The battlefield was unrecognizable.
What once was a polished ring of stone and precision-etched talismans was now reduced to a fractured wasteland. Cratered ground. Burnt soil. Thunder-charred stone. The scent of smoke, blood, and lightning lingered in the air.
Tens of thousands of disciples—outer sect, inner sect, guests from visiting clans—stood silent in the surrounding pavilions. Even the birds above the Verdant Moon Sect's mountains had stopped their flight.
At the heart of the devastation stood **Shadow**.
His robes were in tatters, barely clinging to his frame. Blood streaked across his face, one eye swollen shut. His breathing was ragged, and his hand still clutched the jagged remnants of his shattered blade.
And yet…
He stood.
Across from him lay Ren Shun, body crushed against a broken stone pillar. His once-imposing aura had scattered like smoke in the wind. The glowing threads of the **Titan Breaker Art**—that fearsome low-grade iron technique of the Ren family—had faded. His armor, once impenetrable, now hung in fragments. Bones jutted from his arm. Blood pooled beneath his body.
> "You… You should've fallen long ago," Ren Shun croaked, voice broken, defiant even in defeat.
Shadow took a single, shaky step forward. The ground beneath his feet cracked again, lightning sparking along his spine.
> "I was born in the storm," Shadow answered. "And storms don't kneel."
He stood tall.
Tall enough that everyone—every elder, every guest, every disciple—had no choice but to see him.
---
High above, in the terrace of the elders, silence was shattered by a single voice.
> "That… was the Ren Clan's Titan Breaker Art," an elder whispered in disbelief.
Another turned sharply. "That technique is prohibited in the inner sect. It's meant for life-and-death battlefield use."
> "They kept it hidden. Used it without permission."
Eyes turned to the **Sect Master**.
But the man said nothing.
He stared down at the battlefield, his fingers resting tightly against the armrest of his jade throne. His expression was neutral—but his jaw clenched, and his spiritual pressure stirred faintly like a tide turning before the flood.
> "The Ren family…" he muttered under his breath. "They thought themselves clever."
One of the elders stepped closer. "Shall we reprimand them publicly?"
> "Not now," the Sect Master replied. "We document this. We remember. And when the time is right… we will act."
His eyes returned to Shadow.
> "The real question is… what is he?"
---
Earlier—
The clash began with no fanfare. No announcements. Only a heartbeat of silence… and then thunder.
Ren Shun's arms extended wide, his body surging with golden Qi. His veins glowed like molten rivers beneath bronze skin. He roared and activated the full might of his Titan Breaker Art, his muscles bulging, bones resonating with steel-bound fury.
Shadow, bathed in lightning, raised his arms. Thunder weaved around him like a crown. His bones crackled, his aura deepened. His very blood hummed with divine storm resonance.
> "COME!" Ren Shun roared.
> "LET THE STORM BREAK IRON!" Shadow answered.
They charged.
Fists collided. Lightning wrapped around Ren Shun's forearms as he took the first blow—only to counter with a punch that cratered Shadow's ribs.
Shadow spat blood—and grinned.
> "Good."
He exploded forward with **Thunder Step**, vanishing and appearing behind Ren Shun. A storm-forged elbow slammed into the side of Ren Shun's skull.
Ren Shun stumbled.
But his heel kicked back—**Steel Fang Kick**—striking Shadow in the thigh with such force it tore muscle.
Shadow dropped to one knee.
Ren Shun grabbed him by the face and hurled him through two broken stone pillars. Debris rained.
Shadow emerged coughing, face bruised, arm broken. But thunder burst behind him again. **Thunder Chain** launched from his hand, wrapping around Ren Shun's neck.
He pulled—
Ren Shun was yanked forward.
And Shadow **headbutted** him. Once. Twice. Three times.
Blood sprayed. Ren Shun's nose snapped.
But he didn't fall. He retaliated with a punch to Shadow's liver that made his entire body spasm.
They fought like gods with broken bodies.
Roars. Crashes. Arcs of lightning fused with golden steel.
Then the sky itself darkened.
> "THUNDER BURST!"
> "TITAN BREAKER WARD!"
A vortex of power erupted. Shadow glowed like the wrath of heaven, his entire body a weapon of lightning. Ren Shun's defense solidified, golden plates interlocking with ancestral force.
The two collided.
The shockwave obliterated the center of the arena.
Flames. Smoke. Shattered stone. Thousands shielded their eyes.
And when it cleared—
Ren Shun was down.
Shadow stood.
Bleeding. Twitching. Burned.
But standing.
---
The referee descended slowly, half-stumbling as he landed near Shadow. His voice trembled as he lifted his hand.
> "Victory… Shadow."
The moment shattered.
The arena erupted.
The storm had been crowned.
But Shadow didn't move.
He turned instead.
His gaze swept across the inner court disciples—each one stunned into silence. Many had once mocked him. Many had whispered behind his back.
Now?
They could not meet his gaze.
> "Is there anyone else?" Shadow asked.
His voice was ragged, hoarse, but it cut through the chaos like a blade.
> "Anyone else who thinks bloodlines and titles make you invincible?"
Silence.
Shadow took another step forward, despite the fractures in his ribs, despite the burning pain in his spine.
> "Come. I'm still standing."
No one stepped forward.
Not even the remaining inner disciples who had once claimed ranks above him. Not even those with family backings, spirit beasts, or rare techniques.
He had shattered their pride.
One lightning strike at a time.
---
Back in the elders' terrace, whispers swirled once more.
An elder with white hair leaned closer to the Sect Master. "We must make him a core disciple. Immediately."
Another scoffed. "You mean control him."
The Sect Master raised a hand.
> "We will see how obedient he is," he said. "But if he refuses?"
The elders fell quiet.
They all knew.
A storm they could not control… could only be feared.
---
Shadow stood in silence.
His chest heaved with every breath, but he did not fall.
Behind him, the wind shifted.
Jian Wu landed lightly on the platform. "You look like hell."
Shadow didn't answer.
Jian Wu smiled anyway. "Congratulations."
Shadow finally looked over his shoulder. "Did I go too far?"
Jian Wu shook his head. "No. You showed them what a real disciple looks like."
They turned together toward the edge of the arena.
> "They'll come for me now," Shadow said.
Jian Wu nodded. "Of course. They always come for the ones who rise too fast."
> "Let them."
A gust of thunder blew across the arena.
Somewhere deep within the sect's foundations, an ancient bell chimed faintly.
---
In the crowd, the inner court disciples looked toward one another. Some had clenched fists. Others had pale faces.
But all knew one thing:
The Verdant Moon Sect would never be the same again.
Because from this day forward…
Shadow wasn't just a disciple.
He was a storm with a name.
---
**End of Chapter 75**