Dawn light spilled over the distant peaks as Ling Canglong and Han Lie walked toward the towering stone stairway of the Falling Sky Sect. Mist curled around the mountains like drifting dragons, and the air hummed faintly with spiritual energy so dense it pressed against the skin.
Even the earth felt different here, alive, pulsing, as if every tree and stone held a thousand years of cultivation.
Canglong let out a slow breath.This was the place where countless geniuses carved their names into history.This was where he had to begin his path.
At the foot of the stone staircase, nearly a thousand young cultivators were already gathered. Some wore silken robes, some rough cloth, but every one of them had confidence burning in their eyes.
This wasn't a crowd of mortals.
This was a pit of hungry wolves.
Han Lie leaned closer. "Don't provoke anyone today. Pass the trial first."
Canglong nodded, though he could already feel hostile gazes settling on him. News of the previous night's clash in the town had clearly spread faster than he thought.
A loud voice boomed across the mountainside.
"All trial candidates, present your entry tokens! Those without will be eliminated immediately!"
A group of elders floated down from the sky, robes fluttering. Their power radiated like distant storms, silent yet frightening.
The crowd straightened instantly.
One elder scanned the crowd, his eyes sharp as blades. "Those who cannot withstand pressure are not worthy of our sect."
He raised one hand.
A wave of spiritual force exploded outward.
It swept across the mountain like a hurricane.
Candidates dropped to their knees. Some spat blood on the spot. Others trembled uncontrollably, unable to withstand the pressure.
Canglong felt the force slam into him like a charging beast, but he remained standing. His bones creaked, his vision narrowed, but he held firm.
Next to him, Han Lie trembled slightly but also endured.
"Impressive," the elder said, eyes glinting.
But then the elder paused.
His gaze locked onto Canglong.
"The pressure on you… is weaker than expected. As if something inside you is absorbing it."
Canglong stiffened inwardly.
Last night, to suppress the violent surging of his consciousness, he had forced the chaotic energy deep into a sealed "well" within his mind, something instinctual, something he didn't fully understand. It dulled the ferocity of his mental strength, hiding it beneath several layers.
For now, at least, it wasn't leaking out.
Canglong gave a respectful bow. "Disciple candidate Ling Canglong greets Elder."
The elder studied him a moment longer before looking away.
"Pass."
More candidates stumbled. More were dragged off unconscious. But slowly, the survivors pushed forward up the mountain steps.
A mocking laugh drifted over.
"So you finally arrived, garbage."
Canglong turned to see three young men in dark-blue robes, the emblem of a minor local sect stitched on their sleeves. He recognized them. He had ignored them the day before when they tried to stir trouble in the town.
The leader stepped forward. His hair was tied with a jade clasp, his smile smug.
"I heard you caused a scene last night. Thinking you're impressive? Thinking you can join our Falling Sky Sect?" He snorted. "Trash from a mortal village should know its place."
Han Lie sighed softly. "Again?"
The youth waved a hand. "Here's how it works. Kneel and apologize to us for your disrespect yesterday, and maybe just maybe we won't break your..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
A stone step cracked beneath his feet.
Canglong hadn't moved.
He had simply released a hint of killing intent. Not from his sea of consciousness, but raw, sharpened instinct.
The minor sect brat flinched backward, face pale. His friends grabbed his arms to steady him.
"You! You dare threaten me!?"
Canglong's voice was indifferent. "Move. Or be moved."
Some candidates stopped walking, watching with interest.Already, a commotion on the first day.Some grinned.Some scoffed.Others stepped aside; they could feel the tension rising.
"You asked for it!" the brat shouted, spiritual energy surging around him. "Let's see how long you act arrogant."
A cold voice cut in from above.
"Enough."
One of the elders descended, eyes sharp.
"This is a trial ground. Anyone who initiates a private duel before the trial begins will be disqualified."
The brat froze. His face went red with humiliation.
The elder looked at Canglong. "You. Step forward."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Canglong stepped forward calmly.
The elder stared at him for a long moment.
"You have no sect, no backing, and your spiritual roots are unreadable." His voice grew harder. "But you have something dangerous inside you. Something the sect must evaluate."
Canglong tensed.
The elder raised a hand.
A shimmering, formation-like sigil appeared between his fingers.
"Place your palm here. If you lie, the sigil will burn your hand."
Canglong nodded and placed his hand on the sigil without hesitation.
The elder asked:
"Who taught you to cultivate?"
Canglong answered. "No one."
The sigil remained silent.
"Who guided you here?"
"No one."
Silent again.
The elder's expression loosened slightly.
"And the aura inside your body, do you know what it is?"
Canglong's heartbeat slowed. He kept his voice even.
"No."
For a breath, nothing happened.
Then the sigil flickered…but did not burn.
The elder stared deeply into his eyes.A dangerous light flashed.But he said nothing more.
"You pass."
He turned to the crowd.
"All candidates proceed to the mountain square. The first stage of the trial begins now."
A roar spread through the group as the crowd surged up the steps.
Mist parted above them.
And for the first time, Ling Canglong saw the largest gathering of young geniuses he had ever witnessed: sword prodigies, elemental cultivators, beast tamers, body refiners, all releasing their auras in a grand clash of dominance.
The true competition had begun.
The world of geniuses opened before him like a battlefield.
Canglong stepped forward.
And the heavens trembled faintly, as if noticing him for the first time.