Aiden didn’t step back. He stepped in, and steel met steel.

Clang.

The impact rang out sharply, and for a brief moment, both held.

Ren Kai’s eyes narrowed.

"...Strong."

Aiden’s grip didn’t waver.

"Not bad."

He twisted his wrist slightly, redirecting the blade just enough to break the line, then stepped forward and swung.

Ren Kai blocked.

But the force pushed him half a step back.

Behind him, Hao Jin moved.

A wide slash came from the side, fast and heavy.

Aiden reacted instantly.

"Bone Armor."

A thin layer of bone formed over his shoulder and arm just as the strike landed.

Crack.

The impact was absorbed.

Not fully.

But enough.

Aiden turned into it, his sword cutting low toward Hao Jin’s side.

Hao Jin pulled back just in time, the blade grazing his clothes instead of flesh.

"Damn," he muttered. "He’s fast too."

Cai Wen stepped in next, his rings shooting forward, spinning toward Aiden’s arm and weapon.

Aiden didn’t dodge.

"Bone Shield."

A curved barrier formed just in time, deflecting the incoming strike with a sharp impact.

The moment it hit, Aiden moved again.

He stepped forward and drove his sword toward Cai Wen.

Too direct.

Too fast.

Cai Wen barely managed to shift aside.

"Watch it!" Shen Lu snapped as he appeared behind Aiden, daggers striking in quick succession, aiming for the gaps in his defense.

Aiden’s reaction was immediate.

"Fear Pulse."

The air tightened.

Shen Lu’s movement faltered for just a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

Aiden turned, his blade forcing Shen Lu back before the daggers could fully land.

The exchange broke.

Both sides stepped back slightly.

Just for a breath.

Shen Lu exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around his daggers.

"How can he use abilities like that... are we fighting a Qi Sense Stage master?" he said, his voice low but tense.

Ren Kai didn’t take his eyes off Aiden.

"I doubt it," he replied, calm but firm. "If that were true... we’d already be dead."

The words settled heavily.

Because they all understood what that meant.

If Aiden truly stood at that level, none of them would still be standing here exchanging blows.

But even so...

What they were facing now was already beyond anything they had expected.

Aiden moved first again.

No warning.

No wasted motion.

He stepped in, his sword cutting across in a clean, controlled arc, forcing Ren Kai to block once more. The impact rang out, sharper this time, heavier. The force traveled through Ren Kai’s arm, making his grip tighten instinctively.

At the same time, Aiden’s other hand lifted slightly.

"Bone Spear."

A spike shot out from the ground at an angle, aimed directly at Cai Wen.

"Move!"

Cai Wen twisted his body, barely avoiding it as the spear pierced through where he had been standing just a second ago. The ground cracked from the force.

"He’s mixing it into his attacks," Hao Jin said, his voice tight as he rushed in again, blade swinging down with full strength.

Aiden didn’t retreat.

He stepped forward instead.

Steel collided again, but this time Aiden shifted his stance mid-impact, letting the force slide past him before driving his shoulder forward.

The hit landed solidly.

Hao Jin was pushed back several steps, his boots dragging across the ground.

"He’s getting used to us," Cai Wen muttered.

"No," Ren Kai said quietly.

His eyes sharpened.

"He’s already used to us."

That realization hit harder than any strike.

Because it meant Aiden wasn’t struggling to keep up.

He was adapting, and winning. Another exchange broke out, faster this time, and sharper.

Shen Lu moved in again, forcing Aiden to split his attention, his daggers flashing from blind angles, while Lian Yue thrust her spear forward with precise timing, aiming to pin Aiden in place.

For a moment, it worked.

Aiden was forced to block, shift, and step back.

But then—

"Bone Prison."

The ground erupted again.

Ribs of bone shot upward between them, forcing Shen Lu and Lian Yue to disengage immediately or risk getting trapped.

That single interruption broke their rhythm.

And Aiden took advantage of it instantly.

He stepped in and slashed.

Ren Kai blocked.

But this time, the impact pushed him back harder than before.

A faint crack echoed under his feet.

Ren Kai’s expression tightened.

This wasn’t going well.

Not at all.

His group felt it too.

Every move they made was being read.

Every opening they tried to create was being shut down.

And worse...

Aiden wasn’t even going all out.

Ren Kai’s grip on his sword tightened.

Then he spoke.

"...We use it."

The others froze for just a fraction of a second.

They all knew what he meant.

Hao Jin frowned slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Ren Kai didn’t hesitate.

"Now."

Behind them, one of the elders glanced over, immediately understanding the situation.

