The dueling ground had fallen silent, heavy with a tension that felt alive.Even the wind had stopped, as if afraid to stir what was about to unfold.
Hei Mu of Black Mist Academy stood in the arena like a wraith — a tall, faceless silhouette wrapped in mist. His robes drifted unnaturally, and the black vapors around him writhed like serpents in the dark.
Across from him, Su Feilí, radiant yet composed, stepped lightly onto the stone floor. Her phoenix-embroidered robe shimmered faintly in the morning sun, the gentle glow of her spiritual qi weaving around her like a protective veil.
Behind her, Ling Xuanye watched from the stands, fists clenched at his sides.
"Be careful, jiě jiě (sister)," he said softly, his voice barely carrying.She turned slightly, smiling with quiet grace, and nodded once.
The referee lifted his hand. "Begin!"
Mist and Mirage
Hei Mu's aura erupted in an instant — thick, choking, and unnatural.The arena was devoured by darkness as Black Mist Domain (幽雾界) expanded. The world around Su Feilí faded until all she could see were drifting shadows, whispering and flickering at the edge of perception.
The spectators leaned forward, trying to glimpse through the dark, but even their spiritual senses failed. Only muffled sounds of movement echoed — the clash of qi, the whisper of fabric, the faint scrape of feet.
Su Feilí took a defensive stance, her palms glowing with gentle pink-white radiance. Petal Veil Barrier (花幕护心) formed around her — translucent petals swirling to form a rotating shield.
"You think light can survive in the dark?" Hei Mu's voice echoed everywhere and nowhere.
She spun, searching for the source, and lashed out with Fragrant Spirit Strike (灵香掌) — a burst of glowing energy that illuminated the mist in rippling waves. But every strike cut through nothing but air.
Then—pain.A sharp, burning sensation sliced across her shoulder.She gasped, staggering back, blood trailing down her sleeve.
The Predator Revealed
Outside the mist barrier, disciples gasped.
"He's—he's toying with her!""Why isn't the referee stopping him?"
Xuanye's eyes flashed with fury. His fingers tightened around the railing until cracks formed in the stone.But Su Feilí looked up at him, meeting his gaze through the haze — and smiled faintly, her eyes saying I'm fine.
Her composure only enraged Hei Mu further.He vanished again, leaving behind a ripple of black smoke.
Then came the next wave.
Shadow Fangs Assault (影牙连击) — strikes from every direction, each sharper and faster than the last.Blood flickered in the air as Su Feilí twisted and dodged, countering with Blossom Step Mirage (花影移), her movements trailing luminous after-images that danced like petals in the wind.
But Hei Mu was relentless. Every shadow birthed another strike.
One blow struck her ribs — thud!Another carved across her arm — slash!Then her leg buckled from a blow to her knee, and she fell to one side, barely catching herself.
"You should've stayed behind your master, pretty bird," Hei Mu's voice slithered from the fog. "Now you'll break like the rest of them."
Blood and Defiance
Su Feilí's breaths came sharp and shallow.Her vision blurred, but she clenched her fist and slammed it into the ground, releasing a pulse of qi that briefly dispelled the mist around her.
"I won't—" she spat blood, "—let you humiliate Qingling!"
She summoned her last reserves of power, gathering flames of rose-gold light around her palm.Sacred Lotus Art – Radiant Bloom (圣莲华开)!
For a heartbeat, the entire arena blazed with divine glow. The mist recoiled, evaporating under the brilliance. Hei Mu's form was revealed—his cloak torn, his expression hidden but his stance steady.
He raised one hand, and the darkness returned tenfold.
A single, crushing strike followed—Silent Oblivion Slash (寂灭斩).
The impact hit like a mountain. The blast of black qi sent Su Feilí tumbling across the stone floor. Her body skidded to a halt near the barrier, her robes torn and soaked in crimson.
The Fall
"Jiě jiě!" Xuanye's voice tore through the silence.
She stirred faintly, turning her head. Her lips curved into the smallest of smiles, her eyes gentle.
"I'm… fine," she mouthed, though blood streaked her chin.
But Hei Mu wasn't done.Before anyone could intervene, he stepped forward, raising his hand again. Shadow blades spun around him like a halo.He struck. Once. Twice. Three times.
Every blow landed with merciless precision.
By the fifth strike, the arena floor was painted red.Su Feilí collapsed, her spiritual light fading as her consciousness slipped away.
Rage of the Storm
Xuanye leapt from the stands before the referee could even react.His sword was drawn, thunder qi trembling along its edge.
He sprinted straight toward the fallen Su Feilí — but as he passed Hei Mu, the assassin-like cultivator leaned close and whispered, voice colder than the grave:
"Next… is you."
Xuanye didn't respond.His eyes were locked on Su Feilí.
He fell to his knees beside her, lifting her blood-stained form gently into his arms.
"Hold on, jiě jiě… please," he murmured.
Physicians and healers rushed forward, activating healing talismans and channeling spiritual energy into her wounds. The barrier around the dueling ground shimmered with residual darkness before finally fading.
Up in the stands, Sect Master Lin's face was carved from stone — expressionless, but the killing intent radiating from him was suffocating.
Hei Mu, still on the stage, smiled faintly beneath his mask.Then he turned, vanished into his own mist, and disappeared toward the waiting area as if nothing had happened.
Xuanye carried Su Feilí from the arena himself, ignoring everyone else.The crowd parted before him in silence — no one dared to speak.
Only once, just before vanishing beyond the archway, he stopped and whispered under his breath:
"You'll pay for this… Hei Mu."
The air around him crackled with thunder.
And for the first time, the heavens above Qingling Sect trembled faintly in answer.