CHAPTER 47: MU YANYU

The silence after Kyrian’s introduction lasted only a few moments.

The patriarch of the Mu family, still keeping his firm gaze on Kyrian, did not ask immediate questions. It was evident that he, like the elders, had much to ask. His uncommon name also wandered through their minds.

But, just as Kyrian imagined, the elders’ eyes were focused almost entirely on his eyes. Yet they restrained themselves from asking right away.

Neither the patriarch nor the elders opened their mouths about it, deciding to wait.

After arranging the return, the patriarch ordered that Mu Shan, the young man injured by the beast, be taken away to be treated.

Servants hurried and carried him in silence. Mu Lin and Mu Ning followed for a few steps but soon returned, remaining behind the patriarch.

"Come, enter! You are now an important guest of my family. I am grateful for what you did, without you, my children would not have returned alive. This will not be ignored in any way," said the patriarch as he invited him inside. His voice was deep, but Kyrian could feel the honesty.

Kyrian followed him in silence.

The group crossed through the courtyards until they reached a spacious hall. Thick wooden pillars supported a high ceiling, and symbols of clouds were carved everywhere.

The patriarch sat in the main chair. The elders took their places beside him, and the youths took their positions.

Kyrian noticed that the girl, who had not taken her eyes off him, remained standing behind the patriarch.

Kyrian, for his part, stayed standing, arms crossed and eyes calm.

The patriarch then raised his voice.

"Kyrian, for saving the youths, my Mu family will not be ungrateful. What do you desire as a reward?"

Kyrian did not hesitate. His voice came direct.

"I ended up getting lost in this place. I need information. About this place and about the entire surrounding region. The more, the better. If there are books, maps... anything like that. Or someone who can accompany me and explain what I need."

The patriarch and the elders exchanged strange looks. No request for riches, weapons, or spirit stones. The request was far too simple.

When Kyrian finished speaking, Mu Ning hurried forward.

"I can help him, Father. I can show him the important places in the city and answer his quest—

Before she could finish, a sound echoed, making her fall silent.

The girl behind the patriarch suddenly took several steps forward, standing before Kyrian.

She advanced firmly, her expression carrying a cold determination.

"No. I will take care of everything he needs while he is here. As long as he agrees to fight me." Her voice came soft, but with some authority. Mu Ning showed a frustrated expression when she saw that the girl was interested in Kyrian.

The hall then plunged into silence.

Kyrian had already been observing her. The girl drew attention with her dark amber eyes and long dark brown hair. Her face was thin and delicate. And her eyes shone, revealing both pride and a touch of impatience. Her hand was touching the sword hanging at her waist.

When she took the first step, Kyrian already smiled briefly, imagining this would happen.

"Alright. I accept. Where will we fight?" Kyrian decided to accept, this was not a bad thing.

The two elders sighed at the same time. The patriarch narrowed his eyes but did not stop them.

"Go to the arena courtyard. If you wish to fight, do it there," said the patriarch.

They crossed a few more corridors until they arrived at a wide courtyard. Square stone arenas were laid side by side. Dozens of youths trained in combat, supervised by instructors.

The instant they saw the patriarch, everyone stopped what they were doing. The swords lowered, fists tightened in a small bow.

Kyrian followed with the group, indifferent to the curious stares that followed him. He was the only one with different clothes, and his appearance stood out wherever he went.

Then, without wasting time, he climbed onto an empty arena beside the young woman. Whispers began to grow among the surrounding youths.

"Who is he?"

"He’s going to fight with the senior sister?"

"Impossible. Senior sister never fights those weaker than her."

The voices murmured around, but Kyrian kept his eyes fixed on the girl.

She then finally introduced herself.

"Mu Yanyu. So as not to say I abused the advantage, I will only use the strength of the 1º stage of the Qi Accumulation realm."

Kyrian raised an eyebrow, his smile spreading slightly.

"You don’t need to worry. Just fight."

A glimmer appeared in her eyes. Without waiting, she advanced.

The sound of her sword’s blade cutting the air rang like a thin whistle.

Her style was peculiar, instead of attacking directly, she moved at unexpected angles. Making the sword spin in unpredictable arcs, as if she were about to miss on purpose, only to change trajectory at the last second.

It was a style made to deceive. To confuse the gaze, break the enemy’s rhythm, and force him to react too late.

And indeed, any other youth, even the Mu family instructors, would be baffled by so many strange movements.

But for Kyrian, it was like watching a wave breaking in slow motion. Every movement, every hip feint, and every irregular motion of Mu Yanyu was already drawn before his eyes before fully manifesting.

He tilted his body to the side or moved his spear in short, precise angles, dodging every cut with a calmness bordering on mockery.

