Only an hour had passed since Qin Su had left the arena. He had been resting, enjoying a rare moment of sleep, when a deafening blast shook the ground beneath him.
"Damn… they must be serious! Such powerful energy… First place must mean a lot to them," he muttered. "Well, nothing to do with me."
Then came another explosion — louder, closer, and impossible to ignore.
"That energy… No, that's not from those bastards. Damn, what the fuck happened?"
In an instant, Qin Su was gone, moving faster than the eye could track, rushing toward the source of the blasts.
Ten Minutes Earlier — In the Arena
"Go, Qin Wei!"
"Go, Qin Leng!"
The arena roared as the two prodigies clashed in a spectacular display of power. Elder whispers filled the stands.
"Who would have thought these two would be equal in power?" one elder remarked.
"The future looks bright," said the Grand Elder, Qin Cai. "Both have a shot to enter the Infusion Core Realm."
"Your words are wise, Brother Cai," Qin Mu boasted, his pride as vivid as the sun. "But my son will win this battle. Hahaha!"
Yet no one noticed the shadows creeping around the arena — uninvited, silent, and deadly.
Then, without warning, the first strike hit.
"Bastard!"
A scream, a flash, and chaos erupted. Xu Xi, cloaked in black, revealed his presence. His aura pulsed with the power of a peak Infusion Realm warrior. "Ten Thousand Poison Daggers — Strike!" he bellowed.
The arena filled with metallic flashes — daggers spinning, slicing, striking. Elders and guards fell, some reduced to ash.
Qin Mu roared, fire bursting from his sword. "You dare attack my youths? I am Qin Mu — Clan Leader of the Qin Clan!"
BOOM!
The clash of sacred weapons sent shockwaves that shattered the arena floor. Flames, smoke, and energy blasts intertwined in a chaotic storm.
Clan Leader Mu's Death
Qin Mu's body trembled as he faced Xu Xi head-on. His Flame Edge pulsed with golden fire, coiling around him like a living serpent. Even as daggers pierced his limbs, even as blood sprayed across the arena tiles, he stood tall.
"You think you can destroy my clan?" he growled, sweat and blood mingling, his hair stuck to his forehead. "I will not falter… I will die standing!"
Another wave of daggers rained down. The fire serpent formed by his sword erupted, devouring hundreds midair, but the relentless attack tore through his defenses.
One dagger pierced his shoulder, another his thigh, and pain surged through him like molten iron. He faltered. His vision blurred. Yet, with every ounce of will, he drove forward, raising his sword for a final, devastating strike.
"FOR THE QIN CLAN!"
A pillar of golden-white fire split the sky, consuming the daggers in a blaze of pure power. But the strain was too much. Qin Mu fell to one knee, the last of his energy fading, the Flame Edge buried in the scorched ground.
"Dear… Yuan Ai…" he whispered, voice barely audible over the chaos.
Yuan Ai rushed to him, her face pale but composed, tears threatening to spill. "No, no, no! You'll be fine, dear! You can't leave me!"
He smiled faintly, blood at the corner of his mouth. "The clan… protect them… promise me…"
"I promise," she choked out.
His hand grazed her cheek weakly. "Good… my wife…"
And then he was gone. His body slumped, lifeless, the aura of the Flame Edge dimming to embers. Clan Leader Qin Mu had died.
Yuan Ai's Struggle
For a long moment, Yuan Ai could only stare at him, the world narrowing to the hollow ache in her chest. Around her, the arena was chaos incarnate — elders and guards fighting, disciples screaming, fires burning.
Her hands trembled, but she forced herself upright. Her voice cut through the smoke and panic, sharp and commanding.
"Everyone! Fall back! Protect the wounded! Guard the young!"
In another area, a young voice screamed, "Father!"
"It's alright, little Mei! Protect your mother!" Qin Mu called out, shielding his family while fighting a fe attackers .
"Father, watch out!" another voice cried.
"Nooo!"
A sword strike descended toward the family in a blur. The air trembled as anger and power collided. Then, in a flash of blinding light, the family of three was enveloped in a protective aura. The attacking men were incinerated instantly, reduced to ash before anyone could react.
