The sect was burning.
Flames climbed the mountain like hungry beasts, devouring everything in their path. Wooden halls collapsed one after another. The air reeked of ash, blood, and defeat.
Chen Fang lay on the cold ground, staring at the sky.
He could no longer feel his legs.
His hands trembled weakly beside him, fingers stained red. The sword lying just inches away from his grasp felt impossibly distant.
So this… is how it ends.
A lifetime of training.
A lifetime of struggle.
And in the end—
Nothing.
Footsteps echoed through the chaos.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Certain.
They stopped beside him.
"Pathetic."
A voice cut through the crackling flames.
Chen Fang didn't respond. He couldn't.
Not because he didn't want to—
But because he had nothing left to say.
Another voice followed, calmer… colder.
"Murim is only the surface."
Chen Fang's fading eyes twitched.
Surface…?
The man stepped closer, his shadow swallowing what little light remained.
"The real war begins…" he said quietly,
"…when they descend."
Descend…?
What does that—
A blade pierced his chest.
Everything went silent.
No pain.
No sound.
No thoughts.
Just darkness.
…
thump
A faint heartbeat echoed in the void.
thump… thump…
Light seeped into the darkness.
Chen Fang's eyes snapped open.
He gasped.
Air rushed into his lungs like he had been drowning.
The sky above him was… wrong.
Too clear.
Too vast.
Too alive.
He lay there, frozen, as leaves swayed gently overhead. Sunlight filtered through the branches, warm and calm—completely at odds with the hell he had just left behind.
"…I'm alive?"
His voice was weak.
Young.
Chen Fang frowned.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
Small.
Thin.
A child's hand.
His pupils shrank.
"…What?"
He pushed himself up, breathing unevenly.
His body felt light.
Fragile.
Unfamiliar.
This isn't my body.
His mind raced.
Reincarnation…?
No—
Something felt off.
He pressed his palm against the ground.
The moment he did—
His expression changed.
The air was thick.
Not with Qi.
Something else.
Something heavier.
Deeper.
"…What kind of energy is this…?"
Before he could think further—
The sound of rustling leaves came from behind him.
Chen Fang turned instantly.
His eyes sharpened.
His posture lowered instinctively.
Even in a child's body—
His instincts remained.
And then—
He saw him.
A man stood a few steps away.
Dressed in simple yellow clothes.
Barefoot.
Holding a half-eaten mango.
He was… eating.
Juice dripped down his fingers as he looked at Chen Fang with mild curiosity, as if observing something only slightly interesting.
"…Who are you?" Chen Fang asked coldly.
The man blinked.
Then smiled.
"You're awake."
Chen Fang's eyes narrowed.
"That's not what I asked."
The man tilted his head, as if genuinely thinking about the answer.
Silence stretched.
A bird chirped somewhere in the distance.
Then—
He snapped his fingers.
"Ah."
He grinned.
"Your brother."
…
Chen Fang stared at him.
Expression completely blank.
"…I don't have one."
The man took another bite of the mango.
"You do now."
Chen Fang slowly stood up, his gaze never leaving the man.
Every instinct he had was screaming.
Danger.
"…Where am I?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he casually pointed behind Chen Fang.
Chen Fang turned.
And froze.
A massive structure stood deep within the forest.
Ancient.
Vast.
Silent.
An ashram.
It didn't feel like a sect.
It felt older.
Heavier.
As if it had existed long before anything he had ever known.
"…This isn't Murim," Chen Fang muttered.
"Of course not."
The man walked past him, completely relaxed.
"Murim is… far away."
Chen Fang clenched his fists.
Far away?
That means—
"…Who are you… really?" he asked again, more quietly this time.
The man stopped.
For a moment—
Everything changed.
The wind died.
The forest went still.
Even the light seemed to dim.
The man turned his head slightly.
His eyes—
Deep.
Endless.
"Sura."
And just like that—
The world returned to normal.
The wind blew again.
Leaves rustled.
Birds sang.
Sura stretched lazily, as if nothing had happened.
"Come on," he said, waving his hand casually.
"You'll starve if you keep standing there."
Chen Fang didn't move.
Not immediately.
His mind was in chaos.
His instincts were unsettled.
And yet—
For some reason—
He followed.
Far above the forest—
Beyond the sky—
Beyond sight—
Something was watching.
And it smiled.
The game… had begun.