His spear never stirred grandly, only enough to intercept and brush away the sword’s edge.

"Haa!" Mu Yanyu spun, the tip of her sword changing direction at the last instant, aiming at Kyrian’s ribs.

He merely stepped back half a step, the tip of the blade passing through empty space.

She attacked again and again, her breathing beginning to quicken. The rhythm of her strikes was full of breaks, yet unexpectedly fluid. Like a strange dance to Kyrian.

Each time she believed she would surprise him, she found her blade striking nothing. Along with a calm smile on that handsome face and a spear raised at the perfect angle.

Around them, the young disciples watched with rising expectations.

"How is this possible? Senior sister never misses!"

"Don’t you see? The boy can’t even attack, she’s pressuring him."

"No, that boy isn’t even trying... look at senior sister’s face, I’ve never seen her make that expression while fighting."

The elders, silent beside the patriarch, exchanged heavy looks.

They knew Mu Yanyu well, her unique fighting style had been created by herself to compensate for her lack of strength, always winning through unpredictability. But before Kyrian, it seemed only like a childish trick.

Patriarch Mu narrowed his eyes.

’This boy... is this the difference between a genius of my family and someone who would be a genius even in the Verdant Sword Sect? The difference is too great.’

In the center of the arena, Mu Yanyu bit her lips, the pride in her heart not allowing her to retreat. Even though exhaustion had already begun to hit her arms.

She did not want to accept that all her movements, her fighting technique that she had always trained, meant nothing before him.

Kyrian, until then smiling calmly, decided he had understood enough, satisfying his curiosity. Then, this time, he advanced.

His body moved with smoothness, the spear descending in a simple yet strange arc. In the middle of the air, it changed, imitating exactly her irregular strike.

Mu Yanyu’s heart pounded. Her body, seeing she could not defend herself, acted on its own.

She released all the strength of her cultivation, bringing her sword to intercept Kyrian’s thrust. Her strength and speed rose to the maximum.

A metallic sound echoed loudly. For an instant, it seemed she had stopped the attack. But then her eyes widened.

The spear’s tip, which seemed to have stopped at a safe distance, suddenly appeared to grow.

And no, it was not an illusion. A crystalline blade of ice appeared out of nowhere, extending Kyrian’s weapon. In the blink of an eye, the frozen blade slid until it stopped just a centimeter from her throat.

The cutting cold pierced her skin.

She felt her throat begin to freeze.

"I yield." She said in a weak voice, but with firmness and without hesitation, she had lost.

Silence fell heavily in the arena.

All the youths looked dumbfounded. Senior sister, defeated... with just one move.

But the most shocking thing was the spear covered in ice. Disbelief spread.

"Ice...!"

"That’s elemental Qi release!"

"That’s impossible! He’s in the Qi Accumulation realm!"

At the side of the arena, the patriarch and the elders stood up at the same time. One of the elders took a deep breath.

"A special physique... tied to ice."

The patriarch closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, there was a decision in his mind.

His voice sounded low, almost like a whisper.

"He can already release Qi even before reaching the third realm..."

The words spread among the youths, growing louder as they realized.

"A Special Physique! He has a special physique!"

"That explains everything. He is a genius with a special physique..."

"It’s really not fair..."

The eyes of some shone with envy, others with respect. Now they accepted that their senior sister had lost so easily to him.

Mu Yanyu’s throat still throbbed with cold. She looked at Kyrian with a mix of frustration and admiration.

From the moment she saw his eyes, she already imagined what they meant. And she wanted to prove his strength for herself. She just hadn’t thought it would be like this.

"You could have defeated me from the beginning... no matter how much I changed my moves..." she said bitterly.

Kyrian lowered his spear, the soft smile still on his lips. He found it, unexpectedly, quite fun.

She clenched her fists, gripping her sword tightly. She thought she had been too proud. But at the same time, an even greater determination was born within her.

The patriarch then stepped forward. His voice resounded through the courtyard.

"The result is clear. Kyrian is the victor."

After the patriarch’s words, the youths understood. They quickly began to clear the arena, though the whispers continued.

Kyrian descended the steps, still indifferent to the even more curious stares that followed him.

The patriarch approached.

"What you requested will be prepared shortly. In the meantime, I invite you to remain with our Mu family. A courtyard has been reserved for you."

"Mu Yanyu will take you there," he added, looking at the girl who was descending the arena behind Kyrian.

Kyrian nodded, accepting without hesitation.

Then, Mu Yanyu and Kyrian walked away, Kyrian staying silent, while she seemed frustrated, walking slower than she should.

The patriarch kept watching a little longer. His eyes shone with some expectation.

Soon, the seed of a rumor was born within the Mu family. One that would soon spread through the entire city.