The plaza of the Sky-Frost Institute was a sea of shivering bodies. The entry requirements were famously brutal: any candidate over the age of twenty was immediately disqualified, and those under twenty had to be at least at the 3rd Stage of Qi Refining just to be allowed to touch the Testing Stone.
The elders sat on high balconies, their eyes scanning for "Early Bloomers." In the cultivation world, reaching high realms at a young age indicated a powerful soul and high-quality Spiritual Roots.
"Age 19, 4th Stage Qi Refining. Mortal Grade, 4th rank! Rejected!"
"Age 17, 6th Stage Qi Refining. Earth Grade, 1st rank! Outer Hall!"
Lin Chen stood at the back of the queue, his presence like a cold blade hidden in a silk sheath. He knew that to secure the rare herbs needed for his Foundation Establishment, he couldn't afford to be "average." He needed the status that only a top-tier genius could command.
Hours passed until the sun hung low. Finally, the crowd thinned until only two remained: Lin Chen and the silent girl in crimson furs.
"Next," the proctor called, his voice weary.
Lin Chen stepped forward. He placed his hand on the Bone-Reading Mirror first.
"Age: 17," the proctor began, but then his eyes nearly bulged out of his head as the mirror's runes flared with violent intensity. "Cultivation... 12th Stage Qi Refining?! Peak Perfection!"
A wave of shock exploded through the plaza.
Even the elders on the balcony stood up simultaneously. To reach the 12th stage—the absolute ceiling of Qi Refining—at age seventeen was a feat of a monstrous talent.
Lin Chen didn't pause. He moved to the Root-Testing Stone. He channeled his Qi, allowing the 5th-grade Earth Root he had harvested to resonate fully. The obsidian monolith hummed, erupting in a deep, burning orange light.
"Earth Grade, 5th rank! Fire Element!" the proctor shouted. "A 17-year-old at the 12th stage with a 5th-rank Earth Root... This is a Prime Seed! You are hereby granted the status of Key Disciple!"
As Lin Chen stepped down, the crowd parted in awe. But his gaze locked onto the final candidate,Yan Jue. She moved like a walking flame. As they crossed paths, their auras clashed—his was dense and abyssal, hers white-hot and arrogant. She paused, her sharp eyes flickering with genuine curiosity and a hint of challenge. It was the first time she had seen a peer worth acknowledging.
She stepped to the stone, and the world seemed to ignite.
"Age: 16! 12th Stage Qi Refining! Root: 9th Grade Earth Rank, Pure Fire!"
The sky turned a bruised red as her pillar of fire dwarfed the pagodas. She was a once-in-a-century monster. The elders were in a frenzy, swarming her with offers of personal mentorship. Yet, even as she was surrounded, her eyes kept drifting back to Lin Chen. In a sect of thousands, he was the only shadow she couldn't burn away.
That evening, Lin Chen was escorted to the Manor, a luxury estate built over a natural spirit vein. As he reached the gates, he noticed the manor directly adjacent to his was glowing with a faint, crimson heat.
A figure stood on the neighboring balcony, her long black hair whipped by the mountain wind. It was Yan Jue. She watched him, her expression unreadable but her interest clear.
Lin Chen didn't bow. He simply nodded—a gesture of one sovereign acknowledging another—before entering his gates. Inside, the manor was filled with many spirit stones and rare incense.
"The 12th stage has earned me attention and the sect's wealth," Lin Chen whispered, his eyes glowing.