When the bell for the second assessment match rang out, Lin Chen had already been standing quietly at the edge of the training grounds for half a shichen.

  Morning fog still hung; dampness soaked his robe. His eyes swept across the hundred?odd disciples gathered in the fieldthey whispered in threes and fives, occasionally throwing wary glances his way, then quickly averting their gaze.

  No one approached.

  The result of the first matcha counter?kill against Zhang Kuanghad transformed Lin Chen from “trash” into “dangerous.” Zhao Hu’s bounty circulated secretly: one thousand source spirit stones for severing Lin Chen’s limbs. That enormous sum could sustain an ordinary Outer Sect disciple’s cultivation for three years, yet it also meant tying oneself completely to the Zhao Wuji faction.

  Smart people chose to wait and see.

  Lin Chen had anticipated this. His expression calm, he walked toward the assessment registration point; along the way, his gaze intersected with several covert looksthe other party immediately lowered their heads and avoided him.

  “Junior Brother Lin.”

  A gentle female voice came from the side. Liu Ruyan approached with two female disciples; today she wore a pale?green combat outfit, her ponytail neat, sword at her waist. “Our team still lacks one memberwould you like to join?”

  Lin Chen stopped and bowed: “Senior Sister Liu’s kindness is appreciated, but I must respectfully decline.”

  “Afraid of dragging us down?” Liu Ruyan smiled, “I know Zhao Wuji’s methods. Even if we don’t team up with you, they won’t spare those connected to my father.”

  The round?faced female disciple beside her seemed about to speak but was silenced by Liu Ruyan’s glance.

  Book Elder’s warning from last night echoed in his mind“Be careful of Liu Ruyan, that girl.”

  Lin Chen gazed into Liu Ruyan’s eyes.

  Clear, sincereno trace of pretense could be seen. But her father had died investigating demonic qi; logically she should be implacably opposed to the Netherworld Palace. Why then was she rather close to Zhao Long?

  Was it enduring humiliation to accomplish her goal? Or had she already defected?

  “I’m sorry.” Lin Chen finally shook his head, “I’ll act alone.”

  A flash of disappointment passed through Liu Ruyan’s eyes, but she didn’t press further. “Then take extra care.”

  She led her companions away, their figures gradually fading into the fog.

  Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and continued to the registration desk.

  “Name, cultivation level.” The duty disciple didn’t even look up.

  “Lin Chen, Condensation Stage Level 6.”

  The disciple’s brush paused; he lifted his eyes to examine Lin Chen: “So you’re the one Zhao Hu has a bounty on?”

  “Yes.”

  A playful curve appeared at the corner of the disciple’s mouth: “Team battles require groups of three. Have you found teammates?”

  “No.”

  “Then you can only apply for solo participationfacing double difficulty.” He pushed a rules jade slip forward, “In the Misty Forest, demon beasts prioritize attacking lone individuals; formation suppression will also intensify. The mortality rate in past years, fewer than one in ten solo participants survived.”

  Lin Chen accepted the slip: “I understand.”

  “Wait!”

  A rough, booming voice exploded like a hammer striking stone.

  A sturdy young man strode over, a millstone?sized great hammer on his shoulder. Each step shook the ground, raising dust. His skin was black as charcoal; muscles knotted like iron. When he grinned, a mouthful of white teeth shone dazzlingly.

  “I’ll team with ya!”

  Lin Chen looked at this unfamiliar youth. Condensation Stage Level 6; spiritual power solid, foundation firmclearly a hard?training body?refiner. His eyes were clean and forthright, without the calculating flicker common among other disciples.

  “Shi Meng, old Shi from the blacksmith’s shop.” The youth slapped his chest, “Heard ya smashed Zhang Kuanggood fight! That bastard bullied us folks with no background plenty times.”

  Lin Chen cupped his fists: “Elder Brother Shi isn’t afraid of Zhao Hu’s revenge?”

  “Afraid of balls!” Shi Meng spat, “My dad saidbe a man, gotta stand tall and straight. Scum like Zhao Hu’ll get struck by lightning sooner or later.”

  The duty disciple frowned: “Still one short.”

  “Two’s enough.” Shi Meng glared, “Wanna fight? Then fightquit yappin’!”

  The disciple said no more, registered the information, and handed out two tokens.

