The Blood Valley did not sleep.
Even at dawn, the mist writhed like something alive, thick and heavy with the stench of old death. Liang Feng stood at the edge of a broken ravine, fingers flexing slowly at his side. His breathing was steady, but his heart thundered in his chest. Each beat sent a ripple through his veins—thump… thump… thump—and with it, the Blood Qi responded.
The Crimson Pulse Method was no longer theory.
It was inside him now.
"Today," Master Shen said coldly from behind, "you will fight without restraint. No guidance. No intervention. If you hesitate, you die."
Liang Feng did not turn. "What's coming?"
Master Shen struck the ground with his staff.
The valley answered.
A shrill howl split the air. Then another. And another.
From the mist below, three Blood Beasts emerged first—massive, ape-like creatures with exposed muscle and bone, their skin split open as if something inside them had clawed its way out. Their eyes burned crimson, saliva dripping from serrated mouths.
But they were not alone.
Five figures followed behind them.
Human cultivators.
Their robes bore the sigil of a minor warlord faction—black spirals over red cloth. Their Qi signatures were sharp, disciplined, and hostile. They had come prepared. They had come to kill.
Liang Feng exhaled slowly.
"So they sent dogs and masters together," he murmured.
One of the cultivators stepped forward, sword humming with refined Qi. "That's him. The Blood Qi freak."
Another laughed. "He's just a boy. Kill him quickly."
The Blood Qi inside Liang Feng surged violently.
His heartbeat synchronized.
Thump.
The air around him trembled.
Thump.
Crimson light bled from his pores, wrapping around his body like living flame.
Thump.
The Crimson Pulse erupted.
A wave of blood-red force blasted outward, slamming into the ravine walls. Rocks shattered. The mist was torn apart violently. The nearest Blood Beast was lifted off the ground and hurled backward, its ribcage collapsing with a wet, bone-crunching explosion.
The cultivators froze.
"What—?"
Liang Feng moved.
He didn't charge blindly.
He advanced with rhythm.
Each step matched his pulse. Each movement was deliberate.
The second Blood Beast lunged, its massive claws crashing down. Liang Feng raised his arm—and released another pulse point-blank.
The beast's skull imploded, flesh and bone spraying the ground in a grotesque arc. Blood rained down, and Liang Feng inhaled sharply as the life essence flooded into him.
Power.
Pure, intoxicating power.
The cultivators reacted instantly. Three attacked from different angles, blades flashing with Qi-enhanced speed. Liang Feng twisted, ducked, and let the Crimson Pulse surge around him like a living shield.
Steel struck crimson energy—
—and shattered.
One cultivator screamed as shards tore into his face. Liang Feng stepped inside his guard and drove his dagger upward through the man's jaw. Blood poured down Liang Feng's arm as he ripped the blade free.
Another cultivator tried to retreat.
Liang Feng snapped his gaze toward him and pulsed.
The man's chest caved in as if struck by an invisible hammer. He flew backward, hit the cliff wall, and slid down in pieces.
But the remaining two were veterans.
They coordinated.
One feinted high while the other struck low, Qi blades screaming through the air. Liang Feng took a hit across the ribs—pain exploded through him, hot and sharp.
He laughed.
The Blood Qi fed on pain.
His pulse accelerated.
The Crimson Pulse detonated outward again, closer this time—controlled, compressed.
The feinting cultivator was torn apart from the inside, blood erupting from every pore. The last one staggered back, horror replacing confidence.
"You're not human—!"
Liang Feng was already there.
He grabbed the cultivator by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
"Neither were the people you killed," Liang Feng said coldly.
He released one final pulse.
The ground cracked.
The cultivator ceased to exist.
Silence fell over the ravine.
Liang Feng stood amidst shattered rock, mangled corpses, and steaming blood. His body was soaked red, chest rising and falling heavily. The Crimson Qi slowly settled, coiling beneath his skin like a satisfied beast.
Master Shen approached, eyes sharp and unreadable.
"You didn't lose control," he said. "Even when injured. Even when overwhelmed."
Liang Feng wiped blood from his mouth. "Because now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"That Blood Qi isn't rage," Liang Feng replied. "It's will. Rage is just the spark."
Master Shen nodded once. "Good. Today, you stepped into true cultivation combat. You fought multiple enemies, different threat types, and lived."
Liang Feng looked down at his bloodstained hands.
"I want more."
Master Shen's expression darkened. "Careful. Hunger is useful—but unchecked hunger creates monsters."
Liang Feng lifted his gaze, eyes glowing faintly crimson.
"Then I'll become a monster they can't kill."
The mist closed in again, swallowing the corpses, the blood, and the echoes of battle.
But Blood Valley remembered.
And far beyond it, unseen forces had begun to take notice.