The True War

Lu Heng walked through the vibrant streets of Dark Veil Crossing with a measured, confident stride. He didn't look back once—he didn't need to. He could feel the eyes on him, the soft pressure of trained footsteps masked behind the noise of the crowd. The Jiang Clan thought they were subtle.

He let them follow.

Without breaking pace, he stepped into the entrance of the Grand Vermilion Auction Hall. A quiet nod to the attendant and a flash of his jade token were all it took. Within seconds, he was escorted through a polished corridor and into a private room sealed with formation scripts. The moment the door closed behind him, the eyes outside lost him. Entirely.

The Jiang agents stopped just beyond the entrance, unable to follow. No one dared interfere. The Grand Vermilion Auction catered to powerful clients—Rank 2 cultivators like Lu Heng were treated like nobility. Bribery? Impossible. The risk of offending a Rank 2 cultivator far outweighed anything they could offer. Especially since these spies weren't even cultivators of comparable standing.

They lingered near the doors, posted around the building. But the auction hall had exits—many exits. Some hidden. Some buried under adjoining shops. Lu Heng, of course, knew them well.

By the time one of the Jiang men circled to the rear of the auction, Lu Heng was already gone—slipping out through a concealed passage behind a seemingly ordinary herbal store owned by the auction itself.

He didn't take the main road. The Jiang Clan would have guards near the city gates. No, he was faster than that. A flicker of Qi gathered around his boots, and his cloak rippled as his movement technique activated. His body turned into a blur, a ripple in the night. A moment later, he was already scaling a quiet section of the wall on the far eastern edge of the city.

The guards never saw him. Not truly. Just a faint pressure in the air as the night wind stirred.

Outside the city, Lu Heng increased his speed. He tore across the landscape like a black shadow, threading through groves, gliding over rocky plains. Every burst of movement carried him dozens of meters ahead.

"I'll have to abandon my original plan," he muttered to himself, voice cold against the rushing wind. "There's no time to subtly shift things anymore. Tao Mu is too loyal to Lu Zhenhai, and I can't bribe him. Killing him is out of the question too—his life stone is with Lu Zhenhai. If I do it, that stone will shatter instantly. Lu Zhenhai will be on me before I even breathe."

His eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold gleam.

"I could take Han Yi hostage… but that wouldn't buy me enough time to deal with the demonic beast. Not before Lu Zhenhai shows up. No, that won't work."

A new plan formed—sharper and more ruthless than before.

"…But maybe I can use them. Trick them. Make them believe the Jiang Clan sent the demonic beast. Maybe I say I just found out—say one of their elders ambushed me and I captured him. Then, under torture, he confessed. I could even say the beast was meant to sabotage our mine… that the Jiang Clan's been feeding it. That explains why it came here or simply lie and say i found the beast because of the i capture their elders and tortured him and say the purpose of the jiang clan attacks were all to get the beast and I'll simply label them as demonic Cultivators that would be enough to ignite that sense of justice and the hunger for glory they'll feel would be enough to lead them by the nose into my plans."

He smirked to himself, leaping across a ravine with barely a sound.

"All I need to do is shift their focus. Get them angry. Make them think it's vengeance. With a bit of righteous fury and panic, even Tao Mu will act without waiting for Lu Zhenhai's approval. If they kill the beast for me? Perfect. If they die trying? Even better. And by the time anyone starts questioning the truth—"

He vanished again in a gust of wind and speed.

"—I'll already be gone."

Back at the mine, the air was calm and silent, heavy with the faint hum of Qi drifting through the night. Inside the dimly lit cavern, Lin Shu sat cross-legged, his breathing steady, almost inaudible. Streams of Qi coiled around his body like translucent serpents, gradually being drawn into his core as he cultivated. His face remained expressionless, calm like still water—but deep within, there was a coiled storm waiting to be unleashed.

Nearby, Yan Qing was curled beneath a blanket, asleep but not deeply so—his hand still resting on the hilt of his blade, instincts half-awake even in rest. Ren Hao sat at the far end of the chamber, legs crossed, a dim talisman flickering beside him to illuminate the pages of a worn manual. His eyes scanned each line with eerie focus, not a single blink wasted.

Outside the mine, the stillness was only broken by the quiet footsteps of patrols and the low murmur of guards exchanging shifts. Torchlight flickered gently on the stone walls, casting long shadows that danced and retreated with every gust of wind. Most of the students were asleep in their tents or shelters, lulled by the uneventful night.

Atop one of the patrolling towers, Wu Jian sat beside Yun Qiu, both of them cultivating in silence—at least, until Yun Qiu broke it.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Yun Qiu muttered, voice sharp with resentment. "The vice dean keeps throwing garbage missions at us. Meanwhile, Ren Hao, Yan Qing, and that bastard Lin Shu get high-level ones. Does he really think they're better than us?"

His lip curled.

"I could slit any of their throats in a blink. And they've got the nerve to mock me? Mock my clan? That alone should warrant execution."

Wu Jian opened his eyes slowly, his expression unreadable at first—until it twisted into something darker. He felt the same disgust, the same fury. He couldn't stand it—being stronger, faster, more talented, and yet constantly overlooked. All because of a few weaklings got lucky in some missions they thought they could insult him and his clan.

"…Tomorrow's going to be war," he said, his voice low. "And I doubt the vice dean or any instructors will be watching too closely."

He glanced sideways, a cold smirk pulling at his lips.

"That means… accidents can happen. Right?"

Yun Qiu's smirk matched his, cold and cruel. "Yes. Accidents," he echoed. "All we have to do is corner them. Let someone else finish it. We don't even need to get our hands dirty."

Wu Jian's smirk deepened, eyes glinting in the torchlight.

