The morning wind on Dawnmist Peak carried a sharpness that bit into the skin, but Luo Feng barely noticed.
He sat cross-legged across from A-Yan in the quiet clearing behind the training hut. A ring of talismans surrounded them, each one faintly glowing—basic formations, salvaged and patched together from what little spiritual material he had left.
He didn't need perfection.
He just needed stability.
A-Yan sat nervously across from him, fidgeting.
"Still yourself," he said gently. "Don't try to be calm. Just be."
She took a deep breath. "Okay."
Luo Feng reached out, placing two fingers lightly against her forehead.
"Voidwalker bloodline," he murmured, closing his eyes. "Sealed, but pulsing faintly. Like a heartbeat trapped under stone."
He focused, drawing the remnants of his spiritual power into a thread, weaving it between his fingertips and into her meridians. A risky move—his own energy was fractured—but it was the only way.
Ding! Initiating spiritual transfer. Risk detected: 26% backlash. Proceed?
"Do it," Luo Feng whispered.
Power flowed.
A-Yan trembled, her eyes widening as something woke inside her. The faint threads of space around her body began to shimmer, like heatwaves rising from a summer road. The air crackled softly.
Then—snap!
A pulse of invisible force burst from her chest, knocking over the nearby training dummies.
A-Yan gasped, clutching her head. Her irises flickered silver for a second before fading.
(Ding! Voidwalker Constitution – Stage 1 Awakening successful.Feedback initiated: Host receives "Spatial Awareness" passive skill.+1 Realm in Spatial Affinity techniques.)
Luo Feng let out a long, shaking breath. Sweat rolled down his back. But he was smiling.
"You felt it?"
A-Yan looked up slowly, dazed. "…There was a door in my chest. It opened. I didn't even knock."
He laughed. "You kicked it down."
She blinked—then grinned.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
That same day, a bell rang across the outer sectors of the Celestial Dawn Sect.
Disciples paused mid-training, elders turned toward the echo.
It was a Summons Bell—one rung only when the Sect wished to send a challenge to one of its own.
At the central square of the outer court, a young man stood, robe crisp, posture perfect.
"Name," the recording elder barked.
"Li Yun," the boy answered calmly. "Outer Hall prodigy. Peak Foundation Establishment Realm."
"And your reason for issuing a sect-sanctioned challenge?"
Li Yun clasped his hands behind his back.
"I wish to test the strength of Luo Feng of Dawnmist Peak."
A stir ran through the crowd. Several disciples whispered among themselves.
"Isn't that the fallen elder? The coward?"
"Didn't he get stripped of his cultivation?"
"I heard he scared off Jiang Wei the other day…"
The elder narrowed his eyes. "On whose authority?"
Li Yun smirked slightly. "Elder Mo. He is… concerned about the rise of forbidden teachings. He believes the former Elder may be corrupting disciples."
The elder hesitated, then struck the board. The decree was made.
"Challenge granted. Seven days. On the Arena of Broken Stars."
That night, Luo Feng sat in silence, reading the notice brought to him by a trembling outer disciple.
"So they want to test me," he said, folding the parchment.
A-Yan looked up from where she was wiping her blade. "Do we run?"
Luo Feng looked at her with something like amusement.
"Run?"
He stood, the paper catching fire in his hand as he tossed it into the brazier.
"No. We train."
He walked to the courtyard and picked up a wooden sword, tossing another to A-Yan.
"Let me teach you something new."
Ding! Initiating training sequence: Weapon Fundamentals.System Note: The higher the disciple's growth, the greater the return.Critical streak bonus activated.
The two of them moved into position, shadowed by moonlight, and began to spar.
It was quiet. It was patient.
And it was the beginning of war.