Wei Feng's expression darkened.
He calmly extended his left palm toward the four abominations lurching toward him.
A crushing force erupted outward
The clones were ruthlessly yanked toward his palm, as if an invisible black hole had formed.
Their grotesque bodies twisted and contorted, unable to resist the overwhelming suction.
At the same time, Wei Feng's right arm crackled with raw psychic power.
Bands of shimmering, almost translucent energy wrapped around his muscles, traveling down to his clenched fist
like chains forged from his indomitable will.
With the four clones helplessly glued together before him,
Wei Feng stepped forward
his telekinetic-empowered punch landed squarely in the middle of the writhing mass.
BOOM!
The sound was like thunder cracking through the heavens.
The four distorted clones exploded into a rain of blood and gore, spraying the training grounds with mutilated body parts.
The crowd recoiled in horror and awe, some disciples screaming, others standing frozen with wide eyes.
But there was no time to rest
arrows closed in from every direction, filling the air like a deadly swarm of locusts.
Wei Feng's eyes flashed with cold disdain.
"Gravity Repulsion."
he muttered.
A monstrous, tsunami-like shockwave burst out from his body
everything nearby was violently hurled backward: loose stones, the shattered remains of the clones, and every single arrow in the sky.
The two brothers were thrown off their feet, landing on their butts with loud thuds, their faces full of disbelief and terror.
The training ground descended into stunned silence.
Wei Feng exhaled slowly.
This time, he spoke in a low voice:
"Air Whip."
He raised both hands, and from his palms, two whips of condensed psychic energy formed
they stretched outward with lethal grace, snaking through the air like living dragons.
With frightening precision, the whips lashed out
wrapping tightly around the necks of the two brothers.
Before they could react, Wei Feng yanked them upward.
The brothers dangled helplessly, their faces turning purple as they gasped and struggled, feet kicking the air.
Their pencil-thin necks looked like they could snap at any moment.
Wei Feng's grip tightened.
The two of them wheezed and clawed at the psychic nooses in vain.
In his mind, a cold thought surfaced:
(It's not wise to kill them… crippling them could be satisfying, but without knowing their backgrounds, it might bring unnecessary trouble. If they are truly sons of important elders, crushing them now could backfire.)
With a final flick of his hands, Wei Feng threw them to the ground like trash.
The two brothers coughed and groaned miserably, too weak to even crawl.
Wei Feng, without sparing them another glance, said loudly so everyone could hear:
"The show is over."
His gaze lifted toward Senior Brother Mei the gray-haired man standing stiffly among the crowd.
Wei Feng's lips curved into a slight, dangerous smile.
"I'll meet you at the tournament... Greyhead."
Without waiting for a response, Wei Feng turned on his heel and strode away, his tattered clothes fluttering in the breeze, leaving behind an utterly shaken crowd.
After the chaos at the training grounds, Wei Feng sought solace.
He wandered deeper into the sect's vast lands, reaching a hidden grove
an untouched sanctuary filled with towering trees, thick undergrowth, and the gentle sounds of birds and small beasts.
The air here was pure, untainted by the petty struggles of men.
Finding a sturdy apple tree, Wei Feng sat beneath its shade.
The battle's adrenaline still burned faintly in his veins, his muscles tense and his mind restless.
He leaned his back against the tree, closing his eyes.
Before he knew it, exhaustion claimed him.
In these two brutal years of relentless, hellish training, true sleep had been a rare luxury.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Wei Feng drifted into a deep dream.
In the dream, he was swimming.
The cool water brushed against his skin as he floated with ease, a smile breaking across his face.
I must be dreaming, he thought.
Swimming had always been his favorite pastime back on Earth
a rare moment when he felt light, free, and unburdened.
He dived deeper, enjoying the sensation...
But then he noticed it.
The water grew darker, heavier, sticky.
Wei Feng looked down
and his heart seized in terror.
A river of bones and skeletons writhed beneath him, an endless tide of the dead stretching as far as the eye could see.
A strangled scream escaped his throat.
