Chapter 106: Fights and Conspiracy
That time came swiftly.
The very next evening, Yue Xin lingered longer than usual in Tian Lei’s cave, talking idly about the sect’s upcoming competition while the koi swirled beneath the lantern light. When she finally rose to leave, her steps were light, her smile as bright as ever.
But when Tian Lei stepped out after her, the path was already waiting.
The three seniors stood beneath the flowering trees, their robes catching the faint glow of the moon. Around them, a handful of curious disciples pretended to pass by, their eyes too sharp, their ears too eager.
The tallest of the three smirked. "There he is. The cold-faced hero himself."
Another folded his arms, gaze flicking toward Yue Xin’s retreating figure. "You must enjoy her company, don’t you? Always letting her come and go as she pleases."
The third spat lightly to the side. "Pathetic. Acting like you don’t care while hiding behind silence. Do you think that makes you noble? Special? Hah."
Tian Lei’s steps slowed. His eyes swept over them once, calm and steady, before resting back on the path ahead. He didn’t speak.
That silence—it was sharper than any insult.
The tallest disciple’s smirk faltered into a sneer. He took a step closer, voice rising so all could hear: "We warned you before. But since you don’t seem to understand, we’ll make sure the whole sect does."
Gasps rose from the onlookers. The challenge had been thrown.
The night air grew heavier. Petals drifted down from the trees, caught in the stillness before the storm.
Tian Lei stopped. His hand rested lightly on his sword hilt—not drawing, not threatening, merely there. His eyes, when they lifted, were as unshakable as a mountain under the moonlight.
The crowd hushed, holding its breath.
The test of peace had arrived.
A breeze stirred the petals. One landed on the tallest disciple’s shoulder, and in that heartbeat of silence—
CLANG!
His sword came free, flashing silver in the moonlight. The crowd gasped, scattering back in a ring.
The other two followed instantly, qi flaring hot as bonfires. Their killing intent pressed down on the courtyard, a storm meant to crush.
But Tian Lei only exhaled. So be it.
With a soft shhkt, his blade whispered from its sheath. Not in anger, not in haste—just inevitability. The moon caught along its edge, turning it pale and cold.
The tallest disciple roared and lunged first. His strike was fast, heavy, meant to split the mountain in two.
WHOOSH! CRASH!
Tian Lei moved like water. His blade tilted, his step shifted, and the force carved through nothing but air, smashing petals into a whirlwind.
Too heavy, Tian Lei thought. Too desperate.
Another came from the side—steel screeching, qi lashing like fire. Tian Lei’s arm rose, the clash of metal ringing out:
KAAANG! Sparks lit the darkness.
The third tried to circle behind, qi swirling into a palm strike. But Tian Lei’s eyes flicked, body turning. His sleeve flicked outward, a controlled burst of qi knocking the strike just off course.
BOOM! The ground cracked at his feet, dust leaping skyward.
The disciples staggered back. The crowd’s whispers rushed like wind in bamboo.
"T-three against one..."
"Did you see that? He hasn’t even swung yet!"
"He’s just... redirecting them!"
Tian Lei’s voice finally cut the air, low but carrying:
"You mistake her visits for weakness. You mistake silence for surrender. But I tell you this—" His blade gleamed, steady as his gaze. "—strength is not in crushing others. It is in choosing not to."
They snarled, their pride stung raw.
"Arrogant!"
"Let’s see if you still speak like that when you’re bleeding!"
Their qi surged higher, three torrents crashing down on him. The courtyard lit up with colors—red flame, blue steel, green wind.
Tian Lei stepped forward.
SHHHK! His blade sliced the air. Not toward flesh, but toward force itself. Their strikes collided—
BOOOOM! The night erupted. Dust, petals, fragments of stone flew outward in a storm. The onlookers shielded their faces, robes whipping in the wind.
When the haze cleared—Tian Lei stood unmoved.
One disciple’s sword arm trembled, his wrist numbed. Another staggered two steps, qi flow broken. The third gasped for breath, unable to close the gap.
Tian Lei’s eyes burned now, not with rage, but with unyielding will.
"I will not kill my brothers." His words cut sharper than steel. "But if you force me to act—then I will teach you."
He shifted his stance, blade drawn low, petals whirling about him like a storm given form.
The tallest disciple bared his teeth and let out a hoarse roar. His sword swept wide, a silver arc dragging the night with it. The qi behind it howled like a tempest.
