Alex's confidence soared.
He had finally mastered three chaotic techniques—Exploding Palm, Lightning Rage, and his own self-named Dao of Collapsing Heavens.
Each flowed through him like wildfire. His Foundation Establishment Late Stage qi pulsed steady, tempered by Senior Sister Shui Bing's brutal training sessions. She drilled him until his bones ached and his meridians screamed, but the results were undeniable.
The Red Umbra Flower, bound to him by vow, lay sealed in a qi pouch at his waist. Its energy nurtured his dantian, feeding him even when he rested.
At sixteen, Alex felt ready. Ready to test his strength. Ready to prove that chaos could be shaped into power.
He chose Medicine Valley.
The valley always buzzed with energy. Glowing herbs grew in neat terraces, each leaf dripping with condensed qi. Cauldrons bubbled along stone paths, filling the air with a sweet medicinal fragrance. Even the wind seemed drugged by the smell of roots and flowers.
But today was different.
As Alex approached the valley, he found the entrance clogged with beasts. Spirit wolves circled impatiently. Qi deer stamped their hooves, snorting at one another. A massive demon bear sat in the middle of the path like a mountain, its tiny eyes fixed on the huts inside.
All of them were restless. Hungry.
Their eyes gleamed as if they were waiting for a feast. Their nostrils flared, drinking in some irresistible scent.
One qi deer lunged at Alex, slobbering all over his robe.
He twisted aside with a grimace. "What in the heavens is this mess?"
On the path, Senior Brother Yan leaned against a cauldron, sword strapped lazily to his back. He looked as though nothing surprised him anymore.
"Jin Hao," Yan said with the sigh of a man who'd given up trying.
Alex blinked. "Of course. What did he do this time?"
Yan gestured toward the valley. "Beauty Pill. For animals. Restores peak youth, peak scent, peak fur. The beasts can smell it from miles away."
Alex stared at the crowd of creatures slobbering, drooling, stamping. "That's either genius or disaster."
Yan scratched his chin. "Last time he tried, all the deer turned pink for a week. Sect Leader nearly had a stroke."
Alex shoved past the furry horde. Wolves whined. Deer snorted in frustration. The bear refused to move, but Alex vaulted over its back and landed inside the valley.
The sight made him whistle.
The ground was littered with shattered jade furnaces. Each shard glittered like treasure, worth more than a year's stipend.
Jin Hao was living dangerously.
A hut door burst open. Out strolled Jin Hao himself, grinning ear to ear, hair wild from smoke. He held up a pill that shimmered in the sunlight.
"Alex! Perfect timing!" he yelled. "Watch my genius at work!"
He tossed the pill to a mangy black wolf at the edge of the crowd. The wolf swallowed greedily. Its dull coat brightened to a glossy sheen. Its tired eyes turned sharp and youthful. A vibrant scent spread like incense, making every beast perk up instantly.
The disciples watching erupted.
Mei lounged on a fence post, tossing a candy between her hands. "It worked! The mutt looks younger than me!"
Liang chewed a plum with slow approval. "Jin's a genius."
The wolf wagged its tail. Then its stomach rumbled.
The next moment, the valley shook with a fart storm that lasted two full minutes.
The stench hit like poison fog.
Disciples gagged, stumbling over cauldrons. Wolves howled and fled. Deer bolted for the forest. Sparrows shrieked as they scattered. Even the massive demon bear groaned and trudged away.
Alex doubled over, coughing, fanning the air. "Jin—this isn't beauty. This is a battlefield weapon!"
Jin Hao scratched his head sheepishly. "Eh. It's dispelling impurities. My rat tests ended in explosions. This is progress."
The wolf fled down the path, tail tucked, leaving a green trail of doom.
Mei laughed so hard she nearly fell off her fence. "Farts and beauty—only you, Jin!"
Liang pinched his nose. "I'd rather stay ugly."
Yan groaned, rubbing his temples. "Clean this up before the Sect Leader smells it."
Jin Hao only grinned, fishing in his sleeve. He tossed Alex a candy wrapped in qi paper. "Oops. Worked… mostly. Here, taste test?"
Alex caught it, smirking. "I'll pass. But I will spar you. Sect ring. Let's see whose disasters are deadlier."
Jin Hao's eyes lit up. "Finally!"
News spread like wildfire.
By the time they reached the jade training ring, a crowd of disciples had gathered, arms full of dumplings and steaming cups of qi tea. It felt less like a duel, more like a festival.
Mei lobbed Alex an apple. "Don't lose to Fart Pill Jin!"
Fang splashed water from a gourd, laughing. "I bet the ring explodes!"
Liang sat cross-legged, muttering, "We're doomed."
And in the shadows, Senior Sister Shui Bing appeared. Her silver robes shimmered like moonlight. She said nothing, only watching with eyes that weighed every motion.
The duel began.
Alex charged, qi blazing through his veins. Exploding Palm roared to life. His hand glowed red, the air shuddering around his strike.
