Lin Chen paused for a moment, considering the proposal. At his current level, submitting to Yu Feng would be completely safe. In the future, when he grew stronger, he could deal with Yu Feng and act like a loyal subordinate until then.
But he shook his head.
"No."
Yu Feng's eyes glinted coldly.
"What you call weakness—clinging to morality—is what makes a human unique. Without it, you are nothing but a beast."
"Even if I am weak, even if death stares me in the face, I will not abandon my morals. They are what define me. Lose them, and I will become someone I despise. I may be idealistic… but I will never betray what makes me human."
He could not agree. He knew the path of cultivation was soaked in blood, that cruelty and pragmatism often ruled. Yet he would walk it with his morals intact. To abandon them would be to become the very thing he despised most.
And trusting a serpent like Yu Feng — a man who hadn't even blinked when his subordinate died before him — that would be the gravest mistake of all.
"Hahaha! Your tongue is sharper than your blade, foolish brat. Since you spurn the golden opportunity this young master granted, then die without regret!" Yu Feng's laughter rang out, sharp and mocking, carrying the weight of menace.
In a single, fluid motion, he drew his sword. Frost Qi surged from the blade, spilling through the air like shards of frozen steel. The temperature in the room dropped instantly, and the mist snaked around his feet, curling and twisting as if alive.
He leveled the tip at Lin Chen. With a subtle flick of his wrist, dozens of swords of pure ice materialized from the air itself, spinning around him like a swarm of predatory birds.
"Die."
The blades shot forward like a frozen tempest.
Aiva didn't blink.
"Lightning Phantom Step!"
Lighting crackled faintly beneath Lin Chen's feet. In a blur, he vanished from where he stood — weaving through the incoming ice blades with impossible precision.
One sword slashed an inch off his temple, and another buzzed past his shoulder, slicing a few strands of his hair.
Each movement was calculated to the millisecond. A slight pivot. A breath-held roll. A half-step back. Aiva scanned every angle, every threat vector, adjusting Lin Chen's body like a master puppeteer — except the strings were made of Qi and timing.
Then—Yu Feng moved.
A flash of blue mist from the side.
He closed the distance instantly, his sword driving straight for Lin Chen's chest.
A fatal strike.
But Aiva was ready.
Lin Chen's legs twisted, his knees bent, and his entire torso snapped backward mid-dodge — his spine almost parallel to the ground. The tip of Yu Feng's frost sword sliced clean through the front of his robe, a whisper away from cutting flesh.
But instead of retreating—
Strike now.
Using the force of the dodge, Lin Chen's leg rocketed upward — a perfect counter-kick that smashed right into Yu Feng's jaw with a brutal crack.
"Ugh—!"
Yu Feng staggered, eyes wide, head snapped back.
Before he could even recover, Lin Chen's hand flicked — hurling the knife straight at his chest. A clean, sharp throw. A perfect trajectory.
Clang!
The blade struck… then bounced off with a metallic ripple of golden light.
A protective treasure.
"You insolent brat! How dare you strike me?!" Yu Feng bellowed, clutching his jaw as frost Qi surged around him like a violent storm. "You'll pay for this with your life!"
The entire floor was covered in ice. Yu Feng seemed unsteady, pushing his Qi to the limit. The wooden floor beneath them groaned, unable to bear the immense energy, cracks slowly spider-webbing across the boards.
The next second—
CRACK!
The floor gave way beneath them.
In an instant, the entire second floor shattered, collapsing into icy fragments as the two cultivators plunged downward amidst the dust and debris.
"Die!" Yu Feng roared mid-fall, his voice carrying arrogance and killing intent.
Before Lin Chen could even land, frost surged madly from Yu Feng's sword.
"Cold Heaven Domain!"
A shockwave of frigid Qi burst outward, sweeping across the ground floor. The cracked stone froze solid in the blink of an eye. Thick layers of ice spreading like a plague devouring everything in its path.
Rumble!
From that frozen ground, dozens of massive ice spears erupted violently, each one sharp as divine steel and brimming with murderous intent.
They weren't scattered at random — they rose in a precise circular formation, hemming Lin Chen in from all sides like the fangs of a colossal glacier beast.
Yu Feng sneered. "Let's see how you crawl your way out of this, trash!"
