Night fell earlier than usual.
Clouds thickened across the sky, smothering the stars one by one until only the moon remained…a thin crescent, dull and trembling.
Hao Wuya sat beneath the peach tree, bandaged shoulder aching dully.
Xueyi knelt beside him, dark eyes full of worry.
"Are you sure it's not hurting too much?" she asked for the tenth time.
Wuya nodded.
"It's fine."
"It's not fine," she snapped. "You were almost—"
He placed a hand on her head softly.
Calming.
Still.
"I'm alive, Xueyi."
She exhaled shakily.
"…Don't scare me again."
Wuya blinked.
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"Then don't do it at all!"
"…I'll try."
She hugged her knees, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
Wuya rested against the tree, eyes half-closed.
The world was no longer quiet.
Something shifted behind the wind.
A faint vibration brushed across his mind like a finger tracing the air.
"They're coming," he murmured.
Xueyi stiffened.
"…The hunters?"
Wuya nodded slowly.
"They're close."
Xueyi grabbed his sleeve again, fingers trembling.
"Wuya…"
He tilted his head.
"What?"
"…Promise me you won't die."
Wuya blinked, confused.
"I don't plan to."
"That's not a promise!"
"…Then I promise."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Inside the house, Hao Tianhai opened his eyes.
—He felt it too.
---
THE MIST RETURNS
Fog began curling through the streets of Millstone City.
Not natural mist—
it was too thick, too cold, too purposeful.
Dogs barked frantically.
Candles flickered and died.
Windows slammed shut.
A terrified scream echoed from the west end of the city.
Then another.
Then three more.
Tianhai stepped out of the house, face calm, but his eyes cold as tempered steel.
"Wuya. Xueyi. Inside."
They moved instantly.
But when they reached the doorway—
A shadow fell across the courtyard gate.
Wuya turned sharply.
His breath stopped.
They were here.
Not one.
Not two.
Eight.
Masked hunters.
Robes blacker than night.
Each one radiating a different aura:
One carried a spear dripping with killing intent
One had no weapon—his fists wrapped in metallic bindings
One had six blades strapped across his back
One floated slightly above the ground
One held chains humming with Qi
One carried a scroll covered in talismanic symbols
One radiated frost
And the last—
—was the tall hunter who attacked before.
But now his mask was shattered, face pale from fear, eyes burning with obsession.
He pointed a trembling finger at Wuya.
"T-There…! That's the boy! That's him!"
The eight hunters stepped inside the courtyard.
The air tightened until even breathing felt heavy.
Xueyi gasped.
"…We're surrounded."
Wuya stepped in front of her.
"It's okay."
Xueyi's fingers dug into his shirt.
"No, it's not!"
Tianhai walked between them and the hunters—calm, composed, terrifyingly still.
He looked at the tall hunter.
"You returned."
The hunter's lips curled.
"You're the reason I brought more this time."
He pointed at Tianhai.
"This time, even you cannot protect him."
Tianhai didn't blink.
"You assume much."
The hunter hissed.
"And you hide much."
He gestured to the others.
"Break the barrier. Kill the man and girl. Take the boy alive."
Xueyi grabbed Wuya's arm.
"Wuya—we need to run—"
But Wuya didn't step back.
He looked at the eight hunters.
Eight cultivators, each above Body Transformation.
Strong enough to wipe out the city.
Xueyi whispered, voice cracking:
"…Wuya, we can't fight them…"
"I know."
"Then why do you look so calm?!"
"…Because panicking won't change anything."
"IT WOULD STILL BE NICE IF YOU PANICKED EVEN A LITTLE!"
Wuya's lips twitched slightly.
"I'll… consider it."
"Don't consider—!"
Her words cut off.
Because the hunters moved.
---
TIANHAI'S DOMAIN
All eight hunters attacked at once.
Spears, fists, chains, blades, cold Qi, talismans—
A synchronized storm.
But Tianhai simply exhaled.
And the world changed.
A faint ripple spread outward from his feet.
Calm.
Silent.
Invisible.
The attacks slowed.
Most by a fraction.
A few by half.
One stopped completely.
The spear-bearing hunter froze mid-strike, eyes wide.
"What—?!"
Tianhai flicked his sleeve.
The spear shattered.
The hunter was thrown backward, crashing into the courtyard wall.
The frost cultivator unleashed a wave of ice—
It evaporated before touching Tianhai.
The fist cultivator dashed forward—
But Tianhai stepped slightly to the left, and the fist embedded itself in stone.
Tianhai's voice was quiet, but carried through the chaos:
"You should not have come to this city."
The six-blade hunter roared.
"You're not mortal—WHAT ARE YOU?!"
Tianhai didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
The ground beneath them rippled—
just once—
and three hunters fell unconscious as if struck by invisible force.
Xueyi stared with wide eyes.
"How… how strong IS Uncle Tianhai?!"
Wuya whispered:
"…Stronger than anyone here."
"For real?!"
"Yes."
"How do YOU know?"
"I don't."
"THEN WHY DO YOU SAY IT LIKE YOU KNOW?!"
"…It seemed obvious."
"NOTHING IS OBVIOUS ABOUT THIS!"
But despite Tianhai's might—
one hunter remained calm.
The man holding the talisman scroll.
He traced a single character in the air with two fingers.
A symbol burned in golden light.
Tianhai's eyes widened slightly.
"…You dare use a Heaven Seal?"
The hunter smirked.
"This isn't aimed at you."
He closed the symbol over the scroll.
