It had been a week since Wu Zhu had arrived at the Sect, and in that short time, he had made significant progress. His training was far from complete, but it was enough to leave him with a sense of satisfaction, albeit one tinged with frustration at his own slow pace.
[Stone Palm], [Steady Step], and a defense technique called [Stone Armour]—he had mastered these basic techniques, all at the Initiate stage. They were low-grade, but each had its own use, and Wu Zhu was proud of his improvement.
But despite his progress, there was a gnawing feeling at the back of his mind. He had been training tirelessly, pouring his soul into his work, but there was something more he needed.
It was early in the afternoon when Wu Zhu decided to focus more on refining his skills with [Stone Armour]. He had already spent hours going through his practice, feeling the weight of the technique become more natural with each passing moment.
His arms shimmered with faint stone-like armor whenever he activated the technique, providing an impenetrable defense that he had become more adept at maintaining.
Yet, after hours of tireless repetition, he found himself feeling drained. His body wanted rest, and his mind screamed for a break. He was about to leave the training grounds in search of a quiet corner when he saw something that stopped him dead in his tracks.
A figure.
A familiar one.
A man with long, black hair, sharp crimson eyes, and a smug, almost predatory expression—Zheng Xie.
Wu Zhu's heart skipped a beat. Of all the people he could encounter today, it had to be him.
Zheng Xie was flanked by a group of twenty-five disciples, all trailing behind him like obedient dogs. They didn't seem to notice Wu Zhu as they walked past, and for a moment, Wu Zhu considered just letting it go, returning to his training and avoiding any unnecessary confrontations.
But.
Even if Wu Zhu wanted to ignore him, avoiding Zheng Xie entirely wasn't an option. He had to face him. It was only a matter of when, and the thought of doing so without gathering more information bothered him. He needed to learn more about his adversary.
But for now, he did the smart thing and held his ground.
"I'm definitely not scared or anything," Wu Zhu muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure he's just here to meet someone. Yeah, that's it. No need to worry."
He started to turn around, already thinking of returning to the quiet solitude of his corner, but then something caught his attention.
One of the elite disciples, Hei Xanyu, a tall woman with long, black braided hair and strikingly similar black eyes, stepped forward to greet Zheng Xie. Wu Zhu's eyes narrowed. He couldn't hear what they were saying from this distance, but it seemed important.
Zheng Xie paused for a moment, exchanging words with Hei Xanyu, his posture lazy and nonchalant. After a brief discussion, Zheng Xie seemed satisfied, and he made his way out, the outer disciples following closely behind.
Wu Zhu's mind churned. 'What was that about?'
He considered for a moment. 'Did Zheng Xie come here looking for me? He didn't stay long. Why didn't he confront me directly if that was the case? Maybe Hei Xanyu wouldn't snitch…'
He clenched his fists, his curiosity burning hotter than ever. He needed to find out what was going on. He needed to learn about Zheng Xie, gather as much intel as he could. But first, he needed to be careful. He couldn't just go barging into things without understanding the full picture.
With that thought in mind, Wu Zhu began trailing Zheng Xie and his cohort from a safe distance, making sure not to be seen. The group made their way into the Sect, heading towards the inner court.
As they passed, Wu Zhu saw them meet with another group of twenty-five disciples in the inner court. The conversation was heated, filled with hushed voices and the occasional shout of aggression.
Something felt wrong. Wu Zhu's gut twisted as he realized the atmosphere in the air was thick with tension. These weren't just normal conversations. They were planning something.
They gathered, roared, and then moved towards the outer court.
Wu Zhu felt his blood run cold. 'What the hell are these people doing?'
Without hesitation, he followed them to the training area in the outer court, where a scene unfolded before him that left him breathless.
A tall man, broad-shouldered and commanding, stood alone against twenty-five disciples. But the man wasn't retreating. No, he was fighting back with a fluidity and grace that was almost too beautiful to watch.
Wu Zhu squinted, recognizing the technique immediately. It was [Steady Step]. He had been training it himself, but the man was moving with a proficiency that made his own training look clumsy in comparison.
The man danced across the field, avoiding strikes with ease and returning them with lightning-fast counters. Every motion was calculated and deliberate. Each step was so graceful that it seemed like a performance rather than a battle.
Then, something happened that made Wu Zhu's blood freeze.
The other disciples charged in, all at once. The man was no longer just facing twenty-five opponents. Now he was fighting a hundred.
But rather than showing signs of fatigue, the man grinned, as if he relished the challenge.
Wu Zhu's eyes widened in disbelief. He had thought that such a fight was impossible. Yet here was this madman, taking on so many opponents with a smile on his face.
The crazed energy radiated from him like wildfire.
Wu Zhu stared, frozen in place, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. 'Wow… I have never seen a masochist in real life. This is kind of exciting.'
And then, as if on cue, Wu Zhu's eyes landed on Zheng Xie, who was sitting on a nearby stair, lazily snacking on frozen fruit like this was just another spectacle for his entertainment.
