"Shen Yuan, kneel!"The command rang across the Shen Clan's ancestral square.Hundreds of disciples watched as a young man in bloodstained robes stood before the clan's assessment stele, his fists clenched at his sides.He had been beaten five times.His lips were split, his chest throbbed with every breath, and the blood dripping from his fingertips had already stained the stone beneath his feet.Yet he remained standing."I said, kneel!"Shen Hao stepped forward, his golden robes fluttering as spiritual energy gathered around his palm.He was only seventeen, but he had already reached the fourth layer of Body Tempering. His talent had earned him the attention of the clan elders, and his father was one of the most influential figures in the Shen Clan.Shen Yuan, on the other hand, was eighteen and still stuck at the first layer.In the eyes of the clan, the difference between them was the difference between a soaring dragon and a crawling insect.Shen Hao looked at the blood on Shen

[Reconstruction begins.]"AHHH!" Shen Yuan's scream echoed through the ancient chamber as a force unlike anything he had ever experienced surged through his meridians.He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as blue light spread beneath his skin. It felt as though invisible hands were tearing apart his meridians before stitching them back together.His bones trembled. Blood trickled from his nose.Yet beneath the agony, he felt something he hadn't experienced in three years.Spiritual energy. It was flowing through his body.Not the weak, obstructed trickle he had struggled to gather every day, but a powerful current that rushed through his meridians like a river breaking through a dam.Shen Yuan gritted his teeth.If this was the price of recovering his cultivation, he would endure it.After what felt like an eternity, the blue light faded.[Reconstruction complete.][Meridian obstruction removed.][Cultivation foundation restored.]Shen Yuan collapsed onto his hands, breathing

"How is that possible?" "He was stuck at the first layer yesterday!" Shen Hao looked as though someone had stolen his ancestors' graves. Shen Yuan calmly adjusted his sleeves. "Perhaps I finally discovered the secret to cultivation." The First Elder's gaze sharpened. "What secret?" "Hard work." The answer was so ordinary that it was almost insulting. The elder clearly didn't believe him. Neither did Shen Yuan expect him to. The truth was far more complicated. His obstructed meridians had somehow been restored, and the mysterious system inside him had given him abilities he had never possessed before. But until he understood its limits, revealing anything about it would be foolish. "Your allowance will remain suspended until the next assessment," the First Elder declared. "Do not mistake a minor breakthrough for true talent." Shen Yuan nodded. "Of course, Elder." He turned to leave. Then a familiar voice stopped him. "Shen Yuan." Luo Qingyu approached from the pavilio

“Come with me. Gently.” She whispered. Shen Yuan stared at the veiled woman, then glanced at the knife in her hand. “Gently? With a knife. Who are you?” Before she could react, he released her wrist and kicked toward her abdomen, hoping to create an opening. Unfortunately, she was faster. She caught his leg, twisted his balance, and shoved him onto the bed. Before he could recover, she pinned him down and pressed the knife against his throat. Shen Yuan froze. His brilliant escape plan had lasted less than a breath. How embarrassing. “Don’t create a scene,” she warned. He shook his head, his chest pounding. Then his cheeks flushed. It was his first time being that close to a woman. Her veiled face was close enough for him to notice the faint rise and fall of her breathing. Her eyes remained cold, showing no hesitation as she held him down. Shen Yuan tried to shift his weight, but her knee pressed firmly against his side. Damn it. She was stronger than she look

Night had settled over the Shen Clan. Shen Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, a worn cultivation manual resting open before him. A small oil lamp flickered beside him, casting dancing shadows across the walls. He had spent the better part of the evening studying the manual he obtained from the Scripture Pavilion. Most of its contents were incomplete, but the unusual circulation method hidden between its damaged pages had caught his attention. According to his Insight ability, the method could improve the efficiency of spiritual energy circulation. Unfortunately, understanding it was another matter. “This thing is determined to give me a headache.” He rubbed his forehead and returned to the page. A dull ache stirred in his chest. Shen Yuan's expression darkened. The strange energy inside his body had been troubling him throughout the day. But... he wasn't about to let an unexplained presence ruin his night as well. He closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing. Inh