Morning in the Azure Wind Sect began with the sharp toll of a bell, jerking Li Wei from his restless sleep. He sat up on the straw mat, his muscles aching from a night of cultivation. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the shutters, casting soft beams across his cramped room. The Dancing Leaf scroll was safely hidden under the mat, yet its presence felt like a ticking time bomb. Today's training would be the true test—and Zhang Ho definitely wouldn't pull his punches.
Li Wei summoned the system to check his progress:
Mortality Stage, Level 1 – 10% to breakthrough
Azure Stream Technique – 20%
Dancing Leaf Technique – 5%
He frowned. Progress, yes—but too slow. If he wanted to make an impression today, he'd have to rely on Wind Step and the barely mastered Dancing Leaf. Probability Manipulation was available again, but he decided to save it for a crucial moment.
He washed quickly at the barrel outside the barracks and pulled on a clean gray robe he found in a trunk. The courtyard was already buzzing—disciples from the outer sect were gathering in the main square for morning training. Li Wei spotted Zhang Ho among the crowd, flanked by his usual two lackeys. Their eyes met, and Zhang Ho grinned like a predator spotting wounded prey.
"Li Wei!" someone called, and the crowd stirred. Word of yesterday's incident had spread faster than he'd anticipated. Li Wei kept his composure, but he felt the weight of dozens of curious stares. Among them, he noticed Lin Xue standing off to the side, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
Elder Liu Chen stepped onto the square, his azure robe fluttering in the breeze. His sharp gaze scanned the crowd, lingering on Li Wei longer than the rest. Li Wei remembered the bluff he made about passing the outer sect trial—and realized the elder was expecting him to either prove himself or fall flat on his face.
"Today's training: sparring," Liu Chen announced, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "You'll be paired off. Winners receive merit points—exchangeable for sect resources. Losers..." He smirked. "Will learn the price of weakness."
The crowd murmured louder. Li Wei saw Zhang Ho elbow one of his goons and nod toward him. The system flashed:
New Quest: Win your sparring match
Reward: +30 reputation, 1 merit point
Failure: Public humiliation before the outer sect
Li Wei clenched his fists. Time to prove he was more than just talk.
Liu Chen began calling out pairs. When he got to Li Wei, the name rang out like a hammer:
"Li Wei versus Zhang Ho."
The crowd erupted into whispers and laughter. Zhang Ho stepped forward, grinning. Li Wei met his gaze, a fire rising in his chest. This was his chance—and he wasn't going to waste it.
---
Li Wei stood at the edge of the training arena, feeling the eyes of the outer sect disciples burning into his back. The stone courtyard was neatly paved, surrounded by low barriers behind which students gathered to watch. Across from him loomed Zhang Ho—broad-shouldered, fists clenched like iron hammers. The system highlighted him:
Zhang Ho – Outer Sect Disciple
Mortality Stage, Level 3
Li Wei clenched his jaw. Two levels of difference. Not a joke—but he wasn't about to back down.
Elder Liu Chen raised his hand, signaling for silence.
"The rules are simple: fight until submission or unconsciousness. Spiritual techniques are allowed. Fatal blows are not."
His gaze passed over Li Wei, as if testing whether he'd reconsider.
"Begin."
Zhang Ho charged like a bull, his fist aimed directly at Li Wei's face. The crowd gasped, but Li Wei was ready. He activated Wind Step—the world slowed, his body felt weightless. He slipped aside just in time, Zhang Ho's punch slicing through empty air. Li Wei darted back, drawing surprised murmurs from the spectators.
"Quick little rat!" Zhang Ho snarled, wheeling around. "You won't run for long!"
Li Wei kept his distance, analyzing. Zhang Ho was strong, but slow and blunt. If he could bait him into overcommitting, he might have a chance to land a clean Dancing Leaf hit—even in its weakest form. His eyes flicked to Lin Xue in the crowd. Her gaze had sharpened, just slightly. That spurred him on.
Zhang Ho came again, launching a barrage of punches like crashing waves. Li Wei dodged and weaved, drawing on the fading power of Wind Step, but the technique's cooldown was ticking. His energy reserves were dropping fast. The system flashed a warning:
Spiritual Energy: 60%
Recommendation: End the fight within one minute
"Fight me properly, coward!" Zhang Ho bellowed, his face flushed with fury.
