Part 1
The Outer Sect Tournament of Azure Cloud Sect was a grand event held once every three years.
In the martial arena, ten bluestone combat platforms stood in a row. Su Yan stood at the edge of the crowd, dressed in faded white outer sect disciple robes that made him barely noticeable among the many disciples in their finer attire. He kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the wooden lot in his hand—Court Seven, Number Seven.
"First round, Court C, Number Seven versus Number Twenty-Three!"
Su Yan walked slowly onto the platform. His opponent was a burly man with cultivation at Qi Condensation Stage Four. The man grinned when he saw Su Yan approach. "Su Yan? Heard you've been improving fast lately. But at Stage Three, challenging for inner sect qualification is a bit overconfident, don't you think?"
Su Yan did not reply. He merely clasped his hands and bowed.
"Begin!"
The man lunged forward like a tiger, his fist whistling through the air, carrying the full force of his Stage Four spiritual energy straight toward Su Yan's face. If it landed, it would seriously injure an ordinary Stage Three cultivator.
Su Yan did not meet it head-on. In his vision, the System had already outlined the flaws in his opponent's movement and the trajectory of his strike in cold blue light. He shifted his body slightly, moving his feet, floating like a fallen leaf carried half a foot aside by the force of the wind. The fist brushed past the edge of his robe, not even stirring the fabric.
The man paused, about to change his technique, when Su Yan's palm landed lightly on his chest. The strike seemed slow, yet there was no evading it.
Thud! With a dull impact, the man felt his chest tighten, and his entire body flew backward uncontrollably, landing heavily at the edge of the platform. He struggled twice but could not get up.
"Court C, Number Seven—Su Yan wins!"
Gasps rose from below the platform. Su Yan withdrew his palm, turned, and walked off the platform. There was no trace of pride on his face.
The next three rounds followed the same pattern. Whether his opponent used a sword, lightness techniques, or pressed him with the outer sect's finest skills, Su Yan only struck at the final moment, defeating each opponent with a single, devastatingly precise move.
Four rounds. Four wins. All ended with a single strike.
In the viewing stands, several inner sect elders had begun whispering among themselves.
"This boy has progressed astonishingly fast. He was still a mortal when he joined three months ago..."
"His techniques are unadorned, but precise and ruthless. What's even more remarkable is his composure. His expression has not changed once."
In the fifth and sixth rounds, Su Yan inexplicably received byes in a row. Murmurs began among the disciples, some suspecting manipulation. Su Yan stood in the corner with his eyes closed, ignoring the chatter completely.
Only he knew that these two byes were no stroke of luck. Last night, he had spent his last eighty points in the System Exchange on a "Fortune Talisman"—a cheap item that could slightly adjust the workings of fate, but more than sufficient for an outer sect lottery.
Part 2
"Seventh round, Court A—Su Yan versus Zhao Hong!"
Zhao Hong. The top outer sect disciple. Peak Qi Condensation Stage Six, just one step away from Foundation Building. This man had cultivated the Azure Cloud Sect's orthodox techniques for fifteen years, with solid foundations and exquisite swordsmanship.
Su Yan stepped onto the platform. Zhao Hong, dressed in dark green combat robes, fixed him with sharp, eagle-like eyes. "Junior Brother Su, please."
There was no probing. Zhao Hong's sword left its sheath like a flash of lightning, its tip aimed straight at Su Yan's throat.
Su Yan's footwork shifted. His figure flickered left like a ghost, moving three feet aside. The sword tip grazed past his neck, carrying a few strands of hair with it.
Zhao Hong's eyes narrowed. His sword technique changed instantly. What had been a single thrust transformed into a storm of sword shadows, enveloping the area three zhang around Su Yan. Inner sect sword technique—Azure Cloud Sword Rain!
Su Yan wove through the storm of blades. To the onlookers below, his steps seemed chaotic, his robes torn by sword energy. Each evasion appeared dangerously close to failure, as though defeat was imminent with every breath.
But everything was under Su Yan's control. The System's processing power analyzed every trace of Zhao Hong's sword energy with perfect clarity. He was merely waiting—waiting for the perfect moment to secure victory. First place in the outer sect required a win that was impressive, yet not so effortless as to invite suspicion.
After thirty exchanges, a flash of decision crossed Su Yan's eyes.
He deliberately exposed an opening, dropping his left shoulder slightly. Zhao Hong took the bait, condensing his sword energy into a single point, thrusting directly at Su Yan's left shoulder.
Just as the sword tip was about to land, Su Yan's figure split in two! Two identical afterimages darted left and right. Zhao Hong's sword struck empty air, his pupils contracting sharply. The real Su Yan had already appeared at his side, his right palm thrusting toward Zhao Hong's ribs.
