The sun hadn’t risen, but the valley glowed crimson.Wei Zixin knelt on a stone platform carved with immortal runes. His torso was bare, revealing spiraling veins of spirit light dancing beneath his skin. The air shimmered with condensed qi, almost choking.Chen Fi stood before him, eyes calm, palm pressed to Zixin’s back.“This technique draws from celestial fire,” Chen Fi said. “Few can survive its imprint.”Zixin grunted, jaw clenched. “I will.”Flames erupted.The stone platform cracked. The runes ignited. Wei Zixin screamed as a tide of burning qi surged into him.His meridians twisted. Bones popped. Blood vaporized into steam.“Hold it!” Chen Fi shouted. “You must imprint the mark or it will consume you!”Zixin clenched his fists. “Crimson Sky Codex—First Seal!”A flaming lotus appeared on his chest.The pain vanished.Zixin opened his eyes, now glowing red-gold.Later that night, Zixin trained under a waterfall of molten qi, slicing through liquid flame with his sword.Chen Fi

Night fell over the Eastern Wastes like a blanket soaked in ink, the stars distant and veiled. Chen Fi and Wei Zixin traveled without speaking, their footsteps silent atop windswept cliffs and broken ruins long devoured by time. Each breath Zixin took stirred the Heaven-Carving Sutra inside him, its presence like a whisper against his spine.They stopped beside a forgotten shrine—a moss-choked altar where incense no longer burned. Chen Fi knelt, brushing dust from the stone.“This was where I first buried my name,” he said.Zixin remained quiet, sensing the weight in his master’s voice.“I once stood where you do. Chosen by power, watched by Thrones. Then I walked away.” He turned his gaze skyward. “But now the game has begun again.”A soft wind rose—unnatural and ice-laced.Chen Fi’s head snapped to the west. “She’s here.”Before Zixin could ask, the wind split with a clang, like a sword being drawn from the heavens.She stepped through the fog, white robes fluttering like falling pe

The smoldering battlefield behind them faded into memory. Chen Fi walked calmly, Wei Zixin and Lin Ya trailing close, their bodies still aching from the clash with the Black Verdict.The path before them twisted into shadowed mountain ridges—what remained of the First Sect Under Heaven, now reduced to ruins and myth.“The system,” Chen Fi murmured inwardly. “You’ve been quiet.”> DING![SYSTEM ALERT]Trigger condition met: You intervened to shield a disciple from heavenly judgment.Reward multiplied: 1,000,000x bonus granted.You have obtained: [Soul-Dust Flame (Primordial)] ×1, [Heaven-Cutting Sword Intent – 2nd Layer], [Divine Spring Lotus Seed] ×3.System Commentary: “Even Heaven fears you. Enjoy your compensation.”Chen Fi’s eyes didn’t even flicker. The Soul-Dust Flame appeared silently in his palm, and with a mere thought, it vanished into his sleeve. The Heaven-Cutting Sword Intent coiled around him like a phantom blade, untraceable yet absolute.He turned to Zixin. “We’re here

The mortal world cracked under the strain of ancient forces awakening.Wei Zixin stood on the outer terrace of the First Sect’s hidden stronghold, eyes glowing with dragon-gold light. The wind howled around him—not as weather, but as will. His mere presence now disturbed the elements.Across the skies, ten golden portals tore through reality. Celestial legions descended—silent, disciplined, and cloaked in divine mandate. Among them walked Throne Envoys, each at the Nascent Soul Realm and beyond.> [SYSTEM ALERT – EMERGENCY RAID DETECTED]Difficulty: CatastrophicObjectives:▸ Defend against Celestial Inquisition▸ Survive one wave of Throne Envoys▸ Bonus: Kill a Divine Throne’s AvatarRewards increased 1,000,000x due to Master’s presenceBeside Zixin, Chen Fi observed without emotion. His hands remained behind his back.“They’ve come earlier than expected,” he murmured.Wei Zixin’s heartbeat was steady. “Let me try, Master.”Chen Fi gave the faintest nod. “One strike. If it fails, I

The Deityborn Calamity towered over the battlefield like an apocalypse made flesh — scales burning with primordial flame, eyes burning like twin suns of oblivion. Each breath it exhaled twisted the air into scorching hellfire.Wei Zixin’s heart pounded as his system immediately flared:> [SYSTEM ALERT – BOSS ENCOUNTER INITIATED]Boss: Deityborn CalamityDifficulty: Realm BreakerObjectives:▸ Survive the Calamity’s Onslaught▸ Activate Celestial Soul Chain▸ Unlock Ultimate Dragon Pulse TechniqueRewards: Realm Breaker Title, Celestial Artifact, +50,000,000 EXPChen Fi’s voice rang sharply, “The Celestial Soul Chain, now!”With a surge of energy, a glowing ethereal chain materialized around Zixin’s wrist — pulsing with ancient power and humming with divine resonance.> [SYSTEM ITEM ACQUIRED – Celestial Soul Chain]Effect: Bonds with divine energy, allows absorption and redirection of hostile power.The Calamity’s first strike came like a comet — a massive claw swipe that could crush m