Gao Tian pulled his glowing arm back, dust still swirling from the crater he created.
His eyes, now laced with black mist, locked onto the Flame Wolf with a grin—twisted, sharp, and entirely unafraid.
"You're dead," he muttered, almost playfully.
He lunged.
Like a specter of chaos, he streaked across the scorched earth, the Dynamic Palm surging again in his right hand, spiraling with violent blue energy.
Shu Yu stood still, watching from afar. Her face remained expressionless—but within, her brows furrowed in thought.
He's fighting like a madman…
Gao Tian closed in on the beast. The Flame Wolf lowered its head, ready to clash—but just as Gao Tian's palm was about to strike—
ROAR!
From the right, a second Flame Wolf burst from the shadows, faster and leaner than the first. Fire crackled at its claws as it pounced mid-air.
Gao Tian sensed the threat—but too late.
The beast's burning claw slashed across his side.
BAM!
Gao Tian was sent flying like a meteor, crashing into a jagged cliff wall with a deafening boom. Stone shattered. Dust and flame rushed outward from the impact point, swallowing him whole.
"Gao Tian!" Shu Yu's voice rang—not with panic, but firm and cold.
The Flame Wolves growled in unison, eyes gleaming with beastly intelligence. One turned to Shu Yu. The other stalked toward the crater where Gao Tian had fallen.
For a moment, silence ruled the battlefield.
Until—
Crack.
Rocks crumbled as a figure stood up from the smoking crater.
Blood dripped from Gao Tian's lips. His white and black robes were torn at the side, the mark on his arm now pulsing erratically. He raised his head.
His expression?
Still smiling.
But this time—wild, and unhinged.
"Heh... That actually hurt," he said, wiping the blood with the back of his hand.
Shu Yu's eyes narrowed. That smile… it's no longer playful—it's dangerous.
The wolves growled again, but Gao Tian was no longer listening.
He raised both hands. A deep humming began to echo around him. Spiritual energy began swirling like a storm, and faint golden threads shimmered from the orb behind him.
"I was going to kill just one," he said softly.
"But now..." his voice deepened, laced with killing intent, "you both die."
Dust and fire danced in the shattered mountain air.
Gao Tian stepped forward from the crater—wounded, bloodied, but unshaken.
The Flame Wolves bared their fangs, circling him. One snarled, the other released a low, threatening growl.
Gao Tian's fingers flexed, then curled into a strange hand seal.
No sword in hand. No blade in sight.
Yet the ground began to hum.
The air shifted.
A sharp, invisible pressure spread from his body.
The wolves froze, sensing something far more dangerous than fire—an intent sharp enough to slice the soul.
Shu Yu's gaze flickered. Her expression remained blank, but inside—her thoughts stirred.
Wait... he's not holding a sword... then why...
A cold breeze swept through the battlefield.
Then Gao Tian raised his right hand to the sky—empty palm open—and whispered:
"Thirty-Nine Sword Strike: Endless."
BOOM!
The sky darkened for a breath, and in the next moment—thirty-nine golden sword lights erupted around him in a circular storm, orbiting his body like divine stars.
Each sword light carried intent—not just power, but will.
The Flame Wolves sensed it and leapt away, trying to dodge in opposite directions.
Too late.
Gao Tian swung his hand.
The sword lights exploded outward, like comets tearing the heavens apart—each one moving with sentient precision, each strike targeting a critical point.
The wolves howled.
The first was sliced mid-air—its flame extinguished before it hit the ground. The second tried to twist its body, but five sword lights struck its neck, spine, and heart in one sweeping arc.
The beast collapsed, its body twitching once—then stilled.
Silence.
The wind whistled through the burnt battlefield, where now only Gao Tian stood—his hand slowly lowering, breath steady.
He turned around casually, as if nothing happened.
Behind him, the thirty-ninth sword light hovered briefly—then dissolved into dust.
Shu Yu looked at him.
Expressionless.
But inwardly—
What did I just see? That wasn't spiritual energy… that was...
...Sword Mind.
But how? I never saw him use a sword… and yet—he's already at this level?
In the world of cultivation, the Sword Mind was a realm only reached by those who had immersed their soul in the path of the sword.
At that stage—a sword was no longer required. The will itself became the blade.
At Qi Refining... he's already at Sword Mind?
Just what kind of monster is he...
But then, the last arc of golden light faded—and Gao Tian wavered.
His knees buckled.
His body collapsed backward into the charred earth.
