By the time the sun dipped behind the mountains, the sect felt as though it had been submerged underwater.
Silent.Heavy.Waiting.
Even the clouds hung low, like a shroud over the peaks.
Zhou Shan clung to Lian Hong's sleeve.
"Bro… the air feels wrong. Very wrong. Super wrong. Ultra wrong. My heart says hide, my brain says run, my stomach says vomit—"
Lian Hong said nothing.
Because he felt it too.
Not fear.Not pressure.
A shift.
The kind of shift that comes before lightning strikes the earth.Before a beast pounces.Before a killer emerges from shadow.
His training with Wei Feng had heightened his senses to the point where the entire sect's tension pressed against his skin.
Tonight—
the masked killer would come.
As Lian Hong walked across the elite plateau, disciples parted again.
But today, they did so with trembling legs.
"Is he really staying?""He's actually going to fight?""He's either the bravest person in the sect… or the most insane.""Do you think the masked killer will kill others too? Should we hide in the mountains?""No! If he senses weakness, he'll kill us first!"
All eyes were on Lian Hong.
Not out of admiration.
Out of helpless fascination, like watching a disaster approach from far away.
One disciple whispered:
"…I heard the killer once slaughtered an entire outer sect in a single night."
Another replied:
"…If Lian Hong survives, he won't stay outer sect long."
A third spoke even quieter:
"…and if he dies, the elders will pretend none of this happened."
On the cliff peak, Rank 1 Mu Yanting stood with his wooden sword planted in the earth.
His eyes scanned the horizon.
"Tonight is the night," he murmured.
A junior approached.
"Senior Mu… if the masked killer truly comes… will you intervene?"
Mu Yanting didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"No."
The junior disciple trembled.
"But Senior—! Lian Hong might die—!"
Mu Yanting closed his eyes.
"If he dies… then he was not worthy of living."
He opened his eyes again.
"And if he lives… he becomes a rival I must surpass."
The mountain wind swept his robe.
"That is the way of cultivators."
In the bamboo grove, Xu Jian adjusted the bandages around his wrist.
He stood before several bamboo slips—each recording information about Lian Hong's battles.
He studied them calmly.
"His instincts…His adaptability…His bloodline progression…"
He placed one bamboo slip aside.
"And now his void sensitivity."
He picked up a brush and wrote a single line:
'Potential threat: extreme.'
Then he closed the bamboo slip.
"Let the masked killer test him."
He turned away.
"If he survives… I will claim what's mine."
At the lakeside pavilion, Su Qingyue held a small jade box.
Inside—
a pill the color of pale moonlight.
A forbidden-grade recovery pill.
She stared at it, conflict tearing at her expression.
"This is against sect rules," she whispered.
"If I give this to him… and someone discovers it…"
Her fingers tightened around the box.
"But if I don't…he might not survive tonight."
She turned.
And walked toward the elite plateau.
As darkness thickened, Wei Feng approached Lian Hong.
His expression more serious than ever.
"Tonight… you do not fight to win."
Lian Hong looked up.
Wei Feng continued:
"You fight to survive."
He placed a hand on Lian Hong's shoulder.
And spoke in a tone rarely heard from him:
"…Do not try to defeat him."
"Do not try to test yourself."
"Do not rise to his bait."
"Do not attempt to overpower him."
He took a step back.
"If you try to win—you will die."
Zhou Shan nodded rapidly.
"Yes, yes, listen to him! Running is good! Hiding is better! Playing dead is also acceptable—!"
Wei Feng ignored him.
"Use your senses.Endure.React… but do not overextend."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Your chance will not come from strength."
"It will come from weakness—his weakness."
Lian Hong asked:
"What is his weakness?"
Wei Feng's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…He doesn't believe anyone can survive him."
The last beam of sunlight slid behind the mountain ridge.
The shadows lengthened.
The air thickened.
The wind died.
Everything fell silent.
Even the system spoke quietly:
[Warning: Hostile presence nearing the sect boundary]
[Threat classification: top-level lethal entity]
[Estimated time of arrival: shortly]
Zhou Shan grabbed Lian Hong's arm with both hands.
"BRO—THISISIT—!!!"
Lian Hong stepped forward.
Calm.
Resolute.
The jade ring from Lin Qianyi hung around his finger.The training plaque from Wei Feng pressed against his palm.His bloodline hummed beneath his skin.His senses sharpened into razor-wire instinct.
He stood alone in the center of the elite plateau.
Waiting.
Breathing.
Surviving.
Then—
the world shifted.
Not sound.Not sight.Not qi.
A silent disturbance in the very meaning of space.
Like someone erased themselves from existence—then reappeared behind it.
Every beast in the forest fled.Every disciple felt their hearts freeze.Every flame flickered out.
Zhou Shan's soul tried to eject itself from his body.
And the system whispered:
[The masked killer has arrived.]