The wind shifted unnaturally, stirring the leaves in a circular pattern around Lin Ho. The three disciples from the Iron Bone Sect stepped forward, their expressions smug and predatory.
> "You think you can stand against us both?"
"You're just a nobody who got lucky in the trial."
Their Qi began to rise, cloaked in dark, metallic hues — Iron Bone cultivation techniques were infamous for their brutal, crushing force. It made their bodies hard as spirit iron, capable of resisting blades and spells alike.
The girl behind Lin Ho gritted her teeth, still gathering her strength.
> "Don't… don't fight them for me. I'll only slow you down."
But Lin Ho didn't even glance back.
> "You're not a burden. Stay behind me."
He drew his father's longblade in a single, smooth motion. The simple weapon hummed quietly as Chaos Qi coiled along its edge like a black mist threaded with silver light.
> "I'll give you one chance," Lin Ho said, voice calm. "Leave."
The leader of the three chuckled. "You'll regret showing mercy, boy."
Then he lunged — faster than most would expect, closing the distance with a crushing palm strike that cracked the stone beneath them.
Lin Ho's eyes narrowed.
The blade moved.
Not with flourish, not with style — but with intent.
A streak of black light danced through the air, and the palm was intercepted mid-motion. A shockwave burst outward as the Chaos Qi clashed against the Iron Bone technique.
The attacker stumbled back, hand smoking.
> "What… kind of Qi is that?!"
The second enemy flanked from the side, launching a series of spear thrusts aimed to force Lin Ho into retreat. But the world around Lin Ho bent slightly — not visibly, but perceptibly — and the spear missed by inches.
Lin Ho moved like water around steel, effortless and unreadable. His counterstrike sent the second enemy flying into a boulder, coughing blood.
The third disciple hesitated.
> "We didn't sign up to fight a freak!"
But the leader barked, "He's only one person! Kill him!"
All regrouped, forming a triangular attack pattern. Their combined formation was designed to trap opponents with layered pressure from all sides.
Yet Lin Ho simply raised his blade and closed his eyes.
He exhaled once. Chaos Qi surged out in a ring around him — silent, invisible to most senses, but real.
The pressure shattered the formation instantly.
The three attackers froze, their breathing ragged.
> "W-we surrender—"
But Lin Ho was already in motion.
Three strikes.
Three clean, surgical blows — not fatal, but disabling. They collapsed to the ground, groaning, unable to move.
The girl watched, stunned.
> "That wasn't swordplay… that was something else."
Lin Ho sheathed his blade and turned.
> "Rest. We move before more of them show up."
---
Later That Night
They found shelter in a hollow tree grown large enough to hold them both. Lin Ho sat in meditation again while the girl slept nearby, exhaustion overtaking fear.
The seed floated once more in front of him. The tiny root now pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
> "You were awakened for a reason," Lin Ho murmured.
But something new stirred at the edge of his senses.
Far beyond this realm, from the deep ocean, a pair of sapphire eyes opened again.
> "He grows faster than expected," the abyssal voice said.
From behind the throne of bone and coral, shadows began to gather.
> "Send the deepspawn. He must be tested… before the others awaken."
---
End of Chapter 38