The trio sisters' stance tensed.

  "He's a Nascent Soul Cultivator." the rugged man muttered under his breath.

  "I can see that. Stay back." the scholarly one replied grimly, stepping forward.

  "After damaging our souls, do you not think it's despicable to strike again with a soul attack?" he asked, voice cold and steady.

  "Oh?" Jin Yu gave a half-hearted response.

  Then~ Shrring!

  With a vertical arc, he released successive waves of soul energy, each one denser than the last.

  But his enemies didn’t falter. The trio sisters clasped hands, making intricate hand signs with their free hands. A massive palm shimmered into the air, formed from intertwining white, black, and red energies, rising to meet the attack.

  The scholarly man brought out a different needle-like weapon, it was pitch black, its surface crawling with glowing inscriptions that seemed to pulse with a higher-tier energy. Feeding it with Qi, the runes ignited with intensity and the needle began to hum.

  He drove it into the earth.

  Voom!

  A wave of sonic force pulsed outward, distorting the air as it reflected Jin Yu’s incoming attack.

  Still, some strikes had already broken through.

  The trio’s spectral hand blocked the first wave, then the second, but the third shattered it completely, crashing into them like a thunderclap. The energy ripped through their defenses and into their cores, slashing at their souls without mercy.

  Grunt! Grunt! Grunt!

  The sisters froze, eyes wide with pain, before blood sprayed from their lips and they collapsed to their knees.

  The scholarly man’s needle absorbed the remaining strikes, reflecting them back. But its glow dulled, nearly flickering out.

  Panting, he poured more Qi into it, struggling to reawaken its strength.

  Ding!

  Soul Attack Recognized!

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Harmonized.

  Jin Yu's gaze narrowed, his interest piqued by the black needle.

  "I like your weapon," he said, his smile chilling. "May I have a look?"

  The scholarly man had no time to answer.

  In a blink, Jin Yu appeared before him.

  "You—!" the man gasped, stumbling backward and landing on his butt in fright.

  Jin Yu ignored him, picking up the needle. It trembled in his grip, pulsing with an hostile and defiant aura.

  But before it could retaliate...

  Ding!

  Hostile energy detected!

  Absorbing...

  Progress bar: 3.5%… 3.6%… 3.7%…

  In seconds, the weapon’s energy was drained dry, the inscriptions fading to black.

  The scholar stared in disbelief.

  "H-how...?"

  Jin Yu gave no reply. He raised the dead needle to the man's face, the point glinting under moonlight.

  "Shall we trade it... for your life?"

  The man gulped, staring at the shimmering needle with wide, terrified eyes.

  The moon framed Jin Yu from behind, casting his smirk in silver shadows. His ponytail swayed gently, his expression serene... yet cruel.

  He tilted his head.

  "No?"

  "N-no—I-I mean yes! You can have it!"

  Jin Yu’s smile darkened. Without hesitation, he stabbed the needle deep into the man’s thigh.

  "Wrong answer."

  "AAARRRGH!" The scream tore from the man’s throat as the sharp point struck bone.

  "I said yes!" he wailed, sweat pouring down his face.

  The needle sank deeper.

  Crack!

  It pierced through the bone.

  "AAAHHH! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?!"

  Jin Yu ignored the constant Ding! Ding! Ding! echoing in his mind and spoke flatly

  "Which part of your ear is damaged? I said trade, not donate."

  Realization dawned on the man's pain-contorted face. "Y-yes! I’ll trade! I’ll trade!"

  Jin Yu leaned in slightly, voice low.

  "With what?"

  "M-my life! My life!"

  "Hm?"

  "My useless life! My useless life!"

  "That’s more like it."

  With a smooth motion, Jin Yu pulled the needle free.

  Swish!

  "Ugggh!" The man groaned, clutching his thigh, blood soaking through his robes.

  Jin Yu kept the needle and turned slowly, his gaze falling on the rugged man.

  The man flinched the moment their eyes met.

  He stumbled a step back, unease crawling up his spine, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

  Jin Yu gave a smile, but it was the kind that curled the lips, not the eyes. Then, without a word, he shifted his attention to the trio sisters, who were still coughing blood and desperately trying to mend their damaged souls.

  The one in black had already collapsed. Her aura flickered, dim and unstable, like a dying flame struggling against the wind.

  Jin Yu barely spared her a glance. His eyes settled on the white-garbed sister.

  With a deliberate motion, he tilted her chin up using the tip of his sword, forcing her to meet his gaze.

  She looked up at him, eyes full of venom, her killing intent unwavering.

  "What did you call it earlier? Dog life?"

  “Haha,” he let out a cold laugh.

  “So tell me, who’s the dog kneeling now?”

  “Bastard,” she snarled, spitting blood straight onto his boots. Her defiance raw and unfiltered.

  The smirk slid off Jin Yu’s face. A faint red gleam flickered in his eyes.

  Squelch!

  The sword pierced her heart without hesitation, sliding in with a sickening ease. Warm blood ran freely down the blade.

  Even as death crept in, her glare stayed fixed on him, burning with hate until her pupils lost their light.

  Her head drooped, and fresh blood dripped from the corners of her lips.

  The red-robed sister stared at the fallen body without so much as a flinch.

  She lowered her head briefly, hiding her face in a veil of crimson hair. When she raised it again, her gaze locked onto Jin Yu’s: dark, unreadable.

  “Tell me, pretty boy…” she purred, her voice low and sultry. “Will you kill me too?”

  Jin Yu didn’t answer. He shoved the white sister’s corpse off his sword.

  Shrrk!

  The blade slid out with a slick sound, blood spilling like wine.

  Thud.

  She hit the ground.

  Jin Yu turned to the last sister. A hint of madness danced in his eyes, subtle but unmistakable.

  His lips curled into a faint smirk.

  “What do you think?”

  The red-robed woman chuckled softly and rose to her feet, graceful and unhurried.

  Her movements flowed like silk in water, every shift of her hips deliberate, every step carrying unspoken promise.

  She closed the distance with a dancer’s poise, her presence laced with something darkly alluring.

  When she reached him, her fingers gently traced his jawline, light enough to tease, bold enough to provoke.

  “I think…” she said, lips just a breath away from his, “a trade isn't such a bad idea. Don’t you agree… pretty boy?”