Morning light spilled across the Silent Peaks as bells rang, calling disciples to training.
Arhaan followed the stream of youths into the central courtyard where hundreds of disciples gathered. At the front stood a stern woman with silver-streaked hair, robes pristine, and aura sharp as a blade.
Elder Kael leaned close and whispered, "That's Elder Seriya. She hates me. Good luck."
Before Arhaan could ask, her cold gaze swept over the crowd.
"Today, we begin with foundation drills. Your spirit roots determine your path, but diligence determines your strength." Her eyes locked onto Arhaan. "And some… have no roots at all. Let us see how long such strays can last."
Laughter rippled through the disciples.
Arhaan clenched his fist—but remembered Kael's words: Every sneer is another chain you break. He stood tall.
---
Cultivation Training
The disciples sat cross-legged, drawing in the morning's qi. Arhaan followed, closing his eyes. He expected… nothing. After all, he had no root.
But within, he felt the faint rattle of chains. The same mark upon his chest pulsed, and suddenly—qi didn't flow around him. It crashed into him, drawn as though the chains themselves devoured heaven's breath.
The disciples beside him gasped as the air grew heavy, qi spiraling toward Arhaan in visible threads.
Elder Seriya's eyes narrowed. Impossible…
Arhaan's body trembled. His dantian burned. A vision bloomed within: a black sky split by chains of blinding light, infinite, unbreakable. Each chain hummed with divine resonance.
He heard a whisper.
Break me… and ascend.
With a gasp, he opened his eyes. The courtyard stones beneath him were cracked, his aura surging wildly.
Disciples stared in shock. Some with awe, most with envy.
---
Rivalry Awakens
Darian, still bandaged from yesterday's defeat, spat in fury. "Impossible! A rootless dog can't cultivate!"
He charged forward recklessly, but this time Elder Seriya's cold voice cut through the air.
"Enough."
Her eyes pierced Arhaan. "You… boy. What is your name?"
"Arhaan."
Her lips curved into the faintest frown. "Arhaan. Your method is… dangerous. But powerful. Very well. From this day, you will join the Outer Court of the Silent Peaks Sect. Fail to control your power, and you'll die. Succeed…"
Her gaze sharpened. "…and even the heavens will have reason to fear you."
---
Night's Whisper
That night, alone in his quarters, Arhaan sat cross-legged again. The chains within him glowed faintly.
He whispered, "If breaking you is my path… then I will break them all."
The chains rattled, as though laughing—or warning.
And far above the mortal mountains, within the hidden palaces of the heavens, a divine presence stirred.
The boy with sealed divinity has begun his climb…