Lu Xuan sat alone beneath a gnarled cherry tree in the outer courtyard, the petals falling in slow motion around him. He wasn't training. He wasn't meditating. He was simply breathing.
Every breath felt heavier than the last.
He had crossed a threshold—Body Refining First Layer—and though the energy inside him surged like molten iron, he felt... hollow. The serpent's venom had long since burned out of his veins, replaced with something darker. Something colder.
The Devouring Skill was quiet now. Dormant. But he could feel it watching.
Behind him, quiet footsteps approached. Familiar ones.
Su Xue.
She sat down beside him without speaking. For a moment, they watched the falling petals together.
"You don't rest much," she said at last.
"Neither do you."
Her lips curved faintly. "Fair."
He looked at her then—really looked. Her features were impossibly delicate, the curve of her jaw smooth as carved jade. The hourglass pendant at her neck flickered faintly with pale light. Yet her eyes held the weight of centuries.
"Did you know? About the trial?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't warn me."
Su Xue didn't flinch. "You needed to see what the sect is really like."
Lu Xuan didn't respond. But he didn't argue either.
The Gathering Storm
Later that afternoon, word spread like wildfire through the sect—Lu Xuan had been summoned to the Hall of Rising Flame.
A rare audience. Few outer disciples ever set foot inside.
The hall itself was a quiet, echoing place of black stone and burning incense. The elders sat behind a screen of gold-threaded silk. Only Elder Qian spoke.
You have stirred attention," he said. "And suspicion."
Lu Xuan said nothing.
"We do not accuse you of heresy," the elder continued. "But the power you displayed—it is unfamiliar. Unrecorded."
Still, Lu Xuan remained silent.
"It matters little," Qian said at last. "You will undergo a formal ranking duel. If you pass, you will be granted Inner Sect status."
Lu Xuan bowed slightly. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Twilight InterludeThat evening, the sect was quieter than usual. Rumors had dulled to murmurs.
Lu Xuan walked the length of the southern garden, his hands clasped behind his back. He felt her presence before she spoke.
"You should sleep," Su Xue said softly.
"I don't need to."
A beat of silence passed. The air was cool, scented with pine.
She studied him, then stepped closer. Her sleeve brushed his arm.
"You're not alone in this."
He turned toward her, unsure what emotion passed through his chest.
"I was born alone."
"Maybe so," she said. "But even demons can be reached."
He didn't reply.
Yet something in his gaze softened.
The Dueling Ground
Dawn broke. Pale and soft.
The dueling stage was raised and reinforced with wards. Elders stood at the perimeter. Disciples gathered on every available tier. It wasn't just a fight. It was a reckoning.
Feng Yuyan stepped forward, golden robes immaculate. She was not just strong—she was polished. An inner sect prodigy with five years of cultivation under her belt. Peak Foundation Building.
Lu Xuan looked like a shadow next to her. Plain robes. No adornments. A cold, unreadable expression.
She bowed. He nodded.
The fight began.
Feng Yuyan unleashed a ribbon of flame—curved like a dragon's spine, elegant and deadly. Lu Xuan ducked, letting it pass above him. He dashed in close.
She met him with a spinning kick, her qi blazing across her heel.
He blocked with his forearm—and devoured. Her fire qi vanished into his skin. She blinked.
"What—?"
He struck. Fast. Clean. A single palm to her center.
Feng Yuyan stumbled back, coughing. Her fire surged again—but dimmer. Weaker.
He stepped forward.
She gasped. "You're... feeding on me."
He stopped. Cold eyes locked onto hers.
"I take what I need."
Feng Yuyan dropped to one knee. "I yield."
Gasps. Murmurs. And silence.
Later, as Lu Xuan stood alone by the northern cliff, Su Xue approached once more.
"You didn't even hesitate," she said.
"I couldn't afford to."
"I know."
She handed him a small gourd. Tea. Cooling.
He took it.
They stood in silence, watching the sun rise a little higher.
"Su Xue," he said slowly, "What if... I can't change?"
She looked up at him. "Then I'll be here to remind you of who you were."
He nodded, then smiled. Just a little.
She didn't move away.
Neither did he.