And in that moment—something unexpected happened.
A violent tremor erupted deep in Su Yan's dantian. The Devouring Demon Body's instinctive reaction to concentrated spiritual energy! Zhao Hong's full-powered strike had stirred the demonic qi's greed. That mass of dark energy was breaking free of its restraints, eager to devour the feast before it.
[Alert! Risk of demonic qi exposure: 85%! Host must abort attack immediately!]
In the span of a heartbeat, Su Yan bit his tongue. He forcibly pulled back three-tenths of the power behind his palm, severing the demonic qi's flow. What should have been a bone-shattering strike became a light tap against Zhao Hong's ribs, withdrawn the moment it touched.
Bam! Even so, Zhao Hong staggered back seven steps, his face going pale. He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, barely managing to stay on the platform.
Su Yan, too, retreated three steps. The backlash from forcibly retracting his power exploded through his body. Blood surged in his chest, and a trickle of crimson seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The two faced each other. The crowd fell silent.
Everyone had seen it—in that final strike, Su Yan could have seriously injured Zhao Hong, yet he had pulled back at the critical moment, choosing to injure himself instead.
The silence lasted three full breaths.
Zhao Hong slowly rose to his feet, clasped his hands, and bowed. His voice was hoarse but clear: "Junior Brother Su showed mercy. Zhao Hong admits defeat."
The crowd erupted. Exclamations of amazement rose from all sides.
Su Yan swallowed the taste of blood in his throat. As he descended from the platform, he suddenly felt a gaze on him—so tangible it seemed capable of piercing his flesh and seeing into the secrets of his dantian.
He looked up.
On the main viewing platform, Sect Leader Chu Xiong was watching him thoughtfully. The eyes of a Golden Core cultivator were deep as an abyss. Su Yan's heart tightened, but his face showed nothing. He inclined his body slightly in a respectful bow.
Part 3
Eighth round. Finals.
Facing a female disciple whose saber techniques were fierce and ruthless, Su Yan no longer evaded. After discerning her patterns, he drove straight through the densest part of her blade work and pressed a finger to a pressure point on her wrist. The saber clattered to the ground.
"Winner of the Outer Sect Tournament—Su Yan!"
Su Yan stood on the platform, accepting the warm jade token that symbolized his victory. Sunlight fell on his pale face, and his eyes were as still as stagnant water.
"Su Yan."
A commanding voice boomed in his ears. Sect Leader Chu Xiong had come to the edge of the platform without anyone noticing. The white streaks at his temples glinted faintly in the sunlight.
"This disciple is here." Su Yan bowed.
Chu Xiong said nothing. His gaze was like a blade, sweeping over Su Yan's meridians, his dantian with palpable intensity.
Alarms blared in Su Yan's mind. He threw all his effort into the System's camouflage techniques, suppressing the violent demonic qi into the most inconspicuous corner of his dantian. Even his heartbeat was calibrated to perfection—flawless.
He must not be seen through.
After a long moment, Chu Xiong finally withdrew his gaze.
"Three months. From a mortal to the outer sect's finest." Chu Xiong's voice carried across the martial arena. "Do you know that in over a thousand years of the Azure Cloud Sect, there has never been such a precedent?"
"This disciple was fortunate."
"Fortunate?" Chu Xiong fixed his eyes on him, his tone shifting abruptly. "In your final exchange with Zhao Hong, why did you pull back your strike?"
Here it comes.
Su Yan's thoughts raced. He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and let his face show just the right amount of unease and lingering fear.
"Sect Leader, at that moment... I could not strike with full force." He spoke haltingly. "If I had struck with all my strength, I feared I would lose control. I have only been in the sect a short time. My meridians have just been unblocked, and my cultivation base is unstable. When I exert myself fully, the pain in my meridians is unbearable. If I had not pulled back, I feared I would... damage my own foundation."
Half-truths were the hardest to see through. Chu Xiong knew his meridians had once been sealed. This explanation—fear of harming a fragile foundation—fit perfectly with the image of a boy who had trained relentlessly but lacked deep roots.
Chu Xiong stared at him for a long while. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
"'Fear of harming yourself.' You are honest, at least."
He turned to face the assembled disciples, his commanding voice echoing through the mountains: "From this day forward, Su Yan enters my tutelage as the fourth personal disciple!"
The crowd erupted. First place in the outer sect, personal disciple to the sect leader—the weight of such an appointment silenced all questions and jealousy.
"Master." A calm voice spoke.
