Night fell over Dao Xuanzhen Academy, shrouding its courtyards in pale moonlight. The air was still, the faint hum of spiritual formations echoing through the quiet halls.
In his small chamber, Polyfalls Yen sat cross-legged on a jade mat. His spiritual veins still pulsed weakly — the aftereffects of naming Ming had left his meridians fragile.
Before him, the Soul Flames danced quietly, one black, one white, circling each other like twin spirits.
He took a slow breath, pressing his palms together.
"Yin and Yang, chaos and order… converge."
The flames merged briefly, then burst apart, scattering embers across the room. Polyfalls grimaced.
Still unstable. The harmony is too fragile.
Inside his spiritual realm, Ming floated deep beneath a sea of azure light, her massive body wrapped in flowing streams of energy. Polyfalls could sense her slumber, deep and ancient, her evolution stirring faint ripples through his soul.
"Still asleep," he muttered. "When you awaken, will you still call me master — or will you devour me instead?"
The thought amused him.
Just then, a faint ripple of demonic qi brushed against his senses — so subtle most cultivators would never notice. But Polyfalls's soul had been scarred by Chi You's inheritance; his connection to darkness was sharper than most.
He opened his eyes. The Soul Flames flickered.
"That aura…" His gaze turned toward the academy's eastern ridge. Beyond the meditation halls and the silent bamboo grove, a strange black mist was coiling, faintly visible against the moonlight.
He rose to his feet, his robe swaying in the cold wind.
Something demonic… inside the academy?
He moved swiftly through the moonlit path, his steps light as feathers. Every stone glowed faintly beneath his spiritual pressure.
When he reached the edge of the grove, he stopped. There, standing alone beneath an ancient tree, was a figure — Wutong Shen.
The boy's usual mischievous grin was gone. His face was pale, eyes distant, as if whispering to something unseen. Dark qi swirled faintly around his right arm.
Polyfalls narrowed his eyes. "You again."
Wutong turned slowly, his expression oddly blank — then, suddenly, the usual smirk returned. "Ah, Polyfalls! Out for a midnight stroll too? What a coincidence."
But the demonic aura didn't fade. It clung to him like a shadow.
Polyfalls's spiritual sense flared.
"You've been touching something… unholy," he said coldly.
Wutong laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "You make it sound so scary. I just found this funny old talisman near the waterfall earlier. It looks cool, right?" He held up a cracked, black jade charm etched with crimson runes.
The moment Polyfalls saw it, the Soul Flames in his body roared violently.
His pupils constricted. A demonic seal… from the Infernal Path.
"Put that down," Polyfalls said, his tone sharp.
"Huh? Why—"
Before Wutong could finish, the talisman pulsed. A wave of demonic qi exploded outward, tearing through the bamboo grove. The ground split open, black smoke seeping out like blood.
From the mist, a whisper emerged — hoarse, ancient, filled with hunger.
"Another vessel… another soul…"
Wutong screamed as the black qi wrapped around his arm, crawling up his skin like veins of shadow.
Polyfalls clenched his fist.
"Ming… lend me strength."
Deep within his spiritual realm, Ming's blue aura stirred — faintly, almost imperceptibly — as if responding to his voice. The Soul Flames in his hands flared to life, black and white merging into a blazing gray flame that devoured the darkness around him.
The demonic mist hissed, retreating.
Polyfalls's expression remained calm, but his heart raced.
That talisman… its aura felt familiar. Could it be connected to Chi You's inheritance?
He looked at Wutong, who had collapsed to the ground, trembling but alive.
"This academy," Polyfalls whispered, eyes cold, "is no longer as pure as they claim."