Stoneveil Sect looked less like a temple and more like a fortress that had survived ten wars and dared the next one to try. Tall stone walls wrapped around jagged cliffs, spears jutted from towers, and everything about the place screamed, Weaklings, turn around.
Perfect,I arrived just as the entrance trial began. A hundred hopefuls crowded the lower steps, most wearing fresh robes and fake confidence. I saw puffed chests, polished swords, and not a single scar that told a real story. A few glanced at me—dusty cloak, worn boots, and a blade that looked like it had tasted blood in better centuries. I ignored them.
An elder stood at the front, face like a stone slab, arms crossed. He raised his voice without shouting. "This is not a school. This is a furnace. Those who enter will either be reforged or reduced to ash. If you fear pain, leave now. If you fear death… leave faster."
No one moved. He nodded. "First test. Hold your stance under the Spirit Pressure Field. Those who fall in under ten breaths… fail."
A low humming filled the air. Then it hit—like a mountain dropped on my shoulders. Knees buckled around me. Some kids collapsed instantly. Others gritted their teeth. I planted my feet and smiled. This was nothing compared to Shen kicking me off a cliff with broken ribs.
I glanced sideways. One guy vomited. Another cried. A girl passed out cold.
After twenty breaths, only twelve of us were still standing.
The elder's eyes finally met mine. He frowned. "Name?"
I raised my chin. "Ling Ye."
He looked to the sky, then back at me. "That's a cursed name in the east."
I shrugged. "Then it'll make a great legend."
After two more tests—a beast combat simulation and a spiritual focus trial—they called the survivors to the inner hall. Seven of us. The rest were either carried out or crawling.
There, in the stone courtyard bathed in moonlight, Shen stood with his hands behind his back. Or rather—Lu Shen, as I was about to learn.
He didn't look at me. Just spoke. "So, you didn't die. That's… disappointing."
I stepped forward. "Sorry to ruin your expectations."
The elder beside him turned. "You brought him?"
Shen nodded. "He's mine."
The elder blinked. "You haven't claimed a disciple in twenty years."
"That's because the last twenty years were full of trash," Shen—Lu Shen—said casually. "This one's a blade."
He finally looked at me. "From now on, stop calling me Shen. My name is Lu Shen. You've earned the right to know it."
I smirked. "So… does this mean I can stop calling you 'Old Man' behind your back?"
He gritted his teeth. "Try it again, and I'll feed you to the spirit hawks."
I bowed slightly. "Lu Shen it is, Master."
He led me to a separate chamber deep in the sect—dark stone walls, wooden floor, no furniture, no comfort. Just a single meditation platform surrounded by ancient glyphs. The air inside hummed with sealed power.
"This will be your cultivation chamber," he said. "You're not here to make friends. You're here to sharpen your soul. Until the Sect Tournament, you train. No breaks. No excuses."
"I don't need breaks," I said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Good. Because I don't give them."
Then he tossed a scroll onto the floor beside me. "This is Blazing Vein Scripture, the foundation for your path. Learn it. Eat it if you have to. Just make it yours."
I sat cross-legged and opened the scroll. Lines of red script pulsed like veins. The technique called for channeling fire into the spiritual meridians until they burned open new pathways. Dangerous. Painful. Deadly if done wrong.
I grinned. "This sounds fun."
Lu Shen chuckled once. "That's why I chose you. The rest want strength. You want challenge. You're not just a cultivator… you're a damn lunatic."
I didn't argue.
The flames of the scroll flickered as I focused. Heat surged through my limbs, licking my bones, boiling my blood. Sweat dripped down my back. My veins screamed. My spine shuddered. I gritted my teeth and dug deeper.
The pain wasn't the problem. I'd lived inside worse.
The real test was control—holding fire that wanted to devour, bending it without breaking. I slipped once—my left hand caught flame. Skin blistered. I didn't flinch. Just tightened my jaw and pushed again.
Hours passed.
Then something clicked.
A spiral of silver fire bloomed from my core, wrapped around my chest, and sank into my bones like it had always been there. The Divine Dragon Flame… accepted me.
Lu Shen nodded from the corner. "Welcome to the path. Don't slip. One wrong step, and you're ash."
I opened my eyes. Fire danced calmly on my palm.
"I don't burn easy."