The
Misty Cloud Forest
was eerily silent.
The only remnants of the battle were
scorched earth, severed limbs, and bloodstained trees.
Xiao Li stood in the center of the destruction, his
golden aura slowly fading.
The bodies of the
Black Fang Bandits
lay scattered around him, their lifeless faces frozen in
terror.
"Too weak."
He
sighed
, shaking his head.
"I thought they might at least give me a decent warm-up."
He turned to leave—
But then.
A faint
killing intent
swept over him.
"Oh?"
His lips curled into a smirk.
He wasn’t
alone.
High above, nestled in the dense
tree branches
, a figure in
black robes
watched Xiao Li carefully.
He had been sent to
observe
—but after what he had just witnessed, he knew.
"This is no ordinary genius."
He had watched Xiao Li
wipe out an entire bandit camp in mere seconds.
His
speed, strength, and Qi control
were beyond anything expected of a mere
new disciple.
"This… is a monster in the making."
The assassin clenched his fists.
He had been ordered to
eliminate Xiao Li
.
But now—
"Retreat. Do not engage."
He activated his
concealment technique
, blending into the shadows.
But—
"Going somewhere?"
A
calm voice
whispered right behind him.
The assassin’s
blood ran cold.
"Impossible!"
He turned—
And
Xiao Li was standing right behind him.
"W-Wha—?!"
"You should’ve left faster."
Xiao Li’s
hand shot out
, gripping the assassin’s throat.
CRACK!
The assassin
choked
, his vision blurring.
He
hadn’t even sensed Xiao Li move.
"Who sent you?"
Xiao Li asked, his voice
calm, yet commanding.
The assassin
gritted his teeth.
"I… will… never…"
Xiao Li
smirked.
"Wrong answer."
His grip
tightened.
The assassin’s face
turned purple
, and veins bulged as he struggled for air.
But suddenly—
"Enough."
A
piercing voice
echoed through the forest.
A second
black-robed figure
appeared
out of thin air
, their aura vastly stronger than the first assassin’s.
"Release him, Xiao Li."
Xiao Li’s eyes
narrowed.
This new enemy… was
different.
Powerful.
"And if I don’t?"
The
new assassin smiled.
"Then you’ll be forced to face something you’re not ready for."
Xiao Li
grinned.
"Is that so?"
His grip
tightened further
, and with a
sharp twist—
CRACK!
The first assassin’s
neck snapped.
His lifeless body
dropped to the ground.
The second assassin’s
smile faded.
"Hmph. You just made things worse for yourself."
Xiao Li
shrugged.
"I like challenges."
The black-robed figure
vanished in an instant
, disappearing into the forest.
Xiao Li
watched him leave
, his expression unreadable.
"A bigger game is being played here."
He
turned away, stepping over the corpses.
"Fine."
"Let’s play."
By the time Xiao Li returned to the
Azure Kingdom Royal Academy
, the news had already spread.
"Did you hear? The Black Fang Bandits were completely wiped out!"
"They say Xiao Li finished the mission alone!"
"Alone?! That’s insane!"
The rumors spread
like wildfire
.
But while some were in
awe
, others were
terrified.
And
one person
, in particular, was furious.
Inside a
lavish training hall
, Zhao Wu’s
face twisted in anger.
"That bastard survived?!"
His hand
slammed onto the table
, cracking the wood.
Across from him, the
silver-eyed youth
from the hidden faction sighed.
"Not only did he survive,"
he said,
"he killed everyone we sent after him."
Zhao Wu’s
eyes burned with hatred.
"Damn it! We need to get rid of him before he grows any stronger!"
The silver-eyed youth
smirked.
"Relax. We have other ways to deal with him."
He leaned forward, his
eyes gleaming with a dark light.
"The Academy Tournament is coming soon."
"And when it does…"
"Xiao Li won’t leave the stage alive."