didn't use the freedom to flee.
He used it to pivot forward, into the heart of her technique. His right fist drew back, and this time, it wasn't just wreathed in the cold white fire of the Crucible. Along the channels of his refined arm, the regenerated lightning crackled to life, merging with the infernal flames. They didn't just coexist; they reacted, the lightning acting as a violent catalyst, causing the white flames to burn hotter, brighter, turning from the color of bleached bone to the searing white of a star's core.
"When I used everything against that fallen Rank 2 cultivator with Shang, it was a desperate blast. But I've tested the reaction since. The lightning intertwined with the Crucible's detonation force... it creates something more. Something that bridges the gap between me and someone like this girl."
"Surge Detonation!"
Su's eyes, always so confident, so mocking, widened in genuine shock. The power radiating from that fist wasn't just peak-tier. It vibrated with a denser, more destructive intent. "Is that... a Quasi-Rank 2 technique?! Did Yanqi actually give him something like that?!"
There was no more time for thought. Lin Shu's fist, a miniature sun wreathed in furious lightning, met her screaming wraiths of ink and flame.
The collision had no sound at first—only a flash of blinding, all-consuming light that bleached the color from the forest. Then the sound arrived: a deep, tearing BOOM that was less an explosion and more the sound of space itself being punched. The ground for 7 meters in every direction shattered upward in a plume of dirt, stone, and shredded vegetation. The shockwave flattened younger trees and sent Aoyan, Kai, and the others staggering back.
---
In the arena, the silent cube erupted in that same devastating light. Kuang Baotu's chuckle elevated into a loud laugh. Lanyue leaned forward. Tianhun's fingers stilled on his armrest.
Yanqi's tightly clenched jaw went slack. His frown vanished, replaced by stark, unvarnished astonishment. He slowly rose halfway from his seat.
"That's not a normal peak-tier technique," he murmured, the words barely audible. "That's a Quasi-Rank 2 fusion... He used the Crucible's force as a base and catalyzed it with his other lightning technique? How is his body not tearing itself apart from their explosive nature? How did he even conceive of merging them?" The questions tumbled through his mind, upending his assumptions. "No... I must see. I must understand this boy's developing path. Lightning? Flame? What is his path that it can bind such volatile powers?"
---
The dust settled, revealing a scene of mutual ruin.
Chi Su stood amidst the devastation, her previously pristine robes torn and scorched. Blood seeped from a deep gash on her arm. Around her, the air shimmered faintly with fading light—the last vestiges of two powerful defensive artifacts. A delicate jade necklace and an ornate silver ring on her finger both cracked with a sound like ice breaking and fell to the charred earth, their power spent.
She looked at the broken trinkets, and a deep, genuine frown etched itself onto her face. "That little shit made me waste my artifacts," she hissed, the words dripping with venom.
Her eyes scanned the cratered clearing, finding Lin Shu. He was still standing, but it was a near thing. The dark steel coating of his armor was completely gone, blasted away. The pristine ivory carapace beneath was a web of deep, hairline fractures, especially across his chest and torso. The armor on his right arm, the one that had delivered the Surge Detonation, was entirely gone from the elbow down, revealing his unscathed but smoke-wreathed limb. His helmet was half-shattered, the left side broken away to reveal a slice of his face—a jaw clenched tight, a single golden eye glaring out, his breath coming in ragged, controlled pulls.
He didn't hesitate. His left hand flicked to his spatial ring, and he dry-swallowed a handful of recovery pills in one go.
Chi Su's frown deepened at the sight of him alive. "So his core armor can withstand a Quasi-Rank 2 technique. But I didn't do all that damage. His own arm... my attack fractured his armor, but it wasn't enough to destroy it. I think his own technique did more backlash damage to him than I did."
Lin Shu felt his qi surge from the pills, and he focused it outward. The ivory across his body glowed faintly as the cracks sealed shut, weaving back together. A new, thinner layer of dark steel flowed from the intact plates, re-sheathing him. It was a patchwork repair. "I won't be able to restore it completely the next time it shatters. I have to end this before that happens."
He rushed forward again, this time going towards aoyan.
Chi Su's gaze darted. She saw the opening. Across the clearing, Kun and Mang, seeing Lin Shu momentarily occupied with his recovery and Su with her shattered artifacts and injuries, seized their chance as they blasted their foes away. Kun, still clutching his stomach, gave a sharp nod to his blindfolded brother as they left their two opponents with similar injuries. They melted back into the forest, a retreat born of severe injury and tactical necessity. Kai, bloodied and qi-depleted, could only watch them go, slumping against a tree in exhaustion as Chi Su's siblings ran towards Su injured from their fights as well.
Aoyan stood frozen, a statue of fear, until Lin shu was suddenly beside her.
"Get up."
The cold, metallic command cut through her stupor. She slowly stood, her eyes downcast.
"I am disappointed in how you're acting, Aoyan." His voice was flat, a merciless assessment. "I expected you to be braver. To face them alongside me. I remember you were hot-blooded and arrogant when we first met. I guess all that was just a facade to hide your pathetic true self. And this? This has only made you a burden. I have to fight geniuses and protect you while being bombarded with peak-tier techniques, even Quasi-Rank 2 ones, while you sit back shaking because your sister looked at you. It makes me feel nothing but detest for weaklings like you. So I'm going to need you to get out of my face. I don't have time to worry about your pathetic existence while I fight for your life. Get Kai and get out of here."
The words were knives, each one carving deep into the already raw wounds of her shame. She didn't refute them. She couldn't. She just stood there, silent, looking away as if hoping the ground would swallow her.
