Part 1: The Weight of a Beast's Death
The mountain wind carried the scent of blood.
Lian Ren crouched by the slain beast—a young Ironhide Serpent, barely at the first stage of spiritual awakening.
Its body still twitched from death's echo, warm blood soaking the leaves beneath it.
Above him, laughter echoed.
"Poor thing didn't even fight back,"
sneered Feng Yu, the Inner Sect prodigy with silver robes and eyes that gleamed like knives.
His sword dripped with venom.
"It was weak. Mercy is for fools."
Lian Ren didn't respond. His eyes lingered on the beast's lifeless eyes—wide, confused, and unready.
Something in his soul stirred. Not sadness… but recognition.
The Karma around the beast pulsed faintly. He could see it—an invisible stream of regret, pain, and a question that echoed into his core: Was its death necessary?
He remembered how the beast had been cornered—trapped, defending its offspring. It had only lunged when the disciples threatened its nest.
He looked toward the burrow. Empty.
He turned his gaze on Feng Yu.
"Why did you kill it?"
Feng Yu rolled his eyes. "Why not? It's worth points for the Trial. Doesn't matter if it was weak or rare."
A system notification blinked in Lian Ren's mind.
[Karmic Shift Detected]
> Injustice witnessed: Beast slain without cause
> Choice available: Intervene or Ignore
Reward: Unknown | Cost: Unknown
Lian Ren stared at the system prompt. It wasn't just offering power—it was weighing his intent.
Every step forward as a cultivator under Karma wasn't about dominance, but balance.
He exhaled slowly. Then, without a word, he knelt beside the serpent's body.
Feng Yu's brow arched. "What are you doing?"
"Burying it," Lian Ren replied.
Feng Yu scoffed. "Are you trying to impress the elders? That thing wasn't even worth looting."
Lian Ren ignored him. He used his hands to dig—each motion steady and respectful.
As he worked, a low golden glow began to rise around the corpse, faintly outlining Lian Ren's arms.
The earth itself responded.
Once the shallow grave was prepared, he gently laid the serpent in and placed a smooth stone at its head.
A small prayer escaped his lips—words from a life he couldn't fully remember.
"May your spirit return cleansed, and may no blade await your next birth."
The moment he finished, the air pulsed.
[Karmic Resonance +1]
> Minor Soul Imprint unlocked
> "Beast's Echo" acquired – You can sense hostility from non-human creatures within 30 meters.
Lian Ren's breath caught. He wasn't just cultivating—he was weaving fate.
Behind him, Feng Yu stood frozen. Not out of awe, but unease.
He saw something he couldn't name forming around Lian Ren—a presence that felt older than Heaven.
Lian Ren rose and looked toward the forest. Something was changing.
As the breeze stirred the treetops, the golden glow around Lian Ren faded—but not completely.
A faint shimmer clung to his shadow, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
His mind felt clearer. More aligned.
And yet… something else stirred.
A sharp pain bloomed in his chest—brief but piercing. His vision blurred, and suddenly the forest was gone.
He stood in an endless void. Black skies cracked with golden lightning.
Countless broken thrones drifted across the emptiness, and at the center—his own throne, shattered and covered in chains of light.
A voice echoed: "You have buried what others would desecrate. You have chosen mercy over merit.
This is your path now—walk it without faltering."
A silhouette emerged from the throne—his past self—with burning eyes and a voice that thundered with divinity.
"You cannot rise as you once did. Not by rage. Not by conquest.
The Heavens will only yield to those who balance justice with power."
Suddenly, golden flames surrounded him, again forming the shape of a palm.
Lian Ren gasped as the vision collapsed. He fell to his knees in the forest once more, heart pounding, breath sharp.
But the world was different now. Quieter. And his soul—more anchored.
The forest was silent now—not from fear, but reverence. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Lian Ren stood, wiping dirt from his hands.
Around him, the air shimmered faintly—echoes of Karma responding to his choice. Every leaf, every root, seemed to acknowledge his presence.
Behind him, Feng Yu muttered, "What… what did you just do?"
"I made a choice," Lian Ren said simply, his eyes calm but sharp. "One you weren't willing to consider."
Feng Yu stepped forward, annoyed now. "You think mercy is strength? That beast was nothing! You'll never rise in the rankings with that soft heart."
Lian Ren turned, expression unreadable. "Maybe. But I won't rise the way you do. I'm not here to climb by stepping on corpses—I'm here to rewrite the heavens."
As Feng Yu opened his mouth to retort, a low rumble passed through the earth.
The trees parted.
An elder from the sect arrived—Elder Jiang, known for watching trials from the shadows. His expression unreadable.
He looked at the buried beast, then at Lian Ren, and finally at the thin shimmer of Karma still dancing in the air.
"You chose to bury it?" he asked.
Lian Ren nodded. "It died protecting something. That deserves more than silence."
The elder stared for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
"You've begun walking the path of Intent. Few dare to. Fewer survive it."
He extended his sleeve—and a silver scroll floated toward Lian Ren.
[Hidden Quest Progress Updated]
"Mend the Will of the Heavens" – Progress: 0.1% → 1.2%
The silver scroll hovered before Lian Ren, sealed by a crimson thread etched with celestial script.
As he reached for it, the Karma around his body reacted—wrapping gently around his fingers like golden mist.
The scroll opened.
[Technique Unlocked: Echo Step]
Low Heaven-tier Movement Art – Powered by Karma rather than Qi.
Every step leaves an echo. If intent is pure, enemies misjudge your next movement by one breath.
Lian Ren's eyes narrowed in focus. Not just power—purpose. That was the rule now.
Elder Jiang gave a rare nod of approval. "This scroll isn't given for strength. It responds to... resonance. Your actions have awakened something ancient."
Lian Ren felt it too—that subtle shift in the world. As if every decision now sent ripples into unseen realms.
Feng Yu scoffed, but quieter this time. The glow of Lian Ren's Karma unsettled him. There was no mocking what you didn't understand.
The elder continued, "Heaven will test you harder now. When you walk the path of karmic cultivation, your rise threatens the balance. Be ready."
Lian Ren looked down at the grave of the Ironhide Serpent. A beast forgotten by most, but not by Karma. Not by him.
He clenched his fist.
"Let them test me," he whispered.
"I'll rise differently. But I will rise."
And above him, the heavens stirred faintly—as if listening..