Chapter 6: The Qilin Descends
The day of the Awakening Ceremony arrived with a clarity that felt almost artificial. The sky over Blue Cloud City was a piercing, cloudless blue, and the air was still, as if the world itself were holding its breath. For the Ye Clan, today was the day they would finally "cleanse" their bloodline of the fallen genius and crown a new successor.
The clan's Great Plaza was a sea of activity. Banners of azure silk, embroidered with the image of a soaring dragon, snapped in the wind. Hundreds of disciples stood in disciplined rows, their eyes fixed on the central high platform where the Elders sat.
At the center of the platform stood the Dragon-Testing Stone, a three-story-tall monolith of black obsidian that had stood since the founding of the Azure Dragon Empire. It was said to be a fragment of a falling star, capable of measuring the purity of one's spiritual root and the depth of their cultivation.
"The City Lord, Han Zhen, has arrived!" the herald announced.
A tall man in crimson armor, his presence radiating the heavy pressure of the Spirit-Sea Realm, walked onto the platform. His eyes immediately scanned the crowd, searching for a specific silhouette. Behind him followed representatives from the Liu Clan and the Golden Sun Sect, all eager to see the official downfall of the War God's son.
Ye Kun, the Second Elder, stood to greet the City Lord with a polite, if forced, smile. "City Lord Han, thank you for witnessing our clan's transition. It is a pity that my brother, Tianlang, is not here to see his son... find his proper place."
Han Zhen's expression remained stony. "I have heard rumors, Ye Kun. Rumors of bodies hanging from archways and a boy who refuses to die. Where is Ye Chen?"
"The waste is likely cowering in his hut," Ye Feng sneered from behind his father. He was dressed in ornate silver armor, his aura humming at the peak of the 6th stage. "He knows that once he touches the Testing Stone, his lack of talent will be exposed to the world."
Just as the sun reached its zenith, a rhythmic thump, thump, thump began to echo through the plaza. It wasn't the sound of a drum; it was the sound of footsteps.
From the direction of the Penance Courtyard, a lone figure appeared. Ye Chen walked with a slow, deliberate pace, his hands clasped behind his back. He wore the simple azure robes of a direct disciple, but on his forearm, hidden beneath his sleeve, the Azure Dragon Seal throbbed with a cold, blue light.
The whispers that had been a dull roar died down instantly. The disciples parted for him, not out of respect, but out of a sudden, instinctive fear. The Sovereign's Aura was no longer a ripple; it was a tide. Every step Ye Chen took seemed to vibrate through the stone floor, matching the heartbeat of everyone present.
"He... he actually came," Ye Ling whispered from the crowd. She had successfully refined the Dragon-Blood Marrow, and her aura had surged to the 5th stage, but even she found it hard to breathe in Ye Chen's presence.
Ye Chen reached the base of the high platform and looked up, his silver-gray eyes meeting Ye Kun's gaze. "I heard there was a ceremony. I would hate to keep the audience waiting."
"Impudent!" the Third Elder barked. "Ye Chen, you are late. Climb the platform and receive your judgment. Once the stone shows your true nature, you will be stripped of the Ye name forever."
Ye Chen didn't use the stairs. He bent his knees slightly, and with a soft whoosh, he vanished. A split second later, he landed softly on the platform, thirty feet above the ground. The maneuver was so fast and silent that even Han Zhen's eyes widened in surprise.
"Start the testing," Ye Kun commanded, his voice trembling with suppressed malice. "Ye Feng, you first. Show them the future of the Ye Clan."
Ye Feng stepped forward, casting a contemptuous glance at Ye Chen. He placed his hand on the obsidian stone and roared, channeling every bit of his spiritual energy. The stone began to glow—white, then yellow, then a solid, bright green.
"Ye Feng! 6th Stage Body Refinement! Grade 4 Spiritual Root! Superior Talent!" the proctor shouted.
The crowd erupted in cheers. A Grade 4 root was enough to enter the elite sects of the Empire. Ye Feng puffed out his chest, looking toward the City Lord for approval.
"Now," Ye Kun said, pointing a shaking finger at Ye Chen. "The waste. Let us see the 'Golden Qilin' of the North."
Ye Chen walked to the stone. He didn't roar. He didn't strain. He simply looked at the massive obsidian block as if it were a common pebble.
System, Ye Chen thought, if I release the full power of the Chaos Physique, will this stone hold?
[Replying to Host: The Dragon-Testing Stone is rated for 'Spirit-Sea' levels. The Primordial Chaos Physique is 'Universal Origin' grade. Recommendation: Limit output to 1% to avoid structural failure.]
Ye Chen smiled. He placed his hand on the cold stone.
At first, nothing happened. The silence stretched, and Ye Feng began to chuckle. "Nothing. Not even a spark. You truly are—"
K-KRA-BOOM!
The stone didn't just glow. It screamed. A pillar of gray-and-gold light erupted from the monolith, piercing through the sky and shattering the clouds. The light was so intense that the gathered disciples were forced to cover their eyes.
The obsidian surface began to crack. Deep, jagged fissures raced down the stone as it turned from black to white, then to a blinding, translucent silver.
"The... the stone is melting!" an elder shrieked.
The proctor's voice was a high-pitched wail of disbelief. "Ye Chen! 7th Stage... no, 8th Stage! 9th Stage! Power level... ERROR! Spiritual Root... GOD-GRADE!"
The Dragon-Testing Stone, a relic that had survived a thousand years, suddenly disintegrated into a pile of fine, gray dust.
Ye Chen retracted his hand, the gray mist swirling around his fingers. He looked at the horrified Ye Kun and the stunned City Lord.
"I believe the stone has spoken," Ye Chen said, his voice cold and clear as a winter bell. "Now, who was it that wanted to strip me of my name?"