Lin Shu reached out, his gauntleted hand gripping her chin, forcing her to face Chi Su and her assembling siblings. "Look at them. Look closely, Aoyan. They want to kill you. To cripple you. To hurt you. Don't you feel angry about that? Don't you want to kill them? I'm sure they bullied you, hurt you, a lot before in your clan. Don't you want payback? Don't you want them to feel what you felt? So tell me, what do you feel now? Anger? Hate? Or both?"
Behind his helm, Lin Shu's mind was a cold, calculating engine. "Yanqi is too soft on her. All he needs to do is feed her anger and hate, and he'll have her aiming for their throats. Why try to make her 'get over' something with assurance, softness, and kindness like a fool? Taking revenge will feel a hundred times better. That's probably why he asked me to do this. He knows I'm not a coward like her and he wants me to force her into facing her fears."
He waited, expecting to see the cloud of rage and hate eclipse the sadness and fear in her eyes.
He only got tears from her.
"What?" he muttered, thrown.
"I... I am scared," Aoyan whispered, the admission a broken thing. Tears streamed down her dirty cheeks. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to fight her. I don't want to see her. I don't want to remember it anymore. She... they hurt me. They forced me into doing things that hurt, and it still hurts Li I... I just don't want to be back to that time again."
Lin Shu's internal monologue stuttered. "Wait, why didn't that work? I'm sure she should have gotten angry. Why is she still scared? Does she not want revenge? Am I that terrible with words? Or is there something else? Maybe she doesn't really have revenge as her priority maybe this girl just trying to 'move on'? BUT What kind of pathetic mindset is that? Damn it, it's all because of that drunken fool. Why couldn't he teach his disciple hate? Of course he fed her all that kindness crap. It can't be this simple. They always have to make my job harder."
He saw Su and her siblings finishing their quick healing, their qi coiling for a coordinated charge. Time was up for therapy.
"I don't really know how to help her now. Whatever. I'll just do it again later. Maybe it'll work if I kill Su right in front of her."
He tensed to move, but another thought struck him—a memory of Yanqi's instructions, of the deal. "What if I try something else? What if I show that I... care? Or talk about her mother and Yanqi? Maybe that'll work. I should add a kind look to my face. I can't look at her with contempt and say I care about her since hate doesn't move her maybe kindness will."
It felt foreign, like trying to write with his off-hand. His remaining helmet dissolved fully, retracting into his collar. He looked at Aoyan, and with a conscious, immense effort, he softened his expression. He forced a small, gentle smile onto his face—a mask that felt stranger than any battle helm.
"Listen, Aoyan," he said, his voice dropping, losing its metallic edge for something he hoped sounded reassuring. "I know I'm being harsh on you. I know you've probably suffered horrible things at their hands. But you can't live like this. You can't make up a facade to face your master, to lie to him that you're okay, while cowering away when you're tested. Do you think he's not hurt? Do you think your mother isn't hurt, to see their most beloved like this? They want to help you. They want you to move on. The way you move on is your choice, but they just want you to abandon the dark side of the past and focus on the bright side of the future. It's difficult. That's why you have your master. Your mother, who, even though I've never met, I'm sure is a great woman from Yanqi's and your words. And lastly..." He paused, the next words feeling like gravel in his mouth, but he pushed them out with convincing gentleness. "...you have me as your friend."
Internally, he nearly recoiled. "I didn't think I'd ever be saying things like this. I hope it worked. I can't stand another day with her current self."
Aoyan's tear-filled eyes widened. A blush crept over her cheeks, clashing with the grime and blood. She thought of Yanqi's patient, if stern, guidance. She thought of her mother's weary, loving smiles, so rare in that viper's nest. She then looked st Lin shu smiling she had never saw him smile like that it's rare to even see him in a good mood and she then thought about what she's making him go through how he's fighting against so many just for her when he could run away and accept their deals and betray her and save himself, he did it for her because..."he cares about me just like mother and master" Her tears flowed anew, but they were different—less of pure terror, more of a painful, unlocking ache.
Jue and Yue chose that moment to attack from behind, seeing Lin Shu's back turned. He didn't even look. A backward kick and a flick of his wrist sent two small, precise Ivory Detonations into their paths, blasting them off their feet without breaking his gentle smile at Aoyan. He reached up and carefully wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"You should go with Kai for now," he said softly. "Head to where we agreed to meet if we got separated. I'll come back soon."
Aoyan nodded, a fragile resolve hardening in her damp eyes. She clutched her hands to her chest and began to back away. Then she stopped. She took two quick steps forward, and looked him directly in the eyes.
"I don't know if i can do it but I'll try," she whispered, the words so quiet they were almost lost.
Lin Shu smiled his forced, gentle smile and put his hand on her shoulder. The gesture was that of warmth and assurment as aoyan smiled. "I'll be right beside you when you're ready Aoyan."
She managed a bigger, yet fragile smile back at him. The supportive atmosphere lasted for all of three seconds before Lin Shu's patience ran out. He shoved her firmly towards Kai. "You should go now!"
Then she turned and hurried to Kai, who was pushing himself upright. "What's wrong?" Kai asked, eyeing her tear-streaked face.
"Nothing," Aoyan said, her voice firmer than it had been all day. "Li told us to leave and head to the regroup spot. Let's go now."
As they vanished into the treeline, Lin Shu's helmet reformed over his face with a series of soft clicks. The gentle smile vanished, replaced by the customary impassive metal. He turned his full attention to the foes before him.
Chi Su began to clap slowly, sarcastically. "Some great words those were, Li. Didn't think you had it in you. I guess you really do care about that worm."
Lin Shu didn't answer. He simply began to move, not charging, but circling, a hunter re-engaging, his golden eyes fixed on her through the helmet's slit. The time for words was over.