FWOOOSH!
Tian Lei stepped in, not back. His blade rose—not to meet, but to deflect.
CLAAAANG!
The force skidded away, tearing into the flagstones beside him. Stone shards burst upward, pelting the crowd. Gasps rang out, but Tian Lei remained untouched, calm as a mountain in rain.
The second disciple seized the opening, his palms blazing crimson. Fire qi flared, whipping into a storm. He thrust both hands forward—
HOOOM! A wave of flame rolled across the courtyard, bending trees, scorching air.
Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed. His sword slashed downward, not at the man, but into the fire itself.
SHHHHHK! The strike carved the blaze apart, splitting it in two streams that passed harmlessly to either side. The onlookers staggered back as the heat seared their faces, leaving Tian Lei standing in the eye of the inferno, untouched.
"Impossible..." one disciple whispered, his face pale.
But the third had already leapt high, wind qi bursting under his feet. He came down like a hawk, spear crackling with emerald light.
CRAAAAK! The spear struck, splitting the earth as if lightning had fallen.
Dust geysered. The courtyard shook.
When it cleared—Tian Lei was gone.
A heartbeat later, steel whispered at the attacker’s throat. Tian Lei stood behind him, blade so close it caught the wind of his breath. Yet he had not cut.
The disciple froze, sweat sliding down his neck.
"You are fast," Tian Lei said quietly. "But speed without clarity is nothing."
He withdrew in the same motion, the sword flowing back like a tide.
The three regrouped, faces twisted with humiliation and fury. Around them, the disciples’ murmurs grew louder, awe mixing with disbelief.
"He could’ve killed him..."
"Why didn’t he?"
"He’s... holding back on purpose."
The tallest disciple spat blood into the dirt. "Don’t look down on us!" His qi flared wild, veins bulging across his arms. The blade in his hand shook with power—and desperation.
The other two mirrored him, forcing every shred of strength into the next assault. Flame, steel, wind—three torrents merging into a storm that roared straight for Tian Lei.
The courtyard went white with light.
For a moment, it looked as if the heavens themselves had crashed down.
And then—
KAAAAAANG!
Tian Lei’s sword rose once. Just once.
The impact shattered the storm. Fire guttered out, wind split apart, steel cracked and buckled.
The shockwave ripped outward in a ring, tossing disciples to the ground, blowing petals into the night sky like a thousand scattering stars.
When the echoes faded, Tian Lei still stood, blade humming faintly in the silence.
The three seniors lay sprawled across the courtyard, weapons broken, qi disrupted, their pride shattered. But their lives remained intact.
Tian Lei sheathed his sword with a soft click.
His voice was calm, cold, but carried a weight heavier than steel:
"Strength is not yours to use as a whip. It is a duty. Learn this, before it destroys you."
The disciples watching dared not speak. Only the rustle of petals and the faint ripple of koi from the distant pond broke the silence.
For a long while, no one moved. The night air was heavy, as if the very courtyard itself still trembled from the clash. The petals that had been torn skyward drifted back down, settling on broken stone and bruised pride.
The three seniors struggled upright, faces pale, limbs shaking. They could not meet Tian Lei’s eyes. Their breaths came ragged, each one steeped in shame.
Whispers rippled through the onlookers, too hushed to form words at first, then swelling like a tide:
"He beat all three...""Without killing blows...""Even holding back..."
Some disciples bowed their heads, unwilling to look. Others stared with wide eyes, caught between fear and reverence.
Tian Lei turned away. His steps were steady, unhurried, as if the storm behind him had never mattered. He walked past the cracked flagstones, past the gazes that clung to him, toward the quiet path that led back to his cave.
Behind him, the seniors lowered their heads in defeat. None dared follow. None dared speak again.
At the edge of the courtyard, a figure lingered. Yue Xin.
She had stopped halfway down the path, a lantern in hand, its glow trembling faintly in the evening breeze. Her eyes widened at the sight—the shattered ground, the scattered disciples, the silence that still clung like smoke.
For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, slowly, she lifted the lantern higher, as if guiding him back from the battlefield.
Tian Lei’s gaze flicked toward her, calm as ever. He did not smile, did not falter. But his steps carried him in her direction, past the sea of whispers, past the broken pride left behind.
Yue Xin’s lips parted as though she wanted to speak, but no words came. In the end, she only offered him a small, quiet nod.