Dawn arrived not with gentle light, but with roaring wind and crackling skies. Clouds gathered like beasts, swirling above the Wind Sect. Thunder growled as if heaven itself had awakened to witness the coming bloodshed.
The Sect Trials had begun.
A grand arena, carved from white jade and ringed by floating windstones, stood in the center of the sect. Thousands of disciples and elders filled the viewing platforms that hovered in midair. Powerful cultivators and visiting elders from other sects came too, their eyes gleaming with curiosity and hidden agendas.
Among them sat the Sect Master and several Grand Elders, their auras suppressed yet still oppressive. Behind a thin veil of spiritual mist, the Wind Clan's inner circle observed silently. Even the Wind Ancestor's illusory form appeared, cast from a hidden statue deep beneath the sect.
And at the far side of the platform, Xiao Feng stood alone.
Dressed in modest robes of storm-gray, he faced the sky without fear. The wind curled around him like a familiar pet—loyal, wild, ready.
From a higher peak, Shuye watched. Her brows were drawn tight, and her spiritual pressure surged faintly with emotion. A crimson thread wrapped around her wrist, shimmering softly.
The announcer, a silver-haired elder, stepped into the air above the arena.
"The Trial of Wind Ascension begins now. As per tradition, each challenger must walk the Path of Storms and then face a battle trial to test their worth. First up: Xiao Feng, disciple of the Wind Peak… and bonded partner of Elder Shuye."
A murmur swept through the crowd. Some laughed coldly. Others narrowed their eyes in interest.
The elder waved his sleeve. Lightning cracked—and the Path of Storms opened.
It was a suspended bridge made of floating stones, each one buffeted by furious wind blades. Bolts of thunder descended randomly. The path twisted upward, ending in a skybound platform that floated above the main arena.
Xiao Feng took a breath and stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the first stone, a violent gale tried to throw him off. He crouched, channeling Wind Qi through his limbs, and leapt to the next stone. Then the next. Wind blades sliced past his arms. One grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
Cheers and jeers rang out below.
"He'll fall before halfway!"
"He's just clinging to Shuye's name!"
Xiao Feng heard none of it. His mind focused only on the rhythm of the wind.
Push, then pull. Dodge, then strike.
He spun around a descending bolt of lightning, using it to vault to a higher stone. Every step forward demanded perfect control. He couldn't brute-force this. He had to dance with the storm.
Halfway through, a windstone cracked beneath his foot. He stumbled—just as three wind blades slashed toward him.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he absorbed the wind, pulling it into his meridians and redirecting it through his core. The blades shattered into sparks.
The crowd went silent for a moment.
Then, finally, he reached the final platform.
The thunder parted.
The trial elder's voice rang out again. "You've passed the first stage. Now... face your chosen opponent."
Across the arena, another figure stepped forward. He wore a silver inner disciple robe embroidered with blue phoenix feathers. His name: Lei Jun, a lightning cultivator, known for both cruelty and talent. Rumor had it he was favored by the Sect Master himself.
"Xiao Feng," Lei Jun called. "I requested to face you personally. For the honor of the sect... and to remind you where you truly belong."
Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "You mean below you?"
Lei Jun smirked. "Exactly."
The elder waved his hand. "Begin."
Instantly, lightning flashed.
Lei Jun vanished—only to reappear behind Xiao Feng, hand crackling with electric Qi. A bolt slammed down, but Xiao Feng spun and dodged, using a sidewind technique to ride the air current to safety.
"You're fast," Xiao Feng said calmly. "But you're too loud."
He countered with a Crescent Wind Slash, a silent arc of sharp air that cut through Lei Jun's shoulder, drawing blood. The crowd gasped.
Lei Jun roared and unleashed his true power. "Lightning Dance—Storm Chain!"
Dozens of thin lightning tendrils shot out in all directions, forming a cage. Xiao Feng found himself surrounded.
He closed his eyes.
Breathe in. Feel the wind.
Time slowed. He channeled the Chasing Dream art, letting his soul drift beyond his body for a breath. Then, with a sharp exhale, he moved.
He wasn't teleporting—he was becoming wind.
Xiao Feng weaved between the lightning chains like a leaf in a gale. His body blurred, and before Lei Jun could respond, a burst of wind pressure struck his chest.
Lei Jun flew across the arena, smashing into the boundary shield with a loud crack. He coughed blood.
Silence.
Then the announcer declared, "Victory: Xiao Feng."
The crowd erupted—some in cheers, others in disbelief.
Xiao Feng turned toward the judges' platform and bowed. Then he glanced up toward the peak where Shuye stood.
She wasn't smiling. Her eyes were fixed on someone behind him.
He sensed it too.
Behind him, hidden among the audience, three masked figures moved.
An assassination attempt.
They leapt into the air, using concealed arts. Their cultivation levels were suppressed, but their killing intent was sharp and cold. One of them held a blade soaked in poison. Another wielded dark wind energy, twisted and foul.
Xiao Feng didn't hesitate.
He spun, summoning a spiraling wind shield. The poisoned blade struck first—but failed to pierce the barrier. The second assassin tried to flank him, but Xiao Feng's eyes glowed faintly. With one palm strike, he sent a burst of Chasing Wind Qi into the man's chest, disrupting his heart meridian.
A scream followed.
The third tried to flee—but was struck by a sudden gust of golden wind from above.
Shuye descended like a goddess, her robes fluttering, her aura terrifying.
"No one harms him," she said coldly, "and leaves alive."
Her Wind Qi coiled like a serpent and crushed the fleeing assassin to the ground.
The Sect Master stood slowly, his face unreadable. "These assassins… are not from within the sect. We will investigate."
But Xiao Feng noticed the flicker in the man's eyes. He knew. He allowed it.
Xiao Feng bowed. "Thank you, Sect Master. I trust justice will be done."
As the elders murmured, Xiao Feng took Shuye's hand and flew upward.
Back to their peak.
Back to safety—for now.
---
That night, they sat in silence.
Shuye finally broke it.
"We're targets now," she said. "That trial… it was never meant to let you win. And those assassins… they were testing how far I'd go for you."
Xiao Feng nodded. "Then let them test again."
She looked at him, eyes trembling. "What if they try something worse next time? What if the next assassin is me? What if they—"
He stopped her with a kiss.
"Then we run," he whispered. "We'll burn the strings. We'll take the winds and fly far away."
Her heart thundered.
And far beyond the Wind Sect, in a remote land of sand and glass, a cloaked figure opened a sealed scroll. On it, in blood-red ink, were the words:
"He is alive. Prepare the cage."
The game had just begun.
---[To Be Continued]---