Killing Intent at Dusk and a Startling Sword Chime

The Ghost-Head Saber wielder grinned, revealing two gold-capped front teeth. His voice sounded like sandpaper scraping against raw iron. "You were certainly generous at the auction!"

"One million for a broken stone without even blinking. We brothers have been short on cash lately, so we'd like to borrow some spending money from you young friends."

Yun Zhiyu stopped and slowly turned around. Dusk surged up behind her, outlining her figure as a blurred silhouette. Only her deep brown eyes gleamed with cold light in the dimness.

"And if I refuse to lend it?"

The Ghost-Head Saber wielder's smile froze for an instant before becoming even more ferocious. He pointed his Ghost-Head Saber forward.

The soul power fluctuations of a Three-Ring Soul Elder spread outward like a tidal wave, making the fallen leaves on the ground rustle. "Then we'll have to take it ourselves. A bunch of brats who haven't even grown all their feathers yet, relying on a little filthy family money to strut around East Sea City—today, I'll teach you what it means not to flaunt your wealth!"

Before he had finished speaking, he had already sprung forward.

The Ghost-Head Saber carried dark-red ripples of soul power like a bloody rainbow tearing through the dusk, heading straight for Yun Zhiyu's throat. This strike was heavy and powerful; the full-force attack of a Three-Ring Soul Elder was enough to cleave an ordinary Two-Ring Grand Soul Master in half.

Yun Zhiyu did not move.

Her gaze did not even linger on the Ghost-Head Saber. Instead, it passed over the man's shoulder toward the flickering streetlamp at the end of the alley.

Only when the blade was less than three feet from her throat did she shift slightly to the side—not retreating, not dodging, but moving with an almost elegant displacement that brushed past the blade.

The Xuanyuan Sword condensed in her palm. There was no earth-shaking sword cry, only a low hum, like an ancient dragon opening its eyes in the Abyss.

Thunder patterns glimmered faintly over the bronze-colored blade in the dusk, as though sleeping lightning had suddenly awakened.

"Yinglong: Lightning-Calling Sword Chime."

Her first soul ring lit beneath her feet, but it was not the usual yellow. It was an unusual, nearly purple-gold hue after simulation, carrying the pressure of a dragon.

The Xuanyuan Sword lightly tapped forward, its tip touching the edge of the Ghost-Head Saber. There was no thunderous clash of metal, only a thread-thin arc of electricity flowing backward along the blade.

The Ghost-Head Saber wielder's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt his arm lose all sensation in an instant.

His dark-red soul power seemed suppressed by some higher existence, rampaging through his meridians before scattering apart. Wherever that electric light passed, his muscles spasmed, his bones trembled, and his entire body felt as though it had been thrown into a furnace of lightning.

"Aah—!"

His scream echoed through the alley. The Ghost-Head Saber flew from his grip, and his massive body was hurled backward into the wall behind him.

The dull crack of shattered bricks mingled with the crisp sound of breaking bones. He struggled to rise, only to find half his body paralyzed, leaving him to twitch on the ground like a fish out of water.

"Boss!" the tall, thin man cried. The Green Snake Staff in his hand became a streak of green shadow.

His second soul ring lit up, and three streams of dark-green poisonous mist sprayed from the staff's tip, engulfing Yun Zhiyu. Wherever the poisonous mist passed, even the paving stones hissed from corrosion, sending wisps of white smoke into the air.

"Big Sister Yun, poison! I've got it!"

Tang Wulin's voice came from the side. After the first seal on his Golden Dragon King Bloodline had been lifted, he possessed an almost instinctive resistance to toxins.

Bluesilver Grass poured from his palm, not to attack, but to weave a dense net of grass between the poisonous mist and Yun Zhiyu. The golden patterns on the blades flickered in the dusk, absorbing and purifying the dark-green mist in complete silence, like a sponge soaking up water.

"Seeking death!" the short, fat man roared.

Earth-yellow soul power condensed around him into a heavy suit of armor. His third soul ring lit up, and he charged toward Tang Wulin like a rolling boulder.

His Martial Soul was the Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros, and his defense was among the best of his rank. The force of this charge was enough to smash a soul-guided car into scrap metal.

"Your opponent is me."

Wang Jinxi emerged from the shadows. His Bone Dragon Claw collided head-on with the Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros.

