The City Lord Manor sat at the very heart of Phoenix Crest City, an enormous estate built from obsidian-black stone and crimson spiritwood. Tall pillars carved with phoenix motifs supported sweeping roofs of deep gold, each tile infused with protective qi. Fiery lanterns burned even during the day, bathing the manor in a warm glow that symbolized the city's eternal prosperity.
Guards in ornate armor patrolled the courtyards with rigid discipline. Spirit beasts roamed the outer gardens, acting as living alarms. Layers of hidden formations shimmered faintly around the estate only visible to the sharpest eyes.
Inside the manor, the atmosphere was tense.
In the City Lord's private office, a spacious room lined with scrolls, maps, and cultivation artifacts, City Lord Feng Haoran sat behind an imposing desk of red cloudwood. His expression was cold, sharp, and calculating, the kind that made subordinates straighten without thinking.
Across from him stood Elder Yi, face tight with worry.
Feng Haoran poured tea for them both, though neither touched it.
"Elder Yi," he began, voice steady, "you said you had urgent intel regarding the incident in the plaza."
Elder Yi nodded gravely.
"City Lord… that white-haired demon appeared again."
Feng Haoran's brows lifted slightly. "The same woman who knocked out your entire Shadow Intel Corps?"
"Yes." Elder Yi clenched his fists. "City Lord, I suspect she will appear at the Azure Spirit Sword Sect recruitment trial."
Feng Haoran leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "Are you certain?"
Elder Yi took a deep breath.
"The ten Elite Shadow Intel Corps under my command, they were found unconscious in the plaza. When they awakened, every one of them reported the same thing."
He paused.
"She interrogated them."
Feng Haoran's expression darkened. "Interrogated?"
"Yes," Elder Yi said, voice tightening. "She asked each of them for one thing. The exact arrival time of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect."
Silence filled the room.
A dangerous silence.
Feng Haoran tapped the desk slowly, rhythmically.
"So she is deliberately seeking the Sect's arrival… meaning she plans to show herself at the recruitment trial."
Elder Yi nodded firmly. "It is almost guaranteed."
Feng Haoran stood abruptly, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out the window overlooking the manor grounds.
"Then we cannot take any risks."
His voice dropped to a cold command.
"Set up formations around the entire trial grounds."
Elder Yi stiffened. "Defensive? Or sealing?"
"Both," Feng Haoran replied. "I want layers of defensive formations, sealing formations, anti-stealth arrays, illusion breakers, everything."
He turned, eyes sharp as blades.
"If that white-haired demon appears… we must be prepared."
Elder Yi bowed deeply. "As you command, City Lord Feng Haoran!"
...
Moonlight draped the Han Family Courtyard in cold silver, the shadows stretching unnaturally across the quiet estate. Young Master Han Yuwei lounged lazily, completely unaware that his peaceful night was about to shatter.
A ripple trembled in the air behind him.
A black-robed figure stepped out from the distortion.
He wore a terrifying dragon-shaped mask, its obsidian surface etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with azure glow. His presence alone warped the surrounding qi heavy, suffocating, primal.
The masked man's voice cut through the air like a cold blade.
"Young Master Han Yuwei… do you desire strength?"
Yuwei jumped to his feet.
"W-Who Guards! Guards, arrest this intru—"
Silence.
Not a single guard responded.
Before fear could fully take hold, the masked man blurred and pinned Yuwei to the ground with overwhelming force.
"Calm yourself," he said softly. "I am not here to kill you. I came to offer you a deal."
Yuwei swallowed.
"…W-What deal?"
The masked man raised his hand.
A blood-red pill, swirling with violent spiritual energy, hovered above his palm.
"A breakthrough pill. It will raise your cultivation by two major realms."
Then he summoned a scroll, its symbols twisted and unreadable, as if reality itself resisted it.
Even its title was sealed under forbidden characters:
[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■]
Yuwei's fear slowly melted into greed and shock.
This was power. Forbidden and overwhelming power.
Then the masked man leaned closer, his voice sharp and icy.
"Han Yuwei… kill Liu Xin of the Liu Family."
The words struck like thunder.
But Yuwei reacted quickly.
"Kill Liu Xin?" Yuwei said. "But he has a backer! A Mahayana Realm cultivator supports him! If I kill him, won't that senior destroy my entire family, and I don't know where he is."
The masked man chuckled lightly behind his dragon mask.
Cold. Confident. Unbothered.
"Do not worry. That Mahayana cultivator will not interfere."
Yuwei blinked. "…Why?"
The masked man's aura rippled, and his killing intent briefly leaked out.
"Because Liu Xin holds a deep grudge against them. A grudge so large… that even if you kill him, they will not move a finger."
Yuwei froze.
A Mahayana Realm expert ignoring the death of someone under their wing?
Just how monstrous was this masked man? Just what kind of grudge was he referring to?
