ASCENSION OF THE FORSAKEN DISCIPLE

Chapter7: A New Ally A New Enemy

The Azure Sect’s training grounds were alive with chatter as disciples returned from their assigned missions. 

Dust and sweat clung to their robes. The air was filled with the clashing scents of blood, herbs, and the faint tang of spirit stones being exchanged as rewards. 

Among them, Kai walked silently. His expression was calm though his body still hummed from the lingering thrill of his first kill. The Scarlet Fang Wolf’s demise had not only given him rewards from the System, but had also changed something inside him. 

But he had barely stepped back through the gates of the sect when eyes turned his way.

“Isn’t that Kai? The so-called trash?”

“I heard he killed the Scarlet Fang Wolf himself.”

“Impossible. Probably just tagged along and stole the credit.”

Kai ignored the whispers from the disciples. His footsteps remained steady, and his mind locked on the glowing blue interface only he could see.

“System Notification!

First Hunt Mission Complete 

Rewards: +10 Strength, +15 Agility, Skill Unlock: Shadow Step Level 1.

Note: Efficiency rating 72%. Higher efficiency in combat yields better rewards.”

Kai exhaled softly. Excitement was  hidden beneath his face. 

Shadow Step is a movement skill. In combat, speed was often the difference between life and death. The System wasn’t just giving him power, it was sharpening him into a weapon.

But before he could retreat into solitude to test his new skill, a voice rang out.

“Kai!”

He turned just as Xiren Wren hurried forward. Her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes were bright. She wore the same outer sect robes as him, though hers bore streaks of dirt from the mission. She stopped in front of him, clasping her hands firmly.

“You saved my life out there,” she said, her voice carrying a tone that made several disciples glance their way. “From this day forward, I owe you a debt.”

The words dropped like thunder. Disciples nearby snickered.

“Ha! The beauty pledges herself to the trash?”

“Xiren Wren must be out of her mind.”

“Or maybe Kai tricked her.”

Kai’s expression didn’t change, though inside he almost sighed. ‘This girl… she’s painting a target on both of us.’ He thought in his head. 

“You don’t need to follow me,” he said flatly, and started to walk away.

But Xiren jogged after him with determination lighting her features. “A life debt is not something I would forget. You saved me when no one else would. I’ll follow you until it’s repaid.”

The whispers grew louder. By the time Kai reached his quarters, half of the outer sect knew Xiren Wren had attached herself to him.

Inside another yard, Li Shen smashed his cup against the floor, porcelain shards scattering all over the surface of the ground.

“He dares! He dares return alive, and now that woman attaches herself to him?” His voice was filled with hate, his arrogance now boiling into obsession.

One of his lackeys bowed nervously. “Senior Brother, rumors say Kai dealt the killing blow to the Scarlet Fang Wolf…”

“Lies!” Li Shen roared, slamming his palm against the table, splintering the wood. “Trash will remain trash. I’ll expose him for what he truly is. I’ll crush him publicly. Then let’s see who dares stand at his side!”

His eyes gleamed with cruelty as he leaned forward. “Prepare. Soon, I will challenge him. And this time, I’ll make sure he doesn’t walk away.”

Far from the noise, within the secluded inner sect chambers, Elder Zhao sat cross-legged. His disciple, hidden from the eyes of the sect, knelt before him. Lin Sha’s presence was like a blade sheathed in velvet. It was quiet but dangerous.

“Master,” Lin Sha said softly, his tone was respectful but yet sharp. “This Kai… his growth is unusual. In just a short time, he has leaped from a weakling to someone who can slay a Scarlet Fang Wolf. That is not natural.”

Zhao’s eyes narrowed. His dark thoughts started swirling. “Indeed. I have long suspected him. Li Shen is too blind with pride to see clearly, but you… you will keep your eyes on him. Provoke him if needed. A man’s true self is revealed under pressure.”

Lin Sha bowed. “Yes, Master.”

“And remember,” Zhao added as he spoke in a  lowered voice, “Kai is not just a threat to Li Shen’s ego. He is a threat to my plans. If he grows unchecked, the balance of the Azure Sect may shift. I will not allow the trash to rise.”

Lin Sha’s lips curved faintly. “Understood.”

That night, while Xiren Wren sat stubbornly outside his quarters. Kai immersed himself in cultivation. The System interface glowed faintly in his vision, lines of energy pulsing through his meridians.

“System Update: Training Functions Unlocked.

New Feature: Efficiency Tracker. It Provides efficient guidance for cultivation and combat drills.

Bonus Quest: Reach Qi Refining Stage Two within 7 days.

Reward: Stat Boost and Hidden Bonus.”

Kai’s breathed slowly as he followed the System’s precise corrections. Where ordinary disciples sat blindly cycling their qi, he had a guide pointing out every flaw and every wasted breath. He felt his qi flow sharpen and his foundation hardening.

‘So this is the System’s true strength… not just rewards, but efficiency. If others climb a mountain, I’m taking a direct path to the peak.’ His thoughts were so loud. 

He clenched his fists. 

By morning, the sect was buzzing with new rumors.

“Did you hear? Kai only killed the Scarlet Fang Wolf because others weakened it first.”

“No, no, he used some strange trick. Maybe even demonic methods.”

“They say Xiren follows him because she’s bewitched.”

Kai heard them all as he calmly walked through the yard. But he felt the sting of their words, not for himself but for the girl who now walked beside him without hesitation.

Xiren caught the whispers too, her jaw tightened. “They can say what they want. I know the truth.”

Kai almost smiled. ‘She has the spirit, I’ll give her that.’ 

But he didn’t need to guess where the rumors came from. Zhao was planting seeds. Li Shen was fanning the flames. Together, they wanted the sect to doubt him, to isolate him and to make every step heavier.

That evening, as the disciples gathered in the main hall, the Sect Master’s announcement shook the air.

“The Secret Realm Trial will open in three weeks,” he declared. “Only those with true potential will enter. It is a place of opportunity… and of death. Those who survive may rise as elites of the Azure Sect.”

Gasps spread among the disciples. The Secret Realm was a chance that came once in a generation. Treasures, ancient legacies and forgotten arts. Rumors claimed all these lay within.

But it was also a graveyard of many. 

Li Shen smirked across the hall, his gaze fixed on Kai like a predator. “Perfect. If you dare enter, trash, I’ll bury you there myself.”

Xiren’s eyes widened. “Kai… the Secret Realm… only elites attempt it. Are you…”

But she stopped as Kai stepped forward. His voice was calm yet being carried across the hall.

“I will enter the trial.”

The entire sect erupted in murmurs.

“Impossible!”

“He’s seeking death!”

“Trash like him in the Secret Realm? He’ll be torn apart in the first hour!”

Li Shen’s face darkened with fury as his pride burned hotter than ever. Zhao’s lips curved in a thin smile. Lin Sha, standing quietly in the shadows, felt his own excitement stir.

Kai met their stares without flinching. His eyes were calm, but inside, his determination was iron. ‘The System has given me the path. I’ll walk it, no matter what it costs.’

As the noise of the hall raged on, Li Shen jabbed a finger toward Kai in a  thunderous voice.

“You dare step where you don’t belong? Fine! Then I’ll make sure you die before you even enter. Trash like you doesn’t deserve the chance!”

But while Li Shen raged, Zhao leaned back silently. His gaze was like that of a serpent’s.

‘Grow stronger, Kai. The higher you climb, the sweeter your fall will be.’