The door to the elders' hall slammed shut behind Shenlong as he stepped into the open courtyard. His heart was still pounding, but it wasn't from fear or uncertainty. For the first time in years, he felt in control. No longer bound by the expectations or judgments of the Qin Clan, Shenlong's path had become clear. He would forge his own destiny, one far greater than they could ever imagine.
But the battle was far from over. The questions swirling in his mind were relentless. Why had his parents hidden the truth of his origins from him for so long? What secrets did the pendant truly hold, and who were the enemies that his father had warned about?
As he walked through the quiet courtyard, deep in thought, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. A presence—a powerful one—was watching him. Instinctively, Shenlong's hand moved to the hilt of his sword. He turned slowly, scanning the area. There was no one in sight.
But the feeling persisted.
"Show yourself," Shenlong called out, his voice echoing through the courtyard. His eyes narrowed as he carefully reached out with his spiritual sense, trying to pinpoint the source of the energy.
A soft chuckle broke the silence.
"Well, well, the young master of the Qin Clan has finally revealed his fangs," a voice said, smooth yet laced with malice. Shenlong turned sharply toward the sound, his grip tightening on his sword.
From the shadows of a nearby pavilion, a figure emerged. Cloaked in dark robes, the stranger moved with an almost ethereal grace, as if he were a ghost drifting through the air. His face was partially obscured by the hood of his cloak, but his glowing red eyes shone with a malevolent light.
"Who are you?" Shenlong demanded, his voice cold and commanding. "And why are you spying on me?"
The stranger smiled, a thin, cruel curve of his lips. "Spying? Oh no, young master. I've simply been observing. I've heard quite a bit about you—Shenlong, the fallen prodigy of the Qin Clan."
Shenlong's eyes hardened, but he did not respond to the provocation. He had no time for games, especially from a stranger who clearly had dangerous intentions.
"I'm not interested in whatever you want to say. Leave now, or you'll regret it," Shenlong warned, his sword flashing with a hint of the Qi that now flowed through him.
The stranger's smile only widened, a glint of amusement in his crimson eyes. "Oh, I don't doubt that you're strong, Shenlong. After all, you managed to survive the wrath of the Storm Wolf, and that pendant of yours is no ordinary artifact."
At the mention of the pendant, Shenlong's eyes narrowed further. This man knew too much.
"Who sent you?" Shenlong demanded, his voice sharp with suspicion. "Are you here on behalf of the elders?"
The stranger laughed, a cold sound that echoed through the courtyard. "The elders? They are nothing more than puppets, clinging to their fleeting power. No, I have no connection to them. My interest in you comes from a much deeper source."
Before Shenlong could respond, the stranger's hand shot forward, and in a blur of motion, a sharp, dark energy streaked toward him. Shenlong barely had time to react, his instincts kicking in as he drew his sword and deflected the attack with a swift slash. The energy dissipated with a hiss, but the force of it made Shenlong's heart race.
The stranger's power was no ordinary cultivation technique.
"You're quick," the stranger said, his tone still filled with amusement. "But this is just the beginning."
Shenlong's grip tightened on his sword as he took a defensive stance. The stranger's aura was suffocating, unlike any opponent he had ever faced. There was a darkness in the air, one that seemed to drain the life from everything around it.
Without warning, the stranger attacked again, his movements almost too fast to follow. Shenlong barely managed to block the barrage of dark energy blasts that came his way, each one more powerful than the last. His feet slid back against the ground, the force of the attacks pushing him toward the edge of the courtyard.
"Who are you?!" Shenlong growled through gritted teeth, his sword glowing with the Qi he channeled to defend himself.
The stranger stopped his assault for a brief moment, his red eyes gleaming beneath his hood. "You can call me… Xuan Wu. And I am here to see just how much of that ancient legacy you've unlocked, Shenlong."
At the sound of the name, Shenlong's mind raced. Xuan Wu—a name that echoed in the ancient texts of cultivation. A figure feared and revered, tied to forbidden arts and dark secrets. Could this man truly be the Xuan Wu from those legends?
Before Shenlong could process the thought, Xuan Wu moved again, faster than before. His form seemed to blur, becoming a shadow that circled around Shenlong with terrifying speed. The air grew thick with an oppressive aura, and Shenlong knew that Xuan Wu was about to unleash something far more deadly than before.
"Let's see if the pendant can save you this time!" Xuan Wu's voice rang out from all directions.
Shenlong's instincts screamed at him to move, but before he could react, he felt an overwhelming force slam into his chest. He flew backward, his body crashing into the stone walls of the courtyard. Pain shot through him as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But even as he struggled to stand, his pendant began to glow.
The warmth from the pendant spread through his body, its energy soothing his injuries and filling him with a surge of power. Shenlong's eyes snapped open, his vision sharpening as the memories of the ancient cultivation techniques flooded his mind.
With a roar, Shenlong pushed himself off the ground, his sword now enveloped in a brilliant light. He could feel the power coursing through him—power that had been locked away until now.
"Enough!" Shenlong shouted, his voice filled with the strength of his newly awakened Qi. He slashed forward, releasing a wave of energy that rippled through the courtyard.
Xuan Wu barely had time to react as the blast of light slammed into him, sending him skidding across the ground. The dark aura around him flickered and dissipated, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Shenlong stood tall, his eyes blazing with determination. "I don't care who you are, Xuan Wu. You won't control my fate. I decide my own path."
Xuan Wu slowly rose to his feet, his expression unreadable beneath his hood. "Impressive," he muttered, brushing off the dust from his robes. "It seems the legacy is more powerful than I anticipated. But this is far from over, Shenlong."
With a final, cold smile, Xuan Wu disappeared into the shadows, his presence vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
Shenlong remained standing in the center of the courtyard, his heart pounding in his chest. The battle was over, but the encounter had left him shaken. Xuan Wu's words echoed in his mind. Whoever that man was, he knew more about the pendant and the ancient legacy than Shenlong did.
And that only made Shenlong more determined.
He had to unlock the full power of the pendant. He had to uncover the secrets of his past. Because if Xuan Wu was just the beginning, Shenlong knew that far greater dangers lay ahead.