Origin beyond heaven

Hidden Opportunity

The first rays of dawn spread across the Lin Clan, driving away the darkness that had blanketed the mountains throughout the night.

Inside his quiet courtyard, Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. A strand of pale gray Origin Qi flowed back into his dantian before disappearing completely.

He exhaled softly. Compared to the previous night, his cultivation had not advanced by even the slightest bit, yet he could clearly feel that the single strand of Origin Qi within his body had become denser. One strand of Origin Qi was worth dozens of strands of ordinary Heavenly Qi.

He rose to his feet and stretched his body, his gaze falling upon the wooden table in the courtyard, where several sheets of paper lay neatly arranged. These were the notes he had written after his reincarnation, every fragment of memory he could still recall recorded on them before time could erase them.

He picked up the top page, his eyes slowly scanning each line, then stopped.

Spirit Mountain. Second day after the Awakening Ceremony. Origin Inheritance.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed. "I almost overlooked this..."

A memory surfaced from the depths of his mind. Three days after the Awakening Ceremony, the Lin Clan had been shaken by a violent tremor. The elders believed an ancient inheritance had appeared somewhere beneath Spirit Mountain. For an entire week, the clan searched every cave, every valley, and every cliff but found nothing, and eventually everyone concluded that the tremor had been a natural phenomenon, and the matter was forgotten.

Years later, after Lin Yuan had become one of the strongest cultivators in the world, he learned the truth by pure coincidence: the inheritance had been real but remained hidden beneath Spirit Mountain all along. The entire clan had searched the wrong place.

A faint smile appeared on his face. "In my previous life, I arrived too late. But this time, I'll be the first."

He folded the paper carefully, and just as he was about to put it away, another fragment of memory flashed before his eyes.

An ancient cave. A black stone. Murals older than Heaven.

Then a sharp pain exploded inside his head.

"Ugh!"

Lin Yuan staggered backward, one hand gripping his forehead. His vision became blurred, and the memory shattered into countless fragments before he could grasp it.

Several moments passed before the pain slowly subsided.

He took a deep breath. "As expected. My memories are still incomplete." He remembered the inheritance existed and its rough location, but the most important details the entrance, the formation, and the methods of obtaining the inheritance had all been swallowed by the mysterious seal within his memories.

He looked toward the towering Spirit Mountain in the distance, the corners of his lips lifting into a calm smile. "So what if I can't remember everything? I was the Heavenly Emperor. I don't need the future to hand me victory. I'll find the path myself."

Without another word, he gathered the papers on the table, and with a flick of his finger, a small flame ignited. One by one, the pages curled into ash, and the wind carried the ashes into the sky until no trace remained. No one could be allowed to discover what he knew.

Lin Yuan adjusted his robe and stepped out of the courtyard. His destination was clear. Spirit Mountain. Somewhere beneath its ancient peaks, the first inheritance of the Origin Civilization was waiting for him.

The mountain path was already bustling with many disciples. Some carried swords on their backs as they headed toward the training grounds, while others gathered in small groups, discussing yesterday's Awakening Ceremony.

Whenever Lin Yuan passed, the conversations grew quieter, then the whispers began again.

"Look, it's him."

"The one who awakened the Failed Technique."

"I heard the elders even classified it as Unknown."

"What a waste. His parents had such high hopes for him."

Lin Yuan walked past them without the slightest change in expression. He had endured far harsher ridicule in his previous life, and words like these were nothing more than the barking of distant dogs.

Soon, the broad stone path leading toward Spirit Mountain came into view. Just as he was about to continue forward, several figures stepped into his path, the disciples around them immediately moving aside.

Leading the group was a young man dressed in an embroidered white robe, a sword hanging from his waist, confidence radiating from every movement he made.

It was Lin Hao, the newly celebrated genius of the Lin Clan. After awakening the Heavenly Sword Scripture, he had become the center of attention overnight, and many elders already regarded him as the future pillar of the clan.

Lin Hao folded his arms and smiled. "Cousin Lin Yuan. What a coincidence."

Lin Yuan's gaze remained calm. He knew very well that this was no coincidence Lin Hao had been waiting for him.

"I heard," Lin Hao continued leisurely, "that even after awakening a Failed Technique, you still spent the entire night cultivating."

Several disciples burst into laughter.

"Perhaps he believes hard work can change fate."

"A frog at the bottom of a well dreaming of becoming a dragon."

"Some people simply don't know when to give up."

Their mocking laughter echoed across the mountain path.

Lin Yuan didn't even glance at them. He simply walked forward. "I have somewhere to be."

Seeing himself ignored, Lin Hao's smile stiffened. No one in the clan had dared disregard him since the Awakening Ceremony especially not Lin Yuan.

