The Azure Heaven Sect sprawled across the clouds like a city carved from crystal and jade. Stone stairways twisted upward into floating peaks, waterfalls cascaded from impossible heights, and the air hummed with the faint, intoxicating pulse of spiritual energy.
Jin Baiyu's crimson eyes scanned everything with cold precision. Each detail, each disciple, each formation of energy he passed—it all registered, cataloged, analyzed. His mortal body was weak, but his mind, sharpened by centuries of life and death, was a weapon far deadlier than any sword.
Wu Hao stumbled beside him, whispering nervously, "Baiyu… do you feel that? That pressure? The sect… it's unlike anything in our village."
Jin barely glanced at him. "I feel it," he said softly. "And it is weak."
Wu Hao froze. "Weak? Are you—"
"Stop talking," Jin cut him off. His voice, calm and controlled, carried a weight that caused Wu Hao to fall silent immediately. "Focus. Observe. Learn. Everything here can be used, and everything here can be broken."
The Outer Sect Assessment
The first test for all new disciples was simple in theory but deadly in practice: The Qi Evaluation Array, a formation designed to measure spiritual capacity, meridian integrity, and control over one's innate potential. Every disciple would channel their qi into a central pillar. The array would respond with light, fire, or crushing force depending on their results.
Hundreds of aspirants gathered at the stone platform, murmuring nervously. Each hoped to impress the elders enough to gain entry into the Outer Sect proper.
Jin Baiyu's turn came last. He approached the array slowly, every step measured. Around him, whispers rose:
"Isn't that the dead meridian boy?"
"Who let him through the gate?"
"He'll be crushed instantly."
Jin did not respond. He reached the center of the array. A faint wind swirled around him, tugging at his robes as if recognizing the storm within.
The formation activated.
Pillars of light scanned him, probing, pressing, judging. Normally, the array would reject him immediately—his dantian, shattered from his new mortal body, could barely circulate qi.
But Jin Baiyu's mind worked differently.
He didn't rely on the body's strength; he manipulated the array itself. His consciousness slipped into the formation, touching every node, every pulse, every resonance. Slowly, the cracks in his dantian began to reconfigure themselves, blood and energy moving in patterns no mortal was capable of achieving.
The pillars wavered. They shook violently, then glowed brighter than ever.
A silence fell. The other disciples stepped back, fearful. Even the elders' eyes widened slightly.
When the evaluation concluded, the array stabilized and projected a single golden light: Peak Qi Condensation Potential.
Every master in attendance gasped.
One elder muttered under his breath, "Impossible… a child with broken meridians cannot achieve this."
Jin Baiyu looked down at the glowing pillar, expression calm, eyes faintly crimson. "Weak bodies are for weak minds," he said softly. "Only fools allow their limitations to define them."
The First Display of Power
After the Qi Assessment, the new disciples were instructed to demonstrate their combat potential. Each was paired against a training doppelganger—a replica created from the sect's own spiritual energy. Most new disciples struggled, falling in moments to their constructs.
Jin Baiyu's opponent appeared: a shadowy figure, designed to anticipate and counter his weakest strikes.
He tilted his head, casually. Then, in a single motion, he extended his hand. Shadowy energy sprouted from the ground, twisting around the doppelganger's limbs. Within seconds, the figure was immobilized, crushed beneath invisible tendrils of force.
The crowd gasped. A few disciples cried out in terror.
The elders whispered, "This child… he is not normal. He is a monster."
Jin Baiyu lowered his hand, expression indifferent. "I am not a child," he said. "And monsters are not born… they are made."
A Rival Emerges
Not all were impressed. One figure stepped forward—a boy in azure robes with silver hair glinting in the sunlight. His eyes, sharp and calculating, locked onto Jin Baiyu with undisguised hostility.
"Who allowed a dead meridian worm into the sect?" he demanded. "Do you know what you are doing, letting him in?"
"Who are you?" Jin asked lightly, his voice calm, almost bored.
"I am Qiu Jian," the boy said, hand resting on the hilt of a jade sword. "Inner Sect candidate. And you… you will regret entering this place."
Jin's crimson gaze flickered. "I don't regret anything. But I will make sure you do."
Qiu Jian's hand twitched. "Hmph. Then prepare to be humiliated."
The elder overseeing the assessment stepped between them. "Enough. Let him proceed. We shall see his strength in time."
Jin Baiyu's smile was thin, almost imperceptible. It did not reach his eyes.
Good, he thought. The game begins.
First Lessons
After the assessment, Jin was assigned to a group of weaker outer sect disciples. Their leader, Zhou Tianshu, whispered nervously:
"You're… different from them. Stronger. Smarter. You won't last long if you reveal too much."
Jin tilted his head, crimson eyes glimmering. "I do not hide my strength. I hide my intentions. Remember this, Zhou Tianshu: the mind dictates the battle, the body follows. A weak body is a toy… until it learns to break its chains."
Over the next hours, he trained with his group. While others sweated and struggled, Jin moved with precision, teaching them not only techniques but the concept of intimidation, strategy, and fear—things no one had ever taught in the sect.
By the end of the day, the weakest disciples in the group had improved beyond recognition. One could control qi flow three times more efficiently than before; another had a small but dangerous offensive technique.
Jin Baiyu observed silently, noting every improvement. They are pieces in the game… and this sect will be my board.
The Calm Before Conflict
As night fell, the Azure Heaven Sect seemed tranquil, bathed in silver moonlight. Disciples returned to their dormitories. Lanterns flickered along the floating bridges. The world appeared peaceful.
But Jin Baiyu sensed otherwise.
He could feel watchers in the shadows, whispers in the wind, and currents of envy creeping toward him. The sect did not tolerate prodigies who rose too fast. It never had.
And yet, he felt no fear.
Let them watch. Let them wait. Let them fear.
Because the Asura Emperor, even in a mortal shell, had returned.
And the first steps of his reign had already begun.