Dark-gold scales scraped against earth-yellow armor, throwing off blinding sparks. The collision of bone and stone made the glass windows on both sides of the alley hum.

Wang Jinxi staggered back three steps, each one leaving a deep crater in the ground, but the Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros's momentum was forcefully stopped as well.

"Bone Dragon Transformation!"

His second soul ring lit up. Half of Wang Jinxi's body abruptly swelled, and his bone armor became even thicker. Savage light burned in his dark-gold eyes.

With a low growl, he swung his Bone Dragon Claw again. This time, it carved three inch-deep gashes into the Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros's armor.

Seeing the situation turn against them, the three Two-Ring Grand Soul Masters tried to circle around from the side and ambush Yun Zhiyu. Their Martial Souls were the Gale Wolf, Flame Lion, and Vines.

They released their abilities at the same time. Wind Blades, fireballs, and vine whips intertwined into a chaotic web of attacks.

"Azure Shadow Stack!"

Wei Xiaofeng's figure split into three afterimages within the alley. The Azure Shadow Serpent Martial Soul gave him ghostlike speed as he darted through the gaps in the attacks.

His second soul ring lit up, and Azure Shadow Sword Finger condensed into a jade-green edge at his fingertips. He accurately struck the Gale Wolf soul master's wrist pulse.

The other man screamed, and his Wind Blades flew out of control into the sky, shattering the glass cover of the streetlamp.

"Light Dragon Storm! Shadow Dragon Storm!"

Xie Xie released both of his Twin Martial Souls at once. The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger spun together in his hands, forming two golden-silver tornadoes.

The Flame Lion soul master's fireballs were swept into the storm and sent rolling back toward the Vines soul master instead. The vine whips twisted and blackened in the flames.

The Vines soul master tumbled backward in a panic, only for Xie Xie's Shadow Dragon Dagger to leave a bone-deep wound across his back.

"Frostmark Sword Shadow!"

Wu Nianbing's Icebound Frost Sword finally left its sheath. Its cold sword light traced an arc through the dusk.

Wherever it passed, moisture in the air condensed into fine ice crystals, freezing the last Two-Ring Grand Soul Master's legs in place. The man looked down in terror as frost rapidly spread from below his knees.

The cold crept up through his meridians, slowing and congealing even the circulation of his soul power.

"Skyfrost Mist Shadow!"

Her second soul ring lit up, and Wu Nianbing's sword intent suddenly became hazy, like moonlight veiled by mist. Her figure flickered in and out of view within the fog.

Each time she appeared, it was from an angle her opponent had never expected, the frostmarks on her blade leaving deadly trails through the mist.

Seeing his companions collapse one after another, the tall, thin man's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He slammed the Green Snake Staff into the ground.

His third soul ring lit up, and the snake patterns on the staff writhed as though alive. A foul-smelling dark-green liquid erupted from the staff's tip, splashing indiscriminately in every direction.

"Retreat!" Yun Zhiyu shouted.

The Xuanyuan Sword spun half a circle in her palm, and her third soul ring lit up—this was a soul skill she rarely used in public.

"Black Tortoise: Azure Abyss Sword Shield!"

Bronze sword light condensed before her into the phantom of an enormous shield. Ancient patterns of a turtle and serpent entwined across its surface.

The dark-green venom splattered against the shield with hissing corrosive sounds, but like waves crashing against a reef, it ultimately could not penetrate that heavy defense.

The instant the shield phantom vanished, Yun Zhiyu was already standing before the tall, thin man. She raised the Xuanyuan Sword high.

Her second soul ring lit up, and purple-gold lightning condensed on the blade into the shape of a roaring dragon.

"Yinglong: Heavenly Thunder Flash Slash."

The sword light fell. There was no earth-shaking explosion, only a thread-thin lightning scar spreading from the tall, thin man's shoulder to his waist.

His pupils lost focus in an instant. The Green Snake Staff slipped from his hand.

He fell backward stiffly like dead wood struck by lightning. His clothes remained intact, but the skin beneath them had already turned blackened and charred, while the lightning had utterly destroyed the soul power in his meridians.

"Third Brother!" The short, fat man's eyes nearly split apart in fury. The Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros armor expanded another size in his berserk rage.

Earth-yellow soul power pressed outward as though tangible. Wang Jinxi was blasted backward by the force, fine cracks appearing across his bone armor as dark-gold blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Eagle-Dragon: Dark Bone Canopy!"