  The tokens felt cold to the touch; their backs were carved with a “Zero.”

  “Assessment begins!”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The moment the elder’s voice fell, over a hundred teams charged into the Misty Forest.

  Lin Chen and Shi Meng stepped in side by side.

  White fog rushed at them.

  Ancient trees blocked out sky and sunlight; dense damp mist rose from layers of decaying leaves. Visibility less than ten zhang. The air carried the stench of demon beasts mixed with the strange fragrance of spirit herbsand the peculiar clogging sensation of formation spiritual power.

  Stellar Eyeopen!

  Warmth spread at his glabella; silver radiance flowed. The white fog in his vision shed its disguise, revealing its true patternsspiritual energy currents spreading like spiderwebs. Three Iron?armored Wolves lurked in the underbrush to the left; a second?grade Mist?concealing Flower swayed fifty zhang to the right; and a hundred zhang straight ahead, a five?member team was quietly encircling.

  “Ambush.” Lin Chen said quietly.

  Shi Meng tightened his grip on the great hammer: “How many?”

  “Five. Leader: Wang HouziCondensation Stage Level 6 peak, movement techniques erratic. The other four are all body?refiners; cultivation similar to yours.”

  “Smash the bastards!”

  Figures gradually appeared in the fog.

  Wang Houzi had a pointed mouth and monkey?like cheeks; his eyes were gloomy as a viper’s. Behind him, four burly men held swords and blades, their auras sharp.

  “Shi Mengreally gonna die with this trash?” Wang Houzi sneered, “Scram now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see ya.”

  Shi Meng planted his hammer, shaking fallen leaves: “Talkin’ shit outta yer ass!”

  Wang Houzi’s face darkened: “Finehave it your way. Go!”

  All five erupted at once.

  Wang Houzi moved like a ghost; his short blade drew a cold gleam, stabbing straight at Lin Chen’s throat. The four brawny men split into two groupstwo pounced at Shi Meng, two flanked Lin Chen.

  Blades whistled through the air; killing intent sharp as frost.

  Lin Chen’s feet blossomed with stellar radiance.

  Star?water Steps!

  Fusing the pliancy of “Water?walking Steps” with the speed of “Star?shifting Steps,” he slipped through the fog like a swimming fish. With a twist, he evaded the fatal blade edge; counter?punching toward the enemy on the right.

  Starfall Fist · Meteor Descent!

  Silver brilliance exploded; fist force like a falling star.

  That disciple raised his sword to blockbut underestimated the chaotic power packed in this punch.

  Crunch!

  The blade shattered; fist power pierced his chest. The disciple screamed, flying backward, smashing through three ancient trees before falling unconscious.

  One strikeone man crippled!

  Wang Houzi’s pupils shrank violently: “Condensation Stage Level 6?! Noyour spiritual power”

  “Wrong guess.”

  Lin Chen’s aura rose again.

  The Chaos Star Vortex in his dantian spun madly; nine?attribute source spirit qi blended, boiling. Stellar radiance like flames enveloped his body, pushing back the fog for three zhang.

  His second fist hammered toward the shield?bearing disciple on the left.

  That disciple sneered, raising his shieldthis shield was forged from hundred?refined iron; it had once blocked a full?power strike from a Condensation Stage Level 7 expert.

  But he underestimated chaos.

  When fist met shield, chaotic power slipped through like a venomous snakeshattering the shield’s internal structure.

  Bang!

  The iron shield exploded; the remaining fist force, undiminished, broke both the disciple’s arms. Amidst screams, the second man fell.

  Thirty breathstwo men crippled.

  On Shi Meng’s side, the fight was fierce.

  Swinging his great hammer in a circle, thousand?pound force sent the opponent’s blade flying. One burly man tried close?range grappling; Shi Meng kicked him square in the chestspitting blood, flying backward.

  The other seized the chance, slashing his blade at Shi Meng’s backskin split, flesh torn.

  Shi Meng roared, backhanding his hammer and smashing the man into the groundno further movement.

  The battle halted.

  Wang Houzi stood alone in a pool of blood, face pale as paper. His hand holding the blade trembled; he finally realized he’d kicked an iron plate.

  “Tokenshand them over.” Lin Chen extended his hand.

