Elder Iris returned to the Sacred Heart Sword Sect that day, her steps slow and heavy.
The mountain winds brushed against her long violet robes, carrying with them the faint scent of blooming spirit orchids.
Yet even their fragrance couldn't calm her restless mind.
"Even with my ultimate sword moves… Riley easily overcomes them—with his fists. No… with his palms," Iris muttered under her breath, her voice almost drowned by the rustle of the wind.
She could still see it so clearly in her mind—the battle that had carved itself into her very soul.
It was months ago, when she had challenged Riley to a duel beneath the crimson skies of a broken land away from people.
Back then, she was confident. Her cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Primordial Dao Fragment Realm, and her blade techniques were said to be unmatched under heaven.
She believed that no one of her generation could withstand even a single strike from her sword.
