Morning sunlight bathed the Outer Sect courtyard in a warm glow. Birds chirped, but the usual harmony was gone.
Whispers followed Lin Tian wherever he walked. The previous duel with Qin Hao and the assassination attempt had made him a legend overnight.
Outer disciples watched him with a mix of awe and jealousy.
Three outer disciples, led by a hot-headed boy named Zhou Jie, blocked his path near the training field.
"Lin Tian," Zhou Jie called, arms crossed. "You think you're special, don't you?"
Lin Tian paused, tilting his head slightly.
"I only know how to be strong," he said calmly. "Nothing special about that."
Zhou Jie laughed mockingly.
"Ha! You humiliated Wu Fan, defeated Qin Hao… and now everyone fears you! You're nothing more than a lucky beginner!"
Mo Xue, leaning on a nearby railing, raised an eyebrow at Zhou Jie.
Amateurs. she thought.
Lin Tian looked at Zhou Jie's group.
"Do you want to test that theory?" he asked.
Zhou Jie's eyes narrowed.
"You'll regret underestimating me!" he shouted.
---
The fight began immediately.
Zhou Jie's companions charged from both sides, fists glowing faintly as they activated basic Body Refinement.
Lin Tian moved like a shadow, calm and precise.
The first strike came from the left—Lin Tian twisted, catching the wrist and flipping the disciple across the training field. Crack! Bones shattered audibly.
The second disciple lunged with a low kick—Lin Tian stepped aside and countered with a palm strike to the shoulder, sending him sprawling into a wooden training dummy.
Boom!
Zhou Jie's eyes widened.
"You—how?"
Lin Tian remained calm, almost bored.
"Observation and adaptation," he said.
---
Zhou Jie, frustrated, roared and released his qi.
"Tiger's Fang Strike!"
A massive pressure rolled forward like a tidal wave. Nearby disciples stumbled back instinctively.
Lin Tian exhaled slowly, letting the energy hit him. His Heaven-Defying Body Art activated, absorbing and redirecting the force.
Step forward. Step to the side. Elbow. Knee. Palm.
Boom! Boom! Crack!
Three attacks neutralized. Zhou Jie's energy dispersed like mist.
Mo Xue's eyes flickered with interest.
He's refining his Body Art mid-fight… already adapting faster than anyone I've seen in years.
---
The fight escalated further.
Zhou Jie, furious, grabbed a small vial from his robe and swallowed it. His aura exploded.
"Spirit Enhancement Pill!" someone gasped.
His muscles bulged, qi surged violently. He charged Lin Tian like a battering ram.
Lin Tian, calm, analyzed the pattern. Pain flared as the surge slammed against him—but his body converted it into energy. Every nerve, muscle, and bone refined itself under pressure.
He stepped in. A single strike—a palm reinforced by all the condensed Blood Refinement power—met Zhou Jie mid-charge.
Boom!
Zhou Jie flew backward, crashing into the wall, leaving a deep crater. Dust rose, and the courtyard fell silent.
The outer disciples' jaws dropped.
"He… he defeated Zhou Jie with one blow!"
"He's insane!"
Lin Tian's breathing was steady. He didn't even sweat.
---
After the fight, Lin Tian returned to his quarters, bloodied but unharmed.
Ling Yue, his mentor, appeared, eyes sharp.
"You adapted quickly," she said. "But you pushed your Body Refinement to its limits."
Lin Tian nodded calmly.
"I know. Pain is just fuel. It makes me stronger."
Ling Yue smiled faintly.
"Good. Tonight, we advance further. The sixth layer of Body Refinement awaits. But mistakes can be fatal."
Lin Tian's eyes glimmered with focus.
"Understood."
---
Meanwhile, Su Yan and Mo Xue watched from the balcony.
Su Yan nudged Mo Xue.
"You notice? He's not just strong. He's… calculating, precise, fearless. And yet—he's calm even in chaos."
Mo Xue's lips curved slightly.
"Yes," she said softly. "He'll attract more than rivals… maybe even allies. Or complications."
Lin Tian meditated that night under the moonlight.
Blood Refinement and Heaven-Defying Body Art merged seamlessly. Every cell, every nerve, every tendon was refined under pain and stress. His fifth layer stabilized completely—and hints of the sixth layer stirred.
The wind whispered through the mountains.
"Tomorrow," he said softly to himself, "I climb higher. The world will know my name… and I will not be ignored."
The stars shone above him, indifferent, yet somehow acknowledging the storm that was Lin Tian.