Panic clawed at him as the river tried to drag him under.
If he didn't find something anything to cling to, he knew he would be swallowed whole.
In the blind terror, his hand found purchase
gripping the rough edge of a small wooden boat.
He hauled himself up, collapsing into it, gasping for breath.
Only then did he notice:
a boatman stood at the helm.
The figure's back was to him, silent and unmoving, rowing them forward through the river of death.
The silence pressed down, thick and suffocating.
Then the boatman spoke
his voice dry and ancient, like wind scraping over stone:
"So... do you feel you deserve to become part of the river, or not?"
Wei Feng stared at the boatman's back, confused but somehow understanding the gravity of the question.
He thought for a moment, then answered:
"Everyone dies eventually.
So what does it matter what I think?"
The boatman let out a low, hollow laugh.
It was a sound without warmth like the rattle of dead leaves.
"You are a godless one, aren't you?"
"After taking so many lives... you feel nothing."
Slowly, the boatman turned his head
and Wei Feng recoiled.
The boatman's face was a blurred, eyeless void, featureless yet somehow deeply watching him.
Wei Feng's heart pounded.
He opened his mouth to speak
but the world trembled, and everything dissolved into blinding white light
He woke with a start.
An old, familiar voice called out:
"Wake up, boy."
The old man stood above him, his arms crossed, a faint smirk on his face.
Wei Feng wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
The nightmare still clung to him like a heavy fog.
The old man's voice softened slightly:
"Bad dreams are just messages you don't yet understand.
Come.
You'll need a clear mind for what's coming next."
Despite the old man's impressive appearance
his towering, muscular body, his fine robes that looked fit for a king
there was a warmth in his body language, like a grandpa pampering his mischievous grandson.
"Come on," the old man chuckled, patting Wei Feng on the back.
"Let's get some tea, cookies, and sweets. Calm those nerves of yours."
The two of them sat down under the shade of the apple trees, a small picnic spread between them.
As they drank tea and ate, laughter broke out naturally.
Wei Feng quickly forgot the nightmare, the memory of the river and the boatman slipping away like mist.
Between bites of sweet pastries, Wei Feng asked casually:
"What about that boy who rescued me that time? Is he any good?"
The old man's lips curled into a fond smile.
"Yeah, he's doing well. Became part of the police squad in that city.
Looks like that pill and the little book i gave him paid off.
He rose fast.
Who knows... maybe he'll clean up that rotten place a bit."
Wei Feng chuckled, sipping his tea.
"Maybe even without the book and pill, he could've made a difference.
Maybe we'll see him again someday."
The old man's smile widened, but then his eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Speaking of troublemakers...
You really made a mess this time, didn't you?"
Wei Feng blinked innocently.
The old man leaned in slightly, his voice low but amused:
"Those twins you tossed around like ragdolls?
They're the sons of some very important elders."
Wei Feng scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Ah... yeah... well, you know... they started it."
The old man simply sighed and handed Wei Feng an envelope.
"Here.
The details of your next bounty."
Wei Feng's eyebrow shot up.
"What? I have to do more of this crap?"
The old man nodded, the teasing gone from his face.
"Yeah. Unfortunately.
Or your little... 'heart parasite' might start acting up.
Trust me, I had to pull a lot of strings to keep them from locking you up in some forgotten dungeon."
Wei Feng scoffed, waving the envelope dramatically.
"What a great sect. I'm just thrilled to be here. Yay."
The old man gave a short laugh, but then his tone turned grim:
"Look, kid.
I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
This one's a suicide mission."
The air around them grew heavy.
The birds stopped singing.
Wei Feng stared down at the envelope in his hand, the sweet taste of cookies turning to ash on his tongue.
The old man's gaze sharpened:
"If you accept it... there's no turning back.
If you succeed, the sect will owe you.
If you fail... well, they'll pretend you never existed."
Wei Feng leaned back against the tree, smirking despite himself.
"Tch. What's new?"
But deep inside, he felt it.
The game had changed.