CHAPTER 4 - RIVALS IN THE SHADOWS

The Illusory Forest had grown quieter. The mist clung thicker now, curling around twisted roots like living serpents, and the distant howls of unseen beasts echoed through the air. Luo Tian moved with absolute focus, each step measured, each breath controlled. The girl in white had left earlier, promising to meet him at the forest’s heart, leaving him alone once again. The solitude felt natural, yet the silence carried a warning he could not ignore.

A shadow shifted ahead, and Luo Tian’s eyes narrowed. A figure stepped from the fog, a young man in dark robes, his aura sharp and commanding, though it lacked the subtlety Luo Tian prized. He moved with confidence, and every movement radiated power. This was Zhao Feng, the academy’s rising star, known for his aggression and unmatched physical strength. He was a prodigy, yes, but a blunt one, relying on force and instinct.

Zhao Feng’s eyes met Luo Tian’s, a spark of recognition igniting. “So, this is the Black Sovereign’s son,” he said. His tone was measured, almost casual, yet his gaze tested every corner of Luo Tian’s being. “I’ve heard of you. Calculating. Cold. And yet… you survive.”

Luo Tian’s lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly. “Survival is not enough. I intend to excel. To dominate. To see every possibility before it can touch me.”

Zhao Feng laughed softly. “And what if someone sees you first? What if someone outmatches your calculations?”

For a heartbeat, Luo Tian studied him, noting the slight imbalance in Zhao Feng’s stance, the predictable rhythm of his breath, the angle of his feet. “Then I adjust. Then I exploit.” His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it carried a weight that pressed upon the forest like a living thing.

The mist shifted as the first wave of spirit beasts emerged, drawn as if by the tension between the two young men. Zhao Feng grinned, cracking his knuckles, ready to attack. Luo Tian did not move, observing both the beasts and his rival simultaneously. He noted the trajectory of the first strike and calculated the optimal counters.

The clash began. Zhao Feng charged, raw energy rippling through the air, each strike thunderous, overwhelming, meant to crush everything in its path. Luo Tian stepped lightly, almost dancing, redirecting the force using subtle manipulations of the terrain. Rocks, roots, and hidden runes guided Zhao Feng’s energy into channels that weakened it without breaking his flow.

“You’re fast,” Zhao Feng said, surprise flickering in his voice. “But speed alone will not save you.”

“Speed is nothing without foresight,” Luo Tian replied. He pressed his hand to the earth, activating a series of hidden runes he had laid along the ground days before. They flared with faint light, invisible to any ordinary observer. Zhao Feng’s momentum carried him into the traps, each one precisely calculated, yet he barely faltered, his instincts saving him from complete defeat.

The forest trembled as they fought, two minds clashing one relying on brute instinct and overwhelming energy, the other on strategy, prediction, and foresight. Luo Tian observed patterns in Zhao Feng’s attacks, noting that every second strike relied on overcompensation, every feint carried a subtle telegraph. He adjusted, setting new traps, using the environment, the beasts, and even the shadows themselves as extensions of his mind.

“You think yourself clever,” Zhao Feng said between strikes, sweat dripping, “but your tactics cannot last forever. The forest will change. The beasts will adapt. You will falter.”

Luo Tian’s eyes narrowed. He allowed a faint smile, a flicker of cold amusement. “Perhaps. But I will adapt faster than they can. Intelligence is the edge no force can overcome. Even the strongest fall before the mind that sees them entirely.”

Hours passed. Neither yielded, and the forest grew darker, the mist twisting into unnatural forms as if sensing the intensity of their duel. At one point, Zhao Feng forced Luo Tian to the edge of a cliff, claws of a spectral beast swiping mere inches away. The wind tore at their robes, but Luo Tian remained composed. With a precise gesture, he activated a final rune, redirecting the beast’s momentum back toward Zhao Feng, forcing him to leap aside at the last second.

Both paused, breath ragged, eyes locking. The forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see who would break first.

“You are… unlike anyone I’ve faced,” Zhao Feng admitted finally. His voice carried grudging respect, tinged with frustration. “Most rely on strength. Most crumble before the complexity of their enemy. But you… you plan ten steps ahead, and yet you move like nothing matters.”

“That is because nothing does,” Luo Tian said quietly. “Nothing matters but the outcome I foresee. Victory, survival, advancement. Everything else… is irrelevant.”

For the first time, Zhao Feng’s expression softened, not in friendship, but understanding. “Then you are truly dangerous. Perhaps more than anyone in this academy. Perhaps… more than I anticipated.”

Luo Tian’s gaze flickered to the shadows, considering the lessons of this encounter. “Danger is subjective. Intelligence is absolute. The stronger mind survives, always. And I intend to be that mind.”

Night fell, and the forest swallowed them both. They disengaged without a word, yet the unspoken acknowledgment lingered: a rivalry had begun, not of fists or weapons alone, but of intellect, foresight, and will. Luo Tian had met his first true rival in the academy someone who would push him, test him, and perhaps even force him to grow in ways he had not yet imagined.

Alone once more, Luo Tian pressed a hand to the silver ribbon on his belt, a reminder of vows he had sworn, of paths he had chosen. The forest whispered around him, alive and watchful. “Every rival is a mirror,” he murmured softly. “Every test is a lesson. And every step forward… brings me closer to the one I must surpass.”

Above the trees, the moon shone pale and indifferent. Below it, Luo Tian’s eyes burned brighter than any star. The game had begun. The pieces had multiplied. And the forest, with all its trials and shadows, was merely the first stage of a battle that would shape not only his destiny but the legacy of all who dared challenge the Black Sovereign’s son.

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