He launched a wide swing—and Li Wei saw his chance. He ducked low, closing the distance, and channeled what little Azure Stream energy he had into his palm. Dancing Leaf flared to life—barely. He struck Zhang Ho's chest, forming an unstable spiritual blade.
The hit was weak—it barely pushed Zhang Ho back a step. The crowd laughed, but Li Wei caught the flicker of pain in Zhang Ho's grimace. It worked. Just barely.
Zhang Ho roared and surged forward again, rage clouding his form. He didn't realize Li Wei was baiting him—guiding him step by step toward the arena's edge.
"This ends now," Li Wei muttered, and activated Probability Manipulation. The air changed—lighter, looser. Luck was now on his side.
Zhang Ho came in with another punch aimed to crush. Li Wei was ready.
---
Li Wei felt the surge of manipulated probability wrap around him like an unseen current. Zhang Ho's punch tore through the air, narrowly missing Li Wei's cheek as he sidestepped with the final trace of Wind Step. The momentum carried Zhang Ho forward—too fast, too wild.
He slammed into the wooden barrier at the edge of the training square. The wood groaned under the impact, splinters flying. The crowd gasped.
"You're just a runner!" Zhang Ho roared, staggering back. His stance was looser now, fury taking over reason.
Li Wei didn't answer. He concentrated, channeling what little energy he had left into his palm. Dancing Leaf flickered to life again—slightly stronger this time. He met Zhang Ho's next charge with a sidestep and struck his forearm with an open palm.
Crack.
The spiritual energy rippled like a whip. Zhang Ho recoiled, clutching his arm, face twisted in pain.
"What... technique is that?" he hissed, disbelief in his voice.
The crowd buzzed in excitement and confusion.
"Li Wei used a technique?"
"Since when does he know any?"
"He's a nobody—where'd he learn that?"
From the sidelines, Lin Xue watched silently, head slightly tilted. Her eyes narrowed with interest.
Elder Liu Chen stood with arms crossed, gaze unreadable—but he did not intervene.
Energy: 30%
Li Wei's breaths came sharp. He knew he couldn't last much longer. Zhang Ho, despite the pain, charged again—more cautiously now, arm slightly raised in defense. Li Wei backpedaled to the center of the arena, letting his steps drag, his posture slacken—faking fatigue.
It worked.
Zhang Ho's eyes gleamed. He lunged in with a roar, swinging for Li Wei's head.
At the last moment, Li Wei dropped to one knee, Zhang Ho's punch flying harmlessly overhead. With a pivot, he swept his leg under Zhang Ho's and gave him a sharp push to the chest.
Zhang Ho stumbled forward—and fell face-first into the dust.
Laughter erupted from the watching crowd.
"Get up, Ho!" one of his cronies shouted, but Zhang Ho's face was beet red with rage and humiliation. He staggered to his feet, but his balance was off.
Li Wei rose slowly, wiping sweat from his brow, and smirked. The system chimed softly:
Win probability: 55% — boosted by Probability Manipulation
It was time.
"Give up, Zhang Ho," Li Wei said aloud, projecting his voice. "Or do you want another taste of the dirt?"
Zhang Ho bellowed in rage and charged.
Li Wei braced himself for the final strike.
---
Zhang Ho thundered toward Li Wei like an avalanche. Dust swirled behind him, his fists clenched with murderous intent. Every eye in the square locked on them, the crowd holding its collective breath.
Li Wei focused.
This was it.
He let the tension build, watching every twitch of Zhang Ho's muscles. When the punch came—a brutal, downward arc aimed at his head—Li Wei twisted his body sideways, allowing the blow to graze his shoulder instead of crush his skull.
Then he struck.
With the last pulse of energy he could summon, he channeled Dancing Leaf into a precise palm strike to Zhang Ho's knee.
A sharp crack.
Zhang Ho howled.
His leg gave out, and he crumpled forward—leaving his chest exposed.
Li Wei stepped in and drove his shoulder into Zhang Ho's sternum, knocking him backward. The larger boy crashed to the ground with a thud, coughing and gasping, a cloud of dust rising around him.
Silence.