"Although," he said, voice tightening with restrained bloodlust, "I'd rather do it myself. Just to remind everyone what happens when they try to rise above us. When they insult us… or worse—dare to compete with us."

His hand slowly curled into a fist.

"They think they've reached us?" He chuckled darkly. "Tomorrow… we'll show them what it costs to dream."

Fortunately or maybe unfortunately for Yun qiu and wu jian they didn't need to wait.

A low, shrill whistle split the silence as Yun Qiu's eyes narrowed toward the horizon. Beside him, Wu Jian stiffened. Something was coming.

No—someone.

They felt it first. A suffocating pressure, malicious and unrestrained, slammed down upon the mine like the hand of a wrathful being. Then they saw him.

Atop the mine gates stood a man clad in violet robes streaked with black, long dark hair dancing like smoke in the wind. A massive sword hung on his back, and his eyes burned with seething hatred. His presence eclipsed every other cultivator present—there was no doubt.

A Rank 2 cultivator.

The man raised his sword to the sky. Qi howled like a hurricane, coiling around the blade in violent arcs of light. His voice thundered through the earth and sky.

"I will reign hell upon this earth to save you, Zhenyu… and I shall start with this very place."

From the surrounding towers and barracks, people began pouring out—students, instructors, guards. One by one, their faces twisted with shock and fear.

Even Tao Mu's expression turned grim the moment he saw the man.

"…Jiang Wuyu," he muttered under his breath, voice tight.

Suddenly, Jiang Wuyu swung his massive blade—not even a full arc, just a motion laced with disdain.

Jiang Wuyu's sword burned with violet light as he shouted, "Low-tier Rank 2 technique — Ruins Vow!"

Qi erupted around him like a howling storm, splitting the very air in its path.

Tao Mu's expression twisted in alarm. "Jiang Wuyu..." he muttered, his voice hoarse with disbelief.

He recognized the robe, the sword, the aura — there was no mistaking it.

"Damn it, I thought Lu Heng was negotiating with him... Why is he here? And where the hell is Lu Heng?!"

But there was no time to think. Wuyu's sword came down like a death punishment. Tao Mu leapt into action.

"ALL INSTRUCTORS, DEFEND! FORMATION NOW!" he shouted.

Five instructors rushed forth to block, Qi exploding from their techniques.

"Rank 1 Peak Tier Technique — Devastating wind!" Tao Mu roared, wind spiraling around his palm.

But Wuyu didn't stop. With a sweep of his other hand, a red, sickly liquid pooled at his fingertips.

"Peak Tier Rank 1 technique — Venomous Blast!"

He hurled the corrosive wave at them. The sky itself seemed to wail under the pressure.

Tao Mu saw the doom approaching. There was no chance to block both attacks. He grit his teeth and gave a sharp hand sign to an instructor far at the back.

It was the code.

Evacuate the precious ones. Save who must be saved. Leave the rest.

Wuyu's attacks crashed down like judgment, and Tao Mu was flung back, his hands trembling from the impact. He coughed blood but remained standing, barely.

"He's not even fighting seriously..." he realized.

But Wuyu wasn't aiming to kill them all yet. Not because he couldn't — but because he didn't want to waste his Qi.

"I'll need to save strength to wipe out the demonic beast swiftly. If I succeed, the empire won't discover it... at worst, I'll be punished, but not executed."

As he prepared another strike, the heavens themselves shook with a feral roar.

Wuyu turned — and then it happened.

A blur. A thunderclap.

A clawed fist slammed into his sword, sending him flying. He crashed into a patrol tower — splinters and debris flying in every direction. Rubble buried him.

From the dust emerged a figure — shirtless, towering, veins bulging across a monstrous frame.

His hair was wild, golden strands dancing in the wind. His claws gleamed black, unnatural. His presence was that of a beast in human form.

Lu Heng stood in front of the shattered tower.

Jiang Wuyu emerged, growling. "So it's true... You really own transformation technique didn't I believe it at first but Now i guess that's enough proof for it."

Lu Heng's voice was deeper now, his fangs visible beneath his grin.

"You're even dumber than I thought. I was going to offer you a deal, but now... well, I guess you really do love your dead wife. After all, you came all this way to join her."

Wuyu's eyes narrowed. He clenched his sword. His fury flared but his voice was calm.

"I haven't killed a beast in a while. Your neck will make for good practice."

Lu Heng's roar tore through the night. They clashed — and then in a blur, leapt over the mine, vanishing into the forest, not wanting to wake what slumbered below.

Inside the mine, Lin Shu had gone pale.

"Where the hell do I run to..." he whispered, heart pounding.

Then he saw them — Zeng Shiyang, Yun Qiu, Wu Jian, Han Yi, and Xie Lang — all being hurried deeper into the mine by instructors.

He looked at Ren Hao and Yan Qing.

"I can use them as meat shields if it comes to it..."

He nudged them, shattering their stunned silence.

"Plans changed. We're going now."

They nodded.

As they were looking for a chance to follow the prodigies without being seen, Lin Shu glanced back at the shattered gates.

An army was marching in.

Banners of the Jiang Clan filled the air.

But the students saw Lu Heng — and roared with hope, morale soaring,they didn't think of losing now only of the glory and rewards they were promised and they felt safer especially since they saw lu heng blast that rank 2 cultivator to the ground.

Even Han Yi and the other top students, who were initially being evacuated, were turned around to stay and fight.

They would stand their ground.

And yet, above all the noise, the flames, and the banners... Lin Shu's thoughts were cold and sharp.

As he saw Han Yi and her equals coming back he thought "Great, my escape will now be sure if i can get to the mine."he thought.