Soaked to the bone, I strode through the vast hallway of the courtyard, water drip from my sleeves and trailing along the polished floor.
That bastard Zhen… I'll make him pay for this.
Droplets slid from the hem of my robe with every step. I was heading toward the Inner Court to wash up and change, eager to get rid of the cold damp clinging to my skin.
But I halted abruptly.
A voice echoed from one of the chambers lining the corridor—calm yet carrying an unmistakable authority.
Headmaster Shilin?
"A Demon?"
My steps stilled. Instinctively, I shifted closer, peering through the narrow gap between two wooden pillars.
The corridor stretched quiet and empty before me.
Hans stood inside, holding up a piece of black wooden seal marked with an unfamiliar symbol.
"Yugo managed to retrieve this."
"A broken seal and array?"
"Yes…We have not yet determined who is behind the forced opening of the tower, but hundreds of demons have escaped and are now targeting the nearest village." his voice low and measured.
"And among those who escaped…" A brief silence followed
"…is one of the demons once sealed by the Great Seven."
Headmaster Shilin fell silent for a moment; his gaze fixed on the piece of black seal.
"I've tasked Xhie to investigate to the sudden attack in Genju Village" he said at last. "Yugo has already return from Jen Mountain to warn other sect."
A faint tension settled in the room.
"For now," Headmaster Shilin continued, his tone turning firm, "I will have the Chen disciples guard the border against any possible reappearance of the demon."
I took an unconscious step back—my foot brushing against a wooden broom resting by the wall. It tipped.
I caught it just in time, but the faint scrape against the floor broke the silence.
My heart pounded. Without any other thought, I slipped away, retreating swiftly down the corridor until I reached the Inner Court courtyard once more.
Inside the Inner Court
I found Kaidi seated on a wooden plank of the pavilion.
This time, he wore a robe—but it hung loosely over his frame, untied, leaving much of his chest exposed beneath.
He's looking by the edge of the vast pond, as the afternoon breeze brushed against his robes and carried the faint scent of water lilies across the air.
Sensing my gaze, he lifted his eyes to meet mine.
We looked at each other, neither of us willing to back down.
His gaze swept over me from head to toe, lingering for a moment as if trying to piece together the reason I was soaked.
Then, without a word, I turned and walked straight into one of the chambers.
--
Steam curled softly into the air, veiling the chamber in a gentle haze.
The bathhouse was quiet, save for the faint ripple of water against polished stone. A wide wooden tub sat at the center, filled with warm water—faint fragrance.
I sank into it slowly.
Droplets clung to my skin, tracing slow paths along my shoulders before slipping back into the water.
Demons, huh… hmm.
So that was why Yugo had been summoned to the Great Hall that day.
I tilted my head back against the wooden tub's edge, the warmth of the water slowly easing into my skin as my thoughts drifted aimlessly.
There were ways to identify a demon—clear signs one could never fully conceal.
Demons emit a dark, bloodthirsty aura
A body temperature either too cold… or unnaturally warm.
Or a formation array capable of exposing hidden identities entirely.
I let out a soft sigh, the sound breaking the stillness, before I finally rose from the wooden tub. Water dripped from my skin as I reached for a robe hanging nearby and draped it over myself.
Even as I moved, my thoughts lingered—but I still managed to compose myself.
Now dressed in a dry robe, I stepped out
Kaidi is still seated in the pavilion as before, his gaze fixed quietly on the scenery ahead, as if he had not moved at all since
"Hey," The wooden platform creaked under my steps.
"Have you… given it any thought?" I halted a few steps from the pavilion, standing on the wooden walkway—keeping my distance.
He cast me a fleeting glance. "Thought about what?"
"About me learning your technique." I pointed to myself, then to him, a faint smile tugging at my lips.
"My martial arts are mediocre at best," he replied, his voice calm, almost dismissive. "There is nothing within them worth passing on."
"Is that so…" I nodded lightly
"Should we test it out?"
"What do you mea---?" I cut him off.
As I dashed forward along the wooden walkway. My robe billowed violently behind me as the rushing wind met my movement, trailing like a shadow.
I lifted my hand.
The moisture in the air answered immediately.
Water gathered midair, condensing, sharpening—until crystalline ice formed in an instant. With a flick of my fingers, I sent it forward, straight toward Kaidi.
He reacted the moment the killing intent shifted.
His body twisted sharply, and with a subtle motion of his hand, he used force to levitate himself upward, narrowly evading the incoming ice shards.
The crystals pierced the wooden pillar behind him instead, embedding themselves deep with a sharp crack.
In instant, I was already in front of him.
I raised my leg for a follow-up strike.
He blocked.
"Allow me to witness it for myself… whether your so-called 'average' skill is truth as you claim."
The impact exploded between us with a dull shockwave—strong enough to send him sliding backward. The wooden railing shattered under the force, splintering as he was pushed through it.
Yet he did not fall.
With precise control, he stabilized his momentum and landed lightly in the middle of the vast river-lake, standing upon the water's surface as if it were solid ground.
