Resting on a worn wooden bench at the edge of the training yard, Lu Pu had been waiting.

  The wind, carrying the scent of dust and sweat, rustled through his lush blonde hair, making the strands dance in the last golden rays of the setting sun.

  He had almost decided to call it a day, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, but then a familiar, boisterous energy swept into the arena.

  She had arrived.

  "The legendary Ying Xia is here!" she announced, her voice echoing across the yard as if she were a grandmaster returning from a decade of seclusion.

  "It's her again..." a disciple whispered from a nearby group, shaking his head with a weary sigh.

  The sight of the girl with the pink pigtails and the soul-tier spear was becoming a daily occurrence, one that promised either a spectacle or a drubbing.

  Another Outer Disciple, polishing a longsword, looked up and placed a hand on his hip.

  "Are you just trying to rack up contribution points by beating everyone, Sister Xia? You do know that if you keep winning so easily, people will stop accepting your challenges."

  A throaty chuckle escaped Ying Xia's lips. "Then I'll just have to handicap myself for you weaklings! That'll give you a chance to beat me, right?"

  Fists clenched among the onlookers. A single thought resonated through the disgruntled crowd: She really needs to be humbled!

  "Sister Xia." Lu Pu’s voice, clear and steady, cut through the murmurs. He rose from the bench and strode forward, folding his arms together in a respectful gesture.

  "I thank you once again for accepting this duel."

  She rolled her eyes, tapping her foot against the packed earth with undisguised impatience.

  "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with."

  Lu Pu nodded, his hand moving to the hilt of his sheathed blade.

  "Then I'll be in your care, Sister Xia."

  Ying Xia opened her palm, a flicker of golden light beginning to coalesce as she prepared to summon her spear from her new storage ring.

  But then she hesitated. Her gaze swept over the crowd, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and she let the light fade.

  "No," she said, a slow, predatory grin spreading across her face. "I think I'm interested in something else today."

  Lu Pu tilted his head, his hand freezing on his sword. "What do you mean? Are you canceling our duel?"

  Ignoring him, Ying Xia strutted towards the group of disciples. She pointed a finger directly at the man who had spoken to her earlier, the one with the longsword.

  "You. Give me your sword."

  The disciple shot up from his seat, clutching his weapon protectively.

  "Huh? And why should I? Do you know how much this cost me—"

  Before he could finish, the blade was snatched from his grasp with startling speed. "H-Hey!"

  "You worry too much," Ying Xia said, testing the weight of the steel sword. "I'm just going to borrow it for a while."

  The disciple scrambled after her, his face a mask of panic. "B-Borrow?! What if you break it in battle! That’s a month of my earnings!"

  Ying Xia let out an exasperated sigh. "Lu Pu! Give this guy twenty low spirit stones. I'll pay you back later."

  Without a word, Lu Pu revealed a simple spatial ring of his own.

  With a flick of his wrist, a small cascade of glowing blue crystals tumbled to the ground at the disciple’s feet.

  A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers.

  "Alright," Lu Pu said calmly. "And you don't need to pay me back. I'm still in your debt for helping me train like this."

  The sword’s owner stared at the pile of spirit stones, his jaw slack. He immediately dropped to his knees and began frantically scooping them into his pouch.

  "My god... twenty spirit stones for just borrowing my sword?! What a steal!" he yelled, his earlier panic forgotten in a wave of pure elation.

  "Debt?" Ying Xia laughed, the sound sharp and mocking.

  "Hoho, this isn't training, this is bullying! I just like destroying you!"

  She waved the borrowed blade, its edge catching the dying sunlight. "And this time, I'll destroy you in your own craft!"

  As she announced her handicap, the outer disciples began to press closer, their bodies forming a tight circle around the two combatants.

  "L-Look! It's the first time she's using a different weapon against Lu Pu!"

  An older disciple rubbed his round belly, a hopeful glint in his eye. "W-Will we finally see this arrogant girl beaten? This could be it!"

  A buzz of excitement brewed, a spark of shared desire. After being endlessly dominated by her, this was a chance—a real chance—for her to be taught a lesson in humility.