Jin Hao ducked and hurled a pill. It burst in a cloud of green gas.
Disciples coughed, and then—petals flew from their mouths. Roses, daisies, lilies. They spat flowers onto the ring, eyes wide in panic.
"Flower Cough Pill!" Jin Hao declared proudly.
Mei spat a daisy and glared murder at him. "You're dead, Jin!"
Alex pressed forward unfazed. He drew Lightning Rage into his core. Bolts rained down on him, surging through his body before arcing outward in a storm.
The blast slammed into Jin Hao, knocking him across the ring. Black scorch marks streaked across the jade floor.
Disciples screamed and dove for cover.
Liang yelped as his robe singed. "He's frying us alive!"
Fang cackled. "Lightning barbecue!"
Jin Hao crawled to his feet, hair smoking, grin unfazed. He hurled a string of pills that exploded in colors. Red smoke made disciples sneeze fireworks. Blue smoke lifted them off the ground. Even a lingering wolf floated helplessly, farting in panic.
"Anti-Gravity Pill!" Jin Hao announced.
The crowd half-cheered, half-wailed.
Alex darted through the chaos, sword flashing. He slammed it into the ground, summoning his Dao of Collapsing Heavens.
The earth groaned. Jade cracked like eggshells. Craters swallowed Jin Hao's rolling pills, snuffing their gas clouds. The entire arena shook with his power.
Dust whirled. Jin Hao coughed, stumbling. Then he laughed and threw his hands up.
"You win, brother! Your disasters beat mine!"
Cheers erupted. Disciples clapped, terrified but thrilled.
Mei tossed a lotus at Alex's head. "You'll destroy the sect at this rate!"
Liang, still floating helplessly, flailed his arms. "Monsters! Both of you!"
Shui Bing stepped forward at last. She dropped a single qi pill into Alex's palm. Her voice was cold, but her eyes carried a spark of pride.
"Control your chaos," she said.
Alex bowed with a grin. "Yes, Senior Sister. Care to spar next?"
Her whip cracked like thunder. She tossed him a talisman instead, turning away, though her warmth was clear beneath the steel.
The disciples dispersed slowly, whispering of disasters and duels. The broken arena glowed under the setting sun, scarred yet alive.
That night, the sect gathered on Righteous Peak.
A roaring bonfire painted the jade cliffs gold. Disciples roasted spirit yams over the flames, the scent rich with qi. Tea passed from hand to hand. Laughter returned, loud and warm.
Alex sat with Mei, Fang, and Jin Hao.
Mei poked him with a yam stick. "Your lightning roasted my dumpling. You owe me."
Jin Hao tossed an elixir bottle up and caught it. "Next time, I'll block your cursed palm with pills."
Fang splashed water at both of them, grinning. "You'll poison us first."
The air felt like family—rowdy, warm, alive. The sect's qi hummed gently beneath it all, grounding the chaos in something solid.
But then the laughter died.
The moon above turned blood-red.
Its glow spread like spilled wine, staining cliffs, trees, faces. Younger disciples froze, their yam sticks trembling. A qi deer bolted into the woods, bleating in panic.
Alex's dantian clenched, qi swirling uneasily. His stomach sank.
Mei's hand tightened on her dagger. She whispered, "What is that?"
Liang dropped his plum with a thud. "Bad news."
Fang's water splash faltered, dripping uselessly to the ground.
Shui Bing stepped into the firelight. The red glow caught her silver robes, turning them into molten steel. She looked at the sky with calm, heavy eyes.
"A legend," she said. "When the moon bleeds, disaster follows. A bloodbath across the human realm. Beasts. Demons. Perhaps worse."
The disciples paled. Some clutched talismans. Others stared skyward with trembling lips.
Liang muttered, "We're doomed."
Mei's grip tightened on her dagger. "How soon?"
Fang asked, his voice barely steady. "Days? Weeks?"
Shui Bing's gaze did not leave the moon. "Soon enough. Prepare."
Alex's heart pounded. The heavens had always thrown disasters his way. But this was bigger. Vast. A shadow over the entire continent.
He rose to his feet, voice steady. "Then I'll get stronger. I won't die in a bloodbath."
Shui Bing finally looked at him. For a heartbeat, pride flickered in her eyes. She tossed him another qi pill.
"Train harder," she said. "Survive."
The bonfire snapped, sparks rising. The disciples forced laughter back into the night, but unease hung thick as smoke.
Alex sat again, gripping his sword. Its weight anchored him against the tide of fear.
The heavens could bleed. Demons could rise. But he would face it. He would turn disaster into triumph.
Mei nudged him with a roasted yam. "Don't die, Disaster Boy."
Jin Hao chuckled, raising his elixir. "If you do, I'll make a pill to bring you back. Probably."
Fang splashed water over the fire, laughing weakly. "You're all insane."
Alex bit into the yam. Sweet, smoky, grounding. His resolve burned hotter than the flames.
Whatever came—beasts, demons, or worse—he would meet it head-on.
And this time, he wouldn't face it alone