The Radiant Jade Sect stood upon the highest cliffs of the Jadeveil Continent, its towers sculpted from moonstone and spiritual jade. Blossoms bloomed eternally in its gardens, and every disciple bore a heart purified by sacred Qi. It was a place of law, of light.
And tonight, it mourned.
---
Inside the Healing Pavilion, Xiao Lian lay on a bamboo bed, bandaged and silent. Her brother, Lei Fen, was still unconscious beside her, skin marked with blackening veins — a sign of the Thousand Serpent Sect's Shadow Venom.
Grandmaster Yu Shenshui, ruler of the Radiant Jade Sect, stood at her side, golden robes flowing like waterfalls of light.
"You were ambushed," he said.
She nodded. "Yes… by a single boy."
The grandmaster narrowed his eyes. "One?"
"He moved like death, but spoke like a prince." Lian's voice trembled. "He killed the others instantly, but with me… he stopped."
"Stopped?" Shenshui frowned.
"Yes. He could've killed me. He didn't."
She looked down at her hands. "There was hesitation. Not weakness—conflict. He's dangerous not because of his power… but because he doesn't know what he is yet."
Yu Shenshui stood in silence, gazing out at the moonlit mountains.
"This boy—what was his name?"
"I don't know. But he had pale hair. Eyes like night. A serpent mark crawling up his neck."
Yu's hand clenched.
"...Yin Wuxie," he muttered.
Lian's eyes widened. "You know him?"
"I knew his mother," the Grandmaster said softly. "Before she was condemned . Before she bore a child destined for shadow."
---
Meanwhile – Thousand Serpent Sect, Inner Venom Chambers
Yin Wuxie knelt once more inside the dark crystal chamber, steam rising from poison pools around him. Dozens of venomous serpents slithered near, bowing their heads to him. At the center of the chamber floated a jade scroll — ancient, bound in demonic seals.
Han Wu's voice echoed from the shadows.
"You let her live. And yet… the scroll opened for you."
Wuxie's eyes flicked to the scroll, glowing faintly in his presence.
"I didn't hesitate," he muttered. "I studied her."
Han Wu cackled. "So now the serpent learns patience."
He stepped forward, hands clasped.
"You are to leave the Sect for a while. The Azure Cloud Pavilion sends an envoy. Their elder's grandson was among the dead."
Wuxie stood.
"Let them come."
"No. You will go away. Until the heat dies down. There's a continent to the east—Bonewind Plains. You will enter the Blood Trials there. Survive them. Grow."
Wuxie raised an eyebrow.
"And if I refuse?"
Han Wu smiled darkly.
"You were born from evil, boy. But evil is useless if it is not sharpened by pain."
---
Far from both Sects – Azure Cloud Pavilion
Inside a sky temple of blue lightning and roaring storms, a figure trained alone—each strike of his palm splitting stone and air alike.
He was called Lan Renshu, grandson of Pavilion Lord Lan Jie. Prodigy of wind, fury, and vengeance.
When word reached him of the deaths at the Serpent Sect—one of them his cousin—his wrath exploded.
"The boy with the serpent mark will beg to die."
---
Final Scene – Midnight on the Edge of the World
Yin Wuxie stood atop a cliff, overlooking the Bonewind Plains. His robes billowed, his Qi sealed to avoid detection. Somewhere below, the Blood Trials awaited — a series of brutal challenges meant to forge cultivators into monsters.
He touched his serpent mark, which pulsed faintly. And then… he touched his chest.
Where the talisman had burned him.
Where Xiao Lian had spared him from himself.
"She's a fool," he whispered.
But his hand lingered.
The very Next he had left the sect , heading for the Blood Trials. A week's journey it will take.
Day One – Departure from the Thousand Serpent Sect
The poison mists of the Thousand Serpent Mountains thinned behind him as Yin Wuxie stepped through the Sect's outer veil. His robes, ink-black with silver threading, shimmered faintly with the Sect's protective seal. At his side, a chained bone dagger whispered with silent hunger, and on his back, a sealed scroll pulsed like a heartbeat.
He had no companions. No goodbyes.
Only orders.
"Survive the Trials. Hide from Azure Cloud. Return when you are stronger."