The casual cruelty of it hit Wu Zhu like a slap to the face. Zheng Xie didn't care about the fight. He wasn't here to witness some epic display of martial arts skill—he was here to watch people suffer.
To add fuel to the fire.
To toy with others.
Wu Zhu's stomach churned with disgust.
"This guy is really vicious!" Wu Zhu muttered under his breath, disgusted. "I can't believe this bastard is pulling the strings behind all of this."
But there was something else Wu Zhu noticed in that chaotic scene. His sharp eyes caught a detail that sent a chill down his spine: 'Zheng Xie isn't fighting. Is he weak?'
The original Wu Zhu, the one whose memories now flashed in his mind, had never seen Zheng Xie fight. In fact, the original had rarely been in the sect at all, always away.
Their paths had barely crossed, and when they did, Wu Zhu couldn't recall a single time when Zheng Xie had engaged in any actual combat.
'Could it be that Zheng Xie was all show? Wu Zhu wondered, a sly thought creeping into his mind. What if he's really that weak? What if he uses his manipulative nature to make others fight for him, to do his dirty work?'
The idea grew within him like a seed. He was beginning to see the cracks in Zheng Xie's persona, the façade of power that Wu Zhu now knew might be nothing more than a bluff.
'If that's the case... I can use this.'
The thought felt almost too easy. Almost too simple.
Wu Zhu felt a strange exhilaration run through his veins, the possibility of taking control, of turning the tables on Zheng Xie, for once, thrilled him. He could see it all in his mind's eye now—a closed space, a hidden corner, just the two of them. He could set a trap and finish this once and for all.
The sect was filled with secluded spots, hidden crevices and small caves, places where the echoes of life barely reached. And from those shadows, Wu Zhu could strike, unseen, undetected. What better way to deal with this problem than by taking out Zheng Xie when no one would be around to stop him? It was perfect.
Throw him off the mountain... The thought came to him almost instinctively. No one would question it. He'd fall to his death, no one would even find his body.
And if they did... well, who would care about a few disciples missing? Especially one as talentless as Zheng Xie—A cultivation waste. No one would care.
Wu Zhu took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, the weight of the thought hanging heavy in the air around him. 'But could I do it? Could I really take his life?'
The answer came, cold and steady: 'I have to. It's the only way. If I don't, he will come after me again. He thinks I'm dead, but the moment he knows I'm alive…'
Wu Zhu's hands trembled as the realization hit him. Zheng Xie had tried to kill him once before. The memories—the pain, the suffocating darkness, the knowledge that someone had torn through his flesh with the sole purpose of ending his life—came rushing back.
'He didn't hesitate to kill me before, and he won't hesitate again. If I don't act first, I'll be the one lying dead on the ground.'
His stomach twisted with nausea, and his heart pounded in his chest, but deep down, there was no doubt in his mind. This was the only way.
Even as a part of him recoiled at the thought of murder, the rest of him hardened, accepting that this was a necessary evil. It was a survival instinct—a simple, primal drive.
Wu Zhu took another deep breath, steadying himself. 'I have to make him come to me, where I can control the situation. A closed space. Somewhere private. But how?'
He looked around, his eyes scanning the bustling hall, his mind whirring with possibilities. Then, as if by fate, his gaze settled on the scripture hall, a place where disciples came to gather manuals. It was a perfect opportunity.
Wu Zhu's lips curled into a sly grin as the idea clicked into place. 'Zheng Xie is smart. Too smart. And he's going to overthink this. He'll want to investigate me—he'll want to know what I'm doing. If he sees me taking a low-level manual, something beneath my status, it'll catch his attention. He'll question it. He'll want to know why. Why would I, an elite disciple, be taking something so basic?'
A smile tugged at the corners of Wu Zhu's lips as the plan began to take shape. 'I can play this game. I can lure him into a trap, make him think I'm up to something. He'll overthink it, overanalyze every detail, and before he knows it, he'll walk right into my hands.'
Smart people had always prided himself on their intelligence, their cunning. But that was their flaw—they thought too much. 'He would get lost in his own schemes, caught in his own web of doubt. And when that happens, I will be waiting for him.'
The idea felt satisfying, almost too easy. For a moment, Wu Zhu wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. It wasn't about brute force; it was about using Zheng Xie's arrogance against him.
He would use the very thing that made Zheng Xie dangerous—the same thing that made him feel untouchable—against him.
Wu Zhu's grin widened as he watched the disciples milling about, unaware of the trap he was setting. 'This will work. It has to.'
His thoughts turned back to Zheng Xie. The man was no fool. He was vicious, calculating, and he had orchestrated Wu Zhu's near-death once already. But he did so unfairly, he used underhanded tactics.
That marigold looking flower had a paralysis effect which rendered him useless leading to his near death situation. There was no way a bastard like that knew how to fight.
Wu Zhu couldn't help but chuckle darkly. 'Yeah, that bastard definitely doesn't know how to fight. He paralyzed me before and nearly ripped my heart out. But, he's dangerous, alright. Maybe he has other tricks…'
He shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside for now. The plan was set. The bait was cast.
