To the Eastern Cultivation World, the Yin Clan was a family to be feared, to be eliminated. It was one of the few sentiments they shared with the dark forces of the West.

It hadn"t always been like that though.

Before the DharmEnding Age, when Immortals and Buddhas were as common as stray dogs and when Spiritual G.o.ds and Demons were locked against each other in eternal combat, Yin Tianjue had been a small role. In fact, his situation had been even bleaker than Yin Xuege"s own.

But not even the mighty could turn aside the seasons forever. 

The DharmEnding Age arrived. The spiritual veins of the Eastern World collapsed. Many orthodox cultivators exhausted their lives and changed to flying ash. The Road of Heaven and Earth was cut off; the G.o.ds and Demons of the West disappeared and their once-sacred mountains and demonic abysses became inaccessible.

Fortunately, Yin Tianjue, having foreseen this tumultuous period, had led a group of senior elders across vast oceans to the West and attacked the Blood Monster Race"s Saint Palace.

According to legend, blood monsters, or "Vampires" as the West called them, were the hybrid offspring of some eastern grand demon and western bat monster. They were savage creatures shunned by Heaven and Earth. Because their very existence overturned the natural order of things, they were banned from ever entering samsara¹.

Anyone who became one of them were cursed to suffer the same treatment.

But Yin Tianjue and the senior elders, despite the consequences, chose to turn themselves into vampires anyways.
The old era had ended and those who could not adapt to the new one would be eliminated.

It was a known fact that children of the Yin Clan could not match up against ordinary humans. The initial strength contained within their blood was too weak. Any human qualified to be a soldier could easily wipe scores of them out.

However, as they grew up, constantly swallowing the essence of human blood and absorbing the hidden energy in moonlight, their strengths would enhance. The viscosity and color of their blood would thicken and deepen, becoming more and more concise. Until finally, a single drop of azure blood would condense in their bodies.

That extraordinary drop of azure blood, called "vampire blood essence", was what separated the children of Yin from the official Yin warriors. It contained a huge amount of blood essence and powerful moonlight strength; it was the source of Yin"s terrifying power.

At this moment, twelve incandescent b.a.l.l.s of blood flame, the size of human heads, floated in midair like gentle clouds. The warm blood light they emitted threw no shadows as they illuminated everything inside Fledgling Palace"s grand hall.

Yin Jiying stood in front of the anxiously waiting crowd of Yin youth with his eyes closed, senses extended outward.

After a long moment of concentration, the presence of a mysterious yet familiar power, flowing out from the blood flames, came into focus.

He smiled as it washed over his skin.

It seems like the Monster Race"s law talismans inside the blood flames are in perfect order, he thought, senses leaping back. I won"t need to worry about someone accidentally dying because I was somehow negligent.

Now a.s.sured that everything was ready for the day"s actual combat training session, Yin Jiying went about dividing the 100 young children before him into two separate groups. He ordered one group of 50 to one side of the hall and the rest to the other, leaving an open combat field, 100-meters-long-and-wide, between them.

Afterwards, he moved to the middle of the combat field and secretly nodded to Yin Xuejiao. Then he turned to address the two groups of Yin youth, saying: "Listen up! As you all know, Xuejiao became a Star Warrior² last night. So, three months from now, as clan law demands, he will be moving on from Fledgling Palace and beginning the next step in his training. Before that time arrives, however, he will be learning to control his newfound strength and showing you all the overwhelming power of a true warrior of the Yin Clan by serving as everyone"s sparring partner!"

Yin Jiying proceeded to walk back and forth over the combat field, hands crossed behind his back, carefully taking in every child"s facial expression. "Therefore, starting today, each of you is to fight him. Is there anyone among you who is brave enough to go first?" he prodded a moment later.

Silence. No one spoke. Everyone merely turned their heads in Yin Xuege"s direction and glared. If anyone was going to go first, it was going to be him!

Yin Xuege answered back with cold, emotionless eyes. He had expected this situation. It was not in Yin Xuejiao"s nature to let such an opportunity to beat and humiliate him in front of so many people; it was his chance to reclaim the face he and his brothers had lost so long ago.

Yin Xuege clenched his fists and slowly stepped out onto the combat field. He had no fear and he had no regrets.

What should come will come, this war is unavoidable! As that thought crossed his mind and he took up a position opposite Yin Xuejiao, his heart began to race. His body shook and his complexion became pale.

If it had been strangers watching him, they might have believed he was afraid — but the people in the grand hall knew better.

Almost every child simultaneously took a few cautious steps back, including Yin Xuejiao.

Yin Jiying frowned at Yin Xuejiao"s reaction. "Wake up!" he shouted. The stab of disappointment coloring his voice was enough to cause the youth to falter in his retreat and his face to turn red with shame.

"d.a.m.n it!" Yin Xuejiao cursed under his breath. "Yin Xuege, you d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Your very existence is an insult to the entire Yin Clan. Today, I will make sure you understand that you are not worthy of the "Yin" surname!"

Sensing that both sides were eager to begin, Yin Jiying quickly stepped out of the range of the combat field and yelled: "The first sparring match of the day is between Yin Xuejiao and Yin Xuege! Both sides are to fight as they would in a real life situation. The only rule is that neither is allowed to attack the other"s heart! Begin!"

Immediately, the rhythm of Yin Xuege"s breathing became deep and steady and his aura as discernible as a soft whisper in the wind. Inside him, the Yin Cold energy contained within his blood began to permeate his entire body, filling him with strength.

Time dragged on a little before he finally used his right hand to remove a black soft sword, three feet in length and no wider than a finger, from his belt.

