The masked cultivators surrounded Li Xuantian and Yan Ruyue in the heart of the Forbidden Mountains, their presence warping the qi around them. Even the chaotic spirit beasts in the distance dared not come near.
Xuantian's newly recovered Eternal Core pulsed with silent authority, but his cultivation was still stabilizing. Although he had advanced to Half-Step Soul Ascension, his foundation was yet to settle.
The enemies before him—Reaper Sect assassins—knew that.
"You shouldn't have returned," said the one with the crimson mask. "Your presence disturbs the balance."
Yan Ruyue drew her sword, but her hands trembled. These assassins weren't just powerful—they were unnatural. Their movements were too quiet. Their energy… wrong.
Li Xuantian stepped forward, calm as ever.
"I've lived long enough to know that 'balance' is just an excuse the weak use to justify their fear," he said coldly.
"You speak boldly for a man who only just reclaimed his cultivation," the crimson-masked one replied.
Xuantian smirked. "Bold? No. Just bored."
And then he moved.
Not with speed, but with intention.
The moment he took a step, the earth beneath them exploded. A surge of ancient qi, refined over a million years of solitude, burst outward like a tidal wave.
Three assassins were blown away instantly, blood spraying into the misty air.
Another charged at him with a curved obsidian blade, aiming directly at his throat. Xuantian tilted his head—barely—and the blade missed by a breath.
Then he snapped his fingers.
The assassin turned to stone mid-air.
Yan Ruyue stared in disbelief. "That technique…"
"It's not from this era," Xuantian said. "The Reaper Sect should know better than to bring shadows into a place that remembers the sun."
Only the crimson-masked leader remained, now visibly tense.
"You're not supposed to have regained this much power… not this quickly."
Xuantian's gaze sharpened. "Then perhaps you'll remember what true fear feels like."
The leader retreated into the mist without another word.
---
When they returned to the academy, chaos was already unfolding.
News of Xuantian's battle with the Reaper Sect had spread like wildfire—though no one knew the full details. Rumors twisted the truth:
> "He slaughtered ten Soul Ascension elders in a blink!"
> "The Reaper Sect's grand assassin fled in fear!"
> "He's no longer Qi Condensation—he's beyond!"
Xuantian ignored them all.
Let them talk.
Let the world notice.
He was done hiding.
---
That week, an announcement from the Heavenly Council shook the cultivation world:
> "To maintain unity in these turbulent times, the Council will host the Nine-Sect Summit Tournament—a sacred competition among the nine great sects and academies."
> "The winner shall receive the Crown of Aeons—an artifact said to contain the soul of an ancient beast that once devoured stars."
It was unprecedented.
A divine artifact? Openly offered as a prize?
Even the oldest sects stirred with greed.
But the Crown of Aeons wasn't just a prize.
It was bait.
---
Yan Ruyue barged into Xuantian's quarters, scroll in hand.
"They want you to compete."
He raised a brow. "Why?"
"You're the only one strong enough to represent Tianyuan Academy and possibly win."
He leaned back. "And what makes them think I care?"
She tossed the scroll at him. "Because the Crown isn't just an artifact. It's alive. Some believe it's a piece of the Eternal Sky Beast—your old enemy, isn't it?"
He opened the scroll. There, etched in divine ink, was the image of a winged serpent with no eyes and a maw of stars.
He clenched his fist.
The Eternal Sky Beast.
The thing that had devoured entire continents during the first divine war.
If a fragment of its soul had survived—and was now being used as a prize—then someone was playing a game far beyond the understanding of mortals.
---
Xuantian agreed to participate.
But he made a silent vow:
> "I won't just win. I'll expose whoever orchestrated this tournament."
---
The weeks leading to the Summit were filled with preparation.
Disciples trained harder than ever. Sect elders debated tactics and alliances. Spies from rogue factions prowled the cities, seeking to uncover which sects held secrets.
In Tianyuan Academy, Xuantian trained alone. But his training wasn't physical.
It was memory cultivation.
He sat beneath the Spirit Mirror Tree, an ancient relic that allowed cultivators to peer into their past lives.
There, he relived battles.
Felt the weight of comrades who died in his arms.
Recalled every technique he had once mastered… and re-learned them.
He also discovered something chilling.
The current leader of the Reaper Sect…
Was one of his former disciples.
A child he had once raised as a son.
---
On the eve of the tournament, a letter arrived.
Unmarked. Scented with ancient incense.
Xuantian opened it alone.
> "Master,
I warned them you were not to be awakened.
But they didn't listen.
Now that you're back, we must meet.
Not as enemies.
Not yet.
– Your Fallen Disciple"
He burned the letter with a flick of his fingers, staring at the flame.
His eyes were cold.
> "So you've become a shadow that devours the light I once gave you."
> "Then I will end you myself."
---
As the Summit began, disciples from every great sect gathered at the Floating Sky Arena, a massive structure hovering above sacred ground where even birds feared to fly.
The first match was a bloodbath.
A prodigy from the Scarlet Soul Pavilion tore his opponent apart using a forbidden fire technique.
The second match featured a disciple who used sound-based cultivation to make her enemy tear out his own heart.
Xuantian watched from the stands, unmoved.
Yan Ruyue turned to him. "The level of power is monstrous."
He said nothing.
Then his name was called.
"Next match—Li Xuantian of Tianyuan Academy… versus Zhan Wuji of the Burning Spear Sect!"
A hush fell over the arena.
Zhan Wuji was the number-one ranked disciple in the modern cultivation world. Known for his brutal offense and unmatched speed.
Xuantian rose slowly.
> "Let the world see what power truly looks like."
---