Pain came before consciousness.
Li Yun felt it seep into him like ice water—slow, merciless, awakening every nerve. His eyelids twitched, vision swimming as dim lamplight bled into focus.
The smell of bitter herbs filled his nose.
He was lying on a stone bed, his torso wrapped tightly in bandages etched with faint restraining runes. Each breath sent sharp pain through his ribs, but the crushing pressure from before was gone.
Infirmary…
He remembered the arena.
He Qiang's disbelief.
The crowd's silence.
And the elder.
Li Yun's fingers twitched.
"You should not be awake yet."
The voice was calm. Old. Heavy.
Li Yun turned his head slowly.
A man sat beside the bed, dressed in dark robes embroidered with silver cranes. His hair was white, but his posture was straight, his presence overwhelming.
Foundation Establishment Realm.
Li Yun's heart clenched.
"Relax," the elder said lightly. "If I wanted you dead, you would not have woken up."
Li Yun said nothing.
The elder studied him openly, eyes sharp as blades.
"You fought above your realm," he said. "You should have died."
Li Yun swallowed blood.
"I didn't."
The elder smiled faintly.
"No. You didn't."
He stood and walked toward the small window, gazing out at the mountain peaks.
"Do you know why the Black Crane Sect survives while others fall?" the elder asked.
Li Yun remained silent.
"Because we do not nurture lambs," the elder continued. "We raise wolves. And when wolves grow too dangerous…"
He glanced back.
"…we chain them."
Li Yun met his gaze evenly.
"What do you want?"
The elder chuckled.
"Direct. Good."
He flicked his sleeve. A jade slip landed on Li Yun's chest.
"From today onward," the elder said, "you are removed from standard outer disciple duties."
Li Yun's eyes flickered.
Removed?
"You will train separately," the elder continued. "You will receive resources. You will be observed."
Li Yun understood immediately.
A test subject.
"A blade," the elder said, "pointed inward."
Li Yun clenched his jaw.
"And if I refuse?"
The elder smiled.
"There is no refusal."
He turned and walked out.
The door closed softly.
Li Yun lay still, heart pounding.
They've noticed me.
Not as a disciple.
As a threat.
The Vulture Grounds
Three days later, Li Yun was escorted away from the outer disciple compound.
He was led deeper into the mountain, past training fields and inner courtyards he had never been allowed to approach. The Qi in the air grew thicker, heavier, pressing against his skin like a living thing.
They stopped before a narrow ravine.
"This is the Vulture Grounds," the guard said indifferently. "Survive."
Then he left.
Li Yun stared ahead.
The ravine descended into darkness, jagged rocks lining its sides like broken teeth. Bones littered the ground—human and beast alike. Above, carrion birds circled slowly, their cries echoing.
A place where disciples were sent to be sharpened.
Or discarded.
Li Yun stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold, killing intent slammed into him.
A beast burst from the shadows—a Black Fang Wolf, its eyes glowing red, saliva dripping from razor fangs.
Body Tempering (Peak).
Li Yun barely dodged as claws tore through stone where his head had been. He rolled, snatched up a fallen blade from the ground, and slashed.
The wolf leapt back, snarling.
Li Yun didn't hesitate.
He attacked.
Steel clashed with claw. Sparks flew. Pain exploded through his arms as the beast's strength overwhelmed him.
He adapted.
He used terrain.
He used timing.
He used hatred.
When the wolf lunged again, Li Yun stepped inside its guard and drove the blade upward through its jaw.
Blood rained down.
Li Yun stood panting over the corpse.
Then another howl echoed.
And another.
He smiled grimly.
So this is training.
Breaking the Limit
Days blurred together.
Li Yun fought constantly.
Beasts.
Traps.
Other disciples—sent here quietly, unofficially, to either rise or vanish.
There were no rules.
Only survival.
At night, Li Yun cultivated.
He had been given three low-grade spirit stones and a single vial of bone-tempering liquid. He used them ruthlessly, pushing his body to the brink again and again.
Pain became constant.
His muscles hardened.
His bones rang like metal when struck.
His Qi circulated more smoothly, violently carving through his meridians.
One night, as he sat submerged in the bone-tempering liquid, something shifted.
Qi surged.
Not explosively.
But densely.
It compressed.
Condensed.
Li Yun's breath hitched.
His dantian burned.
Crack.
A wall shattered.
Qi flowed differently now—thicker, heavier, obedient.
Li Yun's eyes snapped open.
Body Tempering — Peak Stage.
But it didn't stop.
The Qi continued to compress.
Too fast.
Too violent.
Blood sprayed from Li Yun's mouth as his meridians screamed.
Not yet! he roared internally.
But his body didn't listen.
The Jade Blade Manual pulsed in his mind, lines he had never understood before blazing into clarity.
Temper the body to temper the Qi.
Only then may condensation begin.
Li Yun forced the Qi back down, stabilizing it with sheer will.
He collapsed, gasping.
Sweat and blood mixed in the pool.
He laughed weakly.
Soon.
The First Kill Order
On the tenth day, a bell rang through the ravine.
Li Yun emerged from cultivation to find an outer disciple standing at the edge of the Vulture Grounds.
The man avoided his gaze.
"Senior Brother Li," he said stiffly. "You are summoned."
Li Yun followed.
They stopped at a secluded platform overlooking the ravine.
Instructor Han stood there, hands clasped behind his back.
"You've done well," Han said flatly. "Better than expected."
Li Yun waited.
"There is a problem," Han continued. "An inner disciple candidate named Xu Ren has gone… rogue."
Li Yun's eyes narrowed.
"He hides in the lower forest," Han said. "Refuses orders. Spreads dissent."
Han turned.
"You will eliminate him."
Li Yun stiffened.
"Killing an inner candidate?"
Han smiled thinly.
"He is unregistered now."
Li Yun understood.
A test.
A leash.
"What if I fail?" Li Yun asked.
Han's gaze was icy.
"Then you join him."
Li Yun bowed.
"As you command."
Blood Under the Moon
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Li Yun moved silently, senses stretched to their limit. Qi flowed smoothly through his limbs, every movement precise.
He found Xu Ren at a clearing near a waterfall.
The man stood with his back turned, sword planted in the ground.
"You came," Xu Ren said calmly.
Li Yun froze.
Xu Ren turned.
His aura was sharp.
Qi Condensation — Initial Stage.
"You're not here to talk," Xu Ren continued. "They never send messengers for that."
Li Yun tightened his grip.
Xu Ren sighed.
"They fear you," he said. "That's why they sent you."
Li Yun said nothing.
Xu Ren raised his sword.
"Come."
The fight exploded.
Xu Ren moved like flowing water, Qi reinforcing every strike. Li Yun was driven back instantly, arms screaming under the pressure.
He adapted.
He endured.
He waited.
Xu Ren overextended—just slightly.
Li Yun stepped in and took the hit, ribs cracking.
And struck.
He drove his blade through Xu Ren's chest.
Xu Ren coughed blood, eyes wide—not in fear, but understanding.
"So… they chose you," he whispered.
He fell.
Li Yun stood there under the moonlight, blood dripping from his blade.
Something inside him hardened.
Forever.
Watched
From afar, two figures observed the scene.
"The boy crossed the line," one murmured.
"Yes," the elder replied. "And he didn't hesitate."
He turned away.
"Prepare the next stage."