Dust rose along the quiet riverbank as a young man with red hair stepped forward. His gaze was sharp as a spear, his body agile yet radiating a deadly aura. He flicked the metal whip hanging at his waist, dragging it along the ground, scraping the nearby stones.
"If you refuse to surrender," he said, "let me test how strong your bones really are."
Yun Xia stood firm, unmoving. He didn't draw his sword. Instead, his hands slowly clenched into fists. His breathing was steady. He lowered his head briefly, then lifted his face.
"I only wish to pass through. But if this is the only way, then so be it. I will fight you."
The red-haired youth's whip exploded without warning, roaring like a fire serpent. Yun Xia sidestepped and deflected it with his bare palm. The sharp sound of metal clashing against skin rang out, but Yun Xia remained solid as a rock.
The youth attacked again—his whip spinning like a whirlwind, striking from every direction, from above, below, left, and right.
Yun Xia began to move. His body floated lightly, but each step was deliberate and precise. He leapt onto a stone, landed on a fallen tree trunk, and then circled behind his opponent. His left hand sliced through the air, unleashing the Wind Step Technique, the fundamental hand-to-hand skill taught by Cia Sun.
The youth spun quickly, swinging his whip backward, but Yun Xia had already leapt away and landed gracefully. Both his hands formed claw shapes.
"Golden Lion Claw Strike."
His strike swept forward at lightning speed—his five fingers aiming straight at his opponent's chest like a lion's pounce. The youth was struck on his arm and staggered backward.
"Damn you!"
He retreated, grimacing. His right arm was injured despite the protective guard.
Yet he did not retreat fully. A dark aura began to emanate from his body—a sign of the techniques from the Blood Shadow Sect, a group notorious for its black arts. His whip now seemed to move on its own, as if alive. Its tip trembled and extended like the tongue of a demon.
Yun Xia steadied himself. He didn't know exactly what technique his opponent would use next, but he was sure the next attack would be much more dangerous.
The onslaught came in waves. The whip now resembled a barbed wire, forming trap circles in the air. Yun Xia leapt onto a large boulder, but the whip's tip aimed for his feet.
He countered with the Dancing Wind Step—stepping atop the whip's back, sliding across it as though gliding on a board, then launching a spinning kick at the youth.
His opponent was thrown backward but not yet defeated. He landed on a tree branch and rebounded into the air, whipping down like an arrow from the sky.
Yun Xia looked up. In a single breath, he jumped to meet the attack midair.
Spinning, Yun Xia's left hand slashed toward the whip while his right hand formed a claw aimed at the youth's shoulder.
A violent clash exploded in the air. The sound of cracking echoed. The sacred whip slipped from the red-haired youth's grip.
Yun Xia landed first, kneeling briefly, then instantly dashed forward again. His hand slashed downward—executing the Rampage of the Forest King, a spinning strike that combined the power of the hips and shoulders.
His strike hammered the youth's abdomen and flung him into a large tree trunk, which cracked from the impact.
Blood dripped from his lips. Yet he still stood, though he was on the verge of collapse.
"Impossible… How could I lose to him…" he muttered.
Yun Xia regulated his breathing. Sweat drenched his body. His sleeves and shoulders were torn.
The youth roared, summoning the energy within his body. A red mist enveloped him. His gaze turned feral. He had unleashed a forbidden technique: Blood Curse of the Red Spirit.
"In that case," Yun Xia whispered, "I won't hold back either."
He bent his knees, lowering both hands before slowly raising them above his head. The movement was simple, but the air began to tremble.
A faint golden light surrounded his body. The wind gathered. The strongest technique taught by Cia Sun—Golden Fang Sweeps the Sky—was ready to be unleashed.
The youth surged forward like a red storm, but Yun Xia faced him without fear.
His right hand thrust forward like a lion leaping from a mountain peak. His palm struck his opponent's chest with full force.
CRACK!
Both attacks collided. An explosion of energy erupted. The ground split. Small trees collapsed. Birds scattered in panic.
The youth stood frozen, then blood gushed from his mouth. He was hurled backward, slamming into a large boulder—falling unconscious.
Yun Xia stood amid the rising dust. His breath was ragged, but his gaze remained calm.
From a distance, a woman in a purple robe observed the battle, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Impossible!" she thought. "Every technique he used just now came from Cia Sun. Could it be… is this young man his disciple?"
Yun Xia stood still, staring at his unconscious opponent. His right hand remained outstretched, trembling from the overwhelming energy he had just released. His breathing was heavy. He lowered his head slightly, as if paying respect to a worthy adversary.
Emerging from the mist, the woman stepped closer. Her gaze sharp, her face serious.
"I recognize every move you just used," she said softly, her voice brimming with emotion. "There is only one person in this world who has mastered all of those techniques perfectly—Cia Sun. And you… you performed them almost flawlessly."
Yun Xia did not answer. But his silence was answer enough.
The woman clenched her fists. "So it's true. You must be his disciple. Somehow… it all makes sense now."
The sky began to darken. The mist thickened. But one thing had become clear—this battle was only the beginning, and Yun Xia's name would soon echo throughout the martial world.
"Interesting," murmured the woman in the purple robe. "You managed to block my Red Serpent Technique with just your bare hands. But don't get too proud. My disciple hasn't fully mastered it yet."
Yun Xia remained silent. He knew this wasn't the end of the fight. This was just the beginning of his journey.
Suddenly, the woman spread both her arms. A purple mist began to rise around her, seeping from the ground like smoke from hell. It wasn't an ordinary mist—it was poison. Yun Xia recognized its scent. This was a nerve-paralyzing poison, a low-grade toxin that could only be created by high-level poison masters. He knew this because Cia Sun had once taught him about the poisons commonly used by dark sects.
Yun Xia held his breath and directed his energy to key points in his body to resist the poison's spread.
Without a word, the woman waved her hand in the air. From within the mist, dozens of shadows shot toward Yun Xia. They were snakes—small serpents darting through the fog, striking like arrows from all directions.
Yun Xia leaped backward. His hands moved swiftly, deflecting two snakes with the edge of his palms while his right foot swept the ground to fend off the others. One snake nearly bit his leg, but he jumped at the last moment and countered with a spinning kick.
He caught two snakes in midair and hurled them back at their master. Simultaneously, he unleashed the Golden Lion Claw Strike again, tearing apart the remaining snakes with sharp gusts of wind from his fingertips.
But the mist grew thicker. His vision began to fade.
Yun Xia shifted his stance, controlled his breathing, and sharpened his hearing. Dew Listener Soul Technique—a close-range auditory skill taught by Cia Sun. He began to hear light footsteps, subtle breaths, even his enemy's heartbeat.
From within the mist, the woman in the purple robe lunged with incredible speed. Her metal whip exploded once more, now coated with a greenish poison.
Yun Xia ducked low to evade. The whip struck the ground, causing a small explosion. The poison immediately spread, blackening and withering the nearby grass. He couldn't afford to get too close.
"How many more moves can you withstand before your body succumbs to my poison?" The woman in the purple robe smiled in satisfaction.
"Enough to defeat you," Yun Xia replied coldly.