His piercing gaze lifted to meet mine—calm, unreadable… yet sharp enough to cut through the air between us.
I met it with a playful smile.
"No need to be so serious, Kaidi," I said, raising a hand, two fingers loosely crossed. "I'm only putting your claim to the test."
Above us, a formation began to unfold.
Runes spread through the air like threads of light, expanding rapidly until they enveloped the entire inner courtyard. The space shifted subtly—the world sealing itself away from outside perception.
I didn't want the Chen Sect to know what was about to happen.
Kaidi tilted his head upward, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the expanding array. The glowing formation reflected in his gaze, layer upon layer, slowly enclosing the area.
For the first time, his expression changed—just barely.
As if realizing… I had no intention of stopping now.
"One more thing… I will not restrain myself."
I stepped forward.
The moment my foot touched the air above the water, ripples spread outward as if the lake itself recognized my intent.
Ice formed beneath my stride—thin, sharp platforms rising just long enough to support my movement before dissolving back into mist.
Kaidi didn't move
So, I will make a move instead
A single step—and the water beneath me erupted upward, forming a spiraling surge that turned into dozens of compressed water blades. I shot toward Kaidi in a deadly formation, slicing through the air with shrill pressure.
He raises his hand.
The incoming water froze mid-flight.
Crack—
Ice swallowed water blades whole, shattering them into glittering fragments that rained down like glass.
But Kaidi was already behind me.
I barely turned in time to block his strike.
The impact sent a shockwave across the lake surface, splitting it open in a circular crater before the water rushed back in violently. My feet slid backward across the ice platform, carving deep lines into its surface.
"That was…" I muttered under my breath. "…Fast"
Kaidi's expression remained cold.
He raised his hand slightly.
The entire lake responded.
A dark blade appears in his hand. Water quivered, unable to remain still under its presence.
I narrowed my eyes.
Dark blade?
Then I mimicked his action and summoned my blade.
His blade cut through the air with no hesitation, releasing a crescent of compressed killing intent that tore across the frozen surface toward me.
I met it head-on.
My sword rose—crafted of condensed frost and spirit—and the moment our blades clashed, a sharp ringing sound echoed across the entire sealed space.
He pressed forward, each step light but heavy with pressure.
My blade struck again—faster this time. Left. Right. A downward arc aimed to split him in two.
Each strike, retreating half a step across the unstable ice.
I twisted my wrist and countered.
My blade swept upward, releasing a wave of frost that spread like a storm across the ground. The lake froze further, turning the battlefield into a jagged field of crystal spikes.
Then I form a glyph.
Water rose.
Not in waves—but in pillars. Dozens of them. All converging toward him at once, twisting like serpents made of liquid steel.
I exhaled slowly.
The air temperature dropped instantly.
The lake surface froze outward in a massive bloom, ice spreading in every direction until the entire body of water turned into a crystalline battlefield.
The water pillars crashed into the ice—shattering, reforming, colliding again.
Kaidi descended from above.
I looked up just in time to see him falling like a spear.
I lifted my hand.
A spear of ice formed above me—larger, denser, sharper than anything before.
And with a single motion—
I released it.
The ice spear shot upward, colliding with Kaidi mid-air.
The impact sent a violent wave across the frozen lake, cracking it in a spiderweb pattern that stretched beyond sight.
For a moment—silence.
Then both of us landed at opposite ends of the shattered ice field.
Steam rose where heat met cold.
Kaidi straightened slowly, his gaze locked on me—calm but now sharpened with intent.
I smirked.
"That's… kind of impressive, yeah."
"Average Indeed," I added under my breath—but he still didn't respond.
Instead, an oppressive aura suddenly spread.
The sky above us darkened in an instant, as if night had been forcibly dragged down upon the lake. Thick clouds spiraled and gathered overhead, swallowing what little light remained. Thunder rumbled low—then sharper, more violent—like something awakening in the heavens.
Huh…? What is this intent…?
A cold pressure pressed down my chest.
Then—red light.
Like blood reflecting across the surface.
The formation above us trembled violently, and for a split second, I saw it—
A massive ring and a crimson shrine
Dark. Ancient. Ring Rotating slowly behind the shrine.
Kaidi stands firmly, behind him are those Ancient Ring and Crimson Shrine.
Old ribbons dangled from their structure, swaying despite the absence of wind, drifting through space like they were underwater.
My eyes widened.
"What… is that…?"
The aura intensified.
It wasn't just strong, it was absolute, like the pressure of something far beyond what I had expected to face.
My grip on the blade tightened, but my body… froze.
Instinctively, I thrust my sword down into the ice beneath me for support, the frozen surface cracking outward under the strain.
Across from me, Kaidi remained standing.
unmoving.
Unshaken.
His dark aura swirled around him, swallowing the light. His robe still hung loosely on his frame, disheveled from the battle, yet somehow that only made him look more… unnatural.
…More dangerous.
Windless air moved around him like it obeyed something else entirely.
Damn…
He's something far beyond what I thought he was.