The mist in the Primordial Origin was a living entity—cold, thick, and suffocating. It clung to the skin like a damp shroud and tasted of petrichor and decay. Gigantic, shadow-black trees clawed at the perpetually grey sky, their forms twisted into grotesque shapes by millennia of absorbing the raw, untamed essence of the heavens and earth. The only light came from the sickly, phosphorescent glow of mosses and fungi that pulsed with a faint, predatory rhythm on bark and stone.
Meng Ru stood motionless, his slight frame almost swallowed by the oppressive landscape. He was dressed in the simple, dark grey robes of an Eternal Sect outer disciple—coarse fabric designed for function, not comfort. To any observer, he was just another youth, barely fifteen years of age, with a face that was plain and forgettable.
But his eyes were ancient.
They were cold, calculating, and utterly devoid of the fear or awe a boy his age should feel in such a place. Instead, they scanned his surroundings with the detached precision of a master appraiser evaluating goods.
'Three days,' his thoughts moved with chilling clarity, a stark contrast to the chaotic energy of the valley. 'It has been three days since I awoke in this body. The soul fits, but the vessel is pathetically weak. Rank one initial stage. Aperture capacity is mediocre at best. A disposable pawn in any other context.'
His gaze fell upon his own hands—small, uncalloused, and frail. A flicker of something that might have been disgust crossed his mind before it was ruthlessly suppressed. Emotion was a liability, a flaw in the calculation.
'However, this world… it is ripe with opportunity. The destruction of Fate Gu has shattered the old chains. The essence of the world is dense, chaotic. A perfect environment for a predator to thrive.'
A sharp, metallic clang echoed from further up the mountain path, deliberately breaking the silence. A summons.
Without a change in expression, Meng Ru began to walk, his steps measured and silent on the damp earth. He moved not with the hesitation of a disciple, but with the purpose of a man attending a pre-arranged business meeting.
The path led to a wide, flat clearing carved into the mountainside. A simple, unadorned stone hall stood there, its entrance a gaping maw of shadow. It was the Outer Sect Affairs Hall of the Eternal Sect. Two figures stood waiting.
The one in the lead was Elder Feng Yin. His face was a mask of stern indifference, his back ramrod straight. His cultivation was not hidden; the pressure of a Rank three Gu Master pressed down on the clearing, a silent declaration of authority. Beside him stood another youth, slightly older than Meng Ru, his robes of a finer quality. His posture was arrogant, his eyes holding a barely concealed contempt as he looked at Meng Ru.
"Meng Ru," Feng Yin's voice was as cold and hard as the mountain stone. "You are late by seven breaths."
Meng Ru stopped precisely ten steps from the elder, a distance that was respectful but not subservient. He gave a shallow bow. "The mist was thick. It affects visibility."
It was an excuse, but stated as a simple fact, devoid of apology.
The arrogant youth sneered. "Useless trash will always find an excuse for their incompetence."
Feng Yin ignored the youth's outburst but his eyes narrowed slightly on Meng Ru. "The Cunning Trial begins today. As you know, the sect does not waste resources on the useless. Three outer disciples, one task. The two who succeed will be promoted to the inner sect. The one who fails… will be expelled."
Expelled from the Eternal Sect meant being cast out into the Primordial Origin. It was a death sentence.
Meng Ru's expression remained unchanged. He was merely processing data. Three disciples, two slots. A simple equation of elimination.
"The task is to retrieve the egg of a Jade Dragon Gu," Feng Yin continued, his tone flat. "A nest has been located in the Serpent's Gully, guarded by a Rank two Jade-Skinned Snake. You will be given this."
He tossed a small, sealed bamboo tube to each of the three disciples who had now gathered. Meng Ru caught his effortlessly.
"Inside is a single Rank one Gu worm. A 'Lesser Strength Gu' for you, Meng Ru. A 'Stealth Gu' for Wang Lei." He nodded at the arrogant youth. "And a 'Poison Dart Gu' for the third, Li Chen. It is all the aid the sect will provide. How you use it, or whether you cooperate, is part of the trial. Your worth will be judged by your results."
Wang Lei smirked, clutching his tube. Stealth Gu was undoubtedly the best tool for this task. Li Chen, a nervous-looking boy, looked pale but determined.
Meng Ru, however, didn't even glance at his tube. His cold eyes met Feng Yin's. "Elder, this method is inefficient."
A dangerous silence fell over the clearing. Wang Lei's jaw dropped in disbelief at the audacity. Li Chen flinched as if struck.
Feng Yin's face darkened. "Explain yourself."
"Three disciples acting independently or in a fragile, untrusting alliance will likely result in failure," Meng Ru stated calmly, his voice level. "The Jade-Skinned Snake is a pack animal. The nest will not be guarded by one, but by several. A direct approach is foolish. Stealth is unreliable; the snakes have an acute sense of smell. Poison is too slow and risks damaging the egg."
He spoke as if lecturing a child, his analysis swift and brutal.
"You are proposing a strategy?" Feng Yin's voice was laced with a dangerous curiosity.
"I am not proposing a strategy," Meng Ru corrected him, his voice dropping to a near whisper, yet carrying an unnerving weight. "I am presenting the optimal solution. The other two are merely resources to be utilized."
He turned his gaze towards Wang Lei and Li Chen, his eyes appraising them like livestock. "Wang Lei's Stealth Gu is useless for retrieving the egg, but perfect for a diversion. Li Chen's Poison Dart Gu is too weak to kill, but its scent can be used as bait to draw the main pack away from the nest."
He paused, letting the cold logic sink in.
"My task is not to retrieve the egg. My task is to acquire it. We will proceed as follows: Li Chen will apply his poison to a piece of meat and leave it upwind, drawing the patrol away. Wang Lei will use his Stealth Gu to approach from the opposite direction, creating a disturbance near the nest to draw the attention of the primary guards. While they are distracted, I will take the egg."
Wang Lei sputtered, his face turning red with fury. "You want us to be bait? For you to take the prize? Preposterous!"
"Your prize is survival," Meng Ru replied without missing a beat, his voice utterly devoid of heat. "My plan offers an eight in ten chance of success for the mission and a six in ten chance of survival for all participants. Your individual plans offer, at best, a one in ten chance of success and an even lower chance of survival. The choice is a simple matter of calculation. Or do you prefer to gamble with your life on such poor odds?"
He then turned his gaze back to the silent, imposing figure of Elder Feng Yin.
"Of course," Meng Ru added, a chillingly pragmatic light in his eyes. "The plan could be made even more efficient. If one of the decoys were to be caught and eaten, the ensuing commotion would provide an even longer window of opportunity. The odds of mission success would rise to over ninety-five in a hundred."
The clearing was dead silent, the only sound the faint, hungry hum of the valley's energy. Li Chen was trembling, staring at Meng Ru as if he were a monster. Wang Lei was speechless, his arrogance completely shattered by the sheer, remorseless calculus of the boy before him.
Elder Feng Yin stood like a statue, his cold facade finally cracking. For the first time, a genuine, profound shock registered in his eyes as he stared at the plain-faced outer disciple. This was not the thinking of a boy. This was the cold, brutal, and terrifyingly effective logic of a true demon.
Meng Ru's eyes held no triumph, only the quiet weight of a sealed bargain. The trial had begun, and already, the board was his.