Chapter 7 – Echoes of Power
The morning sun bled through the mist, spilling gold across the ravaged clearing where Yin Jin and Baifang had defeated the Rockhide Serpent. Smoke rose from the blackened earth, curling lazily into the pale sky.
Baifang groaned, stretching his arms. "I swear my muscles are still buzzing from that thing's lightning rebound. You sure you're not secretly trying to roast me alive?"
Yin Jin smirked faintly, brushing ash from his sleeve. "If I was, you'd already be ash."
Baifang laughed, loud and easy. "Fair point. Still—if that was the first day of the test, what's next? Dragons?"
Before Yin Jin could reply, the ground trembled beneath them. A pulse of qi rippled through the forest, sharp and clear as a bell. Both turned toward the source—deep within the Wudong Range, where clouds twisted unnaturally, lightning flashing inside the mist.
"That's… not normal," Baifang muttered, tightening his grip on his spear. "Feels like someone just challenged the heavens."
They moved quickly through the woods, boots sinking into damp soil, until the trees opened into a shattered valley. There, surrounded by scorched stone, stood another group of participants—five in total, their Azure Sky badges gleaming.
One of them, a girl with pale silver hair, stood at the center, her hands wreathed in wind that cut like blades. She faced a towering beast—a Crystal-Horned Aurox, its obsidian hide glimmering with shards of light.
Baifang whistled. "High-grade beast, early phase. They're insane to fight that head-on."
Yin Jin's eyes narrowed. "They're not insane—they're trained."
The team's movements were sharp, practiced—but the beast's roars grew louder, and its energy began to spiral out of control. The girl shouted something, and a wall of wind burst outward—too late. The aurox's horn blazed, releasing a beam of condensed qi that tore through their formation.
Baifang lunged forward instinctively. "We can't just stand here!"
Yin Jin nodded once. "Follow my lead."
Flame burst from his feet as he dashed ahead, crimson fire painting streaks through the valley. Baifang followed, lightning crawling across his spear until it glowed white-blue.
"Storm Crash!" he yelled, hurling the spear like a thunderbolt. It pierced the aurox's shoulder, detonating in a blinding flash.
The beast staggered, bellowing, and Yin Jin leapt high, his flames gathering into a sword of searing red. "Crimson Flare—Final Arc!"
He brought it down in a single stroke. The explosion rolled through the valley like a wave of fire and thunder, and when the smoke cleared, the aurox collapsed—crystallized, its body shattered into ash.
For a long moment, only the wind spoke.
Baifang landed beside him, panting. "You really have a flair for dramatic finishes, don't you?"
Yin Jin's flames dimmed to a low ember. "Every test is a chance to perfect my skill." He glanced at the molten sword fading from his grasp. "I'll call it… the Ember-Edge."
Baifang grinned. "Sounds fancy. Let's hope the next test doesn't kill us before you get to use it again."
From the cliff above, the silver-haired girl watched them with cautious respect. "You two… aren't ordinary participants, are you?"
Yin Jin met her gaze, his crimson eyes calm yet burning with quiet determination. "No,"
he said softly. "We're just getting started."