One of the branch disciples stepped forward, blocking the path once more. "Young Master Lin Hao is speaking to you. You should show some respect."

Lin Yuan stopped, his eyes shifting toward the disciple. "I've already shown enough."

The disciple sneered. "Enough? You embarrassed the Lin Clan in front of all the elders yesterday. You should be thanking Young Master Lin Hao for restoring the clan's honor."

The surrounding disciples nodded in agreement. Lin Hao remained silent, clearly enjoying the scene.

Lin Yuan finally looked directly at him. "So... this is what you wanted?"

Lin Hao smiled faintly. "I merely wish to offer some advice." He took two slow steps forward. "A man should know his place. Spirit Mountain isn't a place for someone with a Failed Technique. You'd only bring shame upon the clan if others saw you wandering around." He gestured toward another path. "Go back and cultivate quietly. Perhaps in a few years, everyone will have forgotten today's embarrassment."

Silence fell over the mountain path, and every disciple waited for Lin Yuan's reaction. Would he lower his head? Would he apologize?

Instead, Lin Yuan looked at the disciple standing directly before him. In a calm voice, he said, "Move."

The disciple blinked, then burst into laughter. "Did everyone hear that? The trash actually gave me an order." His expression suddenly turned cold. "Make me."

The air instantly grew tense. Several nearby disciples instinctively stepped backward, already able to smell a fight brewing.

Lin Yuan's eyes remained calm as he spoke only one sentence. "I'll say it one last time. Move."

Instead of answering, the disciple clenched his fist, and with a mocking grin, threw a punch straight toward Lin Yuan's face.

The disciple's fist whistled through the air. Although he hadn't used a martial technique, the punch carried the strength of a Second Layer Qi Gathering cultivator to the surrounding disciples, that was more than enough. After all, Lin Yuan had only awakened a "Failed Technique." They expected the fight to end in a single blow, and some disciples even turned their heads away, unwilling to watch the inevitable humiliation.

Only Lin Hao kept his eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, wanting to see the defeated genius kneel before him.

At the very last instant, Lin Yuan moved. He did not retreat, nor did he block the attack. He simply took a small step to the side, the movement so subtle it seemed almost effortless.

The disciple's fist sliced through empty air.

"What?" His eyes widened.

Before he could recover his balance, Lin Yuan's gaze sharpened. Through Origin Sight, the flow of Heavenly Qi within the disciple's body appeared as clear as flowing rivers.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his right hand and extended a single finger.

Tap. His fingertip lightly touched the disciple's wrist.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

The disciple laughed. "So this is your atta" His words stopped abruptly as a strange force entered his arm and erased the flow of Heavenly Qi passing through his meridians.

Crack. A crisp sound echoed, and the disciple cried out. "My arm!"

He stumbled backward, clutching his wrist in agony. His entire right arm had gone completely numb, and no matter how desperately he tried, he couldn't circulate his spiritual qi through it.

A cold sweat covered his forehead. "W-What did you do to me?"

The laughter around them vanished as every disciple stared at Lin Yuan in disbelief. No one had seen any spiritual technique. Even Lin Hao's smile slowly disappeared, his sharp eyes remaining fixed on Lin Yuan. He had expected him to lose after putting up some resistance, but this was beyond his understanding. That finger strike wasn't recorded in any martial technique of the Lin Clan, and more importantly, it hadn't relied on brute force but struck with terrifying precision.

Lin Yuan calmly lowered his hand, his expression never changing. "The next time you attack someone, make sure you know who you're facing."

The disciple lowered his head, not daring to meet Lin Yuan's eyes, fear having replaced his arrogance.

Lin Yuan turned toward Lin Hao. Their eyes met for several breaths. Neither spoke.

Finally, Lin Yuan broke the silence. "If you truly wish to stop me, come yourself."

Without waiting for an answer, he walked past the stunned group. This time no one dared block his path they instinctively stepped aside, creating a clear road toward Spirit Mountain.

Only after Lin Yuan's figure disappeared into the distance did the silence finally break.

"How... how did he do that?"

"He only used one finger!"

"Wasn't his cultivation technique supposed to be worthless?"

The disciples looked at one another, unable to find an answer.

Lin Hao clenched his fists in rage and slowly turned to the branch disciple beside him. "Take two men. Follow him. I don't care where he goes. I want to know what exactly Lin Yuan is hiding."

The disciple nodded immediately. "As you command, Young Master."

As the three figures hurried toward Spirit Mountain, none of them noticed an elderly man standing atop a distant pavilion. The old man had witnessed the entire exchange, his aged eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Interesting. That wasn't a Failed Technique." His gaze remained fixed on the direction Lin Yuan had disappeared. "So what... did you truly awaken?"