Two days later.
The Azure Cloud Sect was silent. The return of the trial team should have been a celebration. Instead, it was a mourning procession.
Ye Chen woke up in the Medical Hall.
His body felt heavy, like it was filled with lead. He tried to circulate his Qi.
Nothing happened.
His dantian, once a golden sea of energy, was a dried-up crater. The Ancient Solar Physique was dormant, extinguished by the burnout of the Berserk Pill and the subsequent corruption.
"You're awake."
Ye Chen turned his head. An Elder in green robes stood by the bed. It wasn't the Sect Master. It was just a deacon of the Medical Hall.
"Elder," Ye Chen rasped. "My cultivation...?"
The deacon didn't make eye contact. He was writing on a clipboard.
"Your foundation is shattered, Disciple Ye. You burned your life force. You are... mortal."
The word hung in the air like a guillotine blade.
"Mortal?" Ye Chen sat up, panic rising. "But I can heal! I have the Solar Physique! Just give me some resources! I saved the team! The Sect Master said I had destiny!"
The deacon stopped writing. He looked at Ye Chen with pity, but mostly with indifference.
"The Sect Master is busy dealing with the Heavenly Dao Sect's investigation. Resources are tight, Ye Chen. We cannot waste spirit medicines on a... closed path."
"Waste?" Ye Chen's voice cracked. "I am the top genius! I fought the Beast King! I—"
"You were," the deacon corrected. "Now, you are a patient in bed 4. Please pack your things. You are being transferred to the Outer Sect servant quarters. We need this bed for disciples with potential."
The deacon walked away.
Ye Chen sat there, stunned. The silence of the room was deafening. Just a week ago, Elders fought to talk to him. Disciples cheered his name.
Now, he was trash.
The Rain
An hour later, Ye Chen walked out of the Medical Hall. He carried a small bundle of clothes and his heavy sword. The sword felt impossibly heavy now, dragging in the mud.
It was raining again.
He walked past the training grounds. He saw disciples he had saved in the trial. They saw him, but they turned away. They whispered.
"That's Ye Chen? He looks so old." "Heard he's crippled." "Stay away. Bad luck is contagious."
Ye Chen lowered his head. The rain mixed with the tears he refused to shed.
"Brother Ye."
Ye Chen stopped. He looked up, hope flickering in his heart.
Yan Luo stood under a pavilion. She looked beautiful, untouched by the rain. Beside her stood the humble porter, Han Fei (Mo Tian).
"Senior Sister Yan," Ye Chen stepped forward. "You... you remember, right? I saved everyone."
Yan Luo looked at him. Her eyes were filled with a complex mix of guilt and detachment. She gripped her sleeve.
"Ye Chen," she said softly. "You fought bravely."
"I can still cultivate!" Ye Chen pleaded, looking for validation. "I just need time! Tell the Sect Master! He listens to you!"
Yan Luo opened her mouth, but Mo Tian placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Senior Brother Ye," Mo Tian said, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. "You should rest. The mortal world is peaceful. Cultivation is... dangerous."
Ye Chen glared at Mo Tian. "Shut up! What do you know, you porter?"
"I know when to let go," Mo Tian smiled.
He turned to Yan Luo. "Come, Senior Sister. The Elders are waiting for your report on the 'Blood Devil' attack."
Yan Luo hesitated. She looked at the crippled Ye Chen, soaking in the mud. Then she looked at Mo Tian, the monster who held her secrets and her safety.
She made her choice.
"Goodbye, Ye Chen," she whispered.
She turned and walked away with Mo Tian.
Ye Chen watched them go. He reached out a hand, then dropped it.
He was alone.
"I will show you," Ye Chen grit his teeth, the anger burning in his gut replacing the Qi he had lost. "I will not end like this! I will crawl back up if I have to!"
From the shadows of the pavilion walkway, Mo Tian glanced back.
[System Notification] [Protagonist Status: Fallen.] [Destiny Points: Critical Low.] [Note: Protagonist has entered 'Revenge Arc' conditions.]
"Good," Mo Tian thought. "Let him simmer in his hate. When he tries to climb back up... I'll be waiting at the top to kick him down again."
Mo Tian's Quarters - Ghost Hollow
Mo Tian returned to his lair. He removed the mask, the disguise, everything.
He sat on his throne of black stone.
"System. Tally the Harvest."
[Mission Complete: The Harvest of Geniuses] [Geniuses Killed: 28/50 (Including assists by Beast Tide)] [Trial Core: Not secured (Tomb collapsed).] [Protagonist Crippled: Success.] [Frame-up of Heavenly Dao Sect: Partial Success (Confusion sown).]
[Reward Calculation...] [Villain Merit: +5000] [System Upgrade Available: Level 2]
"Upgrade," Mo Tian commanded immediately.
[Upgrading...] [System Level 2 Unlocked.] [New Feature: The Villain's Harem (Management Mode).] [New Feature: Dao Plunder (Steal Laws from dying enemies).] [New Shop Items Unlocked.]
Mo Tian checked the Harem Mode.
[Current Subjects:] 1. Yan Luo (The Fallen Saintess)
Loyalty: 40% (Based on Fear/Guilt)
Corruption: 35%
Utility: High (Sect Influence)
"Only 40%?" Mo Tian clicked his tongue. "Fear is a good leash, but love is a better chain. I need to make her love the monster."
He stood up.
"Ghost One."
The shadow assassin appeared.
"The Sect is distracted by the investigation. The Zhao Clan is leaderless. Ye Chen is a cripple."
Mo Tian's eyes burned with ambition.
"It is time to expand. We are going to swallow the Zhao Clan's business empire. And I need a new face to do it."
"A new face, Master?"
"Han Fei is a servant. Mo Tian is a ghost. I need a face that commands respect. A face of wealth and power."
Mo Tian activated the Face-Changing Bone Art.
His features shifted. He became taller. His face became sharper, aristocratic. He looked like a young noble from an ancient family.
"From today," Mo Tian smoothed his robes. "In the underworld of commerce, I am Young Master 'Nether'."
He looked at the map of the region.
"Let's buy this world."