  Wang Houzi gritted his teeth and handed them over.

  The token backs bore the number: 320. Stealing tokens yielded half the points; Lin Chen’s score +160, Shi Meng’s +80.

  “Scram.”

  Wang Houzi, as if pardoned, scrambled away and vanished into the fog.

  Shi Meng wiped blood from his face, grinning broadly: “That was fun! Junior Brother Linyour fist technique’s too brutal!”

  Lin Chen examined his wounds. A blade had grazed his left shoulder; the bleeding had clotted. Shi Meng’s back wound was deeper, but body?refiners had strong recoveryno major issue.

  “Heal first.”

  The two found a hidden tree hollow; Lin Chen used stellar power to assist Shi Meng’s wound healing. Stellar radiance entered the body; Shi Meng was astonished to find his injury recovery speed multiplied.

  “Your spiritual power can heal?”

  “Chaos attribute embraces all thingsincludes vitality.” Lin Chen explained.

  Shi Meng scratched his head: “Don’t understand. Anywayawesome!”

  After healing, the two continued deeper.

  Along the way they hunted three Iron?armored Wolves, gathered five spirit herbs; points steadily climbed.

  But Lin Chen’s vigilance didn’t relax.

  Wang Houzi’s team was clearly Zhao Hu’s vanguard. The real killing moves were still to come.

  Sure enough, one shichen latercrisis reappeared.

  Whistling sounds attacked from three directions at once.

  Fifteen figures leaped from the mist, forming a triangle encirclement.

  Leader: Outer Sect rank seven “Swift Sword” Li Qing.

  Condensation Stage Level 7 peak; sword not yet drawn, but chill already piercing bone. Behind himfourteen men, all at Condensation Stage Level 6 or above; blades reflecting cold light.

  “Two against fifteen.” Li Qing smiled, “Admirable courageutterly foolish.”

  Shi Meng gripped his great hammer: “Junior Brother Linwhat do we do?”

  Lin Chen took a deep breath; stellar radiance gathered in his palm.

  “Fight.”

  As the word fell, sword light rose.

  Li Qing’s long sword left its sheath like lightning, stabbing straight for Lin Chen’s glabella. The other fourteen simultaneously pouncedblade?and?sword weave forming a death net.

  Dire straits.

  But in Lin Chen’s eyesfighting spirit boiled.

  Stellar Eye locked onto every attack trajectory; Star?water Steps swam through blade shadows and sword glints. He dodged Li Qing’s fatal thrust, counter?punching at a flanking enemy.

  Shi Meng swept his great hammer; brute force repelled three menbut more attacks followed in quick succession.

  Back to backeach protecting the other.

  Synergy born in bloody battle.

  Lin Chen channeled stellar power into Shi Meng’s body; brute force surged. Shi Meng used his hammer as shield, blocking lethal strikes for Lin Chen.

  Mutual trust grew.

  Li Qing, unable to win after prolonged assault, grew anxioushis sword technique revealed a flaw.

  At the instant he withdrew his swordchest wide open.

  Lin Chen instantly seized it.

  Second form of Starfall FistSeven?star Chain!

  The Chaos Star Vortex in his dantian spun wildly; seven fist shadows descended like the Big Dippersealing all Li Qing’s retreat paths.

  Boom!

  Fist force penetrated; ribs caved.

  Li Qing’s sword flew from his hand; he flew ten zhang backward, crashing into an ancient treeunconscious.

  Leader defeatedmorale collapsed.

  The remaining disciples scattered in panic.

  The battle ended.

  Shi Meng slumped to the ground, panting heavilybut grinned brilliantly: “Never fought a fight so exhilarating in my life!”

  Lin Chen also showed a faint smile.

  Since entering the sectthis was the first time someone had fought side?by?side with him through life?and?death combat.

  “Brother.” Shi Meng looked at him seriously, “From now onI’m followin’ ya.”

  Lin Chen froze.

  For ten yearsthe sect had given him only cold stares and persecution. Now this plain pledge was more precious than any treasure.

  He nodded heavily.

  “Good.”

  The two looked at each other and smiled.

  The fog gradually dissipated; sunlight pierced through branches and leaves, spilling onto the blood?stained forest floor.

  Aheadmore powerful enemies, more schemes.

  But at leastno longer alone.