CHAPTER 8 — SHATTERED BALANCE
The gong's echo had barely faded when the courtyard broke into chaos.
Azure Sky disciples erupted into cheers, shouting Kael's name as he staggered forward, breathing hard. Sweat dripped down his chin. His legs shook. His vision blurred at the edges.
But he stood.
He had passed the Gates of Endurance.
Not through luck.
Not through raw strength.
But through the faint, terrifying flicker of the Fifth Astral Spark—a spark no one at his realm should ever touch.
And every sect felt it.
Master Shen Rokan stepped to Kael's side, steady but tense. "Do not collapse yet," he murmured. "Others are watching."
Others.
Kael didn't need to look to know who.
Crimson Flame disciples glared at him with burning hatred.
Iron Vein disciples stared as if he were some dangerous beast.
Silent Cloud disciples whispered quietly, eyes narrowed.
And Taron Blaze stood at the front of Azure Sky's crowd—jaw clenched, fists tight.
His expression was unreadable.
Fear?
Jealousy?
Both.
Kael forced his breath steady. The world stopped spinning. Almost.
But the moment he took a single step—
A hand grabbed his collar.
"You little freak."
A disciple from Crimson Flame Sect jerked Kael backward, his eyes glowing with ember heat.
"You really think you can show off in front of the Four Sects?"
Kael tried to free himself, but the disciple's grip tightened. Heat scorched Kael's neck.
"Let go," Kael said quietly.
The disciple sneered. "Make me."
A surge of killing intent erupted.
Other sect disciples gathered around, forming a loose circle.
Silent Cloud disciple:
"He disturbed our meditation with that… thing he released."
Iron Vein disciple:
"Something unnatural. He's hiding demonic cultivation."
Crimson Flame disciple:
"Check his dantian! He might be—"
Rokan stepped forward, voice like steel. "Enough."
But before he reached them—
A fist punched toward Kael's ribs.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
He was exhausted—he couldn't dodge.
crack—
No.
The punch stopped midway.
Kael didn't block.
Something else did.
A faint silver halo burst around Kael's body for half a second—like a protective ripple of starlight—before vanishing entirely.
Everyone froze.
"What—what was that?!"
"That wasn't spiritual qi!"
"No… it felt like the Astral Plane…"
Kael's hand trembled.
He hadn't done that deliberately.
The Astral Realm… had reacted on its own.
Taron Blaze stepped forward, voice sharp.
"Back off. This is Azure Sky business."
But the tone… wasn't to protect Kael truly.
It was because Taron wanted to be the one standing above him.
Not them.
The Crimson Flame disciple shoved Kael away.
"This isn't over, freak."
Rokan finally moved in, placing a protective hand on Kael's shoulder and forcing the crowd to disperse.
"Stay close," Rokan whispered. "Do not wander. Not today."
Kael swallowed hard.
His entire body buzzed as if the Astral Realm still lingered beneath his skin.
As if something was watching.
---
Inside the Private Assembly Hall
Behind thick jade doors, the four sect masters gathered.
Only moments had passed, but their expressions were grave.
Master Lian Hu of Crimson Flame slammed her palm on the table. "That boy's power is unstable. Dangerous. I felt the spike—every cultivator in a mile radius felt it."
Master Dugu Shen of Iron Vein snorted. "Dangerous is putting it lightly. A Body Refinement brat releasing a spark like that? It's unnatural."
Master Ru Ning of Silent Cloud lifted her gaze, calm but sharp.
"It was no ordinary spark. It resonated with the heavens themselves… it carried a presence."
Shen Rokan's eyes narrowed. "Presence?"
Ru Ning hesitated—rare for her.
"There was a voice. Not heard… but felt. As if something ancient looked back at him."
A silence heavy enough to suffocate the room fell.
Lian Hu folded her arms.
"I say this plainly. The boy's existence threatens the balance between the four sects. If he rises unchecked—"
"Unchecked?" Rokan's voice cut like ice. "He is a child."
"A child," Dugu Shen growled, "who already shakes foundations he has no right to touch. If he continues—our sects may become irrelevant."
Ru Ning spoke softly.
"Or worse… the Academy may see him as a weapon."
They all understood what that meant.
A weapon belonged to no sect.
A weapon was controlled.
Used.
Disposed of when unnecessary.
Lian Hu leaned forward.
"Shen Rokan. You must consider… removing him before he becomes a threat you cannot contain."
Rokan's aura exploded.
The air thickened.
The room darkened.
Even the table cracked under the pressure.
"You dare suggest," he said slowly, voice trembling with threat, "that I kill my disciple?"
Ru Ning raised a calm hand.
"No one said kill. But… restricting him. Controlling him. Preventing further awakening…"
Dugu Shen grunted.
"In other words — put him in chains before heaven chooses him."
Rokan's eyes flashed with fury, but before he spoke—
A faint tremor rippled across the hall.
Every master felt it.
A pulse.
A whisper.
A cold breath moving through the spiritual veins of the academy.
Ru Ning stiffened. "Did you feel that…?"
Rokan's face drained of color.
"Kael," he whispered.
---
Outside — Kael
Kael sat alone near the broken pillar, catching his breath.
His ribs throbbed. His hands trembled. His vision blurred again.
Then—
a shadow rippled before him.
The world dimmed.
The ground vanished.
And he was standing once more in that endless void of stars.
The Astral Realm.
A soft presence curled around him, ancient and vast.
You have awakened again… little one.
Kael's pulse raced.
"Who… who are you?"
Names are meaningless to mortals. What matters is this: they fear you.
Kael's breath caught.
"Who fears me?"
All of them.
The stars flickered.
And they will keep fearing you… until they decide to destroy you.
Kael froze.
The voice lowered, almost gentle.
But do not fear them. Rise above them.
Awaken what sleeps within you…
and no sect, no master, no world will dare touch you.
The stars pulsed brighter.
Your Fifth Spark was only the beginning.
Kael felt something reach toward his chest—
Something warm, something terrifying—
And then—
Kael!
A shout pulled him back.
He gasped—
And the Astral Realm shattered around him like glass.
---
Master Shen Rokan stood before him, eyes wide with concern — and something deeper.
Fear.
"Kael…" Rokan whispered, voice strained. "What… did you touch this time?"
Kael couldn't answer.
The only thing he knew was this:
The world was already afraid of him.
And the real danger was only beginning.