The silence of the Reflection Pavilion was oppressive.
Stone walls, etched with suppression runes, pulsed faintly to suppress spiritual energy. Even peak Foundation Realm cultivators would find their minds dulled and hearts shaken here.
But Liu Shen… was smiling.
Fools. These seals are for frightened children, not Sovereigns.
Black mist coiled around him like a cocoon, his golden eyes glowing faintly as he sank deeper into meditation. Inside his dantian, his soul pulsed with unnatural rhythm.
The Demonic Codex opened.
It wasn't a physical book—but a soul-bound artifact, sealed inside his very spirit. Its ancient pages flipped within the void, each inscribed with forbidden knowledge written in a language older than time.
I can't unseal it all at once. The body is too weak… but I only need the first layer.
The Body-Reforging Scripture.
He channeled a thin thread of energy through his crippled meridians, tracing the seal's first node—located near the Solar Plexus. It resisted, pulsing violently.
Then—snap.
A searing pain shot through his chest, but Liu Shen didn't even flinch.
The node shattered.
The first layer of the suppressive seal was undone.
Good. The flow has begun.
Spiritual energy, faint and slow, began to move through his dantian for the first time since birth. His body trembled. Muscles flexed. Blood circulated faster. Bones creaked.
And then—crack.
His cultivation base surged.
From None to Qi Condensation – Stage 1.
In any sect, this jump would take months for an ordinary disciple.
Liu Shen did it in one night.
---
Outside the Pavilion – Next Morning
Two guards approached the stone entrance, yawning and half-asleep.
"Still alive in there?" one of them muttered, knocking lazily.
A deep silence answered.
"Eh… maybe he passed out. Wouldn't be the first—"
Boom!
The door trembled as a pulse of demonic pressure surged from inside, causing the air to hum.
Both guards froze.
"W-What the hell was that?!"
"I thought he was crippled!"
They exchanged fearful glances.
"Should we report—?"
Before they could finish, the door creaked open on its own.
And from the dark, Liu Shen stepped out.
His clothes were ragged, but his posture was straight. His skin glowed faintly with vitality, and his eyes—those unnatural golden eyes—gleamed with calm menace.
"What… what realm are you in?" one guard stammered.
Liu Shen didn't answer.
He simply walked past them.
Each step left behind a faint trace of mist—black and cold.
They'll learn soon enough.
This is only the beginning.
---
Feng Clan – Elder Mo's Courtyard
The door burst open.
"E-Elder Mo!" The same disciple from yesterday rushed in, pale-faced. "That servant boy… Liu Shen! He's broken through!"
Mo frowned. "That's impossible. The seal—"
"He shattered it! Qi Condensation, Elder!"
Crack!
The jade teacup in Mo's hand shattered.
"What did you say?"
"He walked out of the Reflection Pavilion unharmed!"
Elder Mo's mind spun.
A cripple doesn't just break their seal overnight. That seal was inscribed by Lady Feng herself… only someone with a stronger spiritual will could—
His eyes narrowed.
"No… he wasn't born trash. He was sealed."
---
Meanwhile – Outer Court Training Grounds
Liu Shen returned to the servant quarters without fanfare. But something had changed.
Every servant avoided his gaze.
The other lowborn youths whispered.
"That's the boy who broke Feng Bai's ribs…"
"Did you see his eyes last night? Gold. Glowing."
"They say he walked out of the Pavilion… laughing."
Liu Shen ignored them all.
Instead, he walked to the stone training field and sat in the center, cross-legged.
He closed his eyes.
Cultivation… begins now. I'll build this body to match the soul within.
Then I'll take back everything that was stolen.
And when the time is right… I'll burn this clan to ash.
The black mist rose again, like a crown above his head.
The Sovereign had begun to awaken.