The morning bell of **Qingyun Sect** echoed across the mountains, its deep sound rolling like distant thunder.
Shen Luo yawned.
Not because he was tired—but because he had heard this same bell for ten years, and it had never once brought him anything good.
"Oi, Shen Luo! Still not dead?"
A stone flew past his ear.
He didn't even flinch.
"Missed again," Shen Luo sighed, brushing dust off his gray robe—the standard attire of an outer disciple. "If your aim was cultivation, you'd still be at Qi Condensation Level One."
Laughter erupted nearby.
The one who threw the stone, a tall disciple named Zhao Feng, sneered. "You dare talk back? A trash like you who hasn't even broken through?"
Shen Luo stretched lazily. "Correction. I *almost* broke through. Then the spiritual energy ran away. Probably didn't like me."
More laughter.
Even Zhao Feng hesitated—was this guy shameless or just broken?
Truthfully, Shen Luo didn't care.
In the Qingyun Sect, talent was everything. And Shen Luo?
He had none.
---
But that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was that he **belonged to the Shen Clan**.
A cultivation clan.
A *respected* cultivation clan.
And yet, he—Shen Luo—was the only one who couldn't even properly gather Qi.
---
"Clan disgrace," Zhao Feng spat. "I heard even your own clan doesn't want you anymore."
Shen Luo's smile didn't change.
"Good," he said lightly. "Saves me the trouble of disappointing them."
But deep inside—
Something flickered.
---
He remembered the man who called himself his father.
The **Clan Leader of the Shen Clan**.
A man who never smiled.
A man who never explained.
A man who only ever said one thing:
> "You are my son. That is enough."
No mention of his mother.
No warmth.
No answers.
---
"Today is the Outer Sect Trial," Zhao Feng said, cracking his knuckles. "Perfect chance for trash to disappear."
Shen Luo blinked. "Disappear? That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
"Ah," Shen Luo nodded seriously. "Then I'll try not to die."
More laughter.
---
### **Outer Sect Trial Grounds**
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the wind seemed to avoid this place.
Shen Luo walked at the back of the group, hands behind his head, as if he were on a casual stroll rather than a life-and-death trial.
"First rule," an elder's voice echoed, "Survive three days."
"Second rule… there are no rules."
The barrier opened.
Disciples rushed in.
Shen Luo followed—slowly.
Very slowly.
"Running won't help," he muttered. "If death wants you, it'll find you anyway."
---
Hours passed.
Screams echoed in the distance.
Blood stained the forest floor.
Shen Luo avoided everything:
* Beasts
* Traps
* People
Especially people.
"See?" he whispered proudly to himself. "Perfect strategy. Stay alive by doing nothing."
---
Then—
He stepped on something soft.
*Crunch.*
Shen Luo froze.
"…That didn't sound like a leaf."
The ground beneath him cracked.
Before he could react—
The earth collapsed.
---
### **Underground — Unknown Depth**
Darkness swallowed everything.
Shen Luo slammed into the ground, the air knocked out of his lungs.
"…I take it back," he wheezed. "Doing nothing also leads to death."
He tried to stand—
Pain shot through his body.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The air here… was different.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Like it had been sealed for centuries.
---
Then—
A voice.
Not from outside.
From *inside* his mind.
Cold.
Ancient.
Indifferent.
> "Detection complete."
Shen Luo froze.
"…Who?"
No answer.
Then—
> "Condition met: Near death."
> "Bloodline… awakening."
> "Heavenfall System… initializing."
---
Silence.
Then—
Pain.
Unimaginable pain.
It felt like something was tearing him apart—from the inside.
Shen Luo screamed.
For the first time in years—
He screamed.
---
Memories flashed.
Not his.
Not from this life.
Fragments of something vast… ancient… forbidden.
---
> "First Directive Issued."
> "Survive."
> "Reward: Power."
> "Failure: Death."
---
Shen Luo lay on the cold ground, trembling.
Then—
He started laughing.
Weak at first.
Then louder.
Then uncontrollable.
---
"Of course," he gasped. "Of course it's like this…"
"Ten years of nothing… and now this?"
He pushed himself up, blood dripping from his lips.
His eyes—
No longer the same.
---
"Fine," Shen Luo whispered.
"If the world wants me dead…"
A faint, dangerous smile formed.
"Then I'll just have to disappoint it."
---
In the darkness beneath the trial grounds—
Something ancient stirred.
And far away—
In a place beyond the Mortal Realm—
A certain existence slowly opened his eyes.
---
"...It has begun."