My small hand wouldn't stop trembling, not even after I plunged the knife into his throat.
"A... khk…" Blood poured from the man's neck, staining him in bright red as he looked at me with pleading eyes. His lips trembled, as if trying to form words, but he couldn't.
It was the first time I ever saw a look of pleading, a look of fear of death… And since that day, I've seen many. So many, I can't even remember them all.
My father stood behind me, his eyes cold as ice, without a trace of mercy. He spoke without even blinking, his overwhelming presence gave me a constant sense that I had to obey him:
"Finish him, Mo Bai. Don't hesitate. No one can become strong in this world without killing."
I was afraid and hesitant, but I didn't cry, not a single tear fell from my eyes.
I also felt a strange emotion, completely different, even contradictory to the rest. A feeