Morning mist curled over the Skyroot Plateau like silver smoke.
The next wave of tournament duels was underway. Disciples filled the terraces, cheering and jeering, throwing spirit stones in bets. But beneath the usual bravado, there was a new tension in the air.
Everyone was watching for the rogue with corpse flame eyes.
Everyone was watching for Shen Zian.
He stood quietly near the dueling ring, eyes closed, sensing. Since awakening the Blood-Fang Fang, his perception had evolved. He could hear the heartbeat of nearby beasts. He could taste the aura of fear wafting off less experienced tamers.
More importantly, he could feel the gaze—that subtle, piercing stare from above.
Shen Liang.
Come down, Zian thought. Face me. I want you to see how much I've changed.
The gong rang.
"Next match! Shen Zian of no sect… versus Yu Lan of the Moon Marionette Sect!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Moon Marionette Sect.
A sinister, elusive organization. Known for its Puppet Qi—spiritual threads that let cultivators control beasts like marionettes, forcing them to fight beyond their limits. Beasts under their command didn't roar—they screamed.
Zian stepped onto the dueling platform.
Opposite him, a slender youth emerged—cloaked in flowing gray robes, long silver hair bound in jade clasps. Yu Lan's eyes glowed a faint violet. His fingers danced idly in the air, weaving invisible threads.
"Another corpse-walker," he said, smiling faintly. "You desecrate beasts by absorbing them. I… perfect them."
Zian said nothing.
"No words? That's fine. I like silence when they break."
The judge raised her hand. "Begin!"
Yu Lan acted instantly.
Six shimmering threads burst from his fingers, embedding into the ground. The platform trembled, and from hidden summoning formations, three beast puppets emerged.
They were grotesque.
A two-headed wind wolf with stitched flesh.
A wingless bone hawk that bled mist from hollow eyes.
And a serpentine beast fused with a broken monkey skull.
All radiated unnatural qi—strong, but corrupted. No free will. No soul.
Zian's corpse flame flared in protest.
"You call this taming?" he muttered.
Yu Lan smirked. "I call it art."
The puppets lunged.
Zian ducked the bone hawk's dive, rolled under the serpent-beast's tail, and burst into motion—activating Blood-Fang Extraction with a whisper.
"Boar's Might. Panther's Step."
His veins lit crimson. His muscles bulged with borrowed power.
With a surge of qi, he shattered the wind wolf's jaw in one strike.
Yu Lan hissed and yanked a thread—forcing the beast to move even as its head lolled unnaturally.
"They don't die until I say so."
The serpent-beast struck, tail laced with spirit venom.
Zian spun midair, activating a new echo—Frost Ape's Guard, a defensive pulse he'd extracted from a creature days earlier.
His skin hardened momentarily like spiritual bark.
The tail hit—but barely left a bruise.
"My turn," he said coldly.
He slammed his palm into the bone hawk's chest, igniting it with corpse flame.
The hawk let out a warped screech—and exploded in ash and burning thread.
Yu Lan stumbled back.
Zian charged.
Close now.
Too close for threads.
Yu Lan panicked, trying to retract his control.
But Zian was already there, palm glowing.
"Flamebrand Pulse."
He struck Yu Lan's chest—lightly. Enough to disrupt his qi channels without killing.
Yu Lan flew backward, crashing into the dueling ring's edge.
Smoke hissed from his robe.
The referee raised her hand. "Victor: Shen Zian!"
Silence.
Then roars from the rogue cultivator section.
And in the highest pavilion, Shen Liang's eyes sharpened.
He stood.
Later – High Pavilion
Elder Shen Wei leaned close to Shen Liang. "He's making waves. The judges are favoring him now. Do we intervene?"
Liang sipped his tea slowly.
"No. Not yet."
He looked down at the dueling ring, where Zian stood motionless, staring up at him.
Their eyes met.
"Let him climb. Let the crowd love him. When I break him before them all, they'll know who the true heir is."
Elder Wei nodded. "Your plan for the Spirit Realm Gate?"
"The moment it opens, he'll follow," Shen Liang said.
"And that's where I'll end him."