Zhang Yangzi's voice came from above the alley. At last, his Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Jinxi had been completed.

The bloodlines of the Dark Illusion Demon Eagle and Bone Dragon King intertwined in midair, forming a vast shadow. That shadow was like a tangible canopy, shrouding the short, fat man within it.

Light was swallowed, sound was cut off, and even the fluctuations of soul power became sluggish and stagnant in that darkness.

Within the canopy, Zhang Yangzi's Eagle Strikes the Sky and Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claw descended in alternation, like Death's scythe harvesting ripe wheat.

Though the Rock-Armored Giant Rhinoceros possessed powerful defense, it gradually crumbled beneath the endless chain of attacks. Shards of earth-yellow armor scattered everywhere.

Finally, with an unwilling roar, the enormous body crashed to the ground.

The alley fell silent.

Six independent soul masters—three Three-Ring Soul Elders and three Two-Ring Grand Soul Masters—had all been defeated in less than ten breaths.

The Ghost-Head Saber wielder was still twitching in the corner. The tall, thin man was unconscious. The short, fat man was drenched in blood.

The three Two-Ring Grand Soul Masters were either frozen or wounded. Not one of them could still stand.

Yun Zhiyu sheathed her sword. The Xuanyuan Sword turned into a stream of light in her palm and vanished into her body.

Her breathing was slightly hurried. The expenditure of her third soul skill was still a heavy burden on a ten-year-old body, but her expression remained as indifferent as ever, as though the battle moments ago had been nothing more than routine morning practice.

"Are you all right?" She turned her head and swept her gaze over everyone.

Wang Jinxi leaned against the wall as his bone armor slowly receded. He wiped the dark-gold blood from the corner of his mouth, leaving behind a glaring streak. "I'm fine. Just superficial wounds."

A bloody mark left by a Wind Blade had appeared on Wei Xiaofeng's right arm. The Azure Shadow Serpent Martial Soul gave him extraordinary tolerance for pain and poison, so he merely frowned slightly. "Minor injury."

Traces of the Flame Lion soul master's blood still clung to Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger. He flicked his wrist, excitement still burning in his dark-green eyes. "That was awesome! Way more satisfying than fighting soul beasts on the Ascension Platform!"

Zhang Yangzi emerged from the shadows, pale as paper. The consumption from the Martial Soul Fusion Skill had left him barely able to stand.

Wang Jinxi grabbed him and held him steady. The two exchanged a glance, an unspoken understanding flowing between them.

Wu Nianbing's Icebound Frost Sword had already returned to its sheath. The frostmarks on the blade slowly receded like a retreating tide.

Her gaze settled on the shattered streetlamp in the distance, and the corner of her lips lifted faintly. "Our coordination was pretty good."

Gu Yue had not acted from beginning to end. She stood three steps away from Yun Zhiyu's side, her silver hair swaying softly in the evening breeze like a crescent moon half-hidden behind clouds.

Yet the instant Yun Zhiyu sheathed her sword, Gu Yue's fingertips moved slightly. Wind element flowed soundlessly through the alley, clearing away every trace of blood and poisonous mist left by the battle.

"Clean this up," Yun Zhiyu said, breaking the brief silence. "Don't leave any traces."

She took a delicate jade bottle from her system space and tossed it to Wu Nianbing. "Bone-Melting Powder. Sprinkle it over the venom."

Then she turned to Tang Wulin. "Your Bluesilver Grass can absorb the remaining soul power fluctuations. Clean them up."

Everyone took up their tasks. Wu Nianbing scattered the powder from the jade bottle over the dark-green venom.

White smoke rose with a hiss, and the corrosive liquid turned into clear water within a few breaths. Tang Wulin's Bluesilver Grass spread through the alley, the golden patterns on its leaves absorbing every lingering soul power fluctuation like greedy roots drawing nourishment from the earth.

Yun Zhiyu walked over to the Ghost-Head Saber wielder and looked down at his pain-twisted face. Her figure was reflected in his pupils.

Her deep brown eyes gleamed coldly in the dusk, like a deity gazing down upon ants.

"Don't flaunt your wealth," she repeated his earlier words, her voice utterly calm. "I should be the one teaching you that. East Sea City is not a lawless place. Next time you rob someone, first weigh whether you have what it takes."

