The training grounds of the Heavenly Sword Sect shimmered beneath the morning sun, light catching on drawn blades and sweat-soaked robes. Yet silence dominated the courtyard — a cold, tense silence that clung like frost.
"Reckless. Arrogant. You think strength excuses every mistake?"
Elder Liu Yushan's voice rang out sharp and clear. The silvery-haired woman stood stern before a crowd of gathered disciples. In front of her, Lin Tian knelt with his head lowered.
"You kill a disciple of Divine Flame Hall over a spirit item," Liu Yushan said icily. " What will it take for you to learn restraint?"
Whispers rippled among the crowd. Even among inner disciples, public discipline was rare.
Lin Tian said nothing. But the rage simmering beneath his skin was molten.
> They all judge. None of them understand.
Liu Yushan's voice softened, but her tone carried no warmth. "You are not without talent. But unchecked emotion will destroy even the most brilliant cultivator."
She turned, robes sweeping behind her.
"This is your final warning."
---
That night, Lin Tian stood at the edge of the mountain ridge overlooking the sect. Lanterns glowed gently in the valley below. Stars watched from a cold sky.
His knuckles whitened.
> "She doesn't see it. No one does."
His voice was quiet, more breath than sound.
> "I've broken through to Early Golden Core Realm, and she still sees me as a burden."
He clenched his jaw.
> "Fine. I'll show them. I don't need their approval. I'll prove I'm more than a mistake."
---
The next morning, Lin Tian arrived at the Sect Mission Hall. Crystal boards pulsed with floating texts, and disciples murmured as they browsed commissions.
One notice stood out — glowing red.
> eli-tier Mission
Eliminate the Ashveil Bandits
Authorized by the Empress of Cangyu Kingdom
Target: Bandit company in the Ashveil Ridge
Location: Mountain Region, under Sect jurisdiction
Leader: Reported Early Golden Core Realm
Vice: Peak Foundation Building
2x Mid Foundation
6x Early Foundation
Reward: 100,000 High Spirit Stones + Map to Hidden Realm
Lin Tian pressed his hand to the crystal. The token glowed red and floated into his palm.
An elder steward stepped over, brows raised. "You've only just advanced to Golden Core. This isn't a standard assignment."
"I'm aware," Lin Tian said. "And I'll complete it alone."
The elder hesitated, then nodded. "May fortune favor your sword."
---
Ashveil Ridge was no mere hill.
It loomed dark against the sky, jagged cliffs rising like broken spines. Cold mist blanketed its roots. The path twisted through wild bramble, and spirit beasts howled in the distance.
Lin Tian stalked through the woods, boots crunching dead leaves. His qi rippled faintly, senses sharpened.
The bandits didn't just hide in the mountain — they were protected by something more.
A growl came from the left.
He turned just in time — a demonic boar, flesh scaled with corrupted talismans, lunged from the shadows.
> "Peak Foundation Realm."
Lin Tian stepped forward. His sword flashed — swift and merciless. The beast howled as blood mist sprayed, and it collapsed, severed at the spine.
Then came the second — a twisted panther with twin tails, eyes glowing crimson.
> "Late Foundation Realm."
The beast pounced. Lin Tian invoked his flame qi. His palm erupted in golden fire, catching the beast midair and incinerating it mid-leap.
He wiped blood from his cheek, breath steady.
> "These creatures weren't born here. Someone's feeding them demonic essence."
A trap?
A warning?
He pressed onward.
---
While Lin Tian hunted through thorns and snow, Gu Changge drifted peacefully on a spirit boat through Blackflame City's moonlit canal.
His junior sister sat across from him, cheeks flushed, sipping spirit wine.
"Senior Brother, you're so hard to catch," she teased, brushing hair from her face. "You spend more time in seclusion than with your admirers."
Gu Changge smiled faintly. "Some flowers bloom only in quiet places."
She giggled, leaning closer. "Then I must be lucky to see you tonight."
Lanterns floated overhead. Vendors shouted from the riverbanks. The world glittered.
Gu Changge poured more wine. But even as he raised his cup, his gaze drifted.
> The girl is useful. Her spirit root leans toward charm and water — ideal for subduing . But she lacks ambition. She can be shaped.
Suddenly, a shadow passed across the boat — a wraith-messenger in the form of a bat landed briefly on his shoulder, whispering.
Gu Changge's eyes narrowed.
> "Lin Tian. Entered Ashveil Ridge mountains. Alone. Encountered demonic beasts. Status: Alive."
He rose slowly.
His junior sister blinked. "Leaving so soon?"
"Business," he said with a gentle smile.
As he stepped into the air and vanished into the clouds, his final words drifted back:
> "Good. The trap begins where the path seems righteous."
---
The Bandits' Camp
The bandits hid deep in the mountain . Their camp was nestled among thorn trees and shrouded with talismans designed to conceal spiritual signatures.
Lin Tian crouched above the canyon, hidden beneath a branch.
Below, fires crackled. Nine bandits laughed around a pit of roasted meat.
But Lin Tian's eyes narrowed on the leader — a beautiful woman in crimson armor, her aura faintly veiled. She looked no older than thirty, lips painted blood red, jade blade at her waist.
> "Early Golden Core?" he murmured. "No… there's something off."
He could feel it — her cultivation wasn't what it seemed.
> "She's hiding her realm. She's stronger than she lets on."
Still, he moved.
---
The first strike was swift.
A silent talisman paralyzed one guard — Lin Tian's blade slit his throat.
Another turned to yell but a wind-imbued arrow pierced his chest before the sound left his lips.
Screams followed.
The bandit vice-leader, a scar-faced brute, charged Lin Tian. He met the attack head-on, blades clashing like thunder.
Lin Tian ducked, spun, and drove his palm into the man's ribs, shattering them with flame force.
"Too easy," Lin Tian muttered.
But then, the real battle began.
The bandit leader moved.
She didn't shout. She didn't flinch.
One moment, she was seated.
The next, she stood before Lin Tian.
> "So the Empress sent another pawn," she said calmly.
Her blade moved. A flash of jade — like light through falling snow.
Lin Tian blocked instinctively — and nearly lost his sword.
> "Mid Golden Core!"
His eyes widened.
"You hide it well," he muttered.
The woman smiled thinly. "It keeps the prey confident."
Then she struck again.
---
Their battle lit the ridge in flame and light.
Lin Tian unleashed Crimson Sun Flare, an advanced technique that ignited his blade in soulfire.
The bandit leader replied with Jade Serpent Art, weaving illusions and sharp bursts of wind into her movement.
Each strike forced Lin Tian back.
But he refused to fall.
The soul object pulsed within his ring — boosting his qi, empowering his flame core.
He roared, driving his blade forward in a spiraling inferno.
The woman grunted, finally retreating.
Smoke coiled around them both.
She wiped blood from her lip.
"Not bad for a stray dog of the sect."
"I'm no one's dog," Lin Tian said coldly. "I'm the sword that carves my own fate."
---
Watcher on the Peak — Gu Changge's Reflection
Far above, hidden by clouds and illusion, Gu Changge stood on a spirit platform, arms folded.
He watched the battle through a viewing mirror in his palm.
"Fascinating," he murmured. "He grows sharper under pressure."
His gaze didn't reflect admiration.
Only calculation.
> "If he dies, I lose nothing. If he lives…"
He smiled faintly.
> "Then his fall will be all the sweeter."
---
End of Chapter 14