In the Main World, strength was not merely respected—it was institutionalized. From the time a child could walk, their future revolved around a single possibility: awakening. Some were born as Natural Supers, individuals whose abilities manifested instinctively, bending elements, manipulating gravity, distorting perception. Others walked the harder road, becoming Hyper Supers through martial arts, cultivation disciplines, spiritual tempering, or relentless biological enhancement. Whether innate or forged, power determined social standing.
Talent was graded with ruthless clarity.
F. D. C. B. A. S. SS. SSS.
Those at SSS-tier stood near the summit of civilization. Those at F-tier were tolerated, but rarely remembered.
The Zhou family belonged among the powerful.
Their estate rose above the capital like a monument of alloy and glass, guarded by both technology and martial force. Zhou Wei, head of the family, was a renowned Hyper Super whose physical refinement alone had once crushed a rebellion in the outer sectors. His wife was equally formidable in spiritual disciplines. Their children, numerous and ambitious, competed fiercely for recognition.
On the day of Zhou Jing's third evaluation, the testing chamber was colder than usual.
The room was circular, illuminated by a central pillar of pale blue energy. Transparent panels displayed streams of data. Zhou Jing stepped forward calmly when called, his posture straight, expression composed. He had inherited sharp features and a quiet dignity that often made strangers assume competence before proof.
"Place your hand on the scanner," the technician instructed.
Zhou Jing complied.
Energy surged up the pillar in a silent cascade. Symbols flickered across the display panels as the system analyzed his biological and spiritual resonance. Seconds stretched.
Outside the chamber, several siblings watched through reinforced glass.
The energy glow faltered.
Then stabilized.
A single character materialized above the pillar.
F
No additional qualifiers. No hidden potential markers.
Just F.
The silence that followed was brief but heavy. One of his younger brothers clicked his tongue in disappointment. A sister turned away, already bored.
"Third confirmation," the technician said softly, avoiding eye contact. "Talent classification remains unchanged."
Zhou Jing withdrew his hand without protest. He had prepared himself for this result, though preparation did not erase reality. In a society calibrated so precisely around strength, being F-tier was not dramatic. It was simply irrelevant.
That evening, he was summoned to the family council chamber.
The long table of dark metal reflected soft overhead lighting. Zhou Wei sat at the head, expression stern but not angry. Around him were advisors, older siblings, and representatives of family interests. Zhou Jing entered alone.
"You are nineteen," Zhou Wei began evenly. "Your siblings have entered advanced academies or specialized training paths. You have not."
Zhou Jing met his father's gaze. "I can pursue the Hyper route."
A faint murmur rippled along the table.
"Hyper refinement requires foundational potential," one of his uncles said flatly. "Your biological ceiling is too low."
Zhou Wei folded his hands. "There is an administrative position available in Outer Colony Sector 7-19. Development grade: low. Minimal resource allocation required. You will depart in three days."
The words were calm. Final.
In other families, there might have been argument or emotional tension. In the Zhou household, decisions followed utility.
Zhou Jing inclined his head slightly. "Understood."
He did not plead. He did not argue.
As he exited the chamber, fragments of conversation resumed behind him—already shifting to more promising heirs.
Night settled over the estate by the time he returned to his room. The city beyond the glass walls glittered with distant lights, each representing lives striving upward. Zhou Jing stood silently before the window, hands clasped behind his back. He felt no explosive resentment, no dramatic despair. Only a quiet pressure beneath his ribs.
Three days.
After that, he would be transferred to a frontier colony—far from political centers, far from elite academies. A polite exile.
He closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them, the air in front of him seemed to tremble.
At first, he thought it was fatigue. Then the distortion sharpened, folding inward like a curtain drawn across invisible rails. Darkness expanded—not obscuring the room, but overlaying it. Symbols formed within that darkness, precise and cold.
[System Initialization Complete]
[Astral Apostle System Activated]
[Host Identified: Zhou Jing]
[Talent Assessment: Ordinary Human]
[Authorization: Granted]
Zhou Jing did not move.
The text hovered without casting light, existing directly within his perception.
More lines appeared.
[Core Function Unlocked: Apostle Vessel Creation]
[Infinite Astral Realms Detected]
[Coordinate Locking — Available Upon Deployment]
His pulse quickened slightly—not from fear, but from awareness. The words "Infinite Astral Realms" echoed in his mind. Worlds beyond the Main World. Places unconnected to his family's influence, untouched by its expectations.
He inhaled slowly, testing whether this was hallucination.
The interface responded instantly to his focus, expanding with additional information layers—descriptions of vessels, descent protocols, risk parameters. Apostles could be created as independent bodies in detected realms. His consciousness could descend into them directly. Growth achieved there would not alter his biological talent rating—but it would generate resources usable within the system.
In other words—
His weakness in this world did not define the totality of his existence.
For the first time that day, something changed in his expression.
Not excitement.
Not triumph.
Resolve.
The system displayed one final line:
[Apostle Vessel Creation — Ready]
Outside the window, the city continued its endless motion, unaware that one insignificant F-tier youth had just gained access to something immeasurable.
Zhou Jing stepped away from the glass and sat on the edge of his bed, posture steady.
"Begin," he said quietly.
And the darkness deepened.