  Lu Pu's brow furrowed with concern.

  "S-Sister Xia, I don't think I'll be able to improve with you fooling around like this... you don't even know any sword arts."

  Ying Xia shook her head, casually placing the blade upon her shoulder as if it were a farmer’s hoe.

  "It's just a different type of stick. How hard can it be?"

  Her green eyes glinted with an almost insulting level of arrogance. Lu Pu's soft, respectful expression suddenly shattered.

  The polite smile vanished, and his face contorted into a mask of cold dismay.

  "Sister Xia," he said, his voice now devoid of its earlier warmth.

  "Just now, you have offended me, and you have offended every swordsman in this sect. I will not be polite in our battle."

  SWING.

  Ying Xia lazily swung the blade in a low arc, its tip scraping a line in the dirt floor. She chuckled, the sound grating against the sudden, heavy silence.

  "Good. I'm not going to hold back either."

  The Outer Disciples held their breaths.

  The air in the training yard grew taut, charged with a tension that was thicker than the coming night.

  CRASH!

  Lu Pu exploded into action. There was no warning, no formal bow—just a surge of motion and a blade that slashed upwards, aiming to cleave the air where Ying Xia’s head had been a moment before. She leaned back, the wind from the passing steel whipping a stray strand of pink hair across her face.

  "Woah, that's deadly!" she yelped, a thrill shooting through her.

  The attack was just the beginning. Lu Pu became a whirlwind of focused aggression, his blade a silver blur. He flowed from one strike to the next, a relentless assault that forced Ying Xia into a frantic dance of survival.

  She couldn't stay in one spot for more than a breath, hopping and weaving around the deadly arcs of steel.

  SWING. SWING. SWING.

  "Impressive," a calm voice noted from the crowd. "Lu Pu's swordsmanship has improved dramatically over the past few weeks of fighting her."

  A nearby disciple jumped. "E-Eh, what's an Inner Disciple doing in the Outer Disciple Training Yard?"

  The swordsman, identified by the intricate hilt of the blade at his waist, crossed his arms, his sharp gaze never leaving the duel.

  "While most of you are unimpressive," he stated flatly, "Ying Xia is a different beast. The way she fights... I must admit, her combat instincts are as refined as Senior Brother Wei Tiexuan's! No, perhaps even sharper!"

  Another Inner Disciple, who had arrived with him, shook his head.

  "You exaggerate. Sure, she's a Stage 8 beast with monstrous talent, but Wei Tiexuan's skill was forged in blood. Ying Xia might surpass him one day, but now? That's doubtful."

  "Agree to disagree," the swordsman breathed out, his eyes narrowing.

  The two fell silent, their full attention drawn back to the fight.

  "You can still slip away so easily! I thought I had improved!" Lu Pu grunted, frustration lacing his voice. He weaved his blade in a complex pattern aimed at her legs, yet she hopped over it, the steel missing by mere centimeters.

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  "But I am getting close!"

  He lunged, thrusting his sword forward in a powerful stab.

  This time, it wasn't even close. Ying Xia sidestepped with an almost lazy grace.

  "What?!"

  A laugh erupted from her throat as she jumped backward, creating distance.

  Lu Pu’s face flushed with anger and humiliation, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword.

  "So you've just been mocking me this whole time!"

  Her grin widened. "Took you long enough to figure it out!"

  With a sudden burst of speed, Ying Xia launched forward, swinging the borrowed sword downwards in a crude, powerful arc.

  "Such an amateurish swing!" Lu Pu yelled, his training taking over. He met her attack with a precise, upward block, his form perfect.

  CLANK!

  The jarring ring of steel on steel echoed across the yard.

  The two blades locked, and for a moment, they were locked in a contest of strength.

  Xia was visibly outdone by his superior swordsmanship, her footing unsteady.

  "There!" Lu Pu exclaimed, twisting his blade to disarm her.

  But just as his sword slid free, poised to strike, she was gone. "Too slow!" she chirped, having dodged at the last possible second.

