The tension in the air was thick. The first strike had been launched. There was never any room for negotiations, alliances, or empty words. Now, only the sound of weapons clashing, fists striking, and magical elements slicing through the air remained.
The icy mountain, once silent and majestic, surrounded by bluish crystals, had now turned into a battlefield.
The Bloodsteel Triplets, once united, were now separated, each forced to face a group of enemies who believed they had control over their lives.
Fei Lin moved with grace, using every part of her body to manipulate the essence of Water. The moisture around her condensed into droplets that orbited her in perfect sync with her movements. Her essence increased the amount of water until she was able to shape it into a serpent. She raised her arm toward Zin, and the blue snake traveled from her body to his, coiling around and binding his limbs.
The serpent slithered up Zin's body to his neck, and Fei Lin tried to strangle him into unconsciousness. But that was no easy task. Zin's skin took on a silvery hue, and no matter how much force she applied or how much essence she used—holding him for long was beyond her ability.
Zin was already close to breaking free from her control.
Seeing this, Yan Rui didn't waste time. He moved his arms once again, conjuring his whip, which struck Zin's abdomen. The impact was so strong that it sent him flying backward. His shirt was torn, and a red mark trailed across his body.
Zin infused his weapon—a short spear with a harpoon-like tip—with Metal energy. He charged toward Fei Lin, but Du Jiang appeared in his path, attempting to stop him with a blade of compressed water.
"Useless," Zin said.
With a horizontal swing of his spear, he dispelled his opponent's conjuration and redirected the attack toward the enemy's right arm.
Just like cultivators of Darkness, Water element martial artists had flexible bodies and were resistant to heavy impacts. Even so, Zin's strike was so powerful it nearly tore Du Jiang's arm off.
He then moved toward Fei Lin and kicked her in the stomach, almost making the girl vomit. Though he and his brothers were only thirteen years old—some of the youngest in that place—their Metal cultivation had elevated their bodies to enviable levels.
Yan Rui bit his lip, recognizing the gap between them.
***
Elsewhere, the disciples of the Flying Sword Sect weren't having an easy time either. Their opponent was Yen, a boy wielding a cheap-looking short saber with a blade chipped in several places.
Jin stood off to the side, simply observing, with no reason to get involved. After all, he too was a commoner—worse, a foreigner. Deep down, he wanted to help the youths who shared his type of cultivation, but he feared reprisals from the others once they returned to the sect. The Flying Sword Sect was the only place that had accepted him—with no family and no home, he had nowhere else to go.
Meanwhile, the others did their best just to land a scratch on Yen. But all their swords did was spark uselessly whenever they touched him.
On the other hand, Yen was also concerned. Wind cultivators were extremely fast, and he hadn't managed to land a single clean blow on them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xiao Mei closing in like an arrow, her blade aimed at his left eye. He managed to block the attack, raising his weapon at the last second. He backed off, teeth clenched—that had been close; he had almost failed to notice her.
Scanning the group, he realized Mei Lian was the most exhausted among them.
With three quick steps, he reached her and threw his sword toward her leg, slicing deeply into her thigh.
Liang Wei, angered by his companion being wounded, charged at Yen, his blade pointed at Yen's chest. Seeing that his opponent was unarmed, he believed his strike would hit true. But to his surprise, it was just bait.
Yen had been waiting for it. He shifted slightly to the side and trapped Liang Wei's sword between his arm and torso. Then, twisting his body, he disarmed Wei with ease. Afterward, he grabbed his opponent by the shirt, pulling his face close enough to land a punch so powerful it shattered the Wind cultivator's teeth.
***
On the final front of the battle, the four Earth cultivators were having an easier time compared to the others. Their powers were quite similar to those of their opponent.
Xan faced his rivals with determination. His weapon was a metal chain with a small blade at the end, but although he was very agile and skilled in wielding it, his opponents could endure many slashing wounds before falling.
Realizing his weapon wasn't the best fit for that fight, Xan withdrew it and raised his fists.
Shan Luong, seeing this, scoffed:
"Stop that, boy. Beg for forgiveness on your knees and leave with your brothers. Some things in life are only meant to be earned by certain kinds of people. Power isn't something you commoners should dream about."
Xan's gaze sharpened.
"Nonsense. I'm sick of you treating us like slaves. You hold us back because you're afraid of what we might become!" Xan shouted, furious.
Another person spoke up:
"Afraid? Of some rats like you and your brothers? Haha, you're insane, kid."
Laoyin Yuse was one of the most prominent disciples of the Living Rock Sect, though his position was far below people like Shan Luong and Tu Zhen.
"If you're not afraid of us, then why do you keep trying to hold us down? We've done nothing against you, yet you still insist on bothering us. I know you don't need those herbs — your parents have probably bought you much better things already."
Yuse looked at him with disdain.
"You wouldn't understand the importance of tradition. What lies atop those mountains is far more valuable to us than its material worth."
Tired and irritated by all of it, Xan charged forward and threw a punch that sank deep into Yuse's protruding belly.
Yuse kept a confident expression and countered with a powerful blow, his arm coated in a layer of earth slamming into Xan's head.
Struck, Xan's body was bent sideways from the impact, but he quickly resumed the attack. He and Yuse exchanged several blows.
For some unknown reason, the other three were just standing there, calmly observing. However, their expressions grew more serious as they witnessed Xan's persistence.
Earth cultivators had terrifying endurance to many, but to a Metal cultivator, that meant little. No matter how many hits Xan took — he refused to kneel.
And although his strikes were much weaker, Xan was incomparably faster.
In a determined move, he leapt powerfully toward Laoyin Yuse's head. The essence he focused into his fist was so dense that his hand was now nearly as hard as titanium. He landed a clean punch on Yuse's jaw. The Living Rock Sect disciple hit the ground like a fallen tree trunk.
Laoyin Piao, Yuse's younger brother, enraged by the humiliation his brother suffered, spent all his essence gathering the earth from the ground and hurled it at Xan, trying to bury him alive.
Dozens of massive rocks flew through the air.
Xan's heart froze. He tried to dodge the barrage of stones, but he knew he wasn't fast enough.
Seeing their younger brother's life in danger, Zin and Yen tried to intervene, but the disciples from the other sects stopped them.
One of the stones from Piao's frenzied attack flew too high and, unnoticed, shattered one of the blue crystals above them.
Then, the entire mountain trembled. More and more crystals began to break, like a chain reaction. The snow atop the mountain started to descend.
A terrifying avalanche was forming.