Chapter 1: The Seed of the Sun
The cave was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of spiritual moss clinging to its rough walls. Su Qian slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the stiffness from sleep. The stone bed beneath him was cold, but familiar. It had been a week since he'd been admitted into the Falling Sky Sect, chosen alongside many others during the recent Immortal Gathering Conference.
He sat up with a quiet groan. His head ached faintly.
Then, something unfamiliar stirred in the back of his mind.
> [Supreme Embodiment System Initiated.]
[Binding to new host… complete.]
[Current Location: Inner Sect Cultivation Cavern #19]
[Previous Host: Deceased due to direct absorption of ambient spiritual energy.]
Su Qian looked around the cave again, this time with more care. No signs of struggle. Just the same worn bedding, a wooden table pushed into the corner, and the faintly pulsing stone walls that held an unusual concentration of spiritual energy.
The voice returned, calm and mechanical.
> [Host may select anything within visible range to embody. Begin foundational embodiment.]
Su Qian stood, his curiosity outweighing his caution. He stepped outside the cave. The morning air was crisp. The mountain stretched high above, mist clinging to the cliffs, and clouds rolling slowly across the sky. The sun hung overhead, bright and steady, its light warming his skin.
Feeling hopeful, Su Qian raised his hand and pointed upward.
"I wish to comprehend the heavens," he said.
> [Invalid selection. Host must choose a visible, defined object to embody.]
He quickly lowered his hand, glancing around. No one had seen that, thankfully. His gaze returned to the sun.
"I wish to embody the sun," he said, more carefully this time.
> [Sun Embodiment Selected.]
[Conceptual Embodiment Level: Full Sun]
[Chance of Success: 0.000001%]
[Failure Consequence: Erasure of host. Planetary instability likely.]
A drop of sweat rolled down Su Qian's forehead.
> [Alternative Available: Embody 0.1% of Sun's Concept. Safe level. Proceed?]
He hesitated. "…Will that increase later?"
> [Yes. As host's body and soul strengthen, embodiment level will grow.]
He took a quiet breath. "Proceed."
At first, there was nothing. Then, from somewhere deep inside him, heat surged. Not from his skin, but from the center of his soul, spreading outward like a slow-burning flame. His body tensed. Vision dimmed. The warmth became overwhelming.
Then—darkness.
Su Qian collapsed just outside the cave entrance.
---
He awoke some time later, unsure how much time had passed. But something was different. His breathing was lighter. His muscles no longer ached. He sat up and closed his eyes, sensing a faint glow in his sea of consciousness.
There, deep within, pulsed a small point of golden light. It spread warmth in steady waves, quietly altering the flow of his breath, his thoughts, his very being.
"System," he said aloud.
A simple panel appeared before him.
---
Cultivation Panel
Qi Cultivation: not started
Soul Cultivation: Sea of Consciousness Opened
Concept Seed (Sun): Slowly altering host's body and soul
Abilities:
• Yang Meridian
• Golden Gaze
---
Before he could process the changes, a flutter of movement caught his attention. A paper swan glided into the cave, its wings steady despite no wind. It hovered before him, and a calm voice emerged from within.
"Disciple Su Qian, report to the Sect Master's Hall."
The swan, now lifeless, began to drift downward. Su Qian caught it in his hand, watching its folded wings settle. He stared for a moment, then stood. Whatever had happened to him, it wasn't over.
He made his way up the stone steps toward the peak.
The trail was familiar now. Mist rolled between trees, birds chirped quietly overhead, and beyond the path, the valley opened up in silence. When he reached the front of the Sect Master's Hall, he saw others already waiting—fellow inner sect disciples, twelve in total including himself.
They stood in two neat rows before the entrance. Su Qian joined them, folding his hands behind his back. Some whispered quietly; others stood still, their gazes fixed ahead.
A voice called from within.
"Come inside."
The group moved forward. No one spoke. Feet shuffled across stone. Eyes darted from the polished wooden beams to the open space beyond.
Inside, five elders sat in simple chairs, tea served to them by quiet servants. In the center sat the Sect Master, resting easily in a mahogany chair. His robes were green and modest, his expression calm. His gray hair was tied simply behind his back, and a jade bead turned slowly in his hand.
He smiled.
"No need to be nervous. We don't eat children here."
A few elders chuckled quietly at the remark, and some tension faded from the room.
An elder with a scholarly appearance and a neatly trimmed goatee stood up. He placed a smooth spirit stone into a carved recess in the floor. Patterns of light flowed across the stone, forming a simple array.
"This is a proper spirit root assessment," the Sect Master said. "At the Immortal Conference, we used a rough filter. This will be more precise. Sit down one by one, circulate the entry technique we gave you. The ease with which you absorb energy will show the quality of your root."
He nodded toward the first disciple.
The boy stepped forward, sat cross-legged in the center of the array, and began cultivating. The room fell silent. Threads of spiritual energy began to flow into him. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.
"Middle grade," the scholarly elder announced.
The boy stood and walked to the left side of the room.
Another disciple stepped forward.
Su Qian watched quietly, his thoughts focused—not on rankings, but on how his own body would respond when his turn came.
Something had changed. Whether that change would be seen here, he was about to find out.