  Lu Pu clenched his hands around his blade, a growl rumbling in his chest. "Damn it!"

  The duel continued. And as time stretched on, the expressions of the two Inner Disciple spectators slowly warped from detached analysis to wide-eyed awe.

  Her initial, clumsy blocks, which relied purely on instinct, began to transform.

  A wild parry became a measured deflection.

  An off-balance retreat smoothed into a calculated side-step.

  The raw, brutish swings were gaining a subtle, deadly finesse with every exchange.

  The swordsman gripped the wooden railing in front of him, his knuckles turning pale.

  "What in the hell is going on? Is this... real? Are you telling me she's grasping the fundamentals of swordplay in just a few minutes of combat?!"

  For Lu Pu, it was a waking nightmare. He was still the better swordsman, technically. He won nearly every clash of blades.

  But each time he pressed his advantage, she would dodge, retreat, and come back at him again.

  And each time—each goddamned time—she was better.

  The way she held the sword was correcting itself. Her movements were becoming more fluid, more efficient.

  She was learning from him, from his own attacks, at a pace that defied all logic.

  "Fuck!" Lu Pu yelled, the word torn from his throat in a cry of pure, soul-crushing despair.

  He leaped back, putting a wide gulf of space between them.

  His chest heaved, his blade trembled in his hand, and he stared at her not as an opponent, but as some kind of monster.

  "I... I forfeit!"

  At his announcement, a wave of groans and boos rolled through the crowd. "What? Lu Pu never yields, why now?"

  The murmurs of disappointment were heavy in the air, thick with the scent of anticlimax. "This coward..." someone hissed.

  Ying Xia pouted, the borrowed sword drooping in her hand. "Why'd you forfeit? Things were just about to get good!"

  Lu Pu sheathed his blade with a decisive click, turning his back to her.

  "If I had let that go on... if you had somehow surpassed me in swordplay... I don't think my Dao of the Sword could have ever recovered."

  A small, wry smirk touched his lips. "I am saving what little pride I have left. I'll just tell everyone that what you did was a fluke!"

  He waved over his shoulder as he began to walk away. "I'll be at the Lu Family Market Place! You're still a discounted customer! Visit sometime, Xia!"

  As he walked, his thoughts churned.

  'I'll destroy you in your own craft'... I thought she was just being arrogant, treating the way of the blade as a joke.

  But... she almost did it. She's frightening. If she can pick up the sword this fast, what about the axe? The halberd?

  She might actually humiliate not just swordsmen, but every weapon wielder in existence... like some kind of combat god...

  Lu Pu caught himself, letting out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.

  "What am I thinking about? That's too ambitious..." He took one last, lingering look at the pink-haired girl in the arena before his form faded into the sect's sprawling pathways.

  "You did well, Junior Sister."

  Ying Xia turned to see the Inner Disciple swordsman standing before her, his arms folded.

  His clean-shaven face was serious, his brown hair neat, but it was his eyes—eyes that held a scar on the right cheek and burned with a focused, almost fanatical light—that held her attention.

  "I cannot wait for you to enter the Inner Court," he continued, his voice resonating with sincerity.

  She raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Really? And why is that?"

  "Your skill... it is immaculate," he declared, his voice ringing loud and clear for all to hear.

  "It surpasses my own in its raw, adaptive potential. I wish to duel you." He took a step closer, his intensity palpable.

  "When will you enter the Inner Disciple Trials? When you do, I want to be by your side, to observe, to learn your way of battle!"

  He pumped his chest with a fist, his pride and excitement warring for dominance on his face.

  Ying Xia scanned his features, her gaze lingering on his burning eyes. Yep, she thought, this guy's a total sword maniac.

  The disciple took an involuntary step back at her scrutinizing gaze. "M-Maniac..." he seemed to hear her unsaid thought.

  She shooed him away with a wave of her hand. "Shoo. We'll talk more once I'm actually an Inner Disciple."

  She then raised a finger, a wide, challenging grin spreading across her face.

