⚡ The Last Disciple of Lightning Peak
"To awaken the storm… first, let the world bury you."
---
🌄 Three Days Later – Uccot Sect Outer Trial Grounds
The sun had barely risen, but the sect plaza was already alive with voices.
Stone pillars lined the wide trial field, etched with runes that glowed faintly under the morning light. Hundreds of youths gathered, excitement buzzing through the crowd like restless lightning. Some wore clan crests. Others walked with proud spiritual energy pulsing beneath their robes. Nearly all of them radiated the faint glow of awakened spirit roots.
Aarush stood among them. Quiet. Still.
He wore no sigil, no sword, no special robe—only simple clothes and tired eyes.
Those who noticed him either smirked or whispered.
> "Why's he even here?"
"Rootless trash."
"He's here to make the rest of us look good!"
Aarush ignored them. He clenched the edge of his tunic and stared at the giant stone pillar at the center of the trial field.
> "This is the beginning. No matter what they say."
---
🧍 Arrival of the Trial Master
A sharp gust of wind swept across the courtyard. The crowd turned silent as a stern man in bronze-gray robes trimmed in black thread landed atop the central platform. His eyes were like cold blades, his voice sharper still.
> "I am Instructor Harvek, overseer of this year's outer sect trial."
He scanned the crowd, unimpressed.
> "You've come seeking name, place, and power. But not all of you are worthy."
Murmurs stirred. Some disciples shifted uncomfortably.
> "This trial is simple. First, we test your Martial Soul Awakening.
Approach the pillar. Place your palm upon it. If your soul stirs, the pillar will respond. If not… you leave. No second chances.
This is only the beginning—those who awaken will face the next phase at dawn tomorrow."
He smiled coldly.
> "Or, if you'd like, I can send you back to the heavens myself."
The trial had begun.
---
🔥 One by One, the Pillar Speaks
The first to step forward was a girl in elegant silver-blue robes. She hesitated, then touched the stone.
For a moment—nothing.
Then—
🔥 A surge of flame burst upward, coalescing into a blazing phantom bird. Its wings spanned wide, feathers made of sapphire fire. It let out a clear cry that echoed across the trial field.
> "A Crimson Sky Phoenix!" someone shouted.
Even Instructor Harvek paused.
> "Spirit Beast-Type. Bestial heritage. High-rank resonance." He nodded. "Pass."
The girl walked back without a word. She didn't smile—but her aura burned into everyone's memory.
> "Is she from a Phoenix Clan?"
"She must be… no one from a normal family awakens something like that!"
Aarush stared in silence. There was something regal about her presence, but also distant. Like a flame that wouldn't let anyone close.
---
Next came a tall boy with twin blades crossed on his back.
He touched the stone.
🌪️ A deep-blue energy spiraled upward, forming two mirrored swords rotating slowly behind him, humming with killing intent.
> "That's… the Twin-Edge Warblades! From the Lost Blade Clan!" someone gasped.
Instructor Harvek raised a brow. "So one of their bloodline appears again."
The boy didn't respond. He just nodded and returned to the crowd.
---
Disciples came and went.
Some awakened weak souls—fire snakes, wind beads, a faint shadow of steel. Others awakened nothing at all and were quietly dismissed.
Those who failed hung their heads and walked away.
And then—
> "Next."
Aarush stepped forward.
---
⚡ Rootless Before the Pillar
He took a deep breath and placed his hand upon the stone.
Nothing happened.
Not a flicker. Not a shimmer. The pillar remained dull, unmoved.
The silence around him cracked—then turned into laughter.
> "Told you."
"He's just a ghost among dragons."
"Even the stone doesn't know who he is."
Instructor Harvek looked bored.
> "No martial soul. No root. No potential."
He raised his hand dismissively.
> "Time's up. Leave."
Aarush lowered his hand.
There were no tears—but there was weight. A deep silence inside him. Again, the world had no place for him.
> "Maybe I was wrong to believe... Maybe I really am no one."
He turned to go.
---
🌸 The Wind Changes Again
But then…
A single voice cut through the courtyard.
> "Stop."
Everyone turned.
A girl stepped forward from the far side of the platform. Her long robes were forest green, stitched with a subtle feather pattern. At her waist hung a jade spiritual fan, and her hair was tied back with a silver thread. She looked calm—elegant even—but her aura carried authority that made the cultivators near her instinctively step aside.
She didn't walk. She glided.
And as she passed, flower petals from nearby trees lifted into the air and circled her lightly—drawn by qi.
She came to stand beside Aarush.
> "This trial is flawed," she said. "And you judged him too quickly."
Instructor Harvek frowned. "Who are you to question a sect official?"
> "Someone who outranks your judgment."
He flinched.
Her voice didn't rise. But the wind did.
> "Let me remind you—this trial is not over yet. It is not a one-day trial.
If this boy can rebuild his spiritual root before the next phase begins... he will return and continue the trial."
The words struck like thunder.
For a moment, the entire courtyard froze—then erupted in laughter.
> "Rebuild a spiritual root?"
"That's impossible!"
"Who is she fooling?"
Even Aarush looked stunned, eyes wide, a part of him not daring to hope.
> "Rebuild... my root? That's not something mortals can just do..."
But the girl remained unmoved.
She turned to face the crowd and elders with eyes that no longer held kindness—only weight.
> "If any of you believe I'm wrong—then don't whisper. Don't laugh."
"Speak to me directly... or step forward and challenge me. By mouth—" her fan opened with a snap "—or by power."
The laughter died instantly.
No one moved.
---
Aarush looked at her in disbelief.
> Who… is she? Why is she… protecting me?
The girl turned to him.
> "You're coming with me. The first trial isn't over for you."
---
🚣 The Journey Begins
Outside the outer trial gates, a spiritual boat awaited—its edges glowing faintly with phoenix runes. The deck shimmered with qi. It was a transport device few mortals would ever see.
> "This… is real?" Aarush thought.
The girl didn't explain. She simply stepped aboard and motioned for him to join her.
He hesitated once… then stepped up.
As the boat lifted into the air and soared over the valley, the qi did not surge.
Instead, the runes on the wood pulsed once—
a low, thunderous thrum, like a heartbeat buried deep in a stormcloud.
The girl's eyes flicked toward Aarush for a brief moment.
> "Interesting…"
But she said nothing more.
Aarush didn't feel triumphant.
But for the first time…
He felt seen.