The roar of the blast stunned everyone in the arena. Xu Xi's expression twisted in disbelief. "This… this power! How? Impossible!" Fear flashed in his eyes, and for the first time, the assassin faltered.
From above, a figure descended slowly, suspended in the air. A Spirit Shattering warrior — unmistakably powerful — had arrived. Clad entirely in white, with a mask hiding their face and crimson eyes radiating deadly authority, the figure drew every gaze, their presence alone silencing the chaos.
Xu Xi's mind raced. How could a Spirit Shattering warrior appear here? Who was this?
The figure hovered, calm but unyielding. Xu Xi attempted diplomacy, his voice trembling. "Senior… please, we have no quarrel with you! We will leave at once — no issues!"
"No issues?" The masked warrior's voice rang out, sharp and cold. "You dare attack my disciple and call it 'no issues'?"
A golden light flickered around a group nearby, catching Xu Xi's attention. "Your disciple…? Could it be…?" he muttered. Realization and panic flashed across his face.
"Please, mercy!" Xu Xi stammered. "This junior had no knowledge of your disciple's presence! Had we known, we would have avoided tracking them entirely!"
"Attacking them? Do you think it's that easy?" The warrior's voice dripped with restrained fury.
The Battle Turns
The masked warrior observed the destruction, the wounded, and the chaos. Families endangered, elders struggling, Yuan Ai limping under the strain — the scale of the massacre fueled their determination. With a gesture, every black-clad enemy was immobilized, trapped mid-attack.
"Capture them all!" the warrior commanded, their voice resonating with authority. The remaining Qin Clan guards, inspired and emboldened, immediately moved to secure the battlefield.
The warrior approached Xu Xi, now holding the Flame Edge Sword that had lain beside the fallen Clan Leader. As their fingers brushed the hilt, a surge of power and latent memories flooded their mind — this sword was no ordinary weapon. The Flame Serpent Sword, an inheritance of a Spirit Shattering realm warrior, pulsed with untapped energy.
The warrior's gaze shifted to the fallen Clan Leader. A silent promise was made: Though we never met on equal terms, your sacrifice will not be in vain. The clan will be protected.
Flames erupted from the sword, forming a coiling serpent that hovered around the warrior, ready to strike.
"Tell me the truth," the warrior demanded, voice firm. "Why are you doing this?"
Xu Xi smirked through gritted teeth. "Even if you are stronger, I will not reveal it!" With that, he swallowed a pill, his power doubling instantly. His veins glowed red as his eyes burned with frenzy.
"I have at most two minutes before my body and soul collapse… but that is enough for my next strike," he thought, unleashing a torrent of daggers.
"Twenty thousand dagger attacks! If you evade, your allies behind you will die!"
The storm of daggers rained down, each one humming with lethal energy.
"Hahaha! It cost my life, but I, Xu Xi, will take down a Spirit Shattering warrior! Finish them!" he yelled, trying to rally the remaining forces.
The Warrior's Counter
A calm, cold voice cut through the storm: "Do you think such a small attack could harm me?"
A blinding white light erupted, engulfing Xu Xi's body and soul, freezing his movements and neutralizing the lethal daggers. The power radiating from the warrior prevented his body and essence from further decay, leaving him helpless, suspended in defeat.
Passing the Torch
The warrior turned toward Yuan Ai, tossing the Flame Serpent Sword into her hands.
"This is the Flame Serpent Sword. I have fully unlocked its inheritance. Its power, and its responsibility, now lie with you. Use it for yourself… and for the clan."
Then, eyes softened slightly at the young girl standing nearby.
"You did well, young one. Keep training."
Little Mei blinked up. "Sir… who are you?"
The warrior only shook their head, voice gentle but firm. "When the time comes, I will train you. Until then, prepare yourself."
And with that, the masked warrior vanished, taking Xu Xi's remains far from the arena, leaving behind silence and the scent of smoke and burnt air.
Title: Clan Master's death!