Ahead lay Bonewind Plains, a lawless frontier bordered by desolate cliffs, ancient forests, and roving beast territories. It was a seven-day trek—if he moved fast. The land between sects was no man's land, where rogue cultivators, failed disciples, spirit beasts, and bounty hunters roamed freely.
Yin Wuxie smiled faintly.
"This is where the prey becomes predator."
Day Two – Mistpine Hollow
By the second night, Wuxie camped within a valley of ancient trees known as Mistpine Hollow, a quiet forest choked with pale fog. He carved protective runes into bark, warding off minor beasts, and roasted the tail of a six-legged lizard he had slain with a single throw of his dagger.
His Qi stirred lazily around him, coiling like smoke. He sat cross-legged, meditating under the stars.
A shrill scream echoed.
Then silence.
He stood slowly, hand gripping the dagger's bone hilt.
Something else was in Mistpine.
Day Three – The Ashen Wolf Pack
Near dawn, the silence was broken by growling. Emerging from the trees were a pack of Ashen Wolves, creatures known for hunting spiritual cultivators by tracking their Qi signatures. They circled his camp, eyes glowing white, fangs dripping with condensed spirit venom.
But Wuxie didn't run. He raised his hand, releasing the seal on his left palm.
A faint black glow emanated—Corrupted Qi.
The lead wolf lunged—
Wuxie caught it midair by the jaw, twisted its head, and flung the corpse at the others.
"I'll leave one alive," he said flatly, "if it can run."
The rest fled.
He cleaned his blade and walked away, dragging the lead wolf's body to harvest its spirit core.
Day Four – Encounter on Hollow Cliff Road
By the fourth day, Wuxie followed Hollow Cliff Road, a broken mountain path wrapped around a sea of clouds. The wind screamed, and birds of prey hovered high above.
Halfway through the pass, he saw someone ahead — a girl in scarlet robes, crouched by a broken cart.
She noticed him and stood slowly, hand brushing the curved blade at her hip.
"You don't look like a merchant," she said.
"You don't look like a traveler."
They eyed each other.
She introduced herself: Mei Hanli, outer disciple of the Falling Lotus Sect. She too was headed to the Blood Trials.
Wuxie gave a false name. Jin Wei.
They shared a fire that night — distant, silent, cold. Mei was cautious, but respectful. She didn't know who he truly was. Wuxie didn't sleep. He watched her, and weighed the odds of her being useful.
Day Five – Spirit Beast Nest
The next morning, they entered a ravine said to be safe.
It was not.
BOOM.
The earth cracked. Trees snapped. A Horned Spirit Ape—an early Nascent Core beast—charged from the mist, its roar shattering stone.
Mei cursed and activated a talisman.
Wuxie simply raised his hand.
Snap.
His Qi erupted — dark, dense, and unnatural. It twisted around the ape like chains. The beast screamed, thrashed—
And then froze, its body drained of color.
"You're… not normal," Mei whispered, pale.
He smiled faintly.
"Neither are you, to survive this long."
Day Six – The Mountain of Forgotten Steps
Mei departed in the early hours. No goodbyes.
Wuxie continued alone, crossing the Mountain of Forgotten Steps, a range where time and memory twisted due to long-dead heavenly spirits. The path stole his sense of direction.
But not his will.
He used a cursed thread from his pouch—an artifact from the Thousand Serpent Sect. It absorbed memories of terrain as he walked, forming a living map of his path.
He whispered to it: "Show me the path forward."
It responded with a faint glow. He followed.
Day Seven – Arrival at Bonewind
The air turned dry and sour.
At last, he reached the border of Bonewind Plains — a vast, cracked landscape where blood soaked the soil and shrines of dead cultivators littered the horizon.
A massive tower of bone and steel loomed in the distance: the Trial Gate. Behind it lay a battleground—ruthless, ancient, and soaked in centuries of suffering.
Dozens of figures gathered below: competitors from various sects, mercenaries, and rogues.
Some watched him.
One stepped forward—a tall boy from the Iron Vulture Sect.
"You look weak. Where's your Sect's emblem?"
Wuxie didn't respond. He unsheathed his dagger.
"I don't wear emblems." Slash. The boy screamed, blood spraying the dusty wind.
Wuxie walked past the others, calm.
"Let the Trials begin."