A thin morning mist drifted over the mountains of the Green Sky Sect. The sun had just risen, piercing through the tall pine trees that stood like living walls. The disciples had already gathered in the training grounds, releasing their shimmering auras.
Among the hundreds of disciples standing straight… there was one young man who looked different.
His name was Long Tian.
His body was thin, his face pale, and the aura radiating from him was so faint—almost invisible. In a sect that revered strength above all, someone like Long Tian was nothing more than a background ornament.
"Look, that's Long Tian. He's been in the sect for three years, yet he's still at Early Breath Foundation."
"Tsk, trash like that doesn't deserve to wear the sect robes."
"I heard his body was born defective. He'll never improve!"
The whispers entered his ears clearly, but Long Tian tried his best to ignore them. He took a deep breath, calming himself, and attempted to focus the thin energy inside his dantian.
But just as he began…
BANG!
Someone slapped his shoulder hard from behind. Long Tian staggered.
"Hey, trash. Don't disturb our training area."
It was Li Feng, the second-ranked disciple of their generation and the one who mocked him the most.
"I was just—"
"Silence." Li Feng shoved him again. "Your very existence ruins my mood."
Several disciples laughed.
Long Tian clenched his fists. There was a heat in his chest—a feeling he had suppressed for a long time.
Heaven… am I truly fated to remain weak?
If so… why should I keep living?
But before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, light footsteps approached from behind.
"Long Tian!"
That gentle voice made everyone turn.
A girl in a blue dress jogged toward him. Her face was as clear as morning dew, her eyes serene like a calm lake.
Mu Xueya.
The only person who ever paid attention to him. The only light in Long Tian's life.
"Are you alright?" Xueya asked softly, checking his arm with worry in her eyes.
Li Feng snorted. "Why bother with him, Xueya? There are plenty of strong disciples in this sect. Don't waste your time on trash."
Xueya shot him a cold stare. "Li Feng, don't call anyone that. You may be strong, but your heart and manners are rotten."
The entire crowd fell silent.
Xueya's words were sharper than any sword.
Li Feng opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of a large gong interrupted.
GOOOONG!
All disciples assembled.
Elder Bai appeared, his robe fluttering.
"Today," he announced, "we will conduct the monthly talent assessment. The disciple with the greatest improvement will earn the chance to enter the mid-tier technique pavilion."
Cheers erupted.
But Long Tian's heart tightened.
The talent assessment.
Last month, he had completely failed. This month? No different.
One by one, the disciples stepped forward. Their auras shone brightly. Their scores soared.
Then it was Long Tian's turn.
The training ground fell silent.
Li Feng smirked.
Even Elder Bai looked like he expected nothing.
Long Tian placed his hand on the testing stone.
…silence.
…no light.
"As usual," someone muttered.
"Truly worthless."
Long Tian lowered his head. After all his effort, all his training, he was still the same.
But just as he withdrew his hand—
TAP.
Something inside his dantian trembled.
A sound like an ancient crack echoed.
CRRAAKK—
A burst of black-gold aura surged from his body, making the testing stone vibrate.
The entire field gasped.
Elder Bai shot to his feet, eyes wide.
"W–what is that?!"
Long Tian clutched his chest.
His body felt hot.
His vision blurred.
Inside his mind…
in the deepest part of his consciousness…
There was a faint voice.
"I… have chosen you."
Long Tian froze.
The world seemed to stop.
That voice… whose was it?
And why did it sound like it came from an age long past—
the era of ancient gods?