The morning air bit with the chill of early frost, though the sun had just begun to rise over the peaks of Qingluan Sect. Mist still clung to the mountain paths, as if the very heavens hadn't yet fully awakened.
Huolian stood at the edge of the training platform, her arms folded, her expression bored, but her heart beat fast beneath her ribs.
She could feel something. A ripple in the air, like silk being torn slowly apart.
Then came the footsteps.
Soft, precise, but with an unmistakable weight.
She turned.
The grey-haired woman stepped onto the stone platform, her robes fluttering in the windless air, untouched by dirt or moisture. Her eyes were like smoldering coals, locked onto Huolian with that same look as before.
Not contempt. Not judgment.
It was an evaluation.
"You again," Huolian said, narrowing her eyes. "Still following me around like a ghost?"
"You flatter yourself," the woman replied coolly. "I serve Shenxiu. You just happened to be today's assignment."
She stepped to the center of the platform, where a red sigil flared faintly underfoot. A binding formation. The duel circle.
Huolian's brows drew together.
Then, pressure descended like a mountain. Dense. Ancient. Familiar.
A shadow fell across the platform.
She didn't need to turn to know who it was.
Shenxiu.
He stepped from the clouds, his long white robes unwrinkled, eyes as deep as void pools. His presence pushed the world into silence.
"Huolian," he said.
She knelt immediately, though her fists clenched. "Master."
He didn't answer at first. His gaze swept from her to the grey-haired woman.
"Ah.. you're not stupid, so I'll be direct," he said, finally. "I know about the demonic qi flowing in your meridians."
The words hit her like a slap.
Huolian's head jerked up. Her breath caught.
"You-"
"Did you think you could keep it hidden from me?" Shenxiu said, walking slowly around her. "Your spirit root is twisted. Your cultivation method drinks from the abyss. And yet, you act like a petty schoolgirl, tripping disciples in corridors, sabotaging sparring matches. Wasting time."
"I di-" she started, but stopped.
There was no excuse. Not in front of him.
"You should be dead," Shenxiu said bluntly. "Demonic cultivators are executed on sight in the righteous sects. But I kept you. Do you know why?"
"...To use me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," he said coldly. "I kept you because you're useful. There is war coming. And people like you... people who can survive while their soul is burning, are rare."
Huolian swallowed. Her heart thudded in her ears.
"Your punishment is simple," Shenxiu said, then gestured toward the grey-haired woman. "Today, you will fight Zhi Yu."
The woman stepped forward.
"One of my inner guards. Mid Shen realm. You will use everything. Including your demonic qi. Or you'll die."
Huolian's mouth went dry.
"Yes master." She said breathlessly.
"And she will not kill you unless I say so," Shenxiu cut in. "But she will not hold back. If you cannot fight for real, you're useless to me."
He turned, then paused.
"And don't misunderstand this for kindness. I'm not teaching you. I'm testing you."
With that, he vanished into the sky.
The silence after his departure felt louder than thunder.
Zhi Yu unsheathed her sword in one fluid motion. The blade shimmered with spiritual light, clear, without a hint of killing intent. But it thrummed with power.
"You have ten seconds to prepare," she said calmly. "I suggest you begin."
Huolian's legs moved on instinct. She stepped into the formation, drew a breath, and centered herself.
Fine. If Shenxiu wanted to see what her demonic qi could do, she'd show him.
The seal she kept locked inside her core, cracked slightly as she let go of her restraint.
At first, it was a whisper. A coil of black mist curling from her skin.
Then it flooded outward.
Dark qi poured from her body, staining the air, warping the light around her. Her eyes glowed crimson. Veins darkened.
The transformation was instant and complete.
She didn't look human anymore. Her red hair flowed above her head and her eyes were entirely red.
Zhi Yu raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
And then she moved.
One blink, and she was in front of Huolian.
Huolian barely raised her arms in time to block. Her body flung backward from the impact, her bones rattling from the force. She skidded across the stone, blood in her mouth.
But she didn't fall.
Demonic qi wrapped around her limbs like armor. Her strength returned instantly.
She surged forward, claws forming at her fingertips, slicing toward Zhi Yu's throat. But the woman spun, dodged, and countered with a knee to the gut.
Huolian took the hit, grabbed Zhi Yu's robes, and unleashed a burst of corruption directly at her chest.
Zhi Yu vanished.
Then reappeared behind Huolian.
Sword at her neck.
Too fast.
Huolian dropped her body to the floor just in time, sweeping her leg. Zhi Yu jumped, flipped, landed effortlessly, and sent a palm strike at Huolian's chest.
This time, Huolian caught it.
Red qi surged into Zhi Yu's arm.
The guard frowned. Her spiritual power clashed with Huolian's demonic energy, creating a blast of force that shattered part of the dueling platform.
For a brief second, they separated.
Huolian panted, blood leaking from her lip. Her vision blurred slightly, but her smile was feral now.
She was losing. But it wasn't hopeless.
She liked this.
"You learn fast," Zhi Yu said, brushing dust from her sleeve. "Most demonic cultivators burn themselves out too quickly. But you're controlling it."
Huolian's eyes gleamed. "Don't praise me too soon."
She gathered her remaining qi, forming a glyph in the air. A technique stolen from a great champion in Boluo's previous life. One he had to kill not through fight, but deception.
"SOUL SEVERENCE!"
Huolian's hand burned red as the glyph dissolved into it.
Zhi Yu's eyes widened.
"That is dangerous!"
Huolian raised her hand and cut the air down in front of her.
Zhi Yu released all of her Shen realm qi. She could not hold back and survive that.
The guard flinched for a moment.
Then exploded outward in a dome of spirit qi, breaking the chains.
The blast sent Huolian tumbling across the stone.
She hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
And then silence.
Zhi Yu stood unharmed. Her hair barely disturbed. But her chest bore a black scorch mark.
Not that deep but it was visible.
"You got me," she said, touching the spot. "Barely. You should have started with that move."
Huolian grinned weakly from the floor. "Guess I pass?"
Zhi Yu didn't answer. She turned as Shenxiu reappeared midair, arms folded.
He hovered above them, eyes unreadable.
"Hmph. You didn't die. That's enough for now," he said.
Then he raised a hand.
A small jade token flew through the air and landed beside Huolian.
It shimmered faintly with a golden hue. Recognition seal.
"The winner of the upcoming sect tournament will get a piece of Dao material from the Ancient Ruins," Shenxiu said. "Make sure you win it."
Huolian's eyes widened. That kind of reward wasn't given to disciples like her.
"You expect me to win?"
"I expect you to win. If not..." Shenxiu paused, then added, "At least you'll make it interesting."
Then he vanished again.
Leaving only Zhi Yu, who extended a hand to Huolian.
She took it reluctantly.
"You're strong," Zhi Yu said simply. "But sloppy."
"Yeah, well. I don't have personal guards teaching me things."
"You do now."
Huolian blinked. "Wait, what?"
Zhi Yu smirked. "I've been assigned to monitor you. Congratulations, you're officially someone else's problem."
Huolian groaned. "Just my luck."
But deep inside, a fire stirred.
For the first time in both her lives, she wasn't running or hiding.
She was fighting. And she was finally being seen.