The whispers had just died down when a disciple rushed into the courtyard, breathless and pale.
"Elders! Sect Master! Riders from the Blood Saber Sect!"
Instantly, the courtyard came alive. Murmurs spread like a wave. The Blood Saber Sect had been rivals for ages, ruthless and ambitious. Their quick arrival after the tribulation could not be a coincidence.
Sect Master Ling's face darkened. "Bring them in."
Moments later, crimson banners snapped in the wind as seven riders dismounted at the gate. They wore armor edged in scarlet. At their front stood a tall man with hair like black steel and a saber strapped to his back. He looked around the courtyard with disdain before focusing on the smoldering plaza.
"So it's true," he sneered. "Heaven struck, and yet one of your disciples crawled out alive. How amusing."
The disciples bristled but stayed silent.
The man's gaze landed on Li Xian, who was standing with Su Yao beside him. His smirk deepened. "You must be the cripple who made a spectacle of himself. Surviving Heaven's wrath doesn't mean you're strong, boy—it makes you dangerous. And dangerous things…" He touched the saber at his back. "…must be dealt with."
Su Yao tensed, silver flame flickering in her eyes. But Li Xian only laughed—a low, dangerous sound that made the air feel tight.
"Dealt with? You dare raise your blade against me this soon after Heaven itself failed?" His crimson gaze fixed on the man. "Maybe your sect wants to succeed where the skies could not?"
The man's smirk faded, but he drew his saber anyway, letting its killing aura fill the courtyard. Several disciples staggered back, choking on the pressure.
Sect Master Ling raised a hand. "This is my sect's ground, Commander Wei. Don't assume—"
"Assume?" Wei spat. "The Blood Saber Sect doesn't ask for permission. We act." His gaze turned back to Li Xian. "Show me the power you claim scares Heaven. Or die like the cripple you've always been."
The challenge hung in the air. Disciples looked between Li Xian and the commander, caught between fear and excitement.
Li Xian's lips curved, slow and deliberate. He unwrapped Su Yao's fingers from his sleeve, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. He spoke softly so only she could hear:
"Stay back. This is not a tribulation. This is just a dog barking."
Her breath caught, torn between fear and faith. But when his steady crimson eyes met hers, she nodded.
Li Xian stepped forward. Each stride was slow, but every step resonated in the courtyard like thunder. The disciples felt it, their spines straightening, their breath catching. Even Commander Wei's sneer wavered under the invisible weight pressing down on him.
When Li Xian stopped, he stood just five paces away, his torn robes fluttering in the wind, blood still drying on his skin, yet his presence overshadowed everyone in the square.
"Very well," he said, his voice echoing like distant thunder. "Show me your saber. Then I will show you why Heaven fears me."
The courtyard erupted in gasps.
Commander Wei snarled, his saber glowing with crimson qi. "Arrogant brat—let's see how long your defiance lasts when your head rolls!"
He lunged, saber flashing like a blood-soaked crescent.
And Li Xian moved.
Faster than the eye could see, his hand shot up, crimson fire coiling around his fist. He met the descending blade not with steel but with flesh—his knuckles colliding with the edge in a thunderclap that split the air.
The courtyard shook. The saber screamed. Commander Wei's eyes widened as cracks spiderwebbed through his blade.
Li Xian leaned in, crimson fire blazing in his gaze.
"Your Heaven could not break me. Did you really think your toy of steel could?"
With one strong push, the saber shattered.