The night air hummed with tension as Luo Tian scaled the outer walls of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The moon hid behind thick clouds, casting the compound in deep shadows—perfect for what he had planned.
[SCANNING: 23 GUARDS. 7 FORMATION ARRAYS. 1 HIDDEN ELDER.]
His lips curled into a smirk. "Predictable."
The nanomachines in his veins pulsed, adapting his body to blend seamlessly with the darkness. He moved like a phantom, slipping past patrols with unnatural grace. The first guard died without a sound, his throat slit before he could blink. The second collapsed as Luo Tian drained his qi in a single, brutal motion.
By the time the alarm was raised, he was already at the entrance to the Ancestral Armory—a massive stone door etched with ancient runes.
"The Sky-Severing Sword Manual is mine," he whispered.
Inside the armory, treasures beyond imagination lined the walls: spirit weapons humming with power, rare herbs sealed in crystal, and at the center—a pedestal holding a single, weathered scroll.
Luo Tian reached for it.
A blade flashed toward his neck.
[WARNING: MOVEMENT DETECTED—0.3 SECONDS TO IMPACT.]
He twisted, the sword grazing his cheek instead of decapitating him. Blood welled—then vanished as the nanomachines sealed the wound instantly.
"I knew you'd come for this."
Grand Elder Hong stepped from the shadows, his sword gleaming with a sickly green light. Unlike the others, he showed no fear. Only hunger.
"You're not here to stop me," Luo Tian realized. "You're here to study me."
Hong smiled. "Clever boy. That thing inside you... it belongs to my masters."
The fight that followed shattered the armory.
Hong moved with impossible speed, his techniques unlike anything Luo Tian had seen—not martial arts, but something older. Something wrong.
[ANALYSIS FAILED: UNKNOWN COMBAT STYLE.]
[ADAPTING.]
Luo Tian's fist met Hong's palm, and the shockwave sent artifacts crashing to the ground. He tried to absorb Hong's qi—but it burned, black tendrils lashing at his nanomachines like living things.
"You see now?" Hong laughed. "You're just a vessel. And I will carve you open to reclaim what's ours."
Luo Tian spat blood. "Try."
He activated [Dragon's Fury], his bloodline flaring to life. Void-black scales erupted across his skin as his strength quintupled in an instant.
The final clash leveled the armory.
When the dust settled, Hong was gone—vanished like smoke. But not before leaving Luo Tian with a parting gift:
A single, whispered name.
"The Sky Empire remembers its weapons... Echo."