Night had fallen over the Azure Dragon Sect.
The mountain air was cold, and the wind carried with it the faint scent of pine and distant rivers. A crescent moon hung above, casting pale silver over the tiled roofs and stone walkways.
Dawn sat cross-legged in the modest wooden courtyard he'd been assigned. His cultivation posture was perfect—spine straight, breath steady, hands resting calmly in his lap.
But tonight… the Qi wouldn't circulate.
His body remained still, but deep within, a storm stirred.
A flicker.
A flame.
Then—
The world turned red.
He stood in a corridor of fire. The sky above cracked with thunder, and charred trees clawed at the air like broken skeletons. In the distance, a child cried out.
A boy, no older than eight, lay curled beside a crumbling wall. His skin was pale. His breathing shallow.
A woman stood over him—beautiful, distant, cold.
"I gave you three years," she said. "But you remained weak. I cannot waste more time."
The boy tried to stand, to speak, to beg.
But his words were ash. His tears fell to scorched earth.
The woman turned. Walked away. Disappeared into the blaze.
And the child… smiled.
Not from joy, but relief.
"It's over," he whispered.
"No more trying. No more pain."
Then the world exploded into golden flames—dragonfire, not the fire of destruction but of rebirth.
A roar echoed through the skies. Ancient. Eternal.
And in that sound… something stirred.
---
Dawn's eyes snapped open.
His breath hitched. Sweat ran down his back.
The moon was still in the sky. The courtyard still silent.
But in the quiet of the night, his heart beat faster—not in fear, but in recognition.
That memory hadn't come in years. Not like this.
Something was awakening again.
---
The next morning, a group of outer disciples gathered at the training yard for orientation.
Dawn stood slightly apart as usual, arms crossed, eyes distant. The events of the night weighed silently on his thoughts.
A girl approached hesitantly.
She looked to be fifteen or sixteen, with a slender frame and dusty brown robes. Her hair was tied in a simple knot, her eyes steady but cautious. Her name tag read "Mei Lin."
She bowed awkwardly. "You were the one with six pulses, right?"
Dawn said nothing.
"I got two pulses," she said, not waiting for his reply. "But violet light. That surprised them."
Still no response.
Mei Lin smiled faintly. "I don't talk much either. But I figured the quiet ones should at least nod when they pass each other."
He glanced at her. There was something genuine in her awkwardness—not fake confidence or forced pride.
He gave a small nod.
She blinked, pleased. "See? That wasn't so hard."
Just then, the senior disciple arrived to begin the day's instruction. But before the lessons began, he made an announcement:
"There will be a trial in three days," he said. "Within the outer mountain's spirit beast ridge."
Murmurs spread through the group.
"You'll be sent in groups to gather spirit herbs, subdue marked beasts, and survive three days with limited supplies. All are first-level spirit beasts—comparable to Qi Refining cultivators—but be warned…"
He looked across the group.
"Some second-level beasts have been spotted deeper in the ridge. Foundation-level strength. If you encounter one—run."
---
As the group dispersed, Mei Lin whispered, "They said violet will meant we're unyielding. But… that doesn't make someone strong, does it?"
Dawn didn't answer.
He was staring toward the Spirit Beast Ridge—its trees dark, its peaks wrapped in mist.
In his mind, a voice echoed still.
The child's whisper.
"No more pain."
And beneath it, a deeper sound. The roar of something ancient. Watching,..Waiting.
---
End of Chapter Five