Boom!
The bamboo door of Liu Shen's quarters exploded inward, shards flying across the room.
Five armored cultivators stormed in, weapons drawn. Each bore the Feng Clan emblem on their shoulder plates, and their cultivation realms were far above the outer court.
"Liu Shen," one growled, "you are to be brought before the Punishment Hall."
The room was quiet.
Liu Shen remained seated on the floor, his robes half-torn from training, his eyes half-lidded as if only mildly interested.
"You send inner court enforcers," he said softly, "for a servant?"
"You injured a core disciple and defied clan hierarchy. You'll answer for it."
He stood.
The pressure that followed wasn't a release of cultivation… but something colder. Older.
Like a storm silently crawling up the spine.
The enforcers hesitated.
> Why does this boy feel like he's already sentenced us?
"I'll come," Liu Shen said, stepping past them. "I was getting bored anyway."
---
Feng Clan – Punishment Hall
The hall was vast and dimly lit, lined with chains and soul-binding arrays. A place meant not for interrogation—but for domination.
Elder Mo stood at the center, hands clasped behind his back.
Liu Shen was led forward, his wrists wrapped in spirit-suppressing silk.
"Liu Shen," Mo said slowly. "Born of a servant woman. Crippled since birth. Useless for fifteen years. Yet now… in less than a week, you reach Qi Condensation, defeat two disciples, and unleash demonic energy."
"Seems I've been busy," Liu Shen replied, voice calm.
Mo's eyes glinted. "We've tested the remains of your seal. It was not natural—it was placed deliberately. We also found fragments of forbidden runework burned into your dantian."
The other elders murmured.
"That kind of pattern… it's ancient," one said. "No one in the clan uses this art."
"It's not of this continent," said another.
Mo stepped forward. "Liu Shen, do you know the penalty for housing demonic techniques in a human clan?"
Liu Shen smiled. "Enlighten me."
"Death."
---
The room chilled.
Yet Liu Shen didn't flinch.
Instead, he raised his gaze, golden eyes gleaming like twin suns. "Then kill me."
Mo blinked. "What?"
"You accuse me without proof. You surround me with cowards and weaklings. You make claims, but show no spine to act. So—kill me."
His voice was soft.
But it shook the walls.
One of the elders slammed his fist on the chair. "Insolence!"
Mo hesitated.
Something was wrong.
The boy wasn't bluffing.
> Why does it feel like we're not sentencing him… but stepping into his trap?
Suddenly, a spiritual pressure flared outside.
A messenger burst into the room. "E-Elders! Urgent news!"
Mo turned. "What is it?"
"The spirit beasts from Red Ember Ridge—they've gone berserk! A whole horde is charging toward the outer court!"
Gasps erupted.
Red Ember Ridge was miles away—why would the beasts migrate?
Liu Shen chuckled.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Seems the heavens are impatient," he said. "You have bigger problems than me."
Mo's face darkened. "Did you do this?"
Liu Shen stepped forward, shredding the suppression silk with a mere twitch of his fingers.
"I did nothing," he said. "But if you want to bind me again, Elder… feel free to try."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, Mo turned.
"Release him."
"E-Elder—"
"I said, release him!"
---
Later – Feng Clan Outer Wall
Smoke rose on the horizon.
Beasts—dozens, maybe hundreds—poured from the ridge. Wild, blood-eyed, and frenzied, their howls shook the ground.
Disciples scrambled to form formations.
Liu Shen stood at the edge, arms crossed.
"They come without reason," he said to himself. "Rootless rage. Something… or someone is driving them."
He narrowed his eyes.
> Could it be… the first of the Heavenly Churches stirring already?
If so, the game begins earlier than I planned.
He stepped forward.
> No matter. The stronger the storm… the faster I rise.