The Spirit Furnace Ruins sprawled across the scorched earth like the remains of a broken god. Mountains of shattered relics, rivers of smoldering ash, and a sky choked with spiraling death qi made this zone a graveyard for countless sects that once dared to tread.
But Li Xuan stepped in with a calm gaze and a saber on his back that drank souls like wine.
System:
—Mission: Explore Spirit Furnace Ruins [Active]
—Treasure Fragment Detected [Warlord-Class Memory]
—Warning: Multiple high-threat individuals in vicinity—
His cloak shifted with the sulfurous wind, eyes locking onto the fractured ruins ahead where glowing symbols occasionally shimmered in and out of visibility. Beside a ruined altar, a broken slab pulsed faintly.
System:
—Fragment of Warlord Memory Detected—
—Assimilating… compressing…—
—System Shop Updated: Warlord-Class Techniques Now Available [Locked by SP]—
Li Xuan's expression didn't shift, but something in his core stirred.
"A dead warlord's memories?" he muttered. "I'll carve them into my bones."
He moved forward. But within seconds, the ruins howled.
A wave of death qi burst from the left side of the ruins—and a mutated ash beast, at least ten meters tall, with six legs and jagged obsidian hide, came barreling toward him like a demonic siege engine.
System:
—Target: Furnace-Rot Ravager (Spirit Rank – Mutated)
—Estimated Power: Early Foundation Establishment
—Chance of Victory: 9% (Recommended Action: Flee)—
Li Xuan's eyes narrowed. "Nine percent?"
He vanished.
Phantom Step burst open beneath his feet, and his afterimage split into five false trails. The Furnace-Rot Ravager howled as it tore through two, but Li Xuan reappeared above its head.
The Heaven-Shearing Executioner cleaved down, crashing against the monster's obsidian shell—and sparking like metal against stone.
The Ravager twisted violently—one limb smashed Li Xuan into a nearby boulder.
CRACK!
He vomited blood but didn't stop.
System:
—Damage: 17% (Fractured Ribcage Detected)—
—Kill Instinct: Activated—
—SP Gain Multiplied during near-death state—
Blood seeped from his eyes as he stood again. He ducked another strike, buried his foot into the monster's knee-joint, and activated Qi Compression.
The ground exploded.
He didn't defeat it.
He didn't need to.
He used the blast to launch himself over a cliff edge, letting gravity take him deeper into the ruins, even as the beast's roar echoed behind him.
System:
—Escape Successful—
—SP Gained: +13 (Survival Bonus Active)—
—Current SP: 417 / 500—
He landed hard—bones aching—and rolled to a crouch.
A laugh echoed nearby.
"You're either insane… or too poor to value your life."
A shadow emerged from the mist—slender, wrapped in midnight-blue robes, carrying a blade carved from spirit crystal. Her eyes were sharp, cold.
Li Xuan frowned. "You're the girl from the Alchemy Palace…"
She shrugged. "Yue Qianxue. You ignored me after I asked you what your favorite pill recipe was. Rude."
"…I don't talk to distractions."
She smirked. "Good. I'll just keep following you till I become useful."
Li Xuan grunted. He didn't answer. He didn't accept. But he didn't reject either.
—
Elsewhere in the Ruins…
A dozen figures clashed in a wild free-for-all. These were elite inner sect disciples and geniuses from major factions—each bearing their own agendas.
And in the middle of them all—Xiang Wuji, a peak Qi Sea cultivator from the Azure Sky Sect, crushed another enemy with his bare hands.
"The demon Li Xuan is here," he said with a grin. "Let's see if the rumors hold up."
His crimson-gold armor flared with runes. His killing intent spread like wildfire.
—
Back to Li Xuan
Yue Qianxue followed quietly as Li Xuan began scaling the inner sanctum of the ruins. Strange glyphs burned beneath the stone—marking trial formations.
Suddenly—
A group of seven inner sect disciples surrounded him.
"He's the one who killed Elder Huo's nephew."
"That saber's worth a fortune."
"Kill him."
They struck without warning.
But Li Xuan was already moving.
One breath. One blur.
Phantom Step: Triple Layer Activation
He moved like wind twisted into a blade.
The first sword-wielder found his arm severed.
The second exploded in blood as Kill Instinct pulsed.
The third had a shield—but Li Xuan didn't aim for the shield. He stomped on the man's knee, shattered the bone, and used his collapsing body as a springboard to kick another into a flame glyph.
Boom.
Five seconds in—and four were already down.
The last two backed away in horror. "Demon—he really is—"
Too late.
Executioner flashed. Blood sprayed.
System:
—+7 Human Kills. Brutality Bonus Active. SP +33—
—SP: 450 / 500—
Yue Qianxue blinked. "I think I'm in over my head…"
Li Xuan didn't stop. He knelt by the trial altar.
System:
—Altar Activated. Accessing Warlord Fragment—
—Skill Shop Updated—
[Warlord Skill: Eight Fang Saber Art — 300 SP]
[Passive Skill: Unbending Battle Spirit — 150 SP]
[Movement Art: Void-Eating Shift — 500 SP (Locked)]
Li Xuan purchased Eight Fang Saber Art instantly. The knowledge poured into his bones like molten steel.
His saber pulsed.
His presence changed.
But just then—
A voice boomed from above.
"Enough butchering nameless trash! Let's see you fight a real warrior!"
Xiang Wuji landed like a meteor.
Li Xuan felt his killing intent like a mountain pressing down on his soul.
System:
—Warning: Opponent Class – Elite Genius [Azure Sky Sect]
—Estimated Power: Peak Qi Sea Realm
—Victory Odds: 36% (Doable but Risky)—
Li Xuan smirked. "Perfect test."
They clashed.
Saber against war hammer.
Qi waves tore through the ruins. Stone shattered. Ghosts howled.
Li Xuan activated Eight Fang Saber Art. The air split into arcs of refined death.
Xiang Wuji countered with brute force, nearly blowing Li Xuan's arms apart.
But Li Xuan adapted. He began analyzing the rhythm of Wuji's attacks. Strike. Delay. Rotate. Slam.
He timed it. Slipped past a hammer blow. Brought his saber upward—and carved a line across Wuji's chest.
Blood sprayed.
Wuji snarled. "You bastard!"
They fought for six full minutes—a whirlwind of destruction and fury, until both stood bleeding, weapons trembling.
Then—Li Xuan smiled.
"Nice strength."
And retreated.
Not because he was losing.
Because Yue Qianxue had found something—a tear in the ruins wall, revealing an even deeper chamber, overflowing with ancient weapon fragments and treasure light.
System:
—New Mission Path Unlocked: 'Spirit Core Vault'—
He fled into the shadows.
Leaving Xiang Wuji behind—bleeding and roaring.
—
Academy – Outer Disciple Ranking Board
A new name surged up the rankings—[Li Xuan – Demon Star]
Below, a message carved by a witness: He protects those who stand behind him. A monster with a blade and a soul.
—
System Stats
Cultivation: Late Qi Condensation (99%)
SP: 150 / 500
Saber: Heaven-Shearing Executioner
Techniques: Phantom Step, Qi Compression, Kill Instinct (Passive), Eight Fang Saber Art
System Shop: [Warlord Tier Available]
Reputation: Demon of the Furnace Ruins
Followers: 1 (Yue Qianxue – uninvited)
Legion: Forming (0/99)
Challenge Quota Remaining: 3 / 5 (This Month)