  "I'll be attending this month's Inner Disciple Trial, so you better be there to watch me and cheer!" With that, she skipped back towards the center of the yard.

  "Anyone else want to have a go?!" she yelled, her battle-lust still not sated.

  Even though I have plenty of contribution points, I did just spend a hefty amount earlier. Another win or two wouldn't hurt.

  The disciples who had been eagerly watching just moments ago suddenly found the ground intensely interesting.

  They avoided her gaze, shuffling away and minding their own business.

  "You bastards..." Ying Xia grumbled. With a predatory leap, she closed the distance to a bald disciple, grabbing him by the collar of his robes.

  "Come on! I'll only use my left hand this time! And no weapons!"

  "Eek! No!" the bald disciple yelped, his hands shooting up in a pleading gesture.

  "I don't want to! Besides, I can't afford to pay the monthly contribution if I lose to you again!"

  Ying Xia groaned in frustration.

  "Can't you just wait for the sect tournament?" another disciple called out from a safe distance.

  "There will be plenty of talented disciples to fight there!"

  Ying Xia's grip on the bald disciple loosened. "The Sect Tournament?"

  A disciple known for spending more time in the Jaded Knowledge Library than the training yard scoffed.

  "That's not going to happen this year."

  The disciple who made the suggestion turned his head.

  "And why not? The sect has held it annually for the past fifteen years, ever since the new Sect Master took over!"

  The knowledgeable disciple shook his head, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "That's the thing. There are rumors... issues among the Grand Elders. Something about selecting a new Sect Master."

  A collective gasp swept through the training yard. The previous chatter died instantly, replaced by a sudden, shocked silence.

  "Does that mean... the current one is dead?!" a disciple whispered, his voice trembling.

  The Inner Disciple swordsman let out a heavy sigh, stepping forward to quell the rising panic. "Calm down, you fools. Nothing has been confirmed yet."

  His expression grew serious. "But... it is true that the Annual Sect Tournament has been put off for the time being."

  A long, frustrated sigh escaped Ying Xia's lips.

  "Damn it, guess I have to go back now..." It was clear no one else had the courage to face her today.

  The thrill of battle had faded, leaving only a lingering restlessness.

  She turned, her footsteps echoing on the stone stairs leading away from the training yard.

  As she stood by the railings, a sudden, prickling sensation crawled up the back of her neck. She felt a presence. A stare.

  "What the hell..."

  Her hunter's instincts, honed over years in the wilds of Ironhorn Croke, kicked in.

  Her eyes, sharper than most, scanned the periphery.

  There. Half-hidden in the deepening shadows of a distant watchtower, a figure stood motionless

  She couldn't make out the features, but the sheer intensity of the glare was unmistakable, a palpable wave of what felt like demonic anger directed solely at her.

  "Who the..."

  Crash!

  The sound of shattering pottery from her dorm room snapped her focus. The trance was broken, the unsettling figure forgotten.

  "What kind of sound is that? Did he wake up?"

  She burst through the door to their room and froze.

  The source of the noise wasn't Bi Kan.

  A small girl with her hair tied up in a practical knot., a soft, pale yellow in the dim light, was diligently picking up the fragments of a broken clay pot.

  "Oh, if it isn't Lin?" Xia exclaimed, her tension easing.

  Lin looked up, her expression as solemn as ever. She gave a short, assessing nod, her eyes deep and serious.

  "It's the hunter sister." A small, wickedly sharp hand axe was tucked into the sash at her waist.

  A fond chuckle escaped Xia's chest. "Yep. The Hunter girl." She reached out and ruffled the girl's hair.

  "It's my birthday tomorrow," Lin stated, her tone factual, not festive. "You better come."

  "Yep, I'll definitely be there," Xia replied with a warm smile.

  Her focus then shifted to the figure sitting on the floor amidst a scattered pile of herbs.

  There he was. His dark hair was a messy tangle, as if he'd been dragging his hands through it for hours.

  The skin beneath his eyes was bruised with exhaustion, creating cavernous hollows.

  And his eyes... they held a deep, empty exhaustion, a stillness that went beyond simple lack of sleep.