"Lightning Phantom Step!"
Lin Chen's figure flickered. Just as the first spears pierced upward, his body twisted mid-air, boots kicking off a falling beam. He spun sideways, threading through two icy lances that shot past with bone-chilling force.
Chi!
Frost kissed his shoulder, slicing through his robe. Cold Qi bit into his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. But Lin Chen didn't falter. His palm slammed against a pillar mid-fall, using it not to block, but to propel himself with greater speed.
Boom!
Two more spears lunged before him.
Thunder crackled beneath his soles. In a blur of light, Lin Chen slid across the frozen ground, weaving between the blades with hair's breadth precision.
Yu Feng landed, his sword plunging into the center of the formation. Frost Qi erupted like a storm, his robes billowing in the gale of his own power.
"Frozen Prison!" he snarled.
The ice spears shifted, bending unnaturally, hissing like serpents forged of glacial steel. One after another, they coiled inward, sealing every path of escape.
Aiva calculated instantly.
[Defensive maneuver: Impossible.]
[Solution: Breakthrough.]
Lin Chen's body surged forward, straight into the encroaching frost wave.
To Yu Feng, it looked suicidal.
But Lin Chen's right hand sparked, arcs of blue lightning snapping across his palm. Aiva compressed the Qi into his fingertips until it shrieked like caged thunder.
"Lightning Fist!"
The strike detonated. Lightning drilled through the frost wave with a deafening crack, ice shattering, steam erupting as frost vaporized in a violent clash of elements.
The shockwave blasted outward, hurling shards of broken ice across the ground like razors.
Yu Feng's eyes widened. He broke through…?
Before he could even raise his sword, Lin Chen was already in front of him. His right arm still glowed with residual arcs of Qi, while his left hand snapped into motion — a knife flashing cold under the storm of lightning.
And this time, the strike wasn't aimed to kill.
[Target: Wrist tendon. Disable primary weapon.]
The blade flew, spinning with surgical precision.
Thwak!
Blood sprayed in a crimson arc as the knife buried itself deep into Yu Feng's wrist. Bone cracked, tendons severed. His grip failed instantly, his treasured sword clattering to the frozen floor.
Yu Feng howled, pain and disbelief twisting his face.
But Lin Chen — no, Aiva — allowed no pause.
[Follow-up: Exploit existing weakness.]
His leg snapped upward with mechanical precision.
[Impact: Jaw — repeat trauma.]
Crack!
The same chin shattered again under the brutal kick. Blood and teeth flew as Yu Feng's head snapped back violently. His body lifted off the ground for a breath before smashing into the ice with a thunderous crash.
He skidded across the frozen floor like a broken doll, slamming shoulder-first into a cracked support beam. Blood gushed from his mouth, spraying the wood.
Yu Feng twitched, dazed and disoriented, his vision spinning. His defensive treasure flickered faintly around his chest, its glow weak and broken. His limbs quivered like a puppet with cut strings.
Aiva's cold analysis pierced through the chaos
[Target incapacitated. Window of execution: Six seconds.]
Lin Chen's body blurred into motion. Lightning surged along his arm, wrapping around the blood-stained knife like a hungry serpent.
Yu Feng coughed blood, his lips trembling. "W-Wait! Don't—! I can give you treasures! Spirit stones! Techniques! I'm an inner disciple—spare me, and I—!"
[Decision: Terminate.]
The knife was swept horizontally, guided with ruthless efficiency.
Shhhk!
A clean slash across the throat.
Blood gushed in a thick crimson spray, steaming as it splattered across the icy floor. Yu Feng's words cut short with a wet gargle, eyes bulging in disbelief. His trembling hands clawed at the wound, futilely trying to stop the inevitable torrent.
He collapsed to his knees, then fell sideways with a muted thud. His eyes, wide and lifeless, remained fixed on Lin Chen — frozen in eternal shock that the "trash" he scorned had ended him like a slaughtered animal.
*****
A/N: I want to give my heartfelt thanks to two readers — Sitting_Duck and DaukSama — for their support! I truly appreciate it. I also hope the rest of you are enjoying the story so far. If you have any thoughts, feedback, or concerns about the plot, feel free to share them in the comments!
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