Lin Yue stepped forward from the crowd and bowed to Chu Xiong. Sunlight fell on his clear features and bright eyes. He turned to Su Yan, his smile genuine and warm.
"Junior Brother Su, welcome."
Su Yan looked into those eyes. They were too clear—too clean to belong in this brutal world. For an instant, something frozen deep in Su Yan's heart seemed to flinch.
But the next moment, alarms flashed through his mind. He remembered his dying homeland—the endless yellow dust, his father coughing blood, friends falling one by one. That world needed the fortune of this one.
He lowered his head and crushed the flicker of warmth before it could take root.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Part 4
The central peak's main hall.
Su Yan met his two fellow personal disciples: the boisterous, rough-mannered second senior brother Zhang Qisheng, and the spirited third senior sister Zhai Tiantian.
Zhang Qisheng clapped him heavily on the shoulder. Zhai Tiantian laughed and ruffled his hair. These things—"bonds between fellow disciples"—were luxuries far beyond reach in Su Yan's original world. Yet now they felt like a net tightening around him, seamless and inescapable.
Chu Xiong sat above, his voice turning cold and severe. "Now that you have entered my tutelage, you must know the rules. Harming a fellow disciple leads to expulsion. Betraying the sect leads to execution. Cultivating demonic arts or evil methods—" Chu Xiong's gaze pierced like a blade into Su Yan's very core. "—leads to utter annihilation, body and soul."
"This disciple will remember." Su Yan bowed, his voice as steady as still water.
At dusk, Lin Yue led Su Yan to select his cultivation cave. The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the bluestone path, layering them one over the other.
"Fourth Junior Brother." Lin Yue stopped suddenly and turned around. The evening sun gilded his silhouette. "I don't know what you've been through. I don't know what secrets you carry." He looked at Su Yan with an earnest gaze. "But now that you are part of this sect, you are family. From today onward, your burdens are mine. If you face difficulties, you can tell me."
He spoke each word deliberately. "I will help you."
Su Yan stood frozen. He stood in the sunset, looking at this gentle young man. For one second, he nearly believed that there was still warmth in this world, that he did not have to be so alone.
[Warning: Host's emotional state is deviating. Remember your core mission.]
The System's voice was like a bucket of ice water.
Su Yan's fingers tightened slightly, his nails digging into his palms. The pain brought him back to clarity.
How could he afford softness? His world was dying. And he was its chosen executioner.
"Senior Brother worries too much." He lowered his head, his voice returning to its calm, distant tone. "This disciple has simply been fortunate."
Lin Yue looked at him for a moment, then sighed softly.
Part 5
That night, in Su Yan's cultivation cave.
The candle flame flickered, casting shadows across his pale face. A pale blue light screen materialized before him.
[Ding—Main Mission Completed: Become an Inner Sect Disciple (Overachieved: Sect Leader's Personal Disciple). Rating: S.]
[Total Reward: Points +1500. Current Points: 2180.]
[New Mission Issued: Reach Foundation Building Stage within six months.]
[Notification: Devouring Demon Body will awaken its first trait at Foundation Building Stage. Materials required: Demon Spirit Grass, Foundation Building Pill, Darkspring Water. Total required points: 1800.]
Without hesitation, Su Yan clicked exchange in the store. Three flashes of light. Three jade boxes materialized before him, radiating cold, pure energy. In three months, he would make a qualitative leap.
Looking at the 380 points remaining, Su Yan's gaze stopped at the bottom of the exchange list. He spent 120 points on intelligence.
[Exchange: Intelligence on Lin Yue (Basic Version). Points -120.]
A stream of information flowed into his mind:
[Lin Yue, 22 years old. Foundation Building, Late Stage. Senior personal disciple of Sect Leader Chu Xiong. Personality: Gentle, composed, treats others with sincerity.]
[Weakness: Values relationships deeply; easily influenced by emotion.]
Su Yan stared at the final line, a bitter smile curving his lips. "Values relationships deeply... easily influenced by emotion."
He turned his head toward the night sky beyond his cave. On a distant peak, a single lamp still burned in Lin Yue's cultivation cave. He remembered Lin Yue standing in the sunset, saying to him: "I will help you."
Su Yan closed his eyes, banishing that gentle figure from his mind. When he opened them again, his gaze had turned cold as ancient ice—devoid of all warmth.
"I'm sorry, Senior Brother," he murmured softly. "You have been kind to me."
"But I will walk this path over your fallen body."
Outside, the night at Azure Cloud Sect was as quiet as ever. No one knew that this youth, who had only just put on the robes of a personal disciple, had already sharpened the blade he would turn against his fellow disciples.