Hou Shan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his breathing heavy and uneven. "This brat… he keeps slipping away!"
Chen Mu's eyes narrowed as he circled from the left. "He must be cheating. No way trash like him suddenly moves like this."
Zhao Ren clenched his fists, anger boiling in his eyes. "Don't talk nonsense. He's pretending to be calm. His legs are shaking. Look."
Li Xuan's legs were shaking.
Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
The dodging had pushed his body to its limit. His bruises hurt with every movement, and the thin flow of Qi inside him flickered like a weak flame.
—Your body can't keep doing this, the Grand Immortal warned. If this continues, you will collapse.
Li Xuan swallowed. He knew.
Three against one.Stronger than him.Faster than him.
He couldn't keep dodging forever.
Zhao Ren stepped forward again. "I don't know what trick you're using, Li Xuan…" His lips curled into a cold smile. "But let's see how long your little 'improvement' lasts."
He rushed forward.
Chen Mu followed.Hou Shan came from the side.
All three at once.
Li Xuan braced himself—his heart racing.
—Listen to me, the Immortal said. You cannot overpower them. But you can break their rhythm.
"How?" Li Xuan whispered under his breath.
—Hit first.
Li Xuan's eyes widened slightly.
He had never fought back.Not once.Not in ten years.
His hands had only ever been used to cover his head or push himself off the ground.
"Hit… first?" he repeated softly.
—Yes. You only need one small counterattack to shake their confidence. Just one.
Time slowed in Li Xuan's eyes.
Zhao Ren's punch came from the right.Hou Shan's thick arm swung down from the left.Chen Mu aimed low, trying to grab Li Xuan's ankle.
Three attacks from three directions.
Li Xuan didn't dodge backward.
He stepped forward.
Straight toward Zhao Ren.
Zhao Ren's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Li Xuan bent his knees, twisted his waist, and used the little strength he had left to push all his weight into a single attack.
It wasn't a punch.It wasn't a kick.
It was a shoulder strike, exactly like the one he had used a thousand times during basic practice.
His shoulder hit Zhao Ren's chest hard.
Zhao Ren stumbled back, unprepared. His feet slipped on the damp ground, and he landed on his back with a loud thud.
Chen Mu froze in shock.
Hou Shan stopped mid-swing.
For a moment, the entire training ground went silent.
Li Xuan stood still, his shoulder throbbing from the impact, his breath loud in his ears. His legs were shaking harder now—but not from fear.
From fighting back.
Zhao Ren's expression twisted. His face turned red with both pain and humiliation.
"You… you dared hit me?" he shouted, voice cracking in disbelief.
Li Xuan didn't reply.
—Good, the Immortal murmured. Their rhythm is broken. Their fear will grow. Keep your breathing calm. Show them your eyes.
Li Xuan met Zhao Ren's glare without blinking.
Chen Mu hissed, "This brat… he actually hit Zhao Ren!"
Hou Shan looked confused. "But… he was supposed to fall, not—"
Zhao Ren jumped up, furious. "Li Xuan, you're dead!"
He charged again.
But the charge wasn't confident this time.It wasn't controlled.
It was wild rage.
And that made it easier to avoid.
Li Xuan stepped aside just enough. Zhao Ren's punch sliced past his face and hit the air.
Chen Mu tried to grab him again.Li Xuan moved his shoulder back, dodging like water sliding around stone.
Hou Shan swung his heavy arm.Li Xuan ducked under it, feeling the wind above his head.
Zhao Ren's voice cracked with frustration. "Why can't I hit you?!"
Li Xuan finally spoke.
His voice was calm, simple… almost quiet:
"You're too slow."
That single sentence stabbed deeper than any blade.
Chen Mu's face twisted. "He's mocking us!"
Hou Shan growled. "Let me crush him!"
But none of them dared rush immediately now.Not after seeing Zhao Ren fall.Not after failing to land even one hit.
Their confidence cracked.
Their anger turned into uncertainty.
In that moment, Li Xuan felt something new rising inside him — not strength, not Qi…
But courage.
He straightened his back a little.
"I thought you said you'd teach me a lesson today," he said softly.
Zhao Ren took a shaky breath. "Don't… don't act proud! You think dodging makes you strong? We'll finish you—"
He charged again, and the other two followed in hesitation.
Li Xuan felt his Qi flicker inside him once more.
Weak.But present.
—Enough, the Immortal said. You proved your point. Now escape. Save your body for cultivation, not for these insects.
Li Xuan exhaled slowly.
He sidestepped Zhao Ren's attack one more time, ducked past Chen Mu's grab, and slipped between Hou Shan and the stone wall.
Before they could turn—
He was already gone.
By the time they reached the corner, he had vanished down the path.
Zhao Ren punched the ground in frustration. "Li Xuan!!"
Chen Mu kicked a rock. "How did he move like that?!"
Hou Shan scratched his head. "Should we… tell Elder Qiu?"
Zhao Ren froze.
Chen Mu looked at him. "What? Are you scared?"
Zhao Ren clenched his jaw. "No. But Elder Qiu hates that kid more than we do. If he finds out Li Xuan can suddenly fight back…"
Chen Mu's eyes widened.Hou Shan stepped back a little.
Zhao Ren finished the thought:
"…the elder might decide to eliminate him himself."
Silence fell.
And at the same moment, far down the stone path, Li Xuan leaned against a wall, breathing hard, his whole body trembling.
But he was smiling — just a little.
He had survived.He had fought back.He had walked away on his own two feet.
And in his mind, the Grand Immortal's voice spoke with a quiet certainty:
—Good. This is only the beginning.