The sky blazed crimson as dawn broke across the Skyrect Sect. From the outer cliffs to the sacred inner mountains, drums thundered and bells rang—a grand harmony that heralded the rise of a new generation.
Among them, one name surged like wildfire across every courtyard, every whisper, every heart:
Lin Xun.
The boy who bore flame and frost.
The one who shattered blades and broken fates.
The one chosen to ascend.
He stood before the colossal Inner Sect gates—three towering slabs of obsidian stone engraved with ancient runes, pulsing with divine intent.
With trembling breath and steady feet, Lin Xun crossed the threshold.
The world he entered was no longer one of striving.
It was a world of survival—among dragons.
---
The Inner Sect Grounds
The inner domain of Skyrect Sect was a realm unlike the outer courts.
Floating pavilions drifted between hovering islands, waterfalls flowed from heaven to nowhere, and divine beasts roamed freely, leashed only by the aura of ancient arrays.
Disciples here did not cultivate—they conquered.
Most were scions of immortal clans, heirs to forbidden techniques, or personally groomed by grand elders. Their robes shimmered with defensive formations, their swords named and feared, and their gazes could cut the weak like wind cuts grass.
Lin Xun, in his plain robe and unreadable face, drew many stares.
"Who let an outer mutt in?"
"He's the frost-flame peasant from the arena."
"Hmph. Let's see how long he lasts."
Whispers curled around him like vines. But Lin Xun's steps did not waver.
He was used to stares.
What mattered was strength.
---
Assignment to the Azure Flame Hall
The sect administrator, an elder with ink-black eyes and jade armor, glanced through scrolls before sighing.
"You've been placed in the Azure Flame Hall. Your ranking is last—rank 500. Any complaints?"
Lin Xun shook his head. "None."
"Good. Survive the month. Or don't."
The elder waved him away.
Azure Flame Hall was known for two things—brutality and chaos. It housed the most unruly inner disciples, the violent geniuses, and those discarded from more noble peaks. It was not a place for peace.
It was a crucible.
---
First Encounter: Duan Yue of the Crimson Blade
Lin Xun's arrival at Azure Flame Hall was greeted by silence—then a sneer.
A tall youth stepped forward, dressed in crimson robes embroidered with blade sigils. His face was handsome, but his eyes gleamed with cruelty.
"So this is the famous worm?"
The youth swung his sword lazily. "I am Duan Yue. Rank 49. And the rules here are simple."
"Bow to those above you," he said.
"Kneel to those stronger," he added.
"And die, if you disobey."
Several disciples laughed behind him.
Lin Xun tilted his head. "Then allow me a question."
"Oh? Speak."
"What happens when the weakest defeats the strong?"
Duan Yue smirked. "That never happens here."
Lin Xun stepped forward.
"Then I'll make it happen."
---
Clash in the Training Grounds
They stood in the central square, surrounded by flaming stone tiles and runed walls. Other disciples gathered quickly—hoping to see the peasant crushed.
Duan Yue didn't hesitate.
He struck like a whirlwind of steel, his Crimson Blade Technique forming a barrage of fiery arcs. The air split with every swing.
Lin Xun moved like a whisper.
His frost coiled around each blade, dampening speed.
Then came fire—his core burning with second-tier Qi now strengthened by inner sect elixirs.
"Lotus Bloom—Dual Petal Echo!"
Twin bursts erupted from his fists, one frost and one flame, crashing into Duan Yue's chest and shoulder.
The older disciple screamed as he was flung back into a pillar, coughing blood.
Gasps echoed.
Lin Xun wiped blood from his own lip.
"I bow to no one."
---
A Visit From the Peak Mistress
That night, a visitor arrived at Lin Xun's quarters.
It was Yun Qingyue—the lady from Thousand Lotus Peak.
She stood in moonlight like a poem carved into starlight.
"You made quite the impression," she said, voice calm.
"They made it easy," Lin Xun replied.
She smiled. "You've been accepted into the peak ranking tournament next month. It's rare for new entrants."
"I'll win," he said without hesitation.
"Good. But beware, Lin Xun. Power stirs. You are not the only rising star."
She stepped forward, her jade pendant glinting.
"There are sects beyond this one… sects watching."
"What do you mean?"
"Your blood burns strangely. Someone... may remember it soon."
Then she was gone.
Leaving questions like shadows on his path.
---
From the Distant North—A New Threat
In a hidden realm thousands of miles away, a grand sect stood atop the glacial peaks of the Eternal Frost Domain.
Inside the Frost Immortal Palace, an old man in robes of layered silver flame stared into a mirror of soul glass.
"He lives…"
His hand trembled. His voice cracked.
"The child lives…"
From behind, a black-armored elder entered. "The prophec
y?"
The old man nodded.
"Begin the summons. The child of the Phoenix Glacier still draws breath. And the Blood Sect… they will come for him again."
---
End of Chapter 24