The next morning, Qingfeng Village buzzed with excitement. The newly awakened children gathered in the training ground — a wide dirt field ringed by wooden posts — for their first official lesson.
Elder Mu stood at the front, his staff tapping the ground.
"Today, you will learn the basics of seal energy circulation. Feel the starlight within your body, guide it through your meridians…"
Huang Tao and Li Mei listened intently, their new Astral Seals glowing faintly as they tried to follow along. White seal rings — the first and weakest — were already condensing around their wrists.
Lin Xingchen stood at the very back, apart from the group.
He held the old meditation book under his arm, pretending to read while secretly circulating the tiny thread of energy he had felt last night.
In… out… focus on the gray mark.
Again, that cool sensation brushed his palm. The Broken Star Shard in his soul pulsed weakly, absorbing the barest hint of heaven-and-earth energy.
It was slow. Painfully slow. Like trying to fill an ocean with a single drop.
But it was something.
"Xingchen, why are you even here?" Huang Tao's voice cut through the air, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The sturdy boy smirked, his Iron Armor Bear spirit manifesting briefly behind him.
"You can't cultivate. You'll just waste Elder Mu's time."
A few children giggled.
Li Mei frowned but said nothing.
Elder Mu's brow furrowed. "Huang Tao, focus on your own training."
Huang Tao shrugged. "Just saying the truth, Elder. Waste spirits shouldn't take up space."
Xingchen closed the book calmly.
"I'm not in anyone's way," he said quietly. "And I'm not leaving."
Huang Tao laughed. "Oh? Big words for a Level 0 trash. Want to prove it? Let's spar. If you can last ten moves against me, I'll shut up forever."
The group stirred with excitement. Sparring on the first day wasn't allowed, but children loved drama.
Elder Mu sighed. "No fighting—"
But Xingchen stepped forward before he could finish.
"Fine. Ten moves."
Gasps rose. Even Elder Mu looked surprised.
Huang Tao grinned. "Good! Don't cry when you lose."
The children formed a circle. Elder Mu reluctantly allowed it, knowing stopping hot-blooded kids was pointless.
Huang Tao activated his spirit fully. The Iron Armor Bear roared into existence — a three-meter-tall phantom with thick brown fur. A faint white seal ring spun around his wrist, boosting his strength.
"First move!"
He charged like a bull, fist wrapped in seal energy.
Xingchen didn't summon his Broken Star Shard. He simply sidestepped — clean, precise, using footwork he had secretly practiced for years while watching others train.
Huang Tao's punch hit empty air.
"Second move!"
Another charge. Xingchen dodged again, light on his feet.
By the fifth move, Huang Tao was panting, face red with anger.
"Stand still and fight like a man!"
Xingchen's voice was calm. "You said last ten moves. You didn't say I had to attack."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Even Li Mei hid a smile.
Seventh move. Eighth.
Huang Tao roared, activating his white seal ring fully. His speed doubled, fist glowing.
"Ninth move — Bear Claw Crush!"
The punch carried real weight now, enough to crack stone.
Xingchen's eyes narrowed.
He finally moved forward instead of away.
At the last instant, he twisted his body, using Huang Tao's momentum against him. His palm struck the boy's chest — not hard, but perfectly placed.
Huang Tao stumbled forward, losing balance completely, and crashed face-first into the dirt.
Silence.
Then the children erupted.
"He… he dodged all ten moves!"
"And countered on the last one!"
Huang Tao scrambled up, face covered in mud, eyes furious.
"You cheated! You didn't even use your spirit!"
Xingchen looked at him steadily.
"You never said I had to."
Elder Mu couldn't hide his smile. "Enough. Huang Tao, ten moves have passed. You lost the bet."
Huang Tao glared, but said nothing more and stormed to the side.
Elder Mu walked over to Xingchen, voice low.
"Where did you learn that footwork?"
"Watching others," Xingchen replied simply.
The elder's eyes gleamed with something like pride.
"Good. Talent isn't everything. Keep watching… and keep training."
As the lesson continued, Xingchen returned to the back.
Inside his soul, the Broken Star Shard pulsed again — stronger this time.
The ancient voice whispered once more:
"Pain awakens the seal… blood will forge it."
That night, Xingchen made a decision.
He packed a small bundle — the meditation book, a dagger Elder Mu once gave him, and a few steamed buns.
Then he slipped out of the village, heading toward the Starfall Forest.
If the world thought he was trash…
He would find his own path.
Even if it meant facing Astral Beasts alone.
Deep in the forest, those crimson eyes watched from the shadows.
The enormous scaled creature's voice rumbled like thunder, yet only the wind carried it.
"Come, little heir… let us see if you are worthy."