The rules were simple.
Too simple.
Survive for seven days in the outer ring of the Blood Forest of Asylum.
No guidance. No help. No mercy.
The Elders made it sound easy—like they were just being tossed into the woods for a camping trip with swords.
But no one missed the tension in their voices.
Especially not when Elder Hong handed out the survival slips.
"These jade slips will track your life signature. If you're on the brink of death, it'll alert the watchers. And maybe, just maybe, someone will come save you."
"Maybe."
That word did a lot of heavy lifting.
Then came the kicker.
"You're all competing for a limited pool of sect resources. Pills. Weapons. Spirit manuals. The better you do… the more you'll receive."
A pause. A smirk.
"And the fewer mouths we have to feed… the more each of you gets."
They didn't need to say it out loud.
Everyone got the message.
Kill less… get less.
Let someone else die… and you benefit.
For the disciples of the Orders Empire—raised on discipline, law, and honor—it was a twisted contradiction.
But this was the Sky Thunder Divine Sect.
And they didn't train sheep.
They forged wolves.
Of course, they never told the public this part of the exam.
No parent would send their child into this knowing the truth.
So the contract the disciples had signed earlier?
It might as well have been a death warrant.
"The sect promises to do its best to ensure your safety," it said.
"But should an accident occur, we claim no responsibility."
And in the Blood Forest of Asylum, accidents were common.
Bandits.
Demonic beasts.
Cultivators from the Chaotic Empire that slipped past the border like shadows in the night.
Or worse…
Fellow disciples who decided the rewards were worth a little blood.
Su FengQiu
We were still wiping off sweat and bruises from the last trial when she approached.
Tall, sharp-eyed, and built like someone who trained every day just for fun, the girl from the combat trial—the one who shattered her puppet's knee in one clean sweep—walked up to me and HaoYu like she already owned the place.
"I'm forming a team for the survival trial," she said without even introducing herself. "You two are coming with me."
I blinked. "You always this polite?"
HaoYu leaned back like he was watching a drama unfold. "I like her already."
She rolled her eyes. "Lei Yanyun. From the Stormedge Clan. If you're not interested, I'll ask someone else."
"Oh no," I smirked. "You don't get to shatter a puppet in ten seconds, walk up to me like a boss, and then say if I'm not interested. I need to know who else you dragged into this."
She stepped aside and nodded toward the others nearby.
Six familiar faces. The other members of the "seven."
Tian Renyi, the footwork guy.
Qiao Meilin, the quiet blade.
Wen Tao, the calm guy.
Liu Sheng, the guy who fights with his fist.
Zhang Yuan, the perfect guy.
And Lin Jue, the brute guy.
Ya that's their nickname.
They were already gathered behind her like a pre-formed elite unit.
I looked around. The other disciples had already started forming teams too—small, tight groups whispering plans. Not a single one of them even looked in our direction.
"They're not gonna ask us to join them, huh?" HaoYu said, folding his arms.
"Nah. They've already decided we're too dangerous," I muttered. "Or too proud."
"Both," Yanyun added. "Which is why I came early."
We were quiet for a moment. I could already hear the Blood Forest of Asylum calling. No one wanted to go in there alone. But part of me wanted to.
HaoYu must've sensed it too, 'cause he nudged me. "Duo?"
I gave a half-smile. "Duo."
Lei Yanyun just crossed her arms. "You do realize you won't make it far in the forest with that attitude, right?"
"And you do realize that I beat my puppet by crashing it face-first into the ground, right?" I shot back.
She stared for a second… then smirked. "Fine. Prove yourself in the forest. You want to run duos? Run duos. Just know this—when things go sideways, my team won't be the ones bleeding in the mud."
She started to walk away, assuming that was the end of it.
I glanced at HaoYu. He shrugged. "I like living."
"Same." I took a breath. "Wait up, Stormgirl. We're in."
Lei Yanyun glanced back, smug like she knew we'd say yes from the start.
