The Endless Ordeal
Yi Zhen's days in captivity turned into weeks, and then into months. The stone walls of his cell bore the stains of old blood, whispers of suffering etched into their cracks. Every day, the guards of the Silent Wraiths found amusement in their cruel torment. Whips laced with venom lashed across his back, his body barely holding together under the endless barrage. Iron rods, heated until they glowed red, seared his flesh, yet he endured. They poured corrosive liquids over his wounds, laughing as he writhed in agony. But Yi Zhen refused to scream. His silence only enraged them further, driving them to new heights of brutality.
Within the dungeon, he found an unexpected solace—companions in suffering. Among them was a young woman named Yue Lingxiao. She, too, was an orphan, adopted and raised by a kind-hearted merchant family in Black Crane City. A prodigy who had reached the 7th Layer of Qi Tempering, only to fall prey to the Silent Wraiths. Their shared pain formed an unbreakable bond, a silent understanding passing between them whenever their eyes met.
"You remind me of my younger self, Yi Zhen," Yue said one night, her voice barely above a whisper. "The fire in your eyes—it hasn't gone out yet. Don't let them take that away from you."
Despite the chains that bound them, they found fleeting moments of camaraderie, clinging to slivers of hope.
The Guards' Cruelty
One evening, the guards lounged near the entrance, speaking loud enough for the prisoners to hear.
"This one's a tough one, huh?" One of them sneered, jerking a thumb towards Yi Zhen. "Still got the nerve to glare at us. Maybe we should carve that arrogance out of him."
Yi Zhen's lips curled in defiance. "You should be grateful, worm. Without these chains, you'd be bowing to me."
The room fell silent. The guard's face darkened, his veins bulging with rage. With a roar, he swung a spiked club at Yi Zhen's head. The impact sent him crashing into the stone wall, his consciousness flickering.
"Damn brat," the guard spat. He nudged Yi Zhen's limp body with his foot. After a tense moment, he let out a sigh of relief. "Still breathing. Thought I killed him for a second."
Shaking his head, he left the cell, muttering curses under his breath.
"Yi Zhen!" Yue Lingxiao and another prisoner, Xiao Wei, crawled toward him, their shackles rattling. But they could do nothing. They could only watch, helpless, as his body lay motionless.
The Seal Awakens
Deep within Yi Zhen's mind, something stirred.
Ancient chains, forged in an era long forgotten, trembled. Their cold, unyielding grip began to loosen.
No earth-shattering changes occurred outside—everything remained eerily quiet. But within his body, chaos reigned. A lock, buried deep within his mind for ten long years, crackled, fractures spreading across its surface.
A pendant hung around his neck—a Void Diamond Pendant. For the first time in a decade, it flickered, as if sensing something monumental. Then, with a final resounding crack—the First Seal was broken.
As his injuries began to mend at an unnatural pace, a voice echoed through the depths of his soul:
"I am the smallest of the smallest, yet the largest of the largest. I am the controlled, yet the controller. I am good, yet I am bad. I am attachment, yet I am liberation. I am the light, and I am the dark."
Yi Zhen awoke, but not in the physical world. He stood in an empty void, a realm existing only within his consciousness. Before him, he saw the remnants of the broken seal, its once-impenetrable constraints reduced to nothingness. As he instinctively gathered Qi using the Golden Meridian Breathing Method, he noticed something strange. The Qi, though flowing into him, felt weak, slow, insufficient. Then, like a floodgate opening, knowledge poured into his mind—a technique revealed from the broken seal.
Profound Origin Sutra.
His eyes widened. What is this? The technique exuded an unfathomable profundity, a stark contrast to anything he had ever encountered. And then, from the void pendant, a voice resonated once more:
"Finally, the long-lost seal has been broken."
A deep chuckle followed. "Boy, remember this well—this is the greatest cultivation technique in creation. Do not neglect it, for it was tailor-made for you."
Yi Zhen's breath caught. "Senior, who are you? And why is this technique here? I already have one!"
The voice chuckled again. "Then why don't you try cultivating with your current method?"
Yi Zhen hesitated, then attempted to absorb Qi again with the Golden Meridian Breathing Method. The results were clear—it was slow, rigid, limited.
The voice listed its flaws:
Slow Cultivation Speed – Lags behind other techniques.
High Resource Consumption – Requires rare materials.
Rigid & Inflexible – Cannot adapt to other methods.
Weak Offense – Lacks explosive power.
Hard to Advance at Higher Levels – Major bottlenecks.
Vulnerable to Disruptions – Weak against chaotic Qi.
Possible Side Effects – May lead to stagnation or emotional detachment.
Then, the voice introduced the Profound Origin Sutra:
Limitless Growth – No bottlenecks, adaptable at all stages.
Perfect Energy Refinement – Converts Qi to its purest form.
No Side Effects – No risk of Qi deviation or backlash.
Adaptive to Any Dao – Harmonizes with all cultivation paths.
Unbreakable Foundation – Ensures smooth future breakthroughs.
Self-Sustaining – Requires no external resources.
Instinctive Protection – Shields against illusions, soul invasion, and corruption.
As Yi Zhen absorbed the golden characters of the Profound Origin Sutra, he felt something deep within him change. His entire being, once constrained by invisible shackles, suddenly felt free. The very act of breathing felt different—not forced, but natural, effortless. The world no longer resisted him. It welcomed him.
For the first time, he felt alive.
THE TWO MONTHS OF SILENCE
When he awoke, his body pulsed with a newfound strength. Yet, he made no sudden movements. His captors assumed he was as broken as before, but beneath his tattered robes, his meridians surged with power. He cultivated in complete silence, his breath so controlled that not even the guards outside his cell noticed the change.
He meditated when they were absent, absorbed Qi when they mocked him, and practiced control when they ignored him. The days bled together in a haze of stillness, each moment sharpening his body and mind.
Others were thrown into the dungeon. Some survived, some did not. The prisoners came and went, but Yi Zhen remained unseen, unnoticed. A storm was brewing in the depths of his soul.
Meanwhile, beyond the walls of this wretched prison, Yao Zhen was drawing closer to the hidden lair of the Silent Wraiths. Oblivious to the force awakening within their grasp, the cultists carried on their business, unaware that their greatest mistake was letting Yi Zhen live.
Two months passed within the prison, yet within that time, Yi Zhen cultivated the Profound Origin Sutra to the 5th Layer of Qi Tempering.
Other than Lingxiao, no one noticed the changes within Yi Zhen. His cultivation method was eerily similar to Lingxiao's own, allowing him to remain undetected even under close scrutiny.
The Silent Wraiths had no idea that within their very prison, a monster was being reborn.