"Protect them!" he shouted.

The elders of the Clear Water Sect moved at once, stepping forward, their presence expanding as they intercepted the undead trying to close in. At the same time, several leaders from other forces joined them, forming a defensive perimeter around Ren Kai’s group.

The pressure shifted.

For a brief moment, Aiden’s undead were held back.

Not stopped.

But delayed.

Aiden noticed immediately.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Interesting."

Ren Kai reached into his robes and pulled something out.

A talisman.

Old.

Its surface worn, but the markings carved into it were deep and precise, faint lines of energy running through them like veins.

The air around it felt different.

He held it up without hesitation.

"This came from the first sect master, a Qi Sense master" Ren Kai said quietly.

Even Aiden’s gaze sharpened at that.

A Qi Sense Stage master.

That alone carried weight.

Ren Kai crushed the talisman.

It shattered into fragments of light.

And then, it spread.

A thin layer of Qi wrapped around their bodies, almost invisible, like a second skin. It flowed across their arms, their weapons, their entire form, reinforcing everything.

Hao Jin exhaled sharply as the power settled in.

"...I can feel it."

Cai Wen clenched his fist.

Shen Lu rolled his shoulders slightly, a grin forming despite the situation.

"Now that’s more like it."

Ren Kai lifted his sword again.

This time, the air around him felt different.

Sharper.

More refined.

Aiden watched them, his expression calm, but his eyes more focused than before.

"...A boost," he said softly.

Ren Kai met his gaze.

"Let’s see if you can keep up now."

And then they moved again.

Faster than before, and stronger than before.

The real fight began.

The moment they moved, the difference was obvious.

Ren Kai’s blade cut forward with a sharper edge, faster than before, the air splitting cleanly as it aimed straight for Aiden’s throat. At the same time, Hao Jin came from the side again, his strike heavier now, carrying enough force to crack stone if it landed cleanly.

They weren’t holding back anymore.

Aiden’s eyes tracked both of them at once.

Then he smiled, just slightly.

"Good," he said.

And then his gaze sharpened.

"Now I’ll get serious."

He didn’t step away.

He stepped in.

Clang.

Ren Kai’s sword met his again, but this time the force behind Aiden’s strike was different. It wasn’t just strength. It was layered, reinforced by everything behind him, his aura, his control, his presence on the battlefield itself.

Ren Kai felt it immediately.

"How is he this strong."

Aiden twisted his wrist and broke the clash, shifting his body just enough to avoid Hao Jin’s incoming strike before snapping his elbow backward.

The hit landed against Hao Jin’s ribs.

Even with the Qi coating, Hao Jin was forced back, his breath hitching slightly.

"Damn...!"

Aiden didn’t give him time to recover.

His hand lifted.

"Bone Spear."

But this time...

It didn’t stop at one.

Ten bone spears shot at once, forming in a tight arc around the group before launching forward like a storm of white steel, each one angled differently, cutting off escape paths, forcing movement, forcing mistakes.

"Watch out!" Cai Wen shouted.

They scattered instantly.

Ren Kai twisted mid-step, his blade flashing as he deflected one spear, then another, but the force behind them made his arms strain. One slipped past and tore through his sleeve, grazing his skin.

Shen Lu dropped low, rolling under two incoming spears before kicking off the ground to regain distance, his breathing now uneven.

Lian Yue thrust her spear forward, redirecting one projectile, but the impact pushed her back several steps.

Hao Jin barely raised his blade in time.

Boom.

The spear slammed into it, forcing him down to one knee before it shattered into fragments.

"...Ten at once?" he muttered.

Before they could fully reset, Aiden was already moving again.

He used the chaos.

Closed the distance.

His figure blurred forward, not from technique, but raw speed, enhanced beyond normal limits.

He appeared in front of Cai Wen first.

Too fast.

Cai Wen’s eyes widened just slightly before Aiden’s sword came down.

Clang.

He blocked it, but the impact drove him down, his feet digging into the ground.

Aiden shifted immediately.

No pause.

He turned and kicked.

The strike landed against Cai Wen’s side, sending him sliding back across the ground.

"Cai Wen!"

Shen Lu rushed in again, daggers flashing, faster now under the talisman’s effect.

This time, his strikes nearly connected.

Nearly.

Aiden’s body twisted unnaturally, just enough to avoid the fatal angles.

Then—

"Fear Pulse."

The air crushed inward.

Shen Lu’s vision blurred for a split second, his movements slowing just enough.

Aiden stepped through it.

One slash.

Shen Lu was forced to retreat, a shallow cut forming across his arm.