The crimson dawn spilled over the sect like a blade across silk.
Su Chen stood on the edge of the Trial Arena, a wide, open pit encircled by wooden stands where outer disciples gathered like vultures awaiting a carcass. Murmurs rolled through the crowd—many had come to watch the village mutt get crushed.
After all, Lu Shan, a first-stage Qi Gathering disciple, had issued the challenge.
And Su Chen? Still a mortal.
Or so they thought.
> [System Alert]
[Anchor Point Available – "Trial by Blood"]
[Would you like to set a Reset Anchor here?]
Su Chen accepted without hesitation. The world shimmered faintly—only for him—as time solidified. His checkpoint was now locked.
If he died today, he would start again here—knowing what to avoid, who to watch, and how to win.
But he didn't plan to die.
Lu Shan swaggered into the arena like a rooster surrounded by hens. His red-hemmed robe fluttered behind him, and the polished saber at his hip glinted under the morning sun.
He sneered. "You sure you want to go through with this, shrine rat? You can still bow, kiss my boots, and back out."
Su Chen stepped into the ring.
"I'm here to clean the sect," he said softly. "I figured I'd start with the trash."
The disciples roared with laughter.
Even the presiding elder, a balding man named Elder Hai, chuckled from the officiator's seat. He sipped from his gourd of spirit wine and waved lazily.
"Begin."
The moment the word left his mouth, Lu Shan launched forward.
His saber flashed—a horizontal arc aimed to slice across Su Chen's chest.
Fast. Controlled. A technique called Red Serpent's Fang—meant to cripple but not kill.
Su Chen sidestepped with minimal movement, just enough to let the blade whistle past his ribs.
Too slow.
Lu Shan blinked. The edge of his blade missed by inches.
Su Chen's palm shot forward—not with brute force, but precision—striking Lu Shan's elbow joint.
A sickening crack echoed across the arena.
Lu Shan screamed.
The saber clattered to the dirt.
> [System Notification]
[Critical Hit – Joint Dislocation Detected]
[Enemy Combat Ability Temporarily Reduced by 70%]
Gasps echoed through the crowd. Whispers turned to stunned silence.
Elder Hai sat upright.
Su Chen pressed forward. His movements were flowing, relentless, like a serpent made of shadow and breath.
Void Walking Fist – Second Form: Sever the Pulse
A low strike targeted Lu Shan's left thigh—his stance leg.
Lu Shan stumbled. Another crack.
Blood splattered the arena floor.
> [Martial Rank Advanced: Void Walking Fist – Intermediate]
[New Passive Unlocked: Phantom Step (Rank I)]
Su Chen stopped moving.
Lu Shan lay groaning in the dirt, his leg twitching, mouth foaming from pain and shame.
The disciples who had cheered moments ago now watched in wide-eyed disbelief.
A mortal had just humiliated a Qi Gathering disciple using nothing but technique and timing.
"Submit," Su Chen said quietly.
Lu Shan's hand twitched. Rage and agony twisted his face.
"I… I'll kill you—!"
Su Chen raised a hand.
Then lowered it. Not a threat. Just a message:
You're not worth the energy.
He turned away.
But Elder Hai's voice rang out.
"Winner: Su Chen."
> [System Reward Unlocked: Trait Copy – "Flowing Saber Arts (Basic)"]
[Qi Channeling Permission: Temporary Unlock (48 hours)]
Su Chen blinked.
Qi swirled faintly in his dantian for the first time—like a river beginning to thaw.
It wasn't much. But it was the crack in the dam.
That night, Su Chen sat cross-legged in the corner of the filthy barracks, ignoring the whispers and fearful glances of the other disciples.
Lu Shan had been carried away—howling, his limbs bound, his pride shattered.
And Su Chen?
He finally felt Qi enter his body again after ten thousand years.
Faint. Weak. But familiar.
> [New Objective Unlocked: Break Through to Qi Gathering Within 7 Days]
[Optional: Do So Without Consuming Spirit Stones]
He smiled.
He didn't need pills or luck.
He had time—and the System.
And now, the sect was watching.
Some feared him.
Some hated him.
And others… would soon come to him, whispering alliances in the shadows.
But no one would ever ignore him again.
Not in this life.