"So, you were just hiding from us, right Xiao Yan?" Jinyao's voice dropped an octave, her eyes narrowing as she stepped into his personal space.
Xiao Yan nearly choked on his snack, his eyes darting between the two girls. "Girls, I was just... having some fun! You know, exploring. Nothing else!"
"Having fun?" Shi Lieya crossed her arms, her expression unreadable but stern. "You left us again. You didn't even say goodbye."
"You have to tell us when you aren't going to be here," Jinyao added, poking him in the chest. "We are a team, aren't we?"
While Xiao Yan was being interrogated, a different kind of tension gripped the Stoneveil Court. Tang Shuya sat by a window overlooking the tidal pools, her heart heavy. Her father, the Clan Head, had forbidden her from entering the Forbidden Mountain range.
"Young Miss," a close subordinate whispered, bowing at the door. "Your father wishes to speak with you."
Shuya sighed and smoothed her robes before entering the grand study. "Father, what is it?"
"Shuya," her father said, not looking up from his maps. "How is your cultivation progressing? Is your Tidal Mind Root stable?"
"It is, Father. But what does that matter if I am trapped here?"
"I have made a decision. I plan to send you to the Academy."
Shuya's eyes widened, her calm "Strategist" mask slipping for a moment. "Really?"
"Yes. You have reached the Divine realm . To go further, you must see the world. You need to become stronger."
"Finally! Thank you, Father!" Shuya didn't wait for him to change his mind; she hurried to her room to pack, her mind already calculating the variables of the journey ahead.
Xiao Yan was currently being "marched" back toward the shelter, with Jinyao and Lieya each gripping one of his arms as if they expected him to vanish into thin air.
"Hey, Jinyao! Long time no see!"
A young man with a sharp face and expensive robes blocked their path. His aura was arrogant, pulsing with Divine Realm spirit energy. This was Mo Tianrui, a persistent pursuer who had been pestering Jinyao for years.
"What are you doing here, Tianrui?" Jinyao's voice turned ice-cold.
"Well, I'll be joining the Mountain expedition too. Is that a surprise, Yao'er?"
"Call me by my name, and not that nickname," Jinyao snapped, pulling Xiao Yan closer to her. "I've told you before: don't pester me."
She pulled Xiao Yan past him without looking back. Tianrui's smile didn't fade, but his eyes turned dark as he watched them walk away. "Jinyao... I will definitely have you. No matter who that brat is."
To escape the crowd, the trio entered a nearby restaurant. By sheer coincidence—or perhaps fate—they sat at the table directly next to a veiled woman eating silently. It was Yan Bingxue.
Bingxue kept her head down, her Frozen Immortal Eye hidden behind her silk veil. Those two really are clinging to him, she thought silently, her grip on her chopsticks tightening slightly.
"Wanna eat something, Xiao Yan?" Lieya asked, her tone much softer now that they were alone.
Xiao Yan shivered suddenly. (Why do I feel a familiar aura of coldness?) he wondered, glancing around the room. (Is it an hallucination? No... this chill feels like home.)
Before he could investigate further, the front doors of the restaurant were kicked open. A group of bruised and angry thugs marched in, led by a man with a massively scarred face. These were the same thugs Xiao Yan had beaten previously—and this time, they had brought heavy reinforcements from the local underworld.
"There he is!" the leader shouted, pointing a finger at Xiao Yan. "The brat who thinks he's a hero!"
The atmosphere in the restaurant turned frigid instantly. Recognizing the scarred leader and the cruel reputation of his gang, the other patrons scrambled for the exits. These were men known to kill for a mere insult.
"Xiao Yan... let me see what you've truly got," Bingxue whispered from the neighboring table, her eyes hidden behind her veil but locked onto him.
"Well, men," Xiao Yan said, standing slowly. He didn't look scared; if anything, he looked bored. "Come at me."
He reached into his robe and swallowed a Balance Breaking Pill. The medicine surged through his meridians, temporarily stabilizing his Trinity energy for a massive output.
"Why don't you get rid of that silk over your eyes, boy?" the thug leader sneered. "Unless you're too afraid to look us in the eye?"
"Alright," Xiao Yan replied, his voice dropping an octave. "You asked for it."
He reached up and pulled the silk blindfold away. As his lids opened, a crushing aura erupted from his pupils, shaking the very foundation of the building.
"What?! Your eyes... they've mutated!" the leader stammered, stepping back.
"They didn't just mutate," Xiao Yan countered, his vision shifting as the Codex Eye activated. "They upgraded. There's a difference."
Through his eyes, the world slowed down. He could see the flow of Spirit energy in the air and the flickering lights of the thugs' souls. Beside him, Lieya stood up, her fire affinity flaring. "Xiao Yan, we're in this together!"
"Yep!" Jinyao added, her hands glowing with power.
But they had miscalculated. From the back of the thug group, a massive figure stepped forward. The air in the room became heavy—suffocatingly so. This was a Peak Divine Realm fighter. His aura crashed against the trio like a tidal wave. Xiao Yan's knees buckled under the sheer pressure of a realm so much higher than his own.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan forced his Thunder Veins to ignite, the blue sparks struggling to keep him upright. In that moment of struggle, he didn't notice a shadow slipping behind him.
SHLICK.
A jagged knife plunged into Xiao Yan's side.
"Xiao Yan!" the girls screamed in horror.
"Hahahaha!" the thug leader barked, his face twisted in a manic grin. "My plan worked! You're dead, you bastard! I've killed you!"
Bingxue's hand flew to the hilt of her sword, her cold intent about to freeze the entire street—but she stopped. Xiao Yan was standing back up.
[Master, I am back.]
A familiar, sarcastic, yet comforting voice echoed in his mind. In his Sea of Consciousness, the golden orb had transformed. It was no longer just a light; it had taken the form of a small, sharp-eyed "Michael" in a sleek, chibi-anime style.
(Michael! You're back!) Xiao Yan thought, a surge of relief washing over him. (I need your help. Now!)
[Well, you've unlocked a new Tier. You have the 'Merging Skill' now. Want to try it out?]
"Do it!" Xiao Yan roared.
In the physical world, a pillar of golden and red light erupted from Xiao Yan. His power level rocketed, tearing through the mortal ceiling and touching the Divine Stage. His blue lightning underwent a terrifying transformation, turning into a deep, blood-red hue that crackled with the sound of a thousand dragons.
"First of all," Xiao Yan said, his voice resonating with the System's power. He reached down and pulled the knife from his side with his bare hand. The wound began to close instantly, forced shut by his Stage 7 Body Perfection. "Your little knife didn't scare me. My body is far stronger than your cheap steel."
He moved faster than the Peak Divine fighter could track. His red thunder touched the thugs just once—a single discharge of energy—and they collapsed into unconsciousness instantly.
"What power..." Xiao Yan whispered, looking at his glowing red palms.
Deep within the demonic kingdom, the air was cold and filled with the scent of sulfur.
"Have you found him? Have you found Xiao Yan?" a voice boomed from the throne.
"Yes, my Lord," a kneeling demon replied. "He is currently within the Nansha Empire."
The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Contact our agents near Nansha. I want his head on my table by next week."
"At your orders, my Lord!"
TO BE CONTINUED!!!!