She lightly tapped the center of his brow with one fingertip. A wisp of purple-gold soul power entered his sea of consciousness, stirring his memories of the day into fragments.

When he woke, he would only remember suffering an inexplicable attack in the alley. The attackers' faces, numbers, and Martial Souls would all become a muddled fog.

She did the same to the other five. This was the Tang Sect's secret Mind-Confounding Finger.

Using the spiritual power of Advanced Purple Demon Eyes as its foundation, together with a special soul power circulation path, it could erase memories from a specific period without damaging the sea of consciousness. She had obtained it through her sign-in at the age of one, and after nine years of cultivation, she had already mastered it to perfection.

"Let's go." After finishing, she stood and patted nonexistent dust from her clothes. "The academy curfew is coming up."

The eight of them disappeared into the dusk once more, as if nothing had happened. The alley contained only six bodies sprawled in disarray, along with frost and scorch marks that had yet to fully fade from the walls.

Under the dim yellow streetlamp, they silently spoke of the battle that had just taken place.

After they left the alley, the outline of East Sea Academy appeared at the end of their sight. Light shone through its windows like islands floating in the night, carrying a reassuring warmth.

"Class monitor," Xie Xie suddenly said, an unusual solemnity in his voice. "Just now... thank you."

Yun Zhiyu's steps paused almost imperceptibly.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"If you hadn't blocked that poisonous mist..." Xie Xie scratched his head, his brown-gold hair puffing up wildly in the night breeze. "I might already be lying back there."

"Didn't you send those fireballs back?" Yun Zhiyu replied blandly. "In team combat, everyone does their part."

Xie Xie froze for a moment, then grinned, revealing two pointed canine teeth. His smile was especially bright in the night, carrying the relief of someone who had finally confirmed something.

Gu Yue walked beside Yun Zhiyu, her black hair swaying gently in the evening wind. Her gaze briefly met Yun Zhiyu's.

A knowing smile flickered deep within her dark eyes, as though she had seen through something but chose not to expose it. She merely tilted her head slightly and tucked a windblown strand of hair behind her ear, the movement as natural as though she had repeated it countless times.

Wu Nianbing held the insulated box containing the Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Fruit. The Icebound Frost Sword at her waist swayed softly.

Her gaze rested on the academy streetlamp drawing closer ahead, and the corner of her lips curved upward faintly.

Today's battle had given her a clearer understanding of everyone in Zero Class—these boys and girls of similar age each possessed a calmness and sharpness beyond their years.

Under Yun Zhiyu's leadership, that scattered strength was gathering into something even more terrifying.

The little soul spirit on Tang Wulin's shoulder had quieted down. Its emerald eyes glimmered faintly in the night.

From time to time, it poked out its head to sniff the crystal bottle in Tang Wulin's hand containing the Thousand-Year Sea Dragon Marrow. Its tongue flicked with an almost greedy desire.

Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi walked at the back with their arms slung over each other's shoulders. The aftereffects of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill made both their steps unsteady, yet their bickering never stopped.

"That Dark Bone Canopy just now—you released it half a beat too late."

"What do you know? I was waiting for the perfect moment—"

"The perfect moment being when that fat guy sent me flying?"

"...An accident. Purely an accident."

Wei Xiaofeng walked alone at the very edge. The gloominess of the Azure Shadow Serpent Martial Soul made him more accustomed to shadows, yet his gaze occasionally swept toward the moon-white figure ahead.

Deep in his eyes lay an indescribable complexity—respect, acknowledgment, and a faint expectation that perhaps, by following this person, he might see a more distant view.

Listening to the sounds behind her, Yun Zhiyu's lips unconsciously curved upward slightly. The smile was faint, like a ripple quietly cracking across a frozen lake, gone in an instant.

The lights of East Sea Academy drew nearer and nearer, bathing the eight figures in a warm glow. The killing intent of dusk had already faded into the distance.

Yet something deeper had quietly taken root through this battle—trust, tacit understanding, and the ease of entrusting one's back to another after standing together at the edge of life and death.

She thought of the rough Sky Star Stone in her system space, of those distant old acquaintances in Sea God's Pavilion, and of the blood-connected tremor she had felt from the Xuanyuan Sword when she swung it today.

The road ahead was still long, but at least for now, she was not walking alone.