And soon, Wu Zhu would be the one in control. Soon, he would turn the tables.
…
The Seven Strike Martial Sect sat atop one of the tallest peaks in the region—a spire of stone that pierced the sky like a divine spear. It was a place of seclusion, strength, and suffering.
Narrow mountain trails wove through jagged cliffs and dense overgrowth, threading between rocky outcroppings and gaping ravines. Many led nowhere. Others vanished altogether. Some ended in cliffs so steep, the wind itself had forgotten how to howl.
And Wu Zhu was currently walking one such forgotten path.
It was a trail overgrown with moss and wild roots, hemmed in by boulders and crooked trees. Cracked stone made up most of the ground, and the path was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side—assuming they weren't afraid of falling off.
He had found this route days ago while wandering aimlessly in frustration, and now it served his purpose better than anything else. A perfect kill zone.
Of course, just like he anticipated, Zheng Xie was following him.
Wu Zhu was having a hard time hiding the smirk that kept twitching at the corner of his lips. It was a good thing that bastard was behind him—otherwise, he would've seen the cheeky grin he was desperately trying to suppress.
He reached the mouth of a cave nestled between two jagged slabs of stone, half-shrouded by creeping ivy and the shade of pine trees. The opening yawned before him, damp and cool, like the mouth of some slumbering beast. Without hesitating, Wu Zhu stepped inside.
The deeper he went, the colder it got. Light dimmed, then vanished altogether. Roots hung from the ceiling like skeletal fingers. He walked until the faintest gleam of outside light no longer touched the stone walls, and then he stopped.
Silence.
A single breath.
Then he turned his head, just slightly, the glow of his eyes faintly reflecting in the cave's darkness.
"Zheng Xie," he said, voice calm and precise. "Come out."
Zheng Xie froze.
"I know you've been following me. You're not exactly stealthy, you know."
Zheng Xie emerged with a sheepish chuckle, hands raised as if caught in the middle of theft.
"Well, what can I say? Curiosity is one of my stronger traits. That and charm."
Wu Zhu didn't bother with a reply. He just turned fully to face him, lips parting to speak—
And then he stopped.
Something was… wrong.
He felt it. A strange pressure behind him. Like a ripple in the air, a subtle shift in the cave's spiritual atmosphere. It slithered along his spine like ice.
His body stiffened instinctively.
Then came the sound—scrrrk—scrrk—scrrrrkk—like hundreds of legs scraping against stone.
A crawling noise.
A sound that did not belong in this cave.
Wu Zhu's breath caught in his throat as he slowly, painfully slowly, turned his head to glance behind him.
From the blackened depths of the cave… something moved.
Golden eyes. Gleaming. Unblinking.
A low hiss rolled through the chamber.
And from the shadows, a monstrous figure emerged—long, sleek, and hideous. A centipede.
No, calling it a centipede felt wrong. This thing was massive. At least eight feet long, maybe longer. Its segmented body shimmered with slick, armor-like chitin, and its mandibles opened with a wet clack, revealing rows of serrated teeth inside.
Wu Zhu's entire body froze.
A single thought passed through his mind.
'What the hell is this karma?! Why me?! This is the wrong guy's punishment! Where's the justice, damn it!?'
The centipede inched forward, its dozens of legs clicking across the stone floor in nauseating rhythm. Every movement brought it closer to Wu Zhu, and every second that passed made him feel smaller.
He instinctively stepped back.
Another step.
And then—thud.
He bumped into someone.
Turning sharply, Wu Zhu saw the one person he absolutely didn't want to see grinning at him—Zheng Xie, but he was the only one here. That bastard had his hand clamped around Wu Zhu's arm like an iron cuff.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot to congratulate you for not being dead. That was rude of me," Zheng Xie said casually, his smile all teeth. "But more importantly… why are you running? You're an elite disciple, aren't you? Surely you can handle one little beast from the Tempered Realm?"
Wu Zhu's eyes narrowed, fury and panic mixing in his chest.
"You know I'm not the original one!! So stop with the nonsense and let me go!!"
But Zheng Xie didn't let go.
In fact, he leaned in closer, breath brushing against Wu Zhu's ear, voice a cold whisper that cut through the rising terror.
"You really are useless… aren't you?"
Before Wu Zhu could react, Zheng Xie shoved him.
Straight toward the centipede.
Wu Zhu stumbled, barely catching himself before falling face-first into the beast's waiting maw. Its mandibles clacked inches from his chest, snapping open and shut like scissors craving flesh.
He jumped back with a curse, heart slamming against his ribs. "You lunatic!! You psychotic bastard!!"
But Zheng Xie only laughed from behind, crossing his arms like this was all a play meant for his entertainment.
"C'mon, show me what you've got," he said with a casual shrug. "Let's see if you can earn the right to stay alive."
Wu Zhu's hands trembled. His back was to the wall, a demonic centipede in front of him, a sadist behind him, and only one path left.
Forward.
Toward death.
That Zheng Xie was trying to kill him… again!!!