"It's aimed at the boy."
And he slapped the scroll onto the ground.
---
THE SEAL OF SUPPRESSION
A blinding golden pillar erupted from the scroll—
straight toward Wuya.
Xueyi screamed.
"WUYA!!"
Wuya raised his arms instinctively.
He didn't even have Qi.
He didn't have cultivation.
He didn't have anything.
But—
His bloodline wasn't ordinary.
A faint pulse rippled inside him—
not from the system—
but from the forbidden Hao bloodline itself.
The pillar slowed.
Just enough.
But not enough to stop.
Tianhai's hand reached for Wuya—
But the scroll's light accelerated—
And struck Wuya directly in the chest.
Xueyi screamed his name.
Wuya stumbled backward, vision flashing white.
The world tilted.
The sound faded.
He fell to his knees.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The seal burned into his skin like liquid fire.
Wuya grit his teeth—
But he didn't scream.
Xueyi was beside him instantly, tears streaming.
"Wuya!! Wuya, talk to me!!"
Tianhai whipped around, face twisted in fury.
"You—!"
But before he could unleash his wrath—
A second presence appeared in the courtyard.
Not heavenly.
Not divine.
Not mortal.
Something that felt like…
A law taking form.
---
THE FIRST AWAKENING
Wuya lay on the ground, breathing unevenly.
The golden seal pulsed on his chest.
But something beneath it pulsed back.
A fragment deep inside his soul—
the one Hao Aotian placed in him as a newborn—
began absorbing the golden light.
Not resisting.
Not breaking.
Absorbing.
The hunters froze in confusion.
"What—what is he doing?!"
"That seal should destroy his spirit!"
"It's—being devoured?!"
Xueyi felt Wuya's hand twitch.
"…Wuya…?"
His eyes opened slightly.
And for the first time—
they were not calm.
They were ancient.
Inside him—
the fragments of Aotian's Dao
cosmic energy
void energy
bloodline resonance
the golden suppression seal
began merging…
Wuya whispered:
"…Something… is waking up…"
Tianhai's eyes widened.
"Wuya—!"
Xueyi grabbed his hand.
"Stay with me! Stay awake!"
The ground trembled.
The air vibrated.
The peach blossoms froze in mid-air again.
And deep inside Wuya's soul—
Something unlocked.
A book.
Not a real book—
—but a codex.
Golden.
Infinite.
Bound by laws of the cosmos itself.
The cover opened—
one page.
Light spilled outward, unseen by the world.
Only Wuya felt it.
Only Wuya heard the whisper:
"Supreme Sign-In Codex… awakened."
A cold, ancient, emotionless whisper.
Wuya gasped—
And his mind snapped into clarity.
---
THE SYSTEM SPEAKS (FIRST TIME)
A voice like ancient bells rang inside Wuya's soul.
Not mechanical.
Not digital.
Not artificial.
Old.
Primordial.
"Codex initialization complete."
His breath stopped.
Xueyi shook him desperately.
"WUYA—!! STAY WITH ME!!"
He squeezed her hand weakly.
"…I'm here."
Tianhai was at his side instantly.
"What happened?!"
Wuya looked up, breathing hard.
"…Something inside me… opened."
Tianhai's face changed.
"Your awakening?"
Wuya nodded slowly.
"…Yes."
The hunters stepped back in fear.
"The boy—He awakened something—!"
"What is that aura?!"
"Impossible—he has no cultivation—!"
But they didn't understand.
Wuya still had no Qi.
No realm.
No strength.
But the Supreme Sign-In Codex was now alive.
The presence inside him spoke once more:
"First Sign-In Location Detected."
Wuya blinked.
"…Where?"
Inside his mind, a map formed:
Not of the world.
Not of the city.
Of the courtyard.
Specifically—
The Peach Tree.
Wuya stared up at it.
The tree's blossoms swayed.
Golden light faintly rippled through its branches—
visible only to him.
The Codex whispered:
"Sign-In Ready."
Wuya exhaled.
"It's… calling me."
Xueyi hugged him tighter.
"What is calling you?! Don't go near it!"
Wuya stood—slowly, painfully—
and brushed her hair gently.
"It's okay."
"No, it's NOT okay!"
He looked at Tianhai.
Tianhai nodded slowly.
"This is your path now, Wuya."
Wuya approached the peach tree.
Xueyi grabbed his sleeve desperately.
"Wuya… don't leave me…"
He turned.
"I'm not leaving."
He placed his hand on her cheek.
"I'm only beginning."
She trembled.
"Promise?"
He nodded.
"Promise."
She let go.
Wuya touched the peach tree's bark.
The Codex spoke:
"Supreme Sign-In Initiated."
Golden light burst from his hand—
silent—
gentle—
radiating through the courtyard.
The hunters screamed.
"What—WHAT IS THIS—?!"
"This power—how—how does he—!!"
Tianhai's eyes widened.
"This… is not Aotian's power."
Wuya whispered:
"…It's mine."
The Codex's final whisper echoed:
"Sign-In Reward:
— First Vein Awakening
— Mortal Realm Foundation Initiation
— Bloodline Stability: +1%
— Supreme Path: Activated."
Wuya's knees buckled.
He nearly collapsed—
But Xueyi caught him.
"Wuya!!"
He looked into her eyes.
His voice was soft.
"…It's awakened."
She held him tighter than ever.
Behind them—
the hunters stared in speechless horror.
And Tianhai looked at the peach tree with profound sadness and pride.
"…Aotian," he whispered,
"your son has begun."