Morning mist veiled Qingye Sect's peaks, drifting between pine-covered cliffs like flowing silk. Lin Ho stood at the highest point of the east training yard, facing a stone tablet inscribed with the sect's core cultivation guidelines.
But his mind was elsewhere — on the message left by his father.
> "Ascend to the God Realm."
The weight of those words pressed into his bones like gravity. It wasn't ambition that stirred within him — it was duty.
A bell tolled across the sect. Disciples flooded into the valley for their daily assignments. Lin Ho descended the path to Elder Qiu's hall, where special class disciples — those selected through interview — trained under direct guidance.
As he entered, Elder Qiu raised an eyebrow.
> "You've stabilized again?"
> "Yes, Elder. Mid-stage Meridian Forging."
> "Tsk. Monsters these days…"
But his eyes held faint amusement.
> "Good. You're all headed into the Whispering Valley today."
Lin Ho blinked. "Whispering Valley?"
> "A natural formation field south of Qingye Ridge. It amplifies mental pressure and tests soul resilience. You'll be entering with a team. Watch yourselves. The valley's sentient."
---
The team assembled quickly: Lin Ho, Yuyan, a sword cultivator named Jian Wuqing, and twin alchemists from the Mist Moon Pavilion. All were special interview candidates.
The path to the valley wound through dense forests, increasingly warped by ambient Qi. Rocks hummed softly. Trees leaned unnaturally inward. After two hours, the valley opened before them — a stone basin filled with lingering fog, littered with broken talismans and melted formations.
Yuyan frowned. "It's stronger than I expected."
Lin Ho nodded silently. The Chaos Bloodline warned him through his senses — something ancient watched beneath the mist.
They stepped in.
The moment their feet touched the valley floor, the air shifted.
Whispers.
Faint, unintelligible… yet strangely personal. Echoes of their own thoughts? Regrets? Desires?
Jian Wuqing gritted his teeth, sword drawn. "Ignore them. Keep moving."
But the alchemists staggered. One of them dropped to her knees, screaming.
> "It's in my head—it's showing me…"
Yuyan rushed to her, placing a calming talisman on her forehead.
> "Focus on your breath! It's illusion!"
Lin Ho, meanwhile, felt the valley pressing against his soul. But where others resisted, he opened himself.
> Chaos devours. Chaos reshapes.
The pressure warped around him, but could not root into his core. The whispers became clearer — not maddening, but pleading.
A buried remnant.
A sealed thought.
A forgotten guardian?
He stepped deeper into the fog, eyes glowing faintly.
Yuyan noticed. "Where are you going?"
> "Something's calling."
---
At the heart of the valley, beneath a cracked shrine stone, he found it: an ancient beast skeleton wrapped in chains of decayed jade, its skull shaped like a serpent-dragon. A formation circle flickered weakly around it.
As Lin Ho approached, the eye sockets flashed.
A voice entered his mind — ancient, pained.
> "You… bear the mark of Chaos…"
> "Release me."
He narrowed his eyes. "You're bound here for a reason."
> "Sealed unjustly… by a Sect that feared my gift. I showed them the truth. They branded it madness."
Lin Ho felt its soul brush against his. It wasn't hostile — only… unchained.
Still, this world didn't know Chaos. If he released this beast now, the sect would panic. Or worse.
> "Then I'll return," he whispered. "When I know more."
The shrine quieted. The whispers faded.
---
By dusk, they left the valley. All had passed the test — even the shaken alchemists. Elder Qiu awaited them at the trail's end.
> "Well?"
Lin Ho bowed. "I'd like to request access to the sect's sealed archive."
The elder raised an eyebrow. "You think you qualify?"
> "Soon. I just need time."
Elder Qiu chuckled.
> "Bold. Good. You'll need that arrogance when the outer sect duels begin next month. Be ready, Lin Ho. This sect is watching you closely now."
---
End of Chapter 13