The sun rose over the Whispering Forest, its light cutting through the lingering yellow mist of Elder Gu's poison. Meera stood up, her legs still weak from the Qi transfer, and looked at the group of cultivators approaching.
Leading them was a man in blue and white robes, riding a magnificent white crane. He was Elder Wang, the Head of the Outer Disciples of the Cloud-Sword Sect.
"Meera! You're alive!" Elder Wang shouted, landing the crane in the clearing. He looked at the dead serpent and the headless body of Elder Gu. His eyes widened. "Is that... Gu? You killed him?"
Meera took a deep breath. She knew if she told the whole truth, the Sect would lock Akash up to study his 'System' or his strange golden Qi.
"I managed to break through during the fight, Elder," Meera said, her voice regaining its icy calm. "But I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for him." She pointed to the unconscious Akash. "He's a genius I found in a small village. He used his own body to block Gu's poison for me."
Elder Wang walked over to Akash, placing a finger on his wrist. "A Level 2 boy survived Elder Gu's necrotic needle? Impossible. His meridians are... different. They feel like they've been forged in gold."
[SYSTEM STATUS: LOCKDOWN - 18 HOURS REMAINING]
[MERIDIAN RECONSTRUCTION: 100% COMPLETE]
[RANK UP: QI GATHERING LEVEL 3]
"We cannot leave him here," Elder Wang declared. "A boy who would sacrifice himself for a Sect disciple deserves a chance. We will take him back to the Sect. If he survives the next 24 hours, he will be allowed to take the entrance exam."
Meera felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, Elder."
They placed Akash on the back of a spirit crane. As the bird took flight, Akash's unconscious mind was unaware that he was leaving his old life behind. He was no longer the 'Trash' of Stone Village. He was now a candidate for one of the strongest Sects in the Nine Heavens.
Three hours later, the crane passed through a massive gate made of floating white jade.
"The Cloud-Sword Sect," Meera whispered to the sleeping Akash.
They took him to the 'Healing Hall', a place filled with the aroma of thousands of rare herbs. Meera stayed by his side, ignoring her own need for rest.
However, news of a "Peasant Boy" being brought in by a genius like Meera spread like wildfire. By the time evening fell, a group of arrogant Outer Disciples had gathered outside the Healing Hall.
Leading them was a tall youth with a sword strapped to his back, his expression full of disdain. "I heard Meera brought back a beggar. Who does he think he is, taking up a bed in the Healing Hall?"The tall youth, whose name was Feng, kicked the heavy oak doors of the Healing Hall open. He was a Level 6 Qi Gathering disciple and felt insulted that a "nobody" was receiving treatment usually reserved for the elite.
"Sister Meera," Feng said, his voice dripping with fake politeness. "The Sect's resources are for those with potential. Why are you wasting your Qi and our medicines on this dying rat? He doesn't even have a Sect badge."
Meera stood up, her icy aura flaring. The temperature in the room dropped instantly. "He saved my life, Feng. That is more potential than you have shown in three years of sitting in the Outer Sect."
Feng's face turned red with anger. He looked at Akash, who was still lying motionless on the stone bed, his skin pale but glowing with a faint, rhythmic gold light.
"Saved you? Or did you just find a scapegoat?" Feng sneered, reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Let's see if he's truly a genius. If he can't even wake up while I release my pressure, he should be thrown into the servant quarters."
Feng released his Level 6 aura. A heavy, suffocating weight filled the room, making the medicine jars rattle on the shelves.
Inside his mind, Akash was in a void of darkness.
[SYSTEM STATUS: LOCKDOWN - 1 HOUR REMAINING]
[EMERGENCY SENSORS: EXTERNAL HOSTILITY DETECTED]
[COGNITIVE AWAKENING INITIALIZED...]
Akash's fingers twitched. He could feel the pressure. It felt like a giant hand trying to crush his chest. But his new Level 3 Meridians, rebuilt with liquid gold, didn't break. They absorbed the pressure, feeding it into the dormant Sovereign Core.
"Stop it, Feng!" Meera shouted, drawing her sword.
But before she could strike, a low, rasping voice came from the bed.
"Is... is it morning already?"
Akash opened his eyes. They weren't brown anymore; for a split second, they were pure, molten gold.
The pressure Feng was exerting suddenly snapped, backfiring on him like a physical blow. Feng stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock. "What? He broke my suppression?"
Akash sat up slowly, rubbing his shoulder where the poison needle had struck. The wound was gone, replaced by a small, star-shaped scar. He looked at Feng, then at Meera, and finally at the floating text in his vision.
[SYSTEM UNLOCK IN: 00:59 SECONDS]
[NEW MISSION: DEFEAT THE BULLY]
[REWARD: SOVEREIGN'S FIRST WEAPON]
"Who are you?" Akash asked, staring directly at Feng. "And why are you making so much noise while I'm trying to sleep?"
The other disciples gasped. Nobody talked to Feng like that in the Outer Sect.
"You... you little brat!" Feng roared, drawing his sword. "I'll teach you the difference between a beggar and a cultivator!"Feng lunged forward, his iron sword glowing with a sharp, white Qi. "Die, you arrogant beggar!"
Meera moved to intervene, but Akash's hand shot out and caught her wrist. "Stay back, Meera. This is my fight."
Meera froze. The confidence in Akash's eyes was terrifying.
[SYSTEM UNLOCK: 00:03... 00:02... 00:01...]
[SYSTEM FULLY OPERATIONAL!]
[HOST STATUS: REINVIGORATED]
[MERIDIAN GRADE: GOLDEN SOVEREIGN (RANK 1)]
As the blade was inches from his throat, Akash didn't flinch. To everyone's horror, he simply raised two fingers.
CLANG!
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the hall. Akash had caught Feng's sword between his index and middle finger. The golden Qi swirling around his fingertips was so dense it looked like solid light.
"Impossible!" Feng gasped, pulling at his sword with all his might. It wouldn't budge. It was as if it were stuck in a mountain of stone.
"Level 6?" Akash said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Your Qi is shallow. It's like a puddle compared to an ocean."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SOVEREIGN CRUSH]
Akash twisted his fingers.
SNAP!
The high-quality iron sword shattered into dozens of pieces. The force of the Qi feedback sent Feng flying backward, crashing through the medicine cabinets and hitting the far wall with a dull thud.
The other disciples stood paralyzed. Feng, an elite Outer Disciple, had been defeated by a boy sitting on a hospital bed—with only two fingers.
[MISSION COMPLETED: DEFEAT THE BULLY]
[REWARD: SOVEREIGN'S FIRST WEAPON UNLOCKED]
[ITEM: BROKEN SOVEREIGN BLADE (GROWTH TYPE) - STORED IN SYSTEM SPACE]
Akash stood up, his feet touching the cold stone floor. He felt stronger than ever. The Level 3 Qi in his body was circulating ten times faster than a normal Level 3 cultivator's.
"Anyone else?" Akash asked, looking at the group of disciples.
They all took a step back, their faces pale. Feng was moaning on the floor, his pride and his weapon both broken.
Meera walked up to Akash, her eyes wide with wonder. "Akash... your cultivation... how did it jump to Level 3 so fast? And that strength... it's not normal."
Akash was about to answer when a loud, booming bell rang out across the entire Sect.
BONG... BONG... BONG...
Meera's expression turned serious. "The Sect Entrance Exam. It's starting. Akash, if you want to stay here, you have to prove yourself in the Trial of Clouds. But after what you just did to Feng, every disciple is going to be targeting you."
Akash smirked, looking at the broken pieces of the sword on the floor. "Let them come. I need a few more 'stones' to sharpen my blade anyway."