The air thickened until it felt like the forest itself had decided to join the battle, pressing in with damp weight. Mist clung to every surface, curling through roots and grass like pale fingers. The beast's growl rolled through the clearing, low and resonant, shaking loose droplets from the leaves above.
Senior Brother Lian's sharp gesture was the signal.
The puppets surged forward in perfect sync.
BOOOM!
The iron-plated puppet stomped first, corpse Qi flaring from vents along its arms in a burst of pressure that sent dirt spraying. The sound of metal plates grinding against each other filled the air as it took the hit from the beast's opening swipe without flinching.
KRRRNNNHHH!
SHHHK!
WHSSHHH!
The bladed puppet was already on the move, darting low and fast, weaving through roots like flowing water. Its arm-hooks slashed for the beast's ankles, sparks leaping where steel met bone.
THUUUD!
Feng's massive brawler puppet arrived a heartbeat later, its gauntleted fists coming down in a crushing double strike. The ground shook under the impact, dirt spraying the juniors in the backline.
The beast didn't retreat. It met the assault with raw, primal violence.
WHOOOOM!
Its massive claw hammered into Yun's puppet, forcing it half a step back.
SKRRRAAATCH!
Its other hand raked across Lian's bladed puppet, deep grooves appearing in the darkened steel.
WHHHTHHH!
SMACK!
A heavy tail swung from the mist, catching a fallen log and sending it flying past the juniors.
"Eyes on it! It's got a tail!" Feng barked, voice steady even as his focus stayed locked on his puppet.
The juniors scrambled back, boots slipping in damp moss. Someone muttered under their breath, "That thing's breath smells like rotten eggs mixed with… socks…"
Zhou Min shot the culprit a glare. "Shut it unless you want it breathing on you."
KRRRACK!
The beast slammed a forelimb into a tree. The trunk splintered, collapsing in a shower of leaves and snapping branches that barely missed Yun's puppet.
The forest floor became a mess of hazards. Roots twisted like traps underfoot. Rain from the day before had left patches of slick mud that clung to boots and puppet limbs alike. The iron-plated puppet's foot sank into one with a sucking sound.
SPLORCH!
Yun's brow furrowed as she pulled harder on the mind link to wrench it free.
Gu Muye's gaze stayed locked on the fight. He traced every motion, reading the beast's body language. It favored its left leg slightly — injury from earlier? Or simply stronger on the right? Its lunges always had a pause, a shifting of weight before it committed.
The beast lashed out at the bladed puppet again, this time faking a high strike before snapping low. Lian's eyes narrowed. His puppet twisted aside just in time, its chain-sickle whipping out.
WHHHSSSHHH!
CLANG!
The chain wrapped around the beast's wrist.
RRRRAAAAGHHHHH!
The beast roared, wrenching its arm back so hard the chain went taut, sparks spitting where links ground against the hooked blades.
"Pull!" Lian ordered.
The bladed puppet yanked, dragging the beast half a step toward the waiting brawler puppet.
BOOOOM!
Feng's puppet drove its fist into the exposed ribs, the sound echoing like a drumbeat of thunder.
For the first time, the beast staggered.
"Now!" Yun's voice rang out.
Her puppet surged forward, shoulder-slamming into the beast and sending it skidding across the clearing, claws tearing furrows in the earth.
FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!
Corpse Qi darts rained in from the juniors, shallow cuts opening on its hide. They weren't killing blows, but they distracted it, forcing its head to whip from side to side.
Then, it turned toward the juniors.
The air tightened.
"Hold position!" Yun snapped.
The beast's claw lifted. Gu Muye saw his chance.
He broke from the tight cluster of juniors, slipping between Yun's and Lian's puppets. The dagger was already in his hand, its edge catching the pale green light that filtered through the canopy.
The beast raised its arm higher to strike — and that's when he saw it. A gap under the joint, flesh stretched thin over bone, unarmored by the dense plating elsewhere.
HSSSSHHH!
Muye lunged, driving the blade in deep.
SHHHK!
The dagger bit flesh, resistance giving way with a sickening pop.
The beast let out a distorted screech.
WHOOOM!
Its other arm swept for him. Muye sprang back, boots sliding over damp moss as Yun's iron-plated puppet slammed into the blow, knocking it aside.
"Fall back!" Lian barked, his eyes briefly flicking toward Muye — assessing.
The beast thrashed harder now, fury in every movement.
WHHTHHH!
CRASH!
Its tail smashed a boulder into shards.
From somewhere in the mist, a pair of eyes followed Gu Muye's movements. Xue Yiran was not the only one watching.
Hidden in the treeline, the man who had killed the original body's host stood in stillness, half his face concealed beneath a tattered hood. He had come for the trial, not for the beast — but the boy's behavior caught his attention. Calm where others panicked. Striking only when necessary, and always in a weak spot.
His brow furrowed.
"That's not how this boy should be moving…"
The killer's gaze lingered. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, cold and sharp.
"Well… if I didn't know better, I'd say someone's wearing a new skin."
His attention returned to the fight, patient. This was not the time to act — but soon.
Muye slipped back into the formation, unaware of the shadow watching him. The puppets worked together like parts of a single machine. Yun's tank puppet absorbed the blows, forcing the beast to commit. Lian's assassin puppet darted in for tendon and joint strikes, its chain-sickle snagging and twisting. Feng's brawler puppet punished every opening with bone-shattering force.
