The air in the mountain arena was thick with tension. Hundreds of cultivators gathered in the ancient dueling ground, their robes billowing in the wind, eyes locked on the challenger—Ren. They had expected arrogance from an outsider. What they hadn't expected was the sheer unshakable confidence in his stance.
Before him stood Zhao Liang, the Thunder-Forged Blade. He was a peak-stage cultivator of the Xianzhou Clans, his aura crackling with blue lightning. His eyes burned with contempt. "You come to challenge us with your mortal ways? Foolish."
Ren didn't bother responding. Words meant nothing here. Only strength did.
The Grand Elder, watching from his high seat, raised a hand. "The trial begins."
A single breath of silence.
Then, the mountain trembled.
The Thunder-Forged Blade vs. Ren
Zhao Liang moved first, vanishing in a burst of lightning. To the untrained eye, he disappeared completely. But Ren saw it—the flicker of movement, the shift in energy.
A flash of blue light—a lightning-imbued sword slashed toward Ren's throat.
Ren didn't move.
CLANG!
The blade met an unseen force, stopping inches away from Ren's skin. Voidfang, still sheathed at Ren's waist, emitted a pulse of energy, forming an invisible shield around him.
Gasps echoed through the audience. To block an attack without drawing his weapon…
Zhao Liang snarled, leaping back. He wasn't done.
He raised his sword to the sky, summoning a storm. Dark clouds churned overhead, crackling with divine lightning. The power of the heavens condensed into his blade, turning it into a weapon of pure destruction.
He descended like a meteor. "Heaven-Severing Slash!"
The mountain cracked under the sheer force of his technique.
Ren exhaled.
Then, he moved.
The Overwhelming Might of the Void
To the cultivators watching, it was as if Ren vanished. One moment, he was standing still. The next—
BOOM!
Zhao Liang was flung backward, crashing through three stone pillars before embedding into a cliffside. Dust and rubble rained down.
Ren had struck once.
Silence. The cultivators blinked. Had their strongest warrior just been—
A roar of defiance. Zhao Liang tore himself from the rubble, his body crackling with energy. His robes were in tatters, blood dripping from his lip. But his pride was intact.
"You—" he spat, rage in his eyes. "I'm not finished!"
Ren's expression didn't change. He simply raised a single hand.
A pulse of energy erupted from his palm. The ground beneath Zhao Liang twisted and shattered. The very air around him collapsed inward.
Gravity surged.
Zhao Liang fell to his knees. His body refused to move. His arms shook. His bones groaned under the unseen force.
The cultivators watching felt their own knees tremble. What was this power?
Ren finally unsheathed Voidfang. A single step forward, and the mountain trembled again.
Zhao Liang, still trapped under the crushing weight, gritted his teeth. "I—won't—yield!"
Ren's eyes met his. No mercy. No hesitation.
He swung Voidfang.
FWOOOOM!
A crescent of dark energy tore through the air, consuming everything in its path. The cliffside behind Zhao Liang was cleaved in half.
The force alone sent him flying—his sword shattered, his defenses obliterated.
When the dust settled, Zhao Liang lay motionless, embedded into the remains of the arena. His consciousness flickered, but his spirit was utterly crushed.
Ren turned to face the stunned audience. His voice was calm, absolute.
"Are there any more trials?"
Submission
No one spoke.
The Grand Elder, watching the scene with sharp eyes, finally rose from his seat. He descended slowly, landing before Ren.
A long silence.
Then—he bowed.
"The Xianzhou Clans acknowledge your strength." His voice carried through the mountain range. "We will listen."
The cultivators, once filled with disdain, now knelt in respect.
Ren sheathed Voidfang, his face unreadable. The first piece of the war had fallen into place.
But this was just the beginning.