Lin Wei stood frozen, his hand still pressed against the Talent Crystal. The sapphire gem throbbed beneath his palm like a living heart, its golden veins pulsing that unnatural, deep crimson red. The grand hall of the Lin Clan—usually a place of celebration with its floating crystal chandeliers, long tables piled high with steaming spirit beast roasts, and the sweet aroma of Ember Wine—had gone completely still. Every noble, elder, and servant held their breath. Silk robes rustled faintly as people shifted, eyes wide with shock.
Lin Tu broke the silence first, his recent 4-Star Wind Blade display still shimmering green around his hands. He barked out a laugh that echoed off the dragon-carved walls. "Red pulse! I told you all—he's defective! That 'trash talent' isn't just weak, it's extremely disgusting, and it's an insult to the Lin Clan for him to be called the Lin Clan's heir."
From the high table, Lin Wei's father, Clan Lord Lin Tian, shot to his feet. His broad shoulders strained against his embroidered robe, and those kind eyes—usually soft when looking at his son—now burned with barely contained fury. "Enough, Lin Tu! The crystal reveals truth, not your petty jealousies." His voice carried the weight of an 8-Star Foundation Establishment cultivator, qi humming like distant thunder. Beside him, Lady Lin Mei clutched her phoenix hairpin, her elegant face pale. She knew what red meant—impurity, defect, or worse. hidden bloodline taint.
The crystal finally stabilized. A faint blue hologram flickered above it: One Star. There was no grand cascade of orbiting lights like Lin Tu's four-star display and no rainbow aura like Lin Fan's 5-Star Poison Mist. Just a single, pathetic mote of light that winked out almost immediately. The hall exploded.
"Waste!"
"Disgrace to the Lin phoenix bloodline!"
"Strip his heir status now!"
Clan members started throwing rotten cores from spirit fruits, one smacking Lin Wei's shoulder with a wet splat, its juice dripped down his robe. He stood there with his cheeks burning from the shame, and he clenched his fingers so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The memories of the original Lin Wei's life flashed through his mind. He has been the punching bag for these people all these years. He was even pushed to Qi deviation last month, with his veins bursting from the forced meditation. That's how he was able to take over the original host's body.
Endure it, Lin Wei told himself with gritted teeth. The system said survive the humiliation, and the Phoenix Bloodline will be rewarded by the system, and all their mouth will be shut. Don't break now.
Elder Lin Han approached as the noise died down, his hawkish face twisted in false concern. His facial features of Mid-forties, with a perpetual sneer and 6-Star Metal Blade aura humming like a drawn sword, he leaned in close. His breath smelled of wine and malice. "Pathetic display, nephew. The elders will vote on your heir token tomorrow. You should resign now and save the clan from further embarrassment." His eyes gleamed, flicking briefly to shadowed figures at the hall's back. One cloaked man nodded subtly.
Terranova Lin Wei—the data analyst who'd survived corporate backstabbing and megacity street fights—felt rage bubble up. No way. He straightened, his voice steady despite the pounding in his chest. "At 16, one's talent gets fixed, but the words are cheap. Fighting Arena measures whose fists are stronger. Lin Tu, you are a 4-Star talent. Care to back it up in the Arena?"
The hall went dead silent. Goblets hovered frozen mid-air. Lin Tian's stern face cracked into a rare, proud smile. Lin Mei whispered, "Wei'er..." with half terror, half hope. Cousins exchanged panicked looks. Lin Tu's smug grin vanished, replaced by ugly shock. Wind qi whipped his hair wildly. "You? A 1-Star trash is challenging me?" He turns towards Lin Bo and says, "Elder Bo—I accept this challenge!"
Elder Lin Bo, the neutral 7-Star overseer with a long white beard, stroked his chin. His qi senses swept the room, probing for any kind of deceit. "Very well, first to yield or fall unconscious will lose the match." Excited murmurs swelled—this was scandalous, but the clan rules allowed it. It was a perfect drama for the banquet.
Lin Han's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. As nobles filed toward the side doors leading to the sunken arena, he slipped a small red vial from his sleeve into a cloaked figure's hand. The exchange was lightning-quick, hidden by flowing robes. Poison? For me? Lin Wei's gut twisted. Those shadows weren't normal guests.
