Chapter 6 Devouring
“Try not to collapse too quickly,” Wei Gu said casually.
Lu Tian did not respond.
Instead, he simply stood there, observing the changes in his body. The void core within him stirred faintly as though sensing the movement of energy nearby.
Interesting. If his theory was correct…Then this might be the perfect opportunity to test it.
Across from him, Wei Gu stepped forward. “Let’s begin.”
The moment his spiritual energy surged outward, Lu Tian felt the void awaken and started rotating to absorb the energy in the surrounding.
Wei Gu’s grin widened as he moved forward. “Don’t disappoint me,” he said lazily, though his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Lu Tian stood calmly, his posture relaxed, yet every nerve in his body hummed with awareness. He could sense Wei Gu’s energy clearly now, a bright, rigid force, flowing through his meridians with perfect coordination. The kind of control Lu Tian had envied in his previous life.
He smiled faintly with a glint of eagerness in his eyes. “I don’t intend to disappoint.”
Wei Gu scoffed at his confident words before he lunged at Lu Tian.
His strike was fast, faster than a normal disciple could react to, and carried a force that could crush bones. It was clear from his force that he wanted to beat and disgrace Lu Tian before the disciples to remove any form of respect they had for the former tenth ranked disciple who rescued others during a mission and consequently became a cripple.
He always hated the fact that people spoke of him as a hero and had great respect for him. Wei Gu always saw Lu Tian as a threat and now he was determined to totally destroy the threat in the presence of the disciples.
Lu Tian didn’t move immediately. Instead, he focused, letting the void within him awaken fully.
The moment Wei Gu’s energy approached, it vanished completely.
Lu Tian blinked. The silver qi that should have crashed against his body was gone, absorbed into the emptiness that lurked in his abdomen. It was subtle, almost imperceptible but the effect was devastating. Wei Gu’s momentum carried him forward, yet the strike that should have impacted Lu Tian simply dissolved into nothing.
The courtyard gasped.
Wei Gu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Impossible!” he shouted, adjusting his stance mid-air, attempting another strike. Again, the energy surged toward Lu Tian. Again, it disappeared.
“What… what are you doing?” Wei Gu demanded, his face flushing with anger.
Lu Tian’s calm smile deepened. “I am merely observing.”
Another strike came, and this time, Lu Tian acted. A hand extended slightly, guiding the void energy like a hidden tide, devouring Wei Gu’s qi entirely. The strike weakened to the point that Wei Gu stumbled, his feet skidding across the stone tiles.
Whispers erupted among the spectators.
“Did he… just absorb his qi?”
“He’s using some forbidden method!”
Lu Tian remained focused, his internal senses expanding. Every strike, every motion of Wei Gu’s energy was drawn into the void that had been lying dormant within him. The body that had once been a liability was now a weapon.
Wei Gu roared, furious. “Are you using a secret technique? Show me! I’ll break it!”
He surged forward, summoning every ounce of his cultivation. This time, his attacks were not just energy but intent and physical strength.
Lu Tian closed his eyes for a moment and let the attack arrive.
As Wei Gu’s barrage struck, each thread of spiritual energy dissolved into the void. The expected sound of colliding qi was replaced by a hollow silence.
The courtyard went completely still.
Wei Gu’s face twisted in frustration. He had never encountered such a technique, and the repeated failure gnawed at his composure. “Explain yourself!” he bellowed, voice echoing across the training grounds.
Lu Tian opened his eyes slowly. “No explanation is necessary.”
He raised a hand, and for the first time, he let the void act offensively. The emptiness inside his meridians surged outward like an invisible tide, latching onto Wei Gu’s energy with a force that felt like it could devour the world.
Wei Gu staggered back, his aura flickering and dimming unnaturally. For the first time, fear touched his sharp features.
“Impossible…” he whispered.
It wasn’t that Lu Tian was faster but he was absorbing, erasing, devouring. Every ounce of Wei Gu’s qi, every attempt to strike, vanished into a consuming nothingness.
A hush fell over the crowd. Even the instructors froze, their eyes widening at the unprecedented scene.
Yet Lu Tian remained perfectly composed. He did not move his feet; he did not strike. He let the void work, letting Wei Gu realize, painfully, that no physical or spiritual attack could reach him while the emptiness was awake.
Wei Gu’s breaths came heavy and uneven. Sweat ran down his brow as he frantically tried to retreat, but each step felt as though it were sinking into invisible quicksand. His attacks no longer moved freely, they slowed, weakened, devoured by a force he could not comprehend.
And then Lu Tian smiled faintly.
“I’ve never used this technique before today,” he said quietly, letting the void pulse once more. “It seems… I’ve discovered a use for it.”
Wei Gu’s eyes widened, and his voice trembled. “What… are you?”
Before he could finish, the instructor’s whistle cut across the courtyard sharply.
“Enough!”
The duel ended as abruptly as it had begun. Wei Gu stumbled back, his energy visibly drained, and Lu Tian remained motionless, untouched. The spectators erupted in murmurs and whispers, some in awe, some in fear.
Lu Tian turned his gaze toward the crowd. No one dared approach him too closely. The whispers spread rapidly, some wondering if he had broken sect rules.
Wei Gu stood opposite him, chest heaving, his pride wounded more than his body. His expression was a storm of anger, confusion, and humiliation. He looked ready to attack again, but even he hesitated.
The instructor stepped between them, frowning. “You two may continue, but control your power. Outer disciples are not allowed to destroy the practice grounds.”
Lu Tian inclined his head slightly. “Understood.”
Wei Gu did not respond, his eyes locked on Lu Tian with a mixture of fury and disbelief.
As the crowd began to disperse, Lu Tian’s internal senses stirred. He could feel the void pulsating within him, hungry, alive. It had reacted to Wei Gu’s energy instinctively. It was as if it had been waiting for this moment to awaken.
A slow, thoughtful smile formed on Lu Tian’s lips.
“So, this is only the beginning,” he murmured. “If the void can devour another’s energy, then it may devour far more than that… eventually.”
