2026-09-23 00:36:18Shen Hao sat under a tree after Uncle Gu left.
He touched his forehead. The mark was invisible, but he could still feel a faint warmth there.
“What is this mark really?” he muttered.
A dry voice answered inside his head.
“About time you asked, kid.”
Shen Hao jumped. “Who’s there?!”
“Think. Who else would leave a piece of himself in your soul?”
“…Uncle Gu?”
“Close enough. I’m a small piece of his soul. While the real one is gone, I will guide your cultivation and protect your spirit. That’s all I can do. Don’t expect me to fight your battles.”
Shen Hao’s eyes lit up. “You’re still here. That’s enough. Please teach me, Master.”
“Good attitude. Listen carefully. The Qi method you practice is rare and powerful, but gathering it in this lower world will be slow and hard. You will need resources, techniques, and real fights. Life as a cultivator is never easy. Get used to it.”
Shen Hao nodded. The fire in his chest burned hotter.
“I need a sect,” he said. “I have no money. A sect can give me resources.”
“Then go find one.”
Shen Hao ran back to town. His new body felt light and strong. Every step covered more ground than before. He changed into his only clean clothes and headed straight to the town square.
The biggest building belonged to the Heavenly Dragon Sect. A huge carved dragon wrapped around the gate. Spiritual energy pulsed from the wood.
Shen Hao walked in with his head high.
A young woman with blonde hair sat behind a desk. Her smile looked practiced and empty.
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
“I want to join the Heavenly Dragon Sect. How do I get a jade slip for the Summer Competition?”
She looked pleased. “Simple. Give me your name and background. If you meet the requirements, we will issue a jade slip.”
“My name is Shen Hao.”
She waited. “Family name? Which house do you belong to?”
Shen Hao’s voice stayed steady. “I have no family. I’m an orphan.”
The woman’s smile disappeared. Her eyes turned cold.
“An orphan?” She raised her voice so everyone in the hall could hear. “Guards! Why was this street trash allowed inside? Get him out!”
People turned to stare. Some smirked. Others looked away with disgust.
“Heavenly Dragon only accepts people of quality,” she said with a sneer. “Not dirty orphans who crawl in from the alleys. Leave before you dirty the floor.”
Shen Hao’s hands curled into fists. The old anger rose in his chest, hot and sharp. He wanted to shout back. He wanted to show them the power in his body.
The voice in his head spoke quietly.
“Not yet, kid. Power is the only answer to people like this. Walk away for now.”
Shen Hao turned and left without a word. The sneers followed him out the gate.
He tried two more big sects. The Heavenly High Pavilion and the Crouching Tiger Sect. Both rejected him the moment they learned he had no family name. Their words were softer, but the meaning was the same.
Orphans were not welcome.
Shen Hao stood in the middle of the square, jaw tight, eyes burning.
A young woman nearby had been watching the whole time. She closed her fan and walked over.
“You look like you just got kicked by every noble in town,” she said. “Need a hand?”
Shen Hao glanced at her. “Thanks, but I doubt you can help.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I already know the problem. Those three sects only take nobles. Come with me.”
Before he could argue, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him across the square. She moved fast, humming under her breath, until they stopped in front of a plain wooden gate covered in soft moss.
No fancy carvings. No glowing dragon. Just quiet simplicity.
The moment they stepped through, the spiritual energy grew thicker. Soft zither music floated through the air.
Shen Hao slowed down. “That’s a zither…”
“You know how to play?” the woman asked.
“A little. I carved one myself.”
She smiled. “Then you’ll fit better than I thought. This is the Ancient Zither Abode.”
Shen Hao frowned. “I wanted a battle sect. Isn’t this place known for healers and music?”
The woman stopped and looked him straight in the eye. “Our disciples can fight when they need to. We just don’t show off about it. And yes — I am a master here. My name is Lin Yue.”
They entered the main building. A young man was asleep at the reception desk, drooling on the wood.
Lin Yue smacked him lightly on the head with her fan.
“Wake up, Pan Hua! Sleep at this desk again and you’ll clean floors for a month.”
The young man shot up, wiped his mouth, and bowed in panic. “Yes, Master Lin!”
Lin Yue turned to Shen Hao. “I hate how the other sects treat people based on bloodline. Here, skill matters more than name. If you pass our tests, I’ll give you a jade slip myself.”
Shen Hao felt something loosen in his chest. For the first time since entering the square, someone looked at him without judging his empty background.
“I’m ready for the tests,” he said.
Lin Yue smiled and gestured for him to follow. “Good. Pan Hua, prepare the testing room.”
As they walked deeper into the building, soft zither notes continued to play. Shen Hao felt the thick spiritual energy brush against the strange mark on his soul.
The dark lines under the skin of his palms pulsed once, quietly, as if something inside him had just woken up.
