The main courtyard of Rising Cloud Sect was alive with noise. Hundreds of new disciples stood in neat lines, some trembling with nerves, others standing tall with arrogant confidence. Above them, banners embroidered with the sect's crest rippled like white cranes dancing in the wind. The blue sky stretched endlessly, as though heaven itself was watching their fates unfold.
But amidst the sea of hopeful faces, Li Shen stood alone.
Whispers slithered through the air, sharp as daggers.
"That's the one who broke the crystal sphere yesterday…"
"His Qi is… twisted. Half light, half shadow. Disgusting."
"He won't last long here. The elders will throw him out sooner or later."
Li Shen clenched his jaw, lowering his head. He hated it—not their hatred, but the fear gnawing at his own chest. Fear of rejection. Fear of being seen for what he truly was.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, a deep voice thundered across the courtyard.
"All new disciples, step forward one by one for the second trial!"
At the front stood an elder with a long beard flowing like silver threads, his aura calm yet commanding. This was Elder Zhao, known for his strictness but also his fairness. Under his gaze, even the most arrogant disciples held their tongues.
One by one, disciples ascended the stone platform where an ancient testing stone awaited. Its surface was carved with runes that pulsed faintly, eager to reveal the true nature of each cultivator's Qi.
A boy with confident eyes pressed his palm to the stone. Blue light flared.
"Water Qi. A fitting candidate for the River Flowing Arts," Elder Zhao announced.
Applause followed. Another stepped forward—this time fire Qi, then wood Qi, then lightning Qi. Each revelation was met with cheers, laughter, or murmured approval. The courtyard swelled with excitement.
Until it was Li Shen's turn.
---
His steps echoed like thunder in his ears as he climbed the stone platform. He could feel hundreds of eyes drilling into his back, some mocking, some curious, most hostile.
He placed his palm against the testing stone.
For a heartbeat—nothing.
The second heartbeat, a faint tremor.
The third heartbeat—
Boom!
The stone roared to life, erupting in a violent storm of energy. Half of it blazed with golden light, radiant and pure. The other half drowned in swirling black mist, cold and suffocating. The two forces clashed, hissing and cracking like fire meeting water. The very air quaked, and a shockwave threw several disciples backward.
Gasps and cries tore through the courtyard.
"Impossible!"
"Two Qi… clashing inside one body?!"
"Light and shadow… together? That defies the heavenly laws!"
Chaos spread like wildfire. Some disciples recoiled as if Li Shen were a plague, others glared at him with naked hostility.
Elder Zhao's brows furrowed, his sharp eyes fixed on the boy. He extended his hand, steadying the stone before it shattered completely.
But before he could speak, another elder seated among the judges suddenly lurched to his feet. His face had gone pale, his eyes wide with recognition.
"No… it cannot be…" he whispered. "That aura… I know it. It's the same… as before."
The words struck the crowd like lightning.
Li Shen's heart jolted. "What do you mean?!"
The elder's lips trembled, but he quickly pressed them shut, shaking his head. Yet the damage was done—the whispers spread like venom.
"What did he mean—'the same as before'?"
"Could it be… connected to that forbidden incident?"
"If so… then this boy is the child of traitors!"
The word hit harder than any sword. Traitor.
The murmurs became accusations, stares turned to daggers. Li Shen's fists tightened until his nails dug into his palms, but the ache in his chest was far worse.
---
"Enough!" Elder Zhao's voice cracked like thunder. He raised his arm, silencing the mob. "The test is concluded. This boy… will remain."
"What?!" A senior disciple broke ranks, shouting with outrage. "Elder Zhao, how can you accept him?! His Qi is cursed! He is a disaster waiting to happen!"
Elder Zhao's gaze turned cold. "Are you questioning my judgment?"
The disciple faltered, his face twisting in anger but his body unwilling to defy. Still, the resentment in the eyes of the crowd did not fade.
And so, the trial ended not with cheers, but with a storm of suspicion that clung to Li Shen like a shadow.
---
That night, Li Shen sat alone in the small quarters assigned to him. The flicker of a single lantern cast restless shadows across the walls.
They hate you, a voice whispered in the darkness of his heart. They fear you. You will never belong here. One day, they will turn on you, and when they do, you will die alone.
But another voice stirred, faint but warm, like the last ember of a dying fire.
You are not alone, Shen. The path is cruel, but there will always be light to guide you. Do not give in.
Li Shen pressed his hands to his head, shaking, torn between the whispers of shadow and the promise of light. His body shivered, his breath uneven.
But what echoed loudest in his mind was not the fear, nor the hate. It was the elder's words.
"The same as before."
What had he meant?
Was it… connected to his parents?
To the memories he could never grasp, the ones buried deep in silence?
The questions gnawed at him, sharper than any blade. For the first time, he felt as though the answers he feared most were drawing closer, waiting just beyond reach.
And somehow, his heart whispered a terrifying truth.
Whatever that elder had seen… was only the beginning.