  "Bi Kan, you look awful," Xia said, her voice softer than usual. She summoned the herb bag from her spatial ring.

  "I bought these. Thought they might help."

  Bi Kan took the bag, his movements slow. He glanced inside. "It's something," he said, his tired eyes meeting hers.

  "Blah. You're so tired all the time," she grumbled, flopping down on her own bed and crossing her arms. "Always cooped up in here doing alchemy these past couple of weeks."

  Nearby, Lin settled into a lotus position, closing her eyes and trying to sense the ambient Qi. "You know, Mei's worried about you. Says you're tiring yourself out."

  Bi Kan didn't reply immediately. His gaze drifted over Xia, from her boots to her pigtails, a faint glimmer of analytical light in their depths.

  "You're on the verge of breaking through. You'll surpass my cultivation level soon."

  Xia bit her lip, a flicker of anger in her eyes. "What the hell happened to you, huh?! You haven't been cultivating at all! And now... I'll..."

  A hand landed on her shoulder, surprisingly steady. "Don't worry about it, you idiot," Bi Kan said, his voice a low rasp.

  "I'm just refining my skills." He let out a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of a mountain.

  "I can't rush into the Body Tempering Realm. My body wouldn't be able to take it."

  Lin opened one eye. "But, Brother Bi Kan doesn't look as scrawny as he did back in the village! I'm sure he can take it!"

  Bi Kan shook his head, a faint, tired smile touching his lips. "It's different."

  "But you've been giving me pills!" Xia argued, crossing her arms tightly. "I've been cruising through the stages and so far it isn't that bad!"

  Bi Kan's eyes narrowed, the exhaustion within them momentarily sharpening into a familiar, pragmatic intensity.

  "I'm not you, Xia. Nor am I Mei." He breathed out, massaging his forehead. "My foundation is weak. If I force a breakthrough, my meridians will shatter. I need to temper my vessel first, or I'll die."

  Xia clenched her fists, her jaw tight. "T-Then... you'll at least join this month's Inner Disciple Trials?"

  Slowly, he shook his head. "No. I won't."

  Reaching into his robes, Bi Kan pulled out a small jade vial containing several pristine, glowing pills.

  "These are my finest quality Qi Sensing Pills. They will help you break through to the peak."

  Xia pouted but took the vial.

  "And this," he said, revealing a single, different pill, this one a deep crimson color.

  "Once you reach the Body Tempering Realm, you'll need this. It will help stabilize your body after the breakthrough."

  He offered it to her. "But I think you can handle the first stage without it. Save this. It should be potent enough to help you break through to Stage 2."

  "See? You're spoiling me again, Bi Kan," she grinned, the tension leaving her shoulders as she snatched the pill. "You better catch up! I won't stand for you falling behind!"

  Lin, seeing the exchange, pulled out a simple Qi Sensing pill of her own. "Lin, like I said," Bi Kan admonished gently, "only consume that once you can truly sense Qi."

  She pouted, looking down at the pill in her small hand. "But... it's taking too long!"

  Bi Kan's expression softened. "You're still young. You'll get it when you're a little older."

  Xia grinned. "Who knows, maybe once you turn eleven, you'll magically see it!"

  Lin took this with the utmost seriousness, nodding firmly before closing her eyes again, her face scrunched in concentration.

  Xia looked back at Bi Kan. "So, what have you been doing to temper your body, anyway? You don't do anything but alchemy all day."

  Bi Kan pulled a thin, worn book from his robes. The cover was simple, depicting a charging beast.

  "This," he said.

  Xia tilted her head. "That's the boar's technique you found. How does a martial art help temper your body without training?"

  He tucked the book away again. "Secret."

  A soft, almost imperceptible smile formed on his face. It was a genuine expression, one that didn't quite reach his exhausted eyes but seemed to come from a deeper place.

  Deep within the sea of his soul, a silent thought was directed at the ancient, dormant wolf spirit.

  Thank you.

  "Hmph." Xia grumbled, but she didn't press him further.