A Sect Masters Unyielding Resolve

The Heavenly System Sect's training grounds had become a battleground.

The Three-Headed Shadow Wolf, a Seventh Layer Demonic Beast, snarled, its crimson eyes fixed on me.

My simple iron sword, now imbued with the [Martial Sword Art System (8th Layer)], hummed with a faint, golden light. 

"You wounded it, Sect Master!" I heard Jian's voice, filled with a mix of awe and terror, from behind me. "Keep it distracted! We'll focus our Qi blasts on its legs!"

The forty non-cultivator disciples, terrified but determined, were trying their best, launching weak Qi blasts that mostly just annoyed the wolf. 

"Stay back, Fang!" I yelled, my voice ringing with a new authority. "This thing's mine!"

The Three-Headed Shadow Wolf lunged, its three heads snapping simultaneously. Its claws, sharp as razors, tore through the air.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

I moved, a blur of white robe and flashing iron.

My [Martial Sword Art System (8th Layer)] was incredible. It wasn't just a set of moves; it was an intuitive understanding of combat. I parried one head's bite, Clang!, the sound of metal on fang echoing.

I ducked under another's claw, Whoosh!, feeling the wind whip past my ear. And then I spun, my sword a silver arc, deflecting the third head's lunge.

Shing!, sparks flying.

The wolf retaliated with a burst of dark, corrupted Qi, a wave of chilling energy that washed over me. My [Minor Kinetic Shield] flared, absorbing most of it, but a cold, burning sensation still seeped into my skin. I gritted my teeth. This thing hit hard.

Thump!

One of the wolf's massive paws slammed into the ground where I had just been, leaving a deep crater. I rolled, coming up in a defensive stance, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

My Ninth Layer Qi was already draining rapidly, fueling the 8th Layer sword art. This was a marathon, and I was a sprinter with very short legs.

"You're fast, little human!" one of the wolf's heads snarled, its voice a low, guttural growl. "But you cannot escape forever! My shadows will consume you!"

It unleashed a volley of shadowy projectiles, dark, condensed balls of corrupted Qi that streaked towards me.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

I danced, my sword a blur, deflecting some, Clang!, Ping!, and relying on my [Minor Kinetic Shield] to absorb others. Each impact sent a jarring shockwave through my body.

My arms ached. A sharp pain bloomed in my side where one of the projectiles had grazed me, tearing a rip in my white robe. Blood. My blood.

"Damn it!" I cursed. This was harder than I thought. The wolf was relentless. Its three heads attacked in coordinated patterns, making it almost impossible to find an opening.

Snarl! Growl! 

It lunged again, its fangs dripping with dark energy. I parried, my sword clashing against its teeth, CRUNCH!, the sound of metal scraping against bone. I felt a jarring impact up my arm.

I needed to be creative. I needed to think like a Systems Trader, not just a swordsman.

My eyes darted around the training ground. The newly built stone walls. The practice dummies. The patches of loose earth from my own clumsy elemental affinity experiments.

An idea sparked. A crazy, desperate, utterly Alex-style idea.

"Alright, you overgrown furball!" I yelled, my voice ringing with a newfound determination. "Time for a lesson in… environmental hazards!"

I dodged another lunge, Whoosh!, then sprinted towards a section of the training ground where Master Glimmer's crew had left a pile of loose, freshly dug earth.

The wolf, confused by my sudden retreat, followed, its three heads snarling.

"Now, Earth Affinity!" I mentally commanded, channeling all my remaining Qi and focusing my [Basic Elemental Affinity (Earth)]. I slammed my free hand onto the ground.

Rumble!

The earth trembled. Not just a tremor, but a sudden, violent upheaval.

A wall of loose earth, mixed with jagged stones, erupted from the ground, directly in the path of the charging wolf. It wasn't a solid, impenetrable barrier, but a chaotic, unstable mess.

The Three-Headed Shadow Wolf, expecting a direct confrontation, slammed into the earthen wall.

Thud! Crash!

It roared in frustration, its massive body struggling to push through the unstable earth.

Its legs got tangled. For a precious second, it was stuck, struggling, its three heads snarling at the shifting ground.

"Now, everyone!" I roared, my voice carrying over the wolf's struggles. "Focus your Qi blasts! Aim for its exposed back! Jian! Fang! Hit it with everything you've got!"

Jian immediately unleashed a volley of precise Qi blasts

Zing! Zing! Zing!, striking the wolf's struggling form. Fang, with a furious grunt, charged forward, his massive club slamming into the wolf's hindquarters.

CRACK!

The wolf roared, its heads snapping wildly, trying to free itself. It was distracted. It was vulnerable.

This was my chance. My one chance.

I took a deep breath. My Qi was almost depleted. My body ached. 

I raised my iron sword. It glowed with a fierce, golden light. I channeled every ounce of my remaining Qi.

I launched myself forward, not in a direct charge, but in a series of impossibly fast, almost ethereal blurs. My white robe flowed around me. I moved like a phantom, a golden streak through the air.

The Three-Headed Shadow Wolf, still struggling in the earth, sensed my approach. Its central head snapped towards me, its crimson eyes blazing with desperate fury.

"You think you can defeat me, little human?!" it snarled, its voice laced with dark power. "I am a Seventh Layer Demonic Beast! You are nothing!"

"..."

"Wait... you can talk?!"

I met its gaze, my own eyes burning with a fierce, unyielding resolve. My sword was raised, poised for the final blow.

"Nothing?" I scoffed, my voice ringing with a new, powerful confidence that surprised even myself.

My Qi, though small, surged, combining with the System's power. "I am Alex! Sect Master of the Heavenly System Sect! I'm the guy who sells superpowers! I'm the guy who survived a Qilin (mostly)! And I'm the guy who's about to teach you that even a 'nothing' can kick your multi-headed butt back to whatever dark dimension you crawled out of!"

My sword descended. Not with a simple slash, but with a complex, elegant, yet devastatingly powerful strike. It was the culmination of my [Martial Sword Art System (8th Layer)], infused with my nascent Qi, guided by my [Minor Combat Prowess System], and imbued with the sheer, unadulterated audacity of a Systems Trader who was tired of being underestimated.

WHIRRRR! The sword spun, creating a miniature vortex of golden Qi.