"Xingjue, just forget it." Siyan shuffled over to where Xingjue stood, his shoulders slumped, his voice barely a whisper.
"Siyan," Xingjue rounded on him, his voice sharp with frustration. "How long are you going to let people walk all over you? If you can't even stand up for yourself, how are you going to protect your family? What's the point of all this training if you're just going to wilt like a flower every time someone looks at you sideways?"
Siyan flinched as if he'd been struck. His face burned with shame, and he dug his fingernails into his palms, fighting back tears. Xingjue was right, as always, but that didn't make it any easier.
"Look, little buddy, it's not that I don't want him to fight, it's that he can't." The lanky disciple smirked, clearly enjoying the show.
"Get. Out." Xingjue whirled around, his eyes blazing with fury.
The lanky disciple didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his cronies and made a hasty retreat, muttering under his breath, "You just wait, you little punk. I'll get my boss. He won't be laughing for long." A vicious grin spread across his face as he hurried away. Xingjue, a low-level Martial King? His boss wouldn't tolerate competition like that, not for a second.
The Outer Disciple Training Pagoda was the most imposing structure in the entire Mystic Wind Sect. It stood three stories tall, a monument to the sect's power and prestige. At the heart of the pagoda was a massive hall, surrounded by countless chambers. Each chamber had a single, heavy, iron door, forged from thousand-year-old Black Iron, a metal so strong that even a Martial King would struggle to break through. And for good reason.
These chambers housed demonic beasts, fearsome creatures unique to the Tianwu Continent. Like humans, Demonic Beasts cultivated their strength, growing more powerful over time. The most ancient and powerful beasts possessed intelligence rivalling – even surpassing – that of humans. They were capable of speech, of cunning, of unimaginable cruelty…
And they were the Mystic Wind Sect's secret weapon.
The sect's founder had believed that true strength could only be forged in the crucible of combat, and so the Training Pagoda had been built to give disciples a taste of the real world, to push them to their limits and beyond. Defeat the beast, and you earned its' crystal. And crystals, of course, could be exchanged for points. And points… well, points were everything.
"Wow!" Xingjue gaped at the scene before him. Every single chamber on the first floor was occupied, a bright red light above each door signaling its unavailability. So much for blowing off some steam.
Grumbling to himself, he started up the stairs to the second floor, hoping for better luck.
And that's when he saw it: a single green light, tucked away in a corner.
"Huh, strange." Xingjue frowned at the door. There was no notice posted, no indication of what kind of beast lurked inside.
"Whatever! Finders keepers!" He could sort out the details later.
He pressed the button to open the door. Instead of swinging inward, it slid upwards, revealing… a shimmering blue barrier. A protective formation. Standard procedure, really, given what they were dealing with. It shimmered, iridescent and beautiful
"So that's a formation," he murmured, mesmerized. He'd heard about them, of course, but had never actually seen one before.
"Hey! What are you doing? That one's off-limits!"
A figure came barrelling towards him, his face contorted in fury.
"Too bad, pal!" Xingjue grinned. He'd already claimed it. Besides, he was in no mood to deal with this idiot.
He ducked under the other disciple's outstretched arm and darted through the opening, activating the formation just as he slipped inside.
Outside, the disciple skidded to a halt, his face turning a rather impressive shade of green as he stared at the glowing red light.
"That little…" He sputtered, incoherent with rage, before whirling around and storming off.
He hadn't gotten far when a voice, amplified by Qi, boomed across the training hall.
"Wang Qiang!! Get out here, right now!"
Heads turned, murmurs rippling through the crowd. This was… unusual, to say the least. Even if a disciple lost their temper, it was unheard of for an Elder to lose his. Something was definitely wrong.
Just then, a young man pushed his way through the crowd. "Master? What's wrong?"
The elder didn't answer. He backhanded the young man across the face. It was such a powerful blow that the young man staggered, his vision blurring. He shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears.
"What's wrong?" the elder roared, his voice laced with fury. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Look at that light!" He jabbed a finger at the glowing red symbol above the door. "I told you to guard this chamber! I told you no one was to enter! Where were you?"
"I…I…" the young man stammered. He stared at the glowing light, his blood turning to ice. "I… I asked Little Liang to keep watch…"
"Useless!" The elder threw the notice at the young man's feet and stormed off.
The young man collapsed to his knees, his face ashen. The weight of his failure pressed down on him. He was as good as dead.
The crowd had grown silent, watching the exchange with morbid curiosity. Someone picked up the fallen notice, their voice trembling as they read aloud:
"Attention all disciples – This chamber houses a peak Monarch-rank Demonic Beast known as the Gale Howler Monkey. This beast is highly dangerous. Do not enter. By order of the Elders."
"A peak- Monarch – rank?!" The disciple's eyes widened in horror. "But… that's… That's equivalent to a high-level Martial King!"
"Someone went in there?" Another voice, filled with disbelief. "They're done for! No one could survive that!"
"Who is it? Who was stupid enough to go in there?"
"A peak Monarch-rank beast… They'll be ripped to shreds before they even know what hit them."
The crowd buzzed with morbid speculation.
Oblivious to the commotion he'd caused, Xingjue stepped across the threshold and into the chamber. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he swayed, catching himself on the wall.
The room was surprisingly… underwhelming. A hundred square meters, maybe? Walls, floor, and ceiling, all sheathed in Black Iron. About as luxurious as a prison cell.
The only other occupant -- a scrawny, green-furred monkey, huddled in the corner.
"No wonder this chamber was empty," Xingjue muttered, frowning. Pathetic. "That thing doesn't exactly scream 'challenge.' And I bet the reward for killing it is equally pathetic."
"Whatever, let's get this over with." He stretched, rolling his shoulders to loosen up. Maybe there was time for a quick nap after this?
He took a step towards the beast…
The beast's head snapped up. Its blood-red eyes blazed with murderous intent, and Xingjue felt a chill run down his spine.
An earsplitting crack split the air. Faster than he could react, a blur of green fur and razor-sharp claws was upon him. He threw himself to the side just as claws slashed through the space where his chest had been a moment before.
He rolled to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. Three thin, red lines marked his ribs, just below his heart. A near miss.
"Fast!" he hissed.
The beast had retreated to the center of the chamber. It stood there, a green and gold blur, its claws scraping against the metal floor. Watching. Waiting.
Another crack, closer this time. Xingjue planted his feet and gathered his Qi into his fist, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Break!"
His fist slammed into empty air.
Missed.
He kicked off the ground, launching himself backwards just as three deep furrows appeared in the floor where he'd been standing a moment before.
The beast had dodged.
"How did it…?" Xingjue landed, his mind racing. He'd been sure his timing had been perfect! There was no way the beast should have been able to avoid that attack! It was moving faster than… faster than it should be possible!
Screech!
The beast, threw back its head and howled, a piercing, unnerving sound. Its fur stood on end, and its body began to tremble, faster and faster until it became a blur.
Crap! Xingjue's blood ran cold. It was using a skill. He'd heard stories about Demonic Beasts being born with innate abilities – abilities far more powerful than anything a human could learn.