The training ground had never been so silent.
The gathered disciples barely breathed, their eyes shifting between Ye Bai and Ye Chen. The cripple against one of the clan genius. It was a match no one would have ever considered in their entire life before tonight.
But tonight was different.
Ye Bai stood tall, his once frail frame exuding a quiet, unshakable confidence.
Ye Chen, by contrast, was poised like a predator, but his smirk did little to hide the flicker of unease in his eyes. He had seen Ye Bai move like a ghost in the night and strike like a demon.
Yet, the doubt was not only his.
The Ye Clan elders remained motionless, watching intently. They also wanted answers.
Ye Bai smiled inwardly. They will not get what they want so easily.
Ye Chen exhaled slowly, clenching his fists. "Why do I feel like something is off?" He thought.
He had trained for years, refining his body, pushing past limits others couldn't. He was among the Ye Clan best prodigy.
Yet, standing across from him, Ye Bai looked… different.
Not just physically.
It was in his eyes.
The Ye Bai of before was timid, weak. Always looking down, avoiding confrontation.
But the Ye Bai standing before him now was a little too much to handle.
He looked at Ye Chen as if he seeing through him, as if he were already dead.
A shiver ran down Ye Chen's spine. He crushed it immediately, scowling. Ridiculous. "He's still a cripple. Just because he got a lucky chance against the others doesn't mean he can match me." He said.
And yet…
The image of Ye Ming and the others writhing on the ground, bones shattered, moaning in agony flashed in his mind.
Ye Chen gritted his teeth. "No. I won't let myself be intimidated by this little brat."
His fists tightened, and his spiritual energy surged inside him.
From the sidelines, elder Ye Tianhao observed in silence. His gaze scanning Ya Bai.
Ye Bai's sudden transformation was unnatural. His movements earlier had been too precise, too efficient and powerful for someone at his level to hold.
Something far beyond a simple breakthrough had occurred.
The man standing next to him, Elder Ye Zhen muttered under his breath, "This boy… he should have had no future. Yet now…" he trailed off, when he saw the look on elder Ye Tianhao face.
Elder Ye Tianhao's fingers twitched. It was impossible. No one could change so much in a short while no matter the amount of resources in their position or raw talent they may have, it is near impossible.
Unless…
Unless he was hiding something from them, something far more dangerous.
"If he wins this fight," Elder Ye Zhen continued, "we must find out the source of his power. If it is natural or demonic, once we confirm it's demonic he must be executed without any second thought."
Elder Ye Tianhao did not respond. He continued watching Ye Bai, a storm brewing in his eyes.
Ye Bai, on the other hand, remained perfectly still. He hair blowing up in the wind. He smooth face shining in the moonlight.
He could feel the shadows of doubt creeping into Ye Chen's heart. The hesitation in his fighting stance. The flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
Good.
Ye Bai's fingers twitched, feeling the power of the Shadow Immortal Codex coil around his soul.
He could already see how this fight would end.
Ye Chen thought this was a test of skill. But He was totally wrong to think that way. Simply because he was among the clan best disciples doesn't mean he knows it's all.
This was a test of fear.
Ye Bai let the silence stretch on, let the weight of the moment settle into the bones of every watching disciple in the courtyard.
Then, finally, the silence.
"why are you too scared to make a move? You're hesitating."
Ye Chen flinched, his scowl deepening. "What?"
Ye Bai's gaze sharpened, cutting through the air like a dagger.
"You're afraid." he said disdainful.
A few disciples gasped.
Ye Chen's face darkened. "You think you can play mind games with me, you little cripple?" with those words, His energy flared violently, shaking the air.
But Ye Bai only smiled, a slow, cold smile.
This made Ye Chen's heart sink deep into his stomach. He had never face an opponent with such feeling in his heart before. Rather it's was the opposite of it.
"You already know how this ends," he said softly. "That's why your hands are shaking uncontrollably."
Ye Chen snarled and lunged forward.
A tense silence shattered as Ye Chen's eyes flared with burning determination. In one fluid motion, he lunged forward, summoning his blue dragon fists crackling with refined Qi, his body radiating a blur of golden energy. The sudden charge sent shockwaves through the courtyard, and for a heartbeat, time itself seemed to splinter.
Ye Bai's expression remained calm, a mask of serene darkness. In that moment, the power of the Shadow Immortal Codex surged through him like a tidal wave. His body moved with a supernatural grace, every muscle and sinew coalescing into one purpose: to defy the arrogant prodigy charging at him to knock him out with one devastating move.