But the truth didn't matter.
His ambition overshadowed everything.
Yuwei clenched his fists, determination rising.
"As for Liu Xin, he will appear at the Recruitment trial."
"I understand," he said. "For this power… I will kill Liu Xin."
The masked man nodded.
Then—
He vanished, leaving behind nothing but a trembling Yuwei and the scent of cold death.
Excitement boiled inside Yuwei as he clutched the pill. But the moment he turned a corner.
He froze in horror.
The ground was littered with corpses.
Dozens of Han Family bodyguards lay dead, slashed, crushed, burned, or intact but lifeless. Armor shattered. Blood pooled into dark puddles.
Yuwei staggered back.
"T-This… all of them…?"
Elite cultivators. His family's pride. Dead without making a sound.
A cold shiver crept down his spine.
If I refused that masked man… this would have been my fate.
He clenched the pill with trembling hands.
"No… I must follow him. If I defy him, I will die without even leaving a corpse."
Fear fueled his determination.
Power tempted his ambition.
He rushed into his room, slammed the door shut, and whispered.
"Liu Xin…I always wanted to kill you. Heaven has given me a chance."
Yuwei stood alone in his room, the blood-red pill trembling between his fingers. Its aura was suffocating yet intoxicating, a storm of power that whispered promises of dominion over life and death.
"This is it… my chance…" he thought, eyes burning with ambition.
He swallowed the pill in one swift motion. The moment it touched his tongue, spiritual energy surged violently, tearing through his body. Yuwei's veins glowed like molten silver, his meridians straining under the immense pressure.
Pain, a blinding searing pain racked him. His body convulsed, and he screamed, clutching his chest. The pill was forcing his Qi Refinement Realm body (6th stage) to leap to the Early Stage Nascent Soul Realm, a gap almost impossible to cross naturally.
His senses shattered and expanded at once. Colors and lights twisted, spirals of energy danced in his vision, and his soul seemed to tear apart and reassemble.
"Thi-this is the Nascent Soul," he gasped. "I can feel it forming my spirit, condensing... Solidifying."
The room itself quaked under the pressure of his energy surge. Lanterns flickered violently. The walls strained as invisible spiritual waves tore through the air. Even the spirit beasts outside whimpered at the unnatural disturbance.
His spiritual core expanded, swirling with energy from the forbidden cultivation method. Symbols arcane and incomprehensible flashed before his eyes. Each symbol was a key, each key unlocking a fraction of his Nascent Soul.
Finally, with a shattering sound like crystal breaking, Yuwei collapsed to the floor. His body was drenched in sweat, lungs burning, but an overwhelming calm settled over him.
He opened his eyes. The world had changed. Colors were sharper. Spiritual fluctuations were visible, subtle formations illuminated in the moonlight. His presence radiated Nascent Soul aura, a storm barely contained within his mortal frame.
"I've done it," he whispered. "I've reached the Early Stage of Nascent Soul Realm."
A dark, triumphant smile spread across his face. His hatred for Liu Xin and ambition for power now merged into a singular, unstoppable force.
A quiet, triumphant laugh escaped his lips. "Liu Xin… your time has come."
The air around him shimmered, heavy with Nascent Soul energy. Even the moonlight seemed dimmer, as if afraid to illuminate the presence of a newly awakened Nascent Soul cultivator.
Yuwei flexed his newfound powers. A flick of his finger could slice a stone slab as if it were paper. A thought could summon a pulse that disrupted formations and illusions alike.
He closed his eyes, letting the layers of his body, spirit, and soul fully integrate with the power of the cultivation method.
I will surpass everyone. And when that day comes, nothing will stop me.
Outside, the Han Family Courtyard remained quiet, but inside Yuwei's room, a storm had awakened an unstoppable, hateful force, ready to strike.
...
Moonlight drifted through the towering bamboo, casting silver ribbons across the misty forest. The cool night breeze made the bamboo sway, filling the air with soft, haunting whispers beneath the star-lit sky.
A shadow appeared.
The masked dragon figure stepped out, then removed his mask.
Lin Xuan.
Calm. Handsome. Smiling faintly.
Behind him, a soft voice spoke.
"Master… is it truly fine to give such a cultivation method to the Han Family? I know your intentions regarding Liu Xin, but that method is far too dangerous."
Lin Xuan chuckled.
"I have a beautiful plan prepared for the Han Family, Yue."
Yue tilted her head. "A plan? What kind?"
"You'll understand soon."
Lin Xuan traced the smooth dragon mask with nostalgic eyes.
"The Ruinking Mask… one of my treasured creations. It even hides a cultivation for the person who wears it. And even a Qi Refinement Realm Cultivator who wears it gains an intimidating presence and reflexes faster than most cultivators. I used this mask often in my past."
He stored it away.
Then turned toward the distant city.
A faint smile appeared.
"Now… let us await the arrival of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect."