011 : The wolves gather.

The world of cultivation was vast, filled with towering sects, hidden realms, and ancient bloodlines that had stood unchallenged for centuries. The balance of power had been carefully maintained for generations—until now.

In the span of a few days, whispers of an anomaly had begun circulating in the shadows. The destruction of the Blazing Sky Sect had sent shockwaves through the cultivation world.

It was not just the fact that the sect had fallen.

It was how it had fallen.

A single person.

A lone disciple, once ridiculed as trash, had massacred the elders, devoured their qi, and survived the Heavenly Tribulation by consuming lightning itself.

That name, once forgotten, now spread like wildfire.

Lin Tian.

The rulers of the great sects sat in silence as the reports arrived. The heads of ancient clans narrowed their eyes, their fingers tapping against armrests carved from spiritual jade.

In the floating citadels of the Celestial Dao Palace, the elders gathered, their expressions unreadable as they reviewed the intelligence.

"A cultivator who absorbs qi directly," one of them murmured. "A technique unheard of in any known history."

Another scoffed. "It is not a technique. It is an aberration. He is an anomaly that should not exist."

A third elder, older and calmer, exhaled slowly. "And yet, he does exist." He turned his gaze to the great elder seated at the head of the table. "What shall we do?"

The grand elder, his robes shimmering with celestial energy, closed his eyes. For a long moment, silence reigned. Then, he spoke.

"We observe."

His fingers tightened slightly.

"And when the time is right… we intervene."

Far from the celestial palaces of the great sects, in the depths of the underworld, another meeting was taking place.

Beneath the ruins of a forgotten temple, the Nightshade Pavilion, the most feared assassins in the cultivation world, had received a new contract.

A woman, dressed in black robes embroidered with silver, read the details of the mission. Her face remained calm, but her eyes flickered with intrigue.

"Lin Tian," she whispered.

She had heard the rumors. A boy who devoured qi. A cultivator who had overcome heavenly punishment and survived.

A monster in the making.

The kind of prey she lived for.

She rolled up the scroll and turned to the gathered assassins, her lips curving into a cold smile.

"Prepare yourselves," she said. "Tonight, we hunt a legend."

Meanwhile, miles away, deep within an ancient forest, Lin Tian walked through the dense wilderness, his presence a storm of invisible pressure. Every step he took sent ripples through the natural qi around him.

The spirit beasts that once ruled these lands now hid in fear.

The trees, infused with centuries of spiritual essence, withered as he passed.

His power had grown beyond what even he had anticipated. He no longer needed to actively absorb qi—the world itself fed him.

But despite his overwhelming strength, he was not careless.

He had survived the Blazing Sky Sect. He had overcome the wrath of the heavens.

But he knew—this was only the beginning.

The true powerhouses of the cultivation world had noticed him. They would come.

And Lin Tian?

He welcomed them.

He stopped at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the endless land beyond.

His golden eyes flickered.

"It's time to leave this small world."

His goal was no longer survival. It was domination.

The next time he set foot in a sect, it would not be as a disciple.

It would be as their ruler.

As the moon rose high in the sky, a figure appeared at the edge of Lin Tian's resting place.

Dressed in black robes, moving like a shadow against the wind—the assassin had arrived.

She was no ordinary killer. She was one of the Nightshade Pavilion's elite, a cultivator who had slain Golden Core masters with a single strike.

She had studied Lin Tian's movements, tracked his path, and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Now, she stood mere feet away, her blade shimmering with a poisonous black aura.

Lin Tian, still seated beneath an ancient tree, did not move.

The assassin smirked. "You're not even aware of my presence, are you?"

She lunged.

Her blade sliced through the air, aimed straight for his throat. Fast. Silent. Precise.

And then—

Lin Tian vanished.

The assassin's eyes widened in shock. "What—?!"

Before she could react, an invisible force gripped her wrist.

Then, a whisper.

"You're the first."

Lin Tian stood behind her now, his grip like iron chains around her arm. His golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, and for the first time in her life—

She felt fear.

The assassin struggled, her body twisting as she tried to escape—but it was useless.

Lin Tian's fingers tightened. Her qi was already slipping away.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Y-you—"

She could feel it.

Her energy, the very foundation of her cultivation, was being ripped from her body.

Lin Tian watched her struggle with a detached curiosity. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

His voice was calm, but beneath it was something primal.

The assassin's mind screamed for her to move, to fight, to escape.

But she couldn't.

Her legs trembled. Her strength vanished.

Lin Tian leaned in slightly, whispering against her ear.

"You were sent to kill me." His smirk widened. "But I don't think you understand."

His grip tightened further—and her entire body convulsed.

"I am not prey."

The assassin let out a silent scream.

Then—her qi was completely devoured.

Her body collapsed to the ground, drained of all vitality, her once-powerful aura reduced to nothing.

Lin Tian exhaled, feeling the fresh energy settle into his being.

Then, without sparing her corpse a second glance, he turned toward the horizon.

They had sent an assassin.

Good.

That meant they were afraid.

That meant they were coming.

Lin Tian smiled, his golden eyes burning in the night.

"Let them all come."

"I will devour them all."

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