"Try not to slow us down," she said.
"Try not to get impressed," I muttered back.
And just like that, the team was made.
The month passed in a blink.
Between training, lectures, and trying not to get caught napping during cultivation lessons, it was honestly more exhausting than back home. But the resources they gave us…? Yeah, that changed everything.
I could feel the Qi flow through my body now. Stronger, heavier. Every swing of my sword was sharper, faster. HaoYu too—dude was lowkey a beast when he stopped goofing around. Both of us had stepped into Body Tempering Stage 2, and even that felt like just the beginning.
The elders called us in yesterday for a retest, since I requested it a week earlier.
I stepped up first, pressing my palm against the testing stone.
Golden.
Again.
But this time... something flickered underneath.
Just for a second. Like a pulse. A hint of red—so faint you'd miss it if you blinked. But the elder watching didn't miss it.
"Hmm..." He narrowed his eyes at the stone. "No mistake… this one's base is at least red. Might've been born with a limit that thing can't read."
I didn't say anything. Just nodded.
Wasn't like I didn't already suspect it. That storm in my dantian didn't feel like something that belonged to a gold stem.
Then HaoYu stepped up.
The second he touched the stone, it lit up solid red.
Like it was never meant to be anything else.
The elder looked at him. Then at me. Then back at him. "Hmph. About time we got some real talent in this generation."
HaoYu scratched the back of his neck. "That good?"
The elder rolled his eyes. "You'll find out soon enough."
We left the hall together, the sun just starting to dip behind the mountains.
"So…" HaoYu said, stuffing his hands in his sleeves. "You planning to hide your whole 'mysterious glow' thing, or you gonna let that red shine?"
I smirked. "I don't need to let anything shine. If someone can't see it, they don't deserve to."
"Damn," he laughed. "Why does that actually sound kinda cool."
"Because I'm me," I shot back.
After the stem retesting, we barely had time to process before Elder Han rounded us up.
"Tomorrow, you face more than wild beasts," he said, leading us down a narrow, winding stairwell beneath the sect's inner halls. "You face chaos. Real enemies. You'll need weapons worthy of survival."
The hall we entered was nothing like the training armory. This one was older—darker. The air was thick with oil, dust, and something else… history.
Weapons lined the walls in neat rows—spears, swords, halberds, bows, even war fans and chains. All sharp. All hungry.
"Pick one," Elder Han said simply. "One. Don't waste my time. You'll know which one is yours."
The others scattered, excitement buzzing in the air. HaoYu made a beeline for the twin sabers section, already grinning like a maniac.
I walked slower.
Let my eyes drift. Let my hand brush hilts.
But nothing clicked.
Until it did.
I wasn't even looking for it.
In the very back, tucked behind a dusty rack of polearms and mismatched blades, there it was.
A plain sword.
Ordinary.
Almost forgettable.
Its scabbard was scratched up. The metal unpolished. No runes. No glow. Just a simple, slightly curved longsword with a dark leather grip.
But something in me pulled.
Like my heartbeat stepped out of sync the second I laid eyes on it.
I stepped closer. Reached for the hilt.
And that's when I saw it.
Carved faintly—so faintly you'd miss it if you weren't looking—into the side of the handle, barely the width of a fingernail:
Su TangHan
My ancestor.
The last Heavenly Emperor of the Great War.
My hand trembled just for a second.
Then I gripped the hilt.
It fit like it had always been mine.
I drew it from the sheath. It didn't hum or spark with power. It just was. Quiet. Balanced. Heavy in the way truth is heavy.
I didn't need to ask how it got here.
Didn't matter.
I'd found it.
Or maybe…
It had found me.
HaoYu came jogging up behind me, spinning his sabers like always. "Took you long enough—wait, that's your pick?"
"Yeah," I said softly.
He squinted. "Looks like a relic from some dusty storeroom."
"It is."
"Anything special about it?"
