Mission Assignment: Crimson Mist Hollow
Three days after the master-disciple ceremony, the Heavenly Mission Pavilion buzzed with activity.
A new mission had appeared — and it bore the crimson seal of the Sect Master himself.
"Purge the corrupted beast at Crimson Mist Hollow. Reward: Spirit Stones, Core Condensation Pills, and Inner Sect Ranking Advancement."
It was a trap disguised as opportunity. Everyone knew it.
Crimson Mist Hollow had claimed over a dozen disciples in the last year, their corpses found shredded or not at all.
And yet...
"I'll take it," Lu Xuan said calmly, placing his token on the jade slip.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"Is he mad?"
"He just joined the inner sect!"
"Even Rank 60 wouldn't dare…"
Su Xue stood quietly in the shadows above the pavilion. Her expression didn't change—but her aura dropped a few degrees colder.
He's testing his limits again… too soon.
The mountain winds howled like grieving spirits as Lu Xuan stood at the edge of the Crimson Hollow, the final stage of the inner sect trial. The cliffs around him bled red under the setting sun, casting long shadows that danced like wraiths.
Beneath his feet, the cracked stones pulsed faintly—residual traces of spiritual energy from those who had come before and perished.
He clenched his fists.
His body still ached from the last battle, but the Devouring the World technique stirred within him, pulsing like a dark heart. It was hungry again.
Across the trial ground, a roar shattered the silence.
From the shadows slithered the Crimson-Winged Fang Serpent, its scales glistening like bloodied jade. Twin wings of bone and sinew stretched from its back, beating the air with each hiss. Venom dripped from fangs longer than daggers.
Su Xue's voice echoed in his mind: "Don't use the skill unless there's no other choice. It takes more than it gives."
But Lu Xuan had no choice now.
The beast lunged.
He dodged to the side, barely escaping the venom mist. His movement was sharper now—faster, stronger. The body refining stage had begun to show its effects. Muscles coiled like steel cables beneath his skin.
But he was still human. And the serpent was not.
It struck again, this time clipping his shoulder. Pain exploded down his arm, but Lu Xuan didn't cry out. He gritted his teeth, eyes glowing faintly—one silver, the other beginning to shift into a deeper crimson.
He placed a hand against the serpent's flank and whispered:
"Devour."
The black vortex surged from his palm.
The beast shrieked, thrashing wildly as its essence was pulled into the spiraling abyss. Scales peeled away, flesh dissolved, and spiritual qi poured into Lu Xuan's veins like molten metal.
He screamed—not in pain, but in transformation.
Breakthrough: Body Refining (Mid Stage)
Bones cracked. Skin glowed. His blood thickened into something darker, something denser. Every cell in his body drank from the devoured qi, reforging him in silence and agony.
His senses sharpened. He could hear the serpent's final heartbeat… and feel Su Xue's distant presence watching from the cliffs above.
The transformation ended with silence.
Lu Xuan stood among the ashes of the beast, chest heaving, shirt torn, veins glowing faintly beneath skin hardened like tempered jade.
For the first time, he wasn't just surviving.
He was changing.
From above, Su Xue's breath caught.
She had seen many cultivators rise. She had seen monsters born.
But Lu Xuan—there was something else in him. Not just strength, but control. He did not revel in the kill, nor did he fear it.
His face, illuminated by the fading sun, looked carved from the edge of destiny—sharp jawline, high cheekbones, calm but storm-filled eyes. The crimson in his right eye was faint now, but it pulsed with growing heat. His hair, once tied simply, now hung loose and wild, strands matted with blood and wind.
Beautiful, Su Xue realized—not in appearance alone, but in defiance. In quiet rage.
She pressed a hand to her chest, where her hourglass pendant pulsed softly. Time was slipping—but not fast enough to pull her away from this moment.
Back in the sect, Lu Xuan stood before the inner sect ranking pillar. His name appeared last—barely etched into the stone—but it was there.
He had made it.
From the edge of the crowd, Su Xue stepped forward. She offered him a cloth, her fingers brushing his as he took it.
"You're bleeding," she said quietly.
"I've had worse," he replied, not quite meeting her eyes.
She didn't push. "That doesn't mean you have to get used to it."
The moment stretched between them—unspoken things suspended in the silence.
Then the great Sect Bell tolled in the distance, marking the end of the trials and the beginning of a new path.
Lu Xuan turned toward the sound, jaw set, the faint crimson glow still lingering in his eye.
His rise had begun.