Heaven - Sundered Path

Scene 1 — Morning Mist, Day Two

Crimson Lotus Peak was shrouded in light mist. Dew glittered on marble steps as disciples gathered again, tension higher than before. The first round had ended with shocking upsets — Lin Xun and Yan Qiruo had become the whispered names in every mouth.

But now came the second round, where only 32 disciples remained.

And fate, ever ironic, paired Lin Xun against one of the most feared.

Scene 2 — Enter the Beast

Opponent: Tu Ba, a disciple from the Mountain Warden branch.

Cultivation: Peak Foundation Establishment.

Bloodline: Mixed — Half-Spirit Wolf. Known for overwhelming strength and Berserker Qi.

He was a wall of muscle and menace, shirtless even in the morning chill, jagged tattoos crawling over his back.

"I like breaking bones," Tu Ba growled. "Yours will sing for me."

Lin Xun simply tightened the cloth around his wrists.

Scene 3 — Platform Eight: Clash

As the duel began, Tu Ba exploded forward — not walking, but leaping like a beast unchained.

"Spirit Wolf Claw: Iron Rend!"

His claws, wrapped in spiraling Qi, came down with mountain-splitting force.

Lin Xun's body blurred.

Void Step — but this time he reappeared above Tu Ba, descending like fire.

"Crimson Bone Pulse — Second Gate: Spinal Bloom."

He landed heel-first on Tu Ba's shoulder. A deep, sickening crack echoed as the beast-cultivator stumbled, roaring.

But Tu Ba didn't fall.

His eyes glowed blood-red. His tattoos began to twist.

"Berserker State!"

His muscles swelled, bones shifted. Qi exploded around him like a storm. He took the hit, then grabbed Lin Xun mid-air and slammed him to the ground.

Boom!

Dust engulfed the platform.

The crowd gasped.

"Is he—?"

The smoke parted.

Tu Ba stood tall… but something gleamed below him. Glowing red veins lit up from the cracks in the ground. Lin Xun crouched beneath him, bloodied but smiling.

"Wrong move."

"Crimson Bone Pulse — Third Gate: Burning Womb!"

A massive pulse of heat and force erupted from Lin Xun's core, catching Tu Ba point-blank. The beast-cultivator howled as his internal Qi shattered.

He fell.

Lin Xun collapsed to one knee — panting, burnt, but victorious.

"Winner — Lin Xun!"

Scene 4 — Aftermath

He was carried back to the waiting quarters. Elixir steam filled the room as he healed.

But his pendant — the jade fragment — was glowing again. He held it in his palm.

For a moment, he saw flashes in the dark: a battlefield, a girl, a sword without a hilt.

Scene 5 — Yan Qiruo's Whisper

That night, Lin Xun walked alone through the silent bonsai garden, near the Sky Bell Tower.

There, beneath the lanterns, sat Yan Qiruo, blindfolded as always.

"You shouldn't strain your body so quickly," she said without looking.

"And you shouldn't watch me so closely."

She turned her head slightly. "Do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The jade you carry. It sings to the stars. That's how I found you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you really?"

Yan Qiruo stood. Her shadow stretched far longer than it should have.

"I don't know yet. But I remember standing beside a man who shattered the sky… with a sword he forged from his own bones."

"You."

And then she was gone — like mist, leaving only cherry blossoms falling in her wake.

Scene 6 — Visions and Warnings

That night, the pendant grew hot again.

This time, Lin Xun saw not Xu Tianheng, but a memory buried deeper.

A child, surrounded by monks. Screaming. A celestial brand being burned into his chest.

A voice, low and grim:

"This one will become the vessel."

Lin Xun awoke gasping.

There were pieces of himself he still didn't know. Not from this life — or the one before.

Scene 7 — Elder Hai Chen's Private Audience

Summoned unexpectedly, Lin Xun entered the Silent Pagoda, where Elder Hai Chen waited.

"You've stirred the hornet's nest, boy."

"Let them sting," Lin Xun said.

Hai Chen chuckled. "You've drawn attention from the Outer Clans, the Heavenward Pavilion, and now the Mirror Hall wants your blood tested."

He passed Lin Xun a scroll.

"This is a list of the top 16 competitors. Study it. There's someone among them who hides a curse."

Lin Xun opened the scroll — and paused.

One name glowed faintly, written in silver ink that shimmered unnaturally.

"Li Zhenye – Affiliation: Unknown."

Final Scene — Night Before the Quarterfinals

Lin Xun sat beneath the moonlight, focused.

Qi cycled through his body. His meridians had begun shifting — reacting to his Void Root, expanding in unnatural ways.

His dantian glowed deep red — magma-like.

"Third Gate… stable. Fourth… coming soon."

He stood.

From behind him, the pendant hummed.

And in the sky above, a single star flared, unseen by anyone else.