Three days later, Kai stood among three hundred candidates in the outer courtyard of the Azure Sky Sect, supposedly focused on the upcoming examination.
In reality, his attention was entirely on the figure in white robes standing twenty feet away.
Feng Yuhan had arrived with his master earlier that morning, and though they hadn't spoken since that night in the garden, Kai felt every time those silver eyes glanced his way. The Void resonance between them had grown stronger, an invisible thread that pulled taut whenever they were near each other.
It was distracting in the best and worst ways.
"Welcome, candidates!" Elder Shen descended from the sky riding a sword, his Core Formation aura pressing down on the crowd. Half the candidates stumbled under the pressure. "I am Elder Shen Wu, administrator of this examination. Three hundred of you stand here today. Only thirty will pass."
Whispers rippled through the crowd. Kai noticed his brothers exchanging nervous glances.
"The examination consists of three trials," Elder Shen continued. "First, the Spiritual Root Test. We will measure your cultivation potential and elemental affinities. Those with red-grade potential will be eliminated immediately."
In his previous life, Kai had failed at this exact step. His red-grade potential had been exposed in front of everyone, and he'd been sent home in shame.
Not this time.
"Second, the Combat Trial. You will face spirit beasts appropriate to your cultivation level. Defeat them or demonstrate sufficient skill, and you pass."
Kai felt Yuhan's gaze on him again and fought the urge to look back.
"Third, the Comprehension Trial. You will be shown a fragment of a cultivation technique and given one hour to demonstrate understanding. This tests whether you have the mental capacity to truly cultivate, rather than just brute force."
Elder Shen gestured, and a massive crystal formation rose from the ground-the Spiritual Root Testing Array. "We begin now. Form a line."
The candidates surged forward. Kai deliberately hung back, letting his brothers go first. Shen Wei placed his hand on the crystal and it blazed gold -exceptional potential, with strong metal affinity. Shen Jian was only slightly less impressive, showing high green-grade potential.
One by one, candidates were tested. Most showed yellow or green grade-respectable, but not extraordinary. A few unfortunate souls tested red and were eliminated immediately, slinking away in shame as their families watched.
Then Feng Yuhan stepped up to the crystal.
The moment his hand touched the surface, the entire array exploded with light. Not gold or purple, but brilliant, pure white that seemed to contain all colors at once. The light shot skyward like a pillar connecting earth to heaven.
The courtyard fell absolutely silent.
"Heaven-grade potential," Elder Shen breathed. "Sword cultivation. Moon and metal affinity at perfect harmony." He looked at Yuhan with something like reverence. "I've never seen such pure spiritual roots. What is your name, young master?"
"Feng Yuhan," he replied calmly, as if he hadn't just demonstrated potential that appeared once in a thousand years.
The whispers started immediately. Some candidates actually backed away, as if Yuhan's talent might be contagious or threatening. Others stared with open envy.
Kai felt a surge of pride. That's right. Look at him. The man who will stand at the peak of cultivation. The man who chose me.
Then it was Kai's turn.
He stepped up to the crystal, acutely aware of everyone watching-his family, the other candidates, the elders. And Yuhan, those silver eyes tracking his every movement.
Kai placed his hand on the crystal and let his Void-aspect spiritual energy flow into it.
The crystal turned black.
Not the red-black of corrupted energy or demonic cultivation. Pure, absolute black, like staring into the depths of space itself. And through that darkness, silver veins of light traced intricate patterns-the same patterns as the Void itself.
The array didn't just light up. It resonated, humming with a frequency that made every cultivator present feel something fundamental shift in their perception of reality.
"Void aspect," Elder Shen whispered. "Impossible. That's a transcendent-level aspect. It shouldn't manifest until..." He trailed off, staring at Kai with wide eyes. "What is your name?"
"Kai Shen."
Recognition flashed across the elder's face. "Shen Zhu's youngest son. The one who was declared trash two years ago."
"I had some recent insights," Kai said blandly.
Around him, the whispers had become a roar. Two once-in-a-millennium talents in the same
Around him, the whispers had become a roar.
Two once-in-a-millennium talents in the same examination? The Azure Sky Sect disciples watching from the sidelines were already running to report this to their superiors.
But Kai's attention was on Yuhan, who had moved to stand beside him, close enough that their sleeves nearly touched.
"Show-off," Yuhan murmured, quiet enough that only Kai could hear.
"Says the man who turned the crystal into a pillar of light."
"I couldn't let you have all the glory."
Despite everything-the examination, the watching crowd, the weight of preventing an apocalyptic future-Kai felt his lips quirk into a smile.
Yes, he thought. This is what was missing before.
This feeling. This lightness.
"The Combat Trial will begin in one hour," Elder Shen announced, still looking between Kai and Yuhan with disbelief. "Those who passed the first trial, proceed to the arena. The rest... I'm sorry."
As the crowd began to disperse, Yuhan fell into step beside Kai. Close enough to touch, but not quite. Maintaining the appearance of two talented strangers who happened to be walking the same direction.
"After we pass the examination," Yuhan said quietly, "we need to talk strategy. There are events we need to prevent, opportunities to seize. The timeline has already changed, but we can guide it."
"Agreed. But first..." Kai finally let himself look directly at Yuhan. "We survive this without revealing too much. We're talented, not omniscient."
"Difficult, when I want to demonstrate every technique I spent two hundred years perfecting."
"Save it for the Chaos Wars. We'll need it then."
Yuhan's expression sobered. "You really think we can prevent it? That war nearly destroyed the Three Realms."
"We have sixteen years, perfect knowledge of what's coming, and cultivation methods that won't exist for centuries." Kai's voice dropped.
"And this time, we're not fighting alone."
Their eyes met, and in that moment, the Void resonance between them pulsed-a reminder of the bond that transcended time and space.
"Together," Yuhan said softly.
"Together," Kai agreed.
Behind them, Kai's father watched with pride. Around them, fellow candidates whispered about the two unprecedented geniuses. Above them, the sect elders were already arguing about which of them should be trained as the next generation's leader.
But Kai and Yuhan, walking side by side toward an uncertain future, only cared about one thing:
This time, they would rewrite destiny.
This time, they would save everyone.
And this time, they would do it together-in every sense of the word.