"Gao Tian!" Shu Yu stepped forward—not with panic, but quiet urgency.
She looked down at him. His eyes were closed. His chest was rising and falling slowly.
His aura was drained. His spiritual energy completely depleted.
But on his face—there was still that same reckless, faint smile.
The wind howled gently across the scorched battleground, carrying away the last remnants of flame and blood. Shu Yu stood beside Gao Tian's fallen body, his robes tattered, his breathing faint.
She looked down at him.
No emotion touched her cold, porcelain-like face.
But she knelt.
Effortlessly, Shu Yu slipped her arms beneath him and lifted his body. Though he was tall and strong, she carried him with ease—her slender frame belying the strength hidden within.
Carefully, she walked toward a shaded corner of the mountain—where the cave leaned in protectively, and the air was still.
She laid him down gently on a ground.
His hair was messy, his lips dry, and a faint trace of blood lingered at the corner of his mouth.
Shu Yu looked at him silently.
Then reached into Gao Tian's spiritual ring—she had memorized its aura during their earlier journey. With a gentle pulse of spiritual sense, she located a mid-grade healing pill nestled in one of the jade bottles.
She retrieved it and held it in her palm.
Then glanced down at him again.
Gao Tian was completely unconscious.
His lips were shut, and his spiritual energy wasn't circulating at all.
A brief pause.
Then, without any change in her cold expression, she placed the pill in her mouth.
She leaned down—her long black robe flowing like water around her knees.
Her face inched close to his.
And gently, her lips touched his.
Mouth to mouth, she passed the healing pill between them. The spiritual essence of the pill slowly dissolved on his tongue.
Gao Tian stirred faintly, instinctively swallowing.
Shu Yu pulled back, wiped her lips calmly with her sleeve, and sat beside him.
Her gaze rested on his face, still without emotion.
But in her thoughts—
I don't understand this person.
Sword Mind… monstrous cultivation progress… chaotic battle style…
And yet… he smiles like a child.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again—still as unreadable as ever.
Half an Hour Later — Inside Cave
The soft rustle of leaves stirred the quiet corner of the mountain. Birds chirped in the distance, unaware of the battle that had taken place not long ago.
Gao Tian's eyelashes fluttered.
A low groan escaped his lips.
"Ugh… my head…"
His eyes opened slowly, vision blurred at first.
He sat up weakly, holding the side of his head.
Where… is this?
Pain pulsed in his body—especially his ribs and shoulder.
He blinked, then turned his head.
Shu Yu was sitting nearby on a flat stone, her red robes lightly swaying in the wind, expression calm and unchanging. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap.
She noticed him stir.
"You're awake," she said plainly, her voice as flat as ever. "How are you feeling?"
Gao Tian squinted for a moment, then smiled faintly despite the pain.
"Oh… I'm fine. Just… my head feels like someone smashed it with a boulder."
He looked around, confusion flickering in his gaze.
"What happened? I remember fighting… then—" he paused. "I got hit?"
Shu Yu nodded.
"You rushed at the flame wolf. Another one ambushed you from the side. You flew into the mountain and passed out."
Gao Tian rubbed the back of his head, trying to recall.
"Right… I thought I could take it alone…"
He lowered his gaze, a bit embarrassed.
Then he blinked and asked curiously, "Wait… how did I recover so fast? I don't remember taking any pill…"
Shu Yu looked at him, her face unreadable.
"I fed you a pill."
"…Oh." Gao Tian blinked. "Thanks—wait, fed?"
Shu Yu didn't respond. She simply looked at him with her usual blank face.
It took Gao Tian a few seconds.
Then his eyes widened.
"You mean—?"
"I used my mouth," she said calmly, cutting him off. "You were unconscious."
Gao Tian froze.
His face slowly turned red.
She… what? Mouth to mouth?!
Shu Yu tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
Gao Tian quickly looked away, coughing into his sleeve.
"No! Nothing! I mean—uh—thank you. Really."
Shu Yu's tone didn't change. "You're welcome."
She stood up and dusted her robe lightly.
"We should keep moving. The roar likely drew more attention."
Gao Tian nodded, still trying to process what just happened.
This girl… she's way too calm for someone who just… did that.
He got to his feet with effort, cracking his neck and stretching.
"Alright. Lead the way."
They began walking again, deeper into the wilds of Heavenflame Ridge.
Gao Tian placed a hand on his chest.
The pill's effects were still working inside him—healing bones, restoring qi.
But his heart?
Still racing for an entirely different reason.