The forest reacted around them. Birds erupted from higher branches, startled by the noise. Mist swirled and curled around the combatants, thickening each time the beast's corpse Qi-infused blood splattered to the ground.
SPLASH!
The juniors kept their support fire going, though one nearly clipped Lian's puppet.
"Watch your aim!" Feng growled without looking back.
The beast tried to break the rhythm, lunging suddenly for Yun's puppet while its tail swiped at Lian's. Both puppets shifted to meet the strikes, but it left its side exposed again.
Muye's eyes narrowed. If he were closer…
KRRRRAAACK!
A massive root tore free as the brawler puppet grabbed it and used it like a club, slamming it into the beast's flank.
The blow sent it stumbling back several steps. Its breath came in ragged bursts.
HUUHHHH…
HUUHHHH…
Mist streamed from its jagged maw.
"Restrain it!" Lian called.
WHHRRRSHH!
The bladed puppet's chain-sickle wrapped around the beast's front leg. Yun's puppet slammed into its chest again, and Feng's followed with a crushing gauntlet strike.
BOOOOM!
The beast buckled, snarling, claws tearing trenches into the ground as it fought to regain footing.
The noise of the fight faded slightly as everyone held their ground, the beast now locked under the puppets' combined pressure.
For the first time since the battle began, there was space to breathe.
The juniors shifted, exchanging wary glances. Some still trembled, others looked almost exhilarated.
Muye's breathing was steady, but his eyes stayed fixed on the beast, committing every detail to memory.
Somewhere in the mist, the killer's eyes narrowed.
"This is going to be interesting."
The forest was quiet again. Not in peace, but in anticipation.
This fight was far from over.
---
The juniors began to steady their breathing, some gripping their weapons tighter, others easing their stance as though the pressure had finally let up. The beast's chest heaved under the combined restraint, a deep, guttural rumble vibrating through the ground beneath their feet.
For a moment, it looked as though they had it under control.
But the forest had other plans.
A sudden rustling rippled through the undergrowth. Twigs snapped. The mist thickened until even the nearest roots became hazy outlines. Then came the smell — stronger now, a rank combination of wet fur, rotting meat, and something coppery.
The beast's eyes flared.
RRRRHHHGGGGHHHHH!
Its legs bunched. The chain-sickle strained, links creaking under the sudden tension. Yun's tank puppet dug its feet into the soil, iron plates locking into place. Feng's brawler puppet tightened its grip on the root-club.
The beast twisted.
KRRRNNNK!
One of the chain links snapped. The sound was sharp enough to cut through the din.
It lunged.
Yun's puppet intercepted with a shoulder block, but the impact knocked both of them sideways. The beast's claw tore through a low-hanging branch, sending leaves and wood chips scattering.
Muye sidestepped the debris, eyes narrowing. He could feel the pressure change again, that subtle shift in the fight when something big was about to happen. The beast was tiring, but it was also becoming reckless. Reckless could be even more dangerous.
From the treeline, Xue Yiran tilted his head. His gaze flicked between the beast and Muye. He could see the boy measuring distances, reading body weight shifts, planning. It was the way a veteran fighter looked at a battlefield, not a green outer disciple.
His lips curved.
"He's hiding more than skill… and if I'm right, this trial might be the best place to… confirm it."
A droplet of blood from the beast's earlier wound hit the moss near his boot with a soft patter. Xue Yiran's eyes sharpened. He would wait. He had patience.
The fight swelled again.
THUD!
The brawler puppet swung the root-club in a low arc, catching the beast's hind leg.
CRACK!
Bone shifted under the blow, but the beast only roared louder, snapping its head toward the juniors again.
One of the younger disciples panicked and fired a corpse Qi dart too soon.
FWIP!
It missed the mark, grazing the beast's ear.
That was all it took.
The beast surged forward, dragging Yun's puppet half a step before it could fully brace. Lian's bladed puppet darted in, chain-sickle whipping for the other leg but the beast jumped, all four limbs leaving the ground for an instant before crashing down.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave of its landing shook the nearby trees, sending more mist spiraling around them. Roots tore free of the ground, dirt spraying across the juniors' boots.
Muye adjusted his footing, his dagger still in hand. He didn't rush in. Not yet. Every move had to count.
The beast's attention flickered between its immediate threats — the puppets pressing it on all sides — and the easier prey in the backline. It hesitated, and that hesitation cost it.
Feng's puppet slammed the root-club into its ribs again.
WHHHTHHH!
CRUNCH!
The sound was wetter this time.
The beast stumbled, claws digging deep furrows in the soil to keep its balance.
Yun's puppet followed with a low sweep, knocking its front legs from under it. Lian's bladed puppet seized the opening, chain-sickle wrapping tight around its neck.
The juniors exhaled as the monster's head was yanked down, its massive body forced closer to the ground.
Xue Yiran's smile deepened.
"Oh yes… show me more."
For the first time since the battle began, Muye felt the tide shifting again but he didn't relax. The forest was too quiet now, the kind of silence that suggested this fight still had one last, ugly turn to take
---
A/N: That was intense… I burned more calories writing this fight than the disciples did fighting it 😤💪 Drop a power stone so Gu Muye can afford a better dagger. Maybe one that doesn't sound like it's going to snap in half mid-battle 🔪✨