– Five Challenges, Five Corpses
The sound of the morning bell echoed across the academy as sunlight pierced through the dense cloud layer. A new day had dawned, and with it… blood.
Li Xuan stood atop the outer sect's central dueling platform, saber resting against his shoulder. His robes were still stained from yesterday's hunt, his presence calm, unshakable.
But his eyes—they were filled with death.
Around the platform, over three hundred outer sect disciples had gathered, whispers running like wildfire.
"He accepted five challenges… all at once?"
"Is he crazy?! Four of those challengers are top ten outer disciples!"
"I heard number three—Wei Xian—killed a late Qi Condensation beast with his bare hands…"
"He's done for."
But those who'd seen Li Xuan fight before remained silent. They simply watched, breathing shallowly, as if they feared missing a single second of what was to come.
From the viewing platform above, a few elders also observed.
"This is his third month, and already he's being targeted by the top ten?" Elder Qingye asked, arms crossed.
"They're scared," replied Elder Yu from the Alchemy Pavilion. "He's progressing faster than anyone expected. Some elders even suspect his bloodline is mutated."
"Or maybe he just kills too well," Qingye muttered.
—
Below, the five challengers stepped forward. All wore black inner-guard vests and gold-threaded discipline sashes.
Wei Xian—tall, lean, eyes like razors—was the first to speak. "Li Xuan. You've disrespected the academy with your arrogance. It's time someone cuts you down."
Li Xuan didn't respond.
Instead, he drew his saber.
Ching.
He stabbed it into the stone at his feet.
"You five. Together or one by one?"
The crowd gasped. Even the challengers blinked.
Wei Xian snarled. "One at a time? You want to die slow? Fine."
—
First Challenger: Lu Heng – Rank 8
The youth charged forward, twin curved blades flashing like serpents. His movement technique—Wind Gale Flow—left afterimages.
But Li Xuan didn't move.
He waited… then took a half-step forward.
The saber came up.
A single CLANG rang out.
Lu Heng's body staggered. His blades snapped.
Li Xuan turned his wrist.
A blur of steel.
Blood sprayed.
—+1 Kill. SP +7—
The corpse landed in a heap. The platform trembled.
—
Second Challenger: Bao Yu – Rank 7
She came with poison needles, talismans flying around her. A poison cultivator.
"Die under the Thousand Lotus Curse!" she shouted, tossing her jade lotus.
It exploded midair.
Toxic fumes surrounded Li Xuan.
But he didn't dodge.
He stepped through the smoke.
His cloak dissolved—but his skin glowed faintly.
System:
—Passive Resistance Triggered: Flame-Tempered Body—
—Poison Immunity: Partial (Lotus Grade: Low Earth)—
His blade flashed once.
Her head dropped before she could scream.
—+1 Kill. SP +9—
—
Third Challenger: Ren Fei – Rank 6
A saber user.
Finally.
Ren Fei's saber arts were clean, deadly, and precise. Every strike pushed Li Xuan a half-step back. For the first time, he didn't instantly dominate.
The clash lasted three minutes.
Steel sang. Sparks flew.
Li Xuan's shoulder tore open. His rib cracked.
But he laughed through the blood.
And when Ren Fei overreached—a downward strike aiming to break Li Xuan's guard—the Heaven-Shearing Executioner responded.
CRACK.
Ren Fei's blade shattered.
The next swing took his leg.
The last, his head.
—+1 Kill. SP +12—
Li Xuan stood panting, eyes wild, body bruised.
But his aura surged stronger than before.
—
Fourth Challenger: Han Qi – Rank 5
A formation cultivator.
He summoned a battlefield illusion—shifting terrain, suppressing spiritual senses.
The crowd couldn't see the fight.
Only a gray mist.
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
Then—a shriek. A sickening snap.
The mist cleared.
Han Qi's body was pierced by his own formation pole. His organs leaked onto the stage.
Li Xuan stood alone, saber humming with dark red light.
—+1 Kill. SP +14—
—
Fifth Challenger: Wei Xian – Rank 3
Now the platform was quiet.
Wei Xian walked forward slowly, no arrogance this time. Just lethal intent.
"You're stronger than I thought."
Li Xuan didn't answer. He just pointed the saber forward.
This was no longer about ranking.
It was about will.
Wei Xian struck like lightning, fists reinforced by silver spiritual steel. Every punch shattered air. He aimed to break bones—disable, then humiliate.
Li Xuan bled from the chest.
From the leg.
From his ear.
But he kept walking forward.
Again. And again.
Until Wei Xian's fist cracked against his saber hilt—and Li Xuan didn't budge.
He twisted his waist.
Brought the saber upward.
And with a sickening SLASH—
Wei Xian's right arm flew through the air.
He screamed, retreating—trying to flee.
Li Xuan flicked Phantom Step.
A blur.
Then a thud.
Wei Xian's head rolled to the platform's edge.
—+1 Kill. SP +22—
—
The platform was soaked.
Li Xuan stood among five corpses.
The crowd? Silent.
Even the sky had gone quiet.
Then, slowly… someone clapped.
It was a ragged youth at the edge of the gathering. One of the lowest ranked. His body trembled, but his eyes… were burning.
Then another clapped.
And another.
Soon the crowd roared—not in celebration, but in fear and awe.
Because for the first time…
They saw a demon who could bleed.
And still smile.
—
System:
—SP Total: 320 / 500
—New Title Unlocked: Blood Trial Victor
—Academy Reputation: Infamy (Expanding)—
—
That night, Li Xuan sat cross-legged, wounds still mending.
System:
—New Challenge Quota: 0 / 5 (All used)
—Inner Sect Invitation Available (Pending Sponsor)
—New Mission: Survive Secret Realm Entry Trial—
His eyes closed.
But a voice interrupted him.
"Hey! Demon boy!"
He turned.
It was her again—the girl from the Alchemy Palace.
Dressed in bright colors, her twin buns bouncing as she stomped toward him, fuming.
"You still haven't thanked me for giving you that beast-skin balm. Your bloodied corpse would've rotted without it."
He stared at her.
Said nothing.
She sat next to him anyway.
"Whatever. I'm following you now. Someone needs to stop you from dying like an idiot."
He looked at her sideways. "You're annoying."
"Good," she smiled. "Now you can't ignore me."
System:
—New Follower Detected: Ning Yue (Alchemy Disciple – Grade A Annoyance)
—Relationship Status: Neither Accepted nor Rejected
—Effect: +Stress / +Luck / ???—
Li Xuan sighed.
And smiled faintly.
—
Cultivation: Late Qi Condensation (98%)
System Points: 320 / 500
New Title: Blood Trial Victor
Weapon: Heaven-Shearing Executioner
Followers: 1 (Annoyance Tier)
Legion Members: 0 (Scouting begins next chapter)