Han Yu's eyes narrowed. That single clash told him enough.

Senior Brother Duan, however, spoke it aloud.

His lips curled into a faint smile as he shifted his stance. "Early Core Condensation realm," he assessed calmly. "This won't be a problem."

With that declaration, he moved.

The spear swept outward in a broad arc, a ripple of force riding its tip. The beast had no chance to stabilize. It was lifted off its feet, hurled back through the air as if struck by an invisible wave.

THUDD

It crashed against the far wall, its screech echoing painfully loud in the stone chamber.

Han Yu felt his heart thump in his chest. The ease with which Duan had repelled the beast was proof enough of his cultivation. He too had fought Core Condensation realm beasts, and unless he used his Bolt God Fist, there was no way he could send them flying like that.

But Senior Brother Duan was at the Mid stage of the Core Condensation realm, solid and steady. He had turned aside the creature's savage charge with barely a flick of effort.

But Duan did not give the beast a chance to recover.

In a single smooth motion, he spun the spear in his hand, then hurled it forward.

SHUA

The weapon shot through the air like a thunderbolt, the shaft humming with qi. It struck the rat-wolf square in the back, piercing through fur, flesh, and bone before burying itself into the stone floor beneath.

The beast's body was pinned at a diagonal angle, its limbs thrashing wildly as it cried out in raw pain.

SCREE SCREEE

Blood spattered across the floor, its sharp copper scent filling the chamber. The beast's claws raked at the stone desperately, gouging deep furrows in the floor as it struggled to pull itself free. The spear quivered faintly with each violent heave, but its hold remained unshaken.

Han Yu expected Duan to step forward and finish the job with his own hand, yet the man did no such thing. Instead, he lifted his right hand, his index and middle finger extending together. With a subtle twist of his wrist, his qi surged into the spear.

The weapon responded instantly.

HUALA

It began to spin, rotating viciously without being touched. The rotation carved through the rat-wolf's insides, shredding flesh and organs alike. The beast's pained screeches rose to a pitch before abruptly cutting off into silence. Its body went limp, twitching once before finally collapsing lifelessly onto the stone floor.

The chamber grew still again, save for the faint hum of the spear that continued to vibrate before it stilled.

Han Yu's eyes widened slightly. That was no ordinary control.

He had seen spirit weapon flight before, of course.

It was a common enough technique, one that most Core Condensation realm cultivators or even Qi Refining realm cultivators could learn.

But what Duan had just displayed was something else entirely. The level of precision, the ability to not only maintain the weapon in flight but also manipulate it with such finesse as to grind an enemy's organs to paste… it was a demonstration of refined mastery.

"That was…" Han Yu murmured under his breath, awe flickering in his gaze.

Wu Shuan gave a satisfied nod. "Spirit weapon control. To be able to wield it so fluidly shows how much time Senior Brother Duan has dedicated to mastering his spear. Few in the sect at his level could match such skill."

Fatty Kui whistled low, his eyes still glued to the pinned corpse of the beast. "I thought I was decent with my hammer, but that… that is something else. Senior Brother Duan, you made it look too easy."

Duan stepped forward, grasped the spear shaft with a casual pull, and freed it from the beast's corpse. With a sharp shake, the blood that clung to the blade was flung aside before he rested the weapon against his shoulder. His smile remained calm, but his eyes gleamed faintly.

"Do not be fooled," he replied evenly. "That was only the first obstacle. The tomb will not give us foes we can dismiss so lightly for long. Stay sharp. If we face more than one foe, you all will have to fight too."

Han Yu said nothing, but in his heart, a quiet respect had formed. To control a spirit weapon like that, with such precision, was no small feat. If this was the standard of those at the mid Core Condensation realm, then he knew he had much more ground to cover.

Yet at the same time, he felt a thrill. He had always relied on his own strange, hidden methods. But seeing techniques like this in practice only gave him more to learn from, more to aspire toward.

The rat-wolf's corpse lay still upon the stone floor, its blood slowly pooling beneath it, the altar looming silently behind as though observing their victory.

After a moment's pause the group gathered around the altar, their footsteps echoing faintly in the wide chamber. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFir(e).nᴇt

The faint light from Wu Shuan's talisman drifted overhead, its glow washing across the cracked stone altar and the scattered remnants that lay around it. Han Yu's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. At first glance, the place looked promising, but the moment they began to sift through what was left on the altar, their hopes quickly deflated.

All they found were shattered fragments. Broken jade slips lay scattered in pieces, their once smooth surfaces now dulled and lifeless.

When Han Yu picked one up and tried to examine it, he realized that every inscription had faded, the delicate formations that once might have held techniques or memories eroded into nothingness.

He let out a quiet breath and set it back down. "Nothing useful… it's all gone."

Fatty Kui crouched low, pushing aside a piece of stone as if he still held onto hope that something might be hidden beneath.

But even he, ever the optimist when it came to food or treasure, found nothing except cracked shards and fragments that looked more like trash than inheritance.