Yin Xuejiao, let me see how strong you"ve gotten after becoming a Star Warrior! How big is the disparity between us now?

Yin Xuejiao looked on with hatred as Yin Xuege drew one of the most common practice weapons used in Fledgling Palace"s sparring matches. Because it was one of the more easier weapons to use, he had taken one for himself.

As he removed his own black soft sword from his belt, light azure-colored energy from the vampire blood essence floating in his heart began to flow into the surrounding blood cells. The marvelous exchange of energy sharpened his five senses, strengthened his body, and enhanced his speed.

Once the metamorphosis was complete, he lunged forward, without a word or warning, leaving three afterimages behind.

"Yin Xuege!" he shouted, gaining speed. "A waste like you doesn"t deserve to live in this world!"

Yin Xuege"s vision went black. Then, a grimace of pain crossed his face as Yin Xuejiao"s soft sword pierced his left shoulder, sc.r.a.ping away flesh and bone.

He tried to ignore the pain and counter with a right-handed punch. But, Yin Xuejiao, antic.i.p.ating the move, swiftly removed his sword and landed a kick across his chin. The incredible force of the blow snapped his head back and sent his thin body flying like a fallen leaf in wind.

He hit the ground hard, and before he could recover, Yin Xuejiao was down on him, landing another swift kick across his chin. This time, because his mouth had been open, his teeth sliced deep into his tongue, filling his mouth with blood.

The second he tried to spit it out, Yin Xuejiao charged forward and kicked him in his lower abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Then, instead of taking the opportunity to land another blow, Yin Xuejiao retreated. The blur of movement caused a gust of wind to strike him across his face.

This was the unique combat style of the Yin Clan! As vampires, they had inherited astonishing speed and keen reflexes from the two creatures that had given birth to them. This made it easy for warriors of the Yin Clan to master movement techniques and long-range magic arts.

Bang!

Receiving another kick to the stomach, Yin Xuege flew through the air and crashed to the ground. Blood flowed from various wounds. But with the help of his clan"s special physique, the healing light of the blood flames, and the bowl of blood essence he had drunk earlier, his injuries rapidly disappeared.

He was sure that if it weren"t for those three things working in concert, he would"ve died a thousand times over.

As he continued to receive a vicious beating, Yin Jiying"s voice started to ring out.

"I want you all to carefully examine Yin Xuejiao"s attack strategy — the angle and speed of his cuts and sweeps. For our race, this is the most effective tactic to use when fighting an opponent, especially for a warrior who has yet to grasp a "blood technique"!"

"If you can"t defeat your enemy in a single blow, retreat! We are hunters before we are fighters!"

"Never put yourself in a desperate situation if you don"t need to!"

"It is not necessary for you to die with your enemy!"

Yin Xuejiao gave a sharp smile at Yin Jiying"s words and continued circling, moving in to attack Yin Xuege"s p.r.o.ne form every now and again.

"Look at the points Xuejiao is choosing to attack!"

"When you b.u.mp into an enemy that is too powerful to strike to kill in a single move, aim for their vital points. Consume their energy! This is the best choice a low-rank warrior can make!"

"Another exquisite sword strike. See how he accurately cut into the tendons in Yin Xuege"s ankles utilizing our race"s innate speed. With such a strike, he has laid the foundation for victory!"

The children on both sides of the grand hall stared wide-eyed as they listened to Yin Jiying leisurely a.n.a.lyze Yin Xuejiao"s attacks, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each.

n.o.body harbored any sympathy for Yin Xuege. They were too busy admiring Yin Xuejiao"s strength, realizing the huge power gap between a mere Fledgling and a Star Warrior.

Yin Xuege refused to give up even as the beating made every movement painful. He clenched his fingers tightly against the hilt of his soft sword. Under the asylum of the light of the blood flames, he had been able to focus on protecting his right arm and maintaining what little strength he could while waiting for the opening he knew would come.

He could sense the time between Yin Xuejiao"s attacks growing more protracted. He only had to wait a little longer and hope that his mind held up until then.

"This is for the time you bit Xue"Ao"s neck!" Yin Xuejiao yelled, severing another tendon in his left arm.

"This is for that time when you broke my arm!"

"This is for the time you knocked Xueyou out and destroyed all of Xuele"s teeth!" Yin Xuejiao, pressing his advantage, whipped his sword upward in a cut that claimed his left shoulder.

"This is for the time you killed my blood servant."

"You d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Why haven"t we been able to kill you? Why won"t you just die?"

Yin Xuejiao, growing short of breath, did not notice the drop of azure blood essence in his heart grow dimmer with each pa.s.sing second. It was apparent that he had forgotten that even though he was no longer a Fledgling, he had not been a Star Warrior for long. He was not invincible.

This was a lesson that all young warriors had to learn!

In the next moment, as Yin Xuejiao moved in for another strike, the light finally vanished in that azure drop of blood essence. Waves of exhaustion followed, sending him crashing to the ground.

Yin Xuege, unwilling to let this opportunity go, shot up from his position on the ground and whipped his soft sword in a sidestroke using the strength he had been saving up in his right arm. The point of his blade snaked through the air and entered Yin Xuejiao"s throat, slicing through half of his neck.

A large amount of blood sprayed into the air and a roar suddenly broke into the grand hall from outside.

"Evil creature! You are courting death!"

*[1] Not able to reincarnate.

*[2] Star Warrior is the official name of the second realm in the (Western) Vampire/Blood Monster"s cultivation system. The first realm is called a young child. But because of the possible confusion that name might cause, I"m going to refer to it as Fledgling.

Translator Suyi