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Chapter 11: The Dark Power Stirs
The two bodyguards came at Shen Hao like hungry wolves.Their ninth-layer Qi pressed down hard. The first one swung his heavy sword again, aiming for Shen Hao’s neck. The second came from the side with a spear, trying to pin him in place.Shen Hao’s palms still burned from the red Naga fight. Every move sent sharp pain up his arms. He could not clap again. The Master’s warning rang clear in his head.He ducked the sword and twisted away from the spear. His body moved faster than it should have. The Soul-tier hardness in his bones let him take a glancing hit on the shoulder without breaking.But pure speed was not enough.The first bodyguard recovered quick and kicked him in the chest. Shen Hao flew back three steps and spat blood. The second bodyguard followed and slammed a fist into his ribs. Something cracked.Across the clearing, Young Master Zhao laughed.“That’s it! Break the trash! Make him regret standing up!”Ma Jiande was locked in a hard fight with three of Zhao’s men. Cai B
Chapter 10: Old Enemy in the Forest
The scout’s words hung in the air.Young Master Zhao was coming.Shen Hao’s hands tightened. The scars on his palms throbbed once, as if they remembered every kick from that dirty alley.Ma Jiande looked at the team. “How many are they?”“At least twelve,” the scout answered. “Three at Qi Condensation, the rest around half-step or peak Gathering Qi. Young Master Zhao is only at the seventh layer of Gathering Qi, but he has two bodyguards at the ninth layer with him.”Ma Jiande frowned. “The Zhao family is rich and arrogant. If they see us near the Blood Essence Fruits, they won’t talk. They’ll attack.”Cai Bo glanced at Shen Hao. “Brother Shen, you know this Zhao kid?”Shen Hao’s voice was quiet and cold. “He used to kick me in the streets when I was weak. He called me trash.”No one spoke for a moment.Ma Jiande made a decision. “We hide the cores and scales we already took. Then we move deeper toward the divine tree. If they find us, we fight. But we don’t start the fight first.”Th
Chapter 9: The Red Naga’s Rage
The blood-red Naga towered over them.Its scales shone like fresh blood. Yellow eyes full of hate locked onto the pile of dead Nagas. A long scream tore from its throat and shook the leaves around them.Ma Jiande’s face turned serious. “That’s a Tier-2 lord! Everyone form up! Don’t let it separate us!”The team quickly made a half-circle. The stronger cultivators stood in front. Shen Hao and the others stayed ready behind them.The red Naga did not wait.It shot forward like a spear. Its thick tail smashed the ground and sent dirt flying. Ma Jiande met it with his machete. Steel rang against hard scales. The force pushed him back three steps.Two other Qi Condensation fighters jumped in from the sides. Their swords and spears struck the Naga’s arms and shoulders. Sparks flew, but the scales only cracked a little.The Naga roared and swung one heavy arm. One fighter flew through the air and crashed into a tree. He did not get up right away.“Keep pressure on it!” Ma Jiande shouted. “Ai
Chapter 8: Into the Deep Forest
One month passed.Shen Hao’s hands had healed, but thick scar tissue covered both palms. The lines that once marked his hands were gone. He had reached the peak of the third layer of Gathering Qi. Xun Yu had climbed to the sixth layer.They stood at the edge of town.“I’m going to Dai Shan Forest,” Shen Hao said. “I need stronger fights and better resources before the competition.”Xun Yu looked up at him. “I’ll wait for you at the competition. Master Lin Yue will take me.”“Get the jade slip from the Ancient Zither Abode before then,” he reminded her.She nodded. Shen Hao ruffled her hair once, then turned and ran west.---Three days of hard running brought him to the edge of Dai Shan Forest. The spiritual energy in the air grew thicker with every step. Tier-1 beasts moved among the trees.In a clearing he found a group of people checking their weapons and packs. A big man with an 8th-layer Qi Condensation aura walked toward him.“I’m Ma Jiande. This is my hunting team. Who are you?
Chapter 7: The Girl Who Broke Through
“This is my home,” Shen Hao said. “Well… now it’s our home.”He pointed at the small wooden shack with its single hard bed and holes in the roof. Xun Yu’s face went through several looks at once — thanks, surprise, and a little bit of horror. In the end she forced a smile.“It looks… nice, Brother.”They ate a simple meal. Xun Yu changed his bandages again. When the sky grew dark, Shen Hao stretched.“Time to sleep.”“Who gets the bed?”“Me, of course.”Xun Yu puffed her cheeks. “If you hadn’t gotten hurt saving me, I would make you sleep on the floor.”“Make me? How would a little thing like you do that?”“You’ll see.”Shen Hao almost laughed. He had never had anyone to argue with like this. It felt strangely warm.“Fine. You take the bed. I’ll take the floor.”He kissed her lightly on the forehead and lay down on the hard wood. A moment later Xun Yu quietly slid down beside him and curled up against his side. She was asleep in minutes.---The next morning they went to the Ancient Z
Chapter 6: Little Sister
Shen Hao opened his eyes to a wooden roof.Pots and pans clattered in another room. He was lying on a bed under a thin blanket. When he sat up, he looked at his hands. Both were wrapped in clean bandages. Cool medicine paste sat underneath. As long as he kept still, the pain was only a dull throb.He stared at the bandages.Just clapping my hands with Yin and Yang Qi did this… and it blew the alpha’s head off. My own body still got hurt bad.Most people only use one kind of energy. Mixing them like that was dangerous. I need to be more careful next time.A small face peeked around the doorway.“You’re awake! Does it hurt a lot? Do you want food? Should I change the bandages? I saw the end of the fight — you were so strong! Those wolves would have killed me if you didn’t come. Thank you! But how are you so—”“Slow down,” Shen Hao said. “One question at a time. You talk fast.”The girl stepped into the room. She was tiny, maybe ten years old, with black hair tied in a neat bun. A jade h
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