The dust from the shattered monolith hung in the air like a funeral shroud. For a few agonizing seconds, the thousands of disciples in the plaza remained paralyzed, their eyes locked onto the small boy standing amidst a pile of gray sand that was once a three-thousand-year-old treasure. The vibrant hum of the sect's elemental energies seemed to have been sucked into a vacuum.
"The Spirit Measuring Stone... it's gone," a disciple whispered, his voice cracking the silence.
The Head Examiner fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he sifted through the colorless dust. "There is no Qi left in the remains. Not a single spark. It has been... hollowed out."
Suddenly, the sky above the plaza split open. A terrifying pressure descended, far heavier than the gravity of Shara's training cave. Zhao Cang, the Sect Master of the Eternal Lotus, appeared in mid-air, his emerald robes billowing as he descended. His face was a mask of cold fury. He looked at the sand, then at the three silver needles glowing faintly on Yun's back, and finally at Lin Shara.
"Grand Elder," Zhao Cang's voice was like ice grinding against stone. "I gave you permission to raise an orphan, not to cultivate a catastrophe. You have placed a parasite at the heart of our mountain."
Shara stepped forward, her own aura rising to shield Yun from the Sect Master's crushing pressure. "He is no parasite, Zhao Cang! Look at the sand! He didn't just break the stone; he assimilated its ancient essence. His potential is beyond our understanding. He is the key to reaching the Primordial Realm!"
"He is a Devourer!" Zhao Cang bellowed, and the force of his voice sent a shockwave that cracked the marble floors. "The legends speak of beings with Chaos Bones. They do not build; they only consume until nothing is left but a void. I will not allow the Lótus Eterno to be his next meal."
Yun Caos looked up at the Sect Master. Behind his calm, dark eyes, the purple whirlpool in his heart was spinning with newfound speed, invigorated by the massive influx of energy from the obsidian monolith. He felt like a predator being judged by prey that thought it was in control.
"I have not harmed anyone," Yun said, his voice quiet but carrying through the entire plaza.
"You have destroyed our history, boy," Zhao Cang retorted. He turned to the other Elders. "We cannot kill him yet—not while his origin is unknown—but he cannot stay among our disciples. I sentence Yun Caos to the Abyss of the Frozen Moon."
A gasp went through the crowd. The Abyss was a vertical chasm on the dark side of the mountain, where the temperature was so low that Qi itself froze. It was a place for those the sect wanted to forget.
"Three years," Zhao Cang declared. "If he survives without devouring the mountain's foundations, we will judge him again. If he fails, the Abyss will be his tomb."
Shara reached out to protest, but Zhao Cang raised a hand, sealing the space around her. Yun looked at the Grand Elder and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. He knew his "sheath"—his flesh—needed more than herbal baths. It needed the harshest environment possible to harden against the power of his own bones.
Escorted by the Sect Guard, Yun was led to the edge of the jagged chasm. As he looked down into the swirling blue mists of the Abyss, he felt the silver needles in his back vibrate. The hunger was returning.
Without waiting for a push, Yun Caos stepped into the void.