The arena pit waited beyond heavy stone doors—a wide circle of compacted spirit sand, ringed by tiered stone seats that filled rapidly with chattering nobles. Torches flared along the walls, casting dramatic shadows. A translucent blue qi barrier shimmered to life, humming with power to contain lethal strikes. Cool night air carried the scent of sand and faint blood from past duels.
Lin Tu walked towards the center first, landing with a dramatic wind. At nineteen, he moved like a predator; his every muscle was honed from years of favored training. His 4-Star Wind Blade Talent has been activated fully, swirling green qi blades orbiting his forearms like living saws. He'd been groomed by uncles as the "Future True Elder" since childhood. "Kneel and beg forgiveness, trash. One barrage, and you're red paste on the sand." He flexed, sending mini-cyclones kicking up grit. The crowd started chanting: "Lin Tu!" "Crush the waste!" "Lin Tu!"
Lin Wei stepped onto the gritty sand last, barriers sealing behind him with a resonant hum. No cultivation base. No arts manual. Just raw reflexes from Terranova street scraps and endless VR sims where death meant respawn. His parents watched everything from the VIP stone box overlooking the pit—Lin Tian's hand resting on his sword hilt, Lin Mei whispering prayers. Uncle Lin Han sat beside them, that vial now gone, smirk wider than ever.
I have to survive till the system kicks in, Lin Tu thought. Lin Tu didn't wait—blurring forward in a gust, twin wind blades slicing the air at sonic speed. Lin Wei dove left on instinct, the attack shearing through his robe and grazing his bicep. Hot pain exploded; blood welled warm and sticky. He countered with a desperate haymaker, knuckles glancing off Lin Tu's jaw with a satisfying crack. Lin Tu snarled, unshaken, whipping a knee toward Lin Wei's gut.
Lin Wei twisted mid-air, snagging a loose banner pole propped against the barrier for leverage. He vaulted up, boot slamming into Lin Tu's knee with trained precision—crunch. The crowd gasped. "Lucky shot!" someone jeered. But Lin Tu's thigh was gashed deep now from a stray blade ricochet, his leg buckling slightly. Vision spotting red from pain, Lin Wei hit the sand rolling.
Lin Tu roared, channeling full 4-Star power. Five homing wind blades curved through the air like heat-seeking missiles, qi-guided and relentless. They cratered the sand inches from Lin Wei's heels as he scrambled behind a barrier dent. Every muscle screamed. Rage boiled over—not just with this fight, but years of Terranova drudgery, now layered with this body's endless shame. He doesn't want to die as some novel extra character!
[Quest Progress: 85%. Combat Defiance Bonus Activated. Phoenix Bloodline (Tier 1) Unlocking Now—Prepare for Integration Overload!]
It hit like swallowing a star. Lin Wei's veins ignited with liquid magma, red heat detonating from his dantian outward. Crimson ethereal feathers burst from his back like a ghostly armor, his entire aura turned scarlet red. His wounds started healing on their own, and a new power thrummed through his limbs, intoxicating and raw. Lin Tu's next wind blade met Lin Wei's outstretched palm—metal and qi melted to glowing slag on contact. With a roar, Lin Wei shoved forward, his fire-wreathed hand slamming into Lin Tu's chest. Boom. Shockwave erupted, hurling Lin Tu twenty feet across the pit.
The arena fell deathly silent. Then—gasps turned to thunderous cheers. "Fire awakening?! with a 1-Star talent?!" Lin Tian leaped to his feet, roaring triumph. Lin Mei wept in open relief, hands clasped. "My son is not some defect; it's the true Lin blood!"
System Update: Phoenix Bloodline (Tier 1) Integrated. +50% Fire Qi Affinity. Passive Regen (minor wounds heal in seconds). Short-Burst Wing Manifestation. New Quest: Secure Jade Heir Token from Hall Pedestal. Reward: Absolute Ice Physique (Tier 1).
But as nobles swarmed the barriers in frenzy, Lin Tu staggered upright, coughing black smoke. His eyes... wrong. Flickering unnatural red. Veins pulsed dark beneath skin. "It's not... over yet," he growled. His claws extended from his fingertips; his body warped subtly with shadows coiling.