Then a wave of cheers.
Elder Liu Chen walked forward, his azure robe fluttering as he raised one hand.
"Enough," he announced. "Winner: Li Wei."
A roar rippled through the students. Shock. Laughter. Applause. Some even whistled.
Li Wei stood tall, though his legs trembled. Sweat streamed down his face, but he didn't wipe it. He met the stunned gazes of the crowd head-on.
Lin Xue didn't cheer, but her eyes met his—and a small, approving nod followed.
The system blinked to life:
Quest Completed: Win the Sparring Match
+30 Reputation
+1 Merit Point
Bonus: +10 Reputation (Style Bonus)
Li Wei let out a breath. Worth it.
Elder Liu Chen stepped closer.
"You've surprised me, Li Wei," he said, voice low but clear. "But don't get arrogant. Beating one opponent doesn't make you strong. The real test is yet to come."
Li Wei nodded, resisting the urge to make a snarky comment. He turned and walked away without looking back—even as Zhang Ho, still on the ground, snarled:
"This isn't over, Li Wei. I'll make you pay."
Li Wei's lips curled into a small, defiant smile.
Let him try. I've just begun.
---
Li Wei walked away from the training ground, heart still pounding, adrenaline slowly fading into aching exhaustion. The sun hung high overhead, and the heat pressed down like a weight. Around him, students whispered, stealing glances. His victory had changed something—no longer just the sect's joke, he was now a curiosity. A threat.
The system chimed softly in his mind:
+30 Reputation
+1 Merit Point
Total Reputation: 48
Total Merit Points: 1
He still didn't know what a merit point could buy, but it sounded valuable. Something worth collecting.
He found shade beneath a tree near the edge of the square and leaned against the trunk, grateful to rest. His body throbbed with fatigue, but his mind stayed sharp. He watched as the rest of the matches continued—some sloppy, others impressive.
Then he saw her.
Lin Xue.
She moved like flowing water—precise, calm, and deadly. Her opponent was a wiry girl with fast hands, but Lin Xue barely needed to try. Each motion of her strikes carried elegance and force. With a sweep of her leg and a flick of her palm, her opponent was sent sprawling, defeated in under a minute.
Li Wei blinked, then smiled wryly. She's on a whole other level.
"You're not bad for a weakling," came a voice beside him.
Li Wei turned, surprised to see a short, scruffy-haired boy squatting nearby with a sly grin. The system blinked:
Chen Yu. Outer Disciple. Mortal Level – Stage 2. Reputation: Friendly, but talkative.
Li Wei narrowed his eyes. "Chen Yu, huh? You always sneak up on people?"
Chen Yu snorted and plopped down beside him. "Only the ones who make Zhang Ho eat dirt in front of everyone. That was epic, by the way."
Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—you're here to warn me about revenge?"
"Yup," Chen Yu said, popping a dried fruit into his mouth and offering another to Li Wei. "Zhang Ho's not the forgiving type. And he's got the backing of Senior Disciple Wan."
That name struck a chord. Lin Xue had mentioned it before. So the real enemy's not Zhang Ho—it's whoever stands behind him.
"Well, let them come," Li Wei muttered, taking the fruit. "I'm not going anywhere."
Chen Yu grinned. "Good. I like people who stir up trouble. Say, how'd you learn that technique overnight? Rumor has it you snuck into the library last night."
Li Wei's fingers tensed slightly around the fruit. Lin Xue wouldn't have told anyone. So someone else saw?
He smiled, hiding the worry. "Rumors, huh? I'm just a genius. Didn't you know?"
Chen Yu laughed, but his eyes remained sharp—more observant than his playful tone suggested. Not just a fool, Li Wei thought. This one's watching me closely.
Elder Liu Chen's voice called the end of training. The crowd began to scatter.
Li Wei stood, pocketing the rest of the dried fruit. "Time to cultivate."
He walked off toward the outer barracks, steps slower now. Pain ached in his ribs, and fatigue bit deeper with each movement. But something else stirred in his chest: satisfaction. Resolve.
Zhang Ho's defeat was just the beginning.
Wan. Lin Xue. The library. The System.
Threads of something larger had started to pull together, and Li Wei was going to follow every one of them.
Whatever it took.