Moonlight spilled over the mountain like silver silk.
Lin Xuan stood alone on the training plateau, fists trembling, sweat streaming down like rain. His breathing was ragged, his arms shaking from pushing his mortal body beyond its limit.
He struck the wooden post again and again, knuckles bleeding.
Thud. Thud. Thud…
Each strike weaker than the last — but still, he didn't stop.
Gu An watched from afar, silently.
No cultivation manuals. No heaven-grade pills. Just a mortal boy trying to climb a mountain meant for dragons.
Lin Xuan whispered to himself between gasps:
"I… will not be ordinary. Even if I cannot fly… I will run until my legs break."
The resolve was trembling, but it existed.
Gu An flicked a finger.
A thin strand of invisible energy drifted down — not strengthening, not empowering — merely soothing the pain slightly, helping the boy's body recover a mortal's amount faster.
Balance preserved.
If life earned through sweat was stolen by shortcuts, it was no longer life — it was borrowed fate.
Lin Xuan's back straightened.
He gritted his teeth, lifted his fists again.
Gu An smiled faintly.
"Mortals who refuse to kneel… often rise the highest."
And the night flowed on.
Day of the Exam — Cloud-Vein Sect Outer Trial
Seven days passed.
The mountain path was crowded: hopefuls from villages, towns, poor families, small clans. Boys trembling with dreams, girls clutching prayer beads, wanderers with eyes full of hunger.
A massive stone gate towered ahead, carved with flowing clouds and veins like rivers — Cloud-Vein Sect, gate of aspiring immortals.
Elders floated above like clouds. Their gazes indifferent, ancient.
Lin Xuan gulped.
"So many… how can we compete?"
"We take one step," Gu An replied, "and then another."
The outer trial ground was a vast mountain forest. No beasts too strong, just enough danger to test heart and instinct.
An elder's voice echoed:
"Survive within the trial woods for one day.
Collect five 'Vein Stones'.
Those who fail — go home."
The gates opened.
Trial begins.
Lin Xuan trembled — then clenched his jaw and ran in.
Gu An walked calmly behind him.
When Heaven Chooses a Child
In the forest clearing ahead, a ripple spread in the air.
Light — warm, sacred — gathered like divine mist.
Chu Feng stepped into the trial zone like a king entering his domain. Even trees bent slightly under unseen pressure.
A faint ringing sounded between heaven and earth.
Destiny stirred.
Heaven acknowledged him.
Some disciples murmured:
"He carries Heavenly Fortune!"
"A natural spirit vein — terrifying…"
"He was born for the Dao."
Lin Xuan felt his knees soften.
But Gu An watched quietly.
Light did not touch him.
Heaven did not acknowledge him.
He stood like a shadow at the edge of sunlight.
Perfect.
Let Heaven track its chosen star.
Gu An would be the unseen void that eventually swallowed stars.
Chu Feng glanced at Gu An again — and again failed to notice anything. It wasn't arrogance.
The world's script simply did not write Gu An's existence.
A world-born protagonist saw only roles meant to appear.
Unwritten men did not exist in his fate.
Gu An whispered:
"Paths diverge. That is fine."
Test of Blood — Silent Hunter
Hours into the trial.
Rustle. A shadow in the leaves.
Not beast.
Not trial puppet.
Human.
A thin figure in black slid from a branch — silent, precise. A dagger gleamed faintly.
Assassin.
Targeting someone in a sect trial?
Not common. Not random.
Not Chu Feng — the heavens would not permit it.
Eyes locked on Lin Xuan.
Weakest target.
Gu An stood beside him, gaze calm.
The assassin lunged.
Lin Xuan froze, eyes wide — death inches away.
Gu An lifted one finger.
No explosion.
No mystical light.
No flashy force.
Simply — the assassin's momentum vanished.
His body halted mid-strike as if forgotten by the world.
Confusion flickered in his eyes — then fear. His dagger dropped.
Gu An lowered his hand.
The man fell, unconscious.
No witnesses.
No merit claimed.
No karma created.
Just a quiet correction to the flow of life.
Lin Xuan collapsed, trembling.
"I—I almost…"
"You lived," Gu An said. "Continue."
The boy slowly nodded, pale but determined.
Inner World — First Moon Rises
Night inside Gu An's soul.
The star pulsed — stronger. Dust gathered. Gravity intensified. And slowly…
A small silver orb formed beside the star.
The first moon.
Tides of energy shifted inside the miniature cosmos.
Balance. Stability. Time rhythms began to manifest.
[Inner World Advancement]
Micro-moon formed
Primitive tidal cyclic law seeded
Universe stability: enhanced
Gu An breathed out.
One star. One moon. One spark of life.
Not rushing. Not breaking heaven's balance. Simply becoming inevitable.