Yu Xuan and the others finally descended the mountain.
At the sa ti, Lingxi and her group rejoined the twins, and the rest of the squad. Judging by how alert and energized they looked, Yu Xuan suspected they were preparing to climb the mountain next.
Lingxi imdiately walked up to Tuoba Jun, eyeing him with concern.
"Are you alright?" she asked. His wounds were mostly healed thanks to Yu Xuan, but his spirit... looked like it had been beaten with a frying pan.
"It was quite dangero—"
"Who won!?" Sisu suddenly cut him off, thrusting a bizarre spherical clock forward.
The clock had multiple dials spinning in random directions, making it impossible to tell what ti it was ant to show.
Sisu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Tuoba Jun froze.
"Uh..." He grimaced, instinctively sensing doom.
Sisu’s bright, innocent smile sohow made it worse, like she was already celebrating her victory.
Lingxi stepped forward, folding her arms confidently.
"Well, regardless of how miserable you look, my group scored 634 kills."
Her competitive aura flared like a volcano.
Tuoba Jun felt his soul leave his body.
He looked at Yu Xuan... then at the twins... then at the strange clock and finally at Lingxi’s expectant gaze.
’Why am I leading such an abnormal group...? I’m not cut out for this!’
Number Two and Number Three tried and failed to hold back their laughter.
Yu Xuan could only sigh and gesture at Tuoba Jun with a subtle nod, silently telling him to take command before the situation escalated.
Tuoba Jun straightened his back.
"Let’s... first get so rest," he declared, regaining at least the illusion of leadership.
They traveled for a while and finally found a quiet, sheltered spot suitable for recovery.
anwhile...
After the main group left, several sect disciples arrived at the mountain peak.
They had sensed the Heavenly Punishnt Lightning and ca to investigate.
What they found instead.
Devastation.
Scorched earth.
Cratered snowfields.
And absolutely no clues at all.
Just destruction on a ridiculous scale.
They exchanged uneasy looks.
No one dared guess what monster caused it.
In the blink of an eye, a day passed.
***
After a full day of rest, Yu Xuan and his group,
(Actually, Tuoba Jun’s group) traveled to other regions within the gate. Among them, Lingxi appeared dispirited.
The gate was vast.
Even though their entry points were sa, the sect had established a dedicated exit beforehand.
The reason was simple:
The gate was originally a one-way trap.
The enemy who designed it never intended to offer an exit.
If the gate’s purpose was to harvest you, why would it let you walk out?
So the sect had forcibly created one for the disciples.
After so surprisingly unanimous discussion, the group agreed they should continue exploring rather than leave.
This decision ultimately fell to the group leader, aning Tuoba Jun.
Tuoba Jun puffed out his chest and declared that everyone was now strong, really strong, and they should press forward.
After all—
"YOU! HEY YOU!!! FIGHT !!"
A scrawny young man with a katana suddenly scread, jumping in front of their path.
"..."
"Daoist Skinny, I already defeated you once." Yu Xuan said.
"AHHHH!! YOU BASTARD!! Ignoring NOW!" the scrawny youth howled.
His na was Ki Tou.
Inside the gate, there was no night or day cycle.
No sunrise.
No sunset.
Just an eerie, constant atmosphere that never changed.
And yesterday, while they were resting peacefully, this stick-thin High Human arrogantly marched over and called Yu Xuan, a servant.
His reasoning?
Ki Tou was a High Human, a race considered the nobility of humanity.
Natural born leaders.
The ones with the greatest chance to beco Heavenly Humans.
So, assuming everyone else was beneath him, Ki Tou declared that Yu Xuan, the only human in the group should serve his "noble self."
Yu Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
He hadn’t even realized he was the only actual human among them.
All the others rely looked human.
Either that... or human shape in this cultivation world were like grains of sand, so common that no one paid them attention.
Sensing a "flattery mont and performance" opportunity, Number One and his squad imdiately arranged a duel between Yu Xuan and Ki Tou.
A formal sword duel.
Of course, the loser had to fulfill the wish of the winner.
And so began the legendary duel of.
Yu Xuan vs. Ki Tou.
Yu Xuan won that duel but not easily.
Because Ki Tou was terrifying.
If every other Tier Three cultivator in their group fought Ki Tou together, they still wouldn’t be confident of victory.
Ki Tou’s sword was clean.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Pure in a way that was rare among cultivators.
Yu Xuan never felt threatened, of course, his instincts told him Ki Tou couldn’t kill him but he couldn’t deny it.
Ki Tou was undeniably strong.
During their duel, he had sliced down an entire mountain.
Not taphorically.
Literally.
Ki Tou took his katana, swung once and a whole mountain was cut apart.
One arc.
One clean cut.
Yu Xuan was genuinely impressed.
So at first, he planned to take it easy, fight casually be rciful...
But then sothing in him stirred.
A mischievous impulse maybe?
Maybe it was Ki Tou’s potential?
Maybe it was Ki Tou’s arrogance?
Maybe it was Yu Xuan’s desire to have so fun.
So, midway through the duel.
Yu Xuan stopped holding back his aura.
Not his normal aura.
No.
What poured out of him was the pressure of a TrueYoung Master — arrogant, kingly, untouchable, looking down from a throne that no one could never reach in their life, but only be born with.
It rolled off him like a tidal wave.
Ki Tou froze.
His grip trembled.
His knees nearly buckled.
For the first ti in his life, the proud High Human’s felt... small.
And in their duel because of his special constitution.
Ki Tou didn’t just feel suppressed.
Ki Tou saw his Heaven.
And, Ki Tou glimpsed Avalon.
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