War God's Rebirth: A Thousand Blades of Destiny

Aftermath of the Duel

Blood painted the sand. Bai Long lay on his hands and knees, gasping, his fingers digging into the dirt as he struggled to process what had just happened. The once-proud young master of the Bai Clan—humiliated in front of everyone.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Disciples, elders, servants—none dared to speak. Some were too stunned to believe what they had witnessed. Others refused to accept it.

Bai Tian had won.

Without Qi. Without techniques.

Just skill.

Bai Wu was the first to break the silence. His chair screeched as he stood, his face a mask of fury. “This is outrageous!” His voice thundered across the courtyard. “A cripple does not defeat a cultivator! You cheated!”

Bai Tian, already turning to leave, paused.

He let out a soft breath, then turned to face the elder, his expression unreadable.

“I cheated?” His voice was calm, but there was something sharp beneath it—something dangerous.

Bai Wu jabbed a finger at him. “You—”

“Did I use poison?” Bai Tian interrupted.

Bai Wu faltered. “No, but—”

“Did I have an enchanted weapon?” Bai Tian continued.

“No, but—”

“Did I use a forbidden technique?”

“No!” Bai Wu snapped. “But you must have—”

“I won,” Bai Tian said flatly. “And you can’t accept it.”

Bai Wu’s face darkened.

A bitter truth settled in the air. Bai Tian hadn’t cheated. He had simply been better.

And that made them afraid.

A slow smile stretched Bai Tian’s lips. He looked directly at Bai Wu, his gaze unwavering. “You call me a cripple. But tell me, Elder Bai—if a cripple can defeat your most talented disciple, what does that say about you?”

The words struck deep. A few of the younger disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Some of them had idolized Bai Long. But after tonight…

Doubt had begun to creep into their hearts.

Bai Wu clenched his fists. His pride screamed for him to retaliate, to put this insolent brat in his place. But something about Bai Tian’s expression made him hesitate.

It was the look of a man who knew he was stronger.

Not just in body. But in spirit.

And that terrified him.

---

The Stirring of Rebellion

Bai Tian walked away without another word, his movements slow, deliberate—almost bored. He had made his point. Staying any longer was unnecessary.

As he passed through the crowd, whispers chased his steps.

“He really won…”

“Without Qi?”

“What kind of training did he go through…?”

Some voices carried awe. Others, resentment.

But Bai Tian didn’t care.

What mattered was that they felt something.

He had shattered their perception of strength.

And now, they were questioning everything they had been taught.

---

Xiao Yue’s Worry

Xiao Yue rushed to his side the moment they left the main courtyard. “Young Master, that was reckless!”

Bai Tian chuckled. “Was it?”

She glared at him. “Yes! You humiliated Bai Long. His father won’t let this go unpunished. And the elders—”

“They already wanted me dead,” Bai Tian interrupted smoothly. “This changes nothing.”

Xiao Yue opened her mouth, then closed it. She hated how calm he was about all this.

But… he wasn’t wrong.

She sighed. “At least let me tend to your injuries.”

“Injuries?” Bai Tian blinked, then looked down at himself. Aside from a bit of dust on his robes, he was untouched.

Xiao Yue pursed her lips. “You might not be hurt, but you exerted yourself. And…” She hesitated, lowering her voice. “What if… what if they try to poison you? Or assassinate you?”

Bai Tian glanced at her. There was real fear in her eyes.

For him.

His smirk softened slightly. “Then I’ll just have to kill them first.”

Xiao Yue let out an exasperated sigh. “You make it sound so simple.”

Bai Tian didn’t respond.

Because to him, it was simple.

---

A Father’s Wrath

Deep within the Bai Clan’s main residence, Bai Long knelt before his father, Bai Ren.

The elder patriarch’s face was unreadable, but the tension in the room was suffocating.

“You lost,” Bai Ren said finally. His voice was calm. Too calm.

Bai Long gritted his teeth. “He—He used tricks! I wasn’t prepared!”

Bai Ren didn’t respond.

Instead, he stood and walked to the window, gazing at the moonlit courtyard. “For years, you mocked him. Called him weak. A disgrace.” His voice turned colder. “Yet you lost. And in front of the entire clan.”

Bai Long swallowed hard. “Father, I—”

A sudden burst of Qi slammed into him.

CRACK!

Bai Long crashed against the far wall, coughing up blood. His father’s attack had been precise, striking his meridians without crippling them—but enough to make him feel the gap between them.

Bai Ren finally turned, his eyes sharp as daggers. “You humiliated me tonight.”

Bai Long trembled. “I—I’ll make it right!”

“You will do nothing,” Bai Ren snapped. “I will handle Bai Tian myself.”

His expression darkened.

“A cripple shouldn’t have been able to defeat you.” His fingers tightened behind his back. “Which means he is no cripple at all.”

A pause.

Then—

“We may have underestimated him.”

Bai Long’s eyes widened. “You mean—”

Bai Ren’s gaze turned cold. “A mere exile should not be this strong. Which means someone trained him.”

For the first time that night, Bai Long felt a shiver of unease.

Just who had Bai Tian become?

And who was backing him?

Bai Ren exhaled slowly.

“Summon the Shadow Pavilion.”

Bai Long paled. “Assassins?”

Bai Ren’s gaze was like steel. “If he does not die now, he will become a monster we can’t control.”

A single order.

And Bai Tian’s life was now worth a fortune in blood.

---

The War God’s Smile

Far from the Bai Clan’s main hall, Bai Tian stood beneath the moonlight, feeling the night breeze against his skin.

He knew what was coming.

They would try to kill him.

Of course, they would.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

Let them try.

Tonight had been a warning. A taste of what was to come.

But if they wanted war…

Then war was what they would get.

And the Bai Clan would never be

the same again.