I ran a thumb across the engraving, then slid it back into the sheath.
"It remembers."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're weird, bro."
"You'll see."
He laughed. "Alright then, Mr. Destiny. Let's see if that old blade can keep up."
I don't know how long I'd been sitting there, fingers tracing the handle of the sword.
Su TangHan.
His name was carved into the wood like a whisper from another time. Clean. Elegant. But deeper than it looked—like even the blade itself remembered him.
We were leaving for the teleportation gate soon, but I'd been holed up for hours in the side pavilion with just this sword and my thoughts. The others probably thought I was meditating or something. They weren't totally wrong.
This wasn't just some weapon. I could feel it. The more I practiced with it over the past few days, the clearer it became.
No flashy aura. No radiant glow. Hell, it looked like something a beggar might use to chop firewood. But the weight… the balance… it was perfect.
And last night, I finally figured out why.
Celestial Metal.
I'd read about it in one of the old jade slips Lei Yanyun "borrowed" for the team—rare stuff, almost mythical. Forged in the highest heavens, said to be able to contain the power of the Dao itself without breaking. Most weapons? They'd shatter trying to channel even one of the 16 Great Dao. But this sword…
It was made to handle them all.
Sixteen paths of ultimate power. In one blade. In one hand.
I don't know what my ancestor had planned when he made this. Or what kind of battles he fought with it. But I know this much:
He left it for someone like me.
And I will make sure it gets to see war again.
"FengQiu!" HaoYu's voice cut through the silence. "We're heading out!"
I stood, strapping the sword to my back.
"Coming," I called out.
I gave the blade one last look, fingers brushing the carved name like a silent promise.
We're going to the Blood Forest of Asylum next.
I get the feeling you've been there before, haven't you?
Let's see if you still remember how to kill.
The teleportation gate loomed over the plaza like a monument to madness.
It wasn't elegant or beautiful like the sect halls—this thing looked ancient, even brutal. Chunks of black stone twisted into a ring, buzzing with a low hum that made your teeth ache if you stood too close. Lightning crackled faintly in its core, as if warning us what lay on the other side.
"Dramatic much?" HaoYu muttered beside me, trying to act casual, but I saw the way his fingers tapped against his blade.
We weren't alone. Dozens of teams filled the plaza, lined up in orderly chaos. Some groups were huddled tight, whispering strategies. Others looked like they were already ready to brawl before the test even started.
Lei Yanyun stood at the front of our team, arms crossed, back straight. She didn't say much, but she didn't have to. Her presence alone kept us tight.
When she turned to face us, everyone quieted instantly.
"This is the last moment to back out," she said, her voice calm but razor-sharp. "Once we enter that gate, it's seven days of hell. Demonic cultivators. Spirit beasts. No sect protections. Only your skill, your sword, and your guts."
Lin Jue cracked his knuckles. "Sounds like fun."
Zhang Yuan just nodded like he was already planning every step.
"Don't get cocky," Yanyun added, cutting her eyes toward him. "This isn't a duel. It's survival."
She looked at me next. "Ready?"
I nodded. "Been ready since I picked up this sword."
Her gaze lingered for a second on the hilt strapped across my back—on that quiet name carved into it.
"Good. That sword looks like it remembers blood."
HaoYu gave a nervous laugh. "Alright, alright, enough doom and gloom. We're just walking through a gate. Let's save the drama for later."
The city elder managing the gate called out then. "Team forty-eight. Step forward."
That was us.
We walked as one.
Each step echoed like a war drum. My boots felt heavy. My grip on the sword even heavier. But it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. Like something was pulling me forward.
The gate lit up as we approached. Lightning arced wildly between the stone edges, reacting to our presence.
I could feel it in my bones.
The Blood Forest of Asylum waited on the other side.
The edge of the Chaotic Empire.
Our first real taste of war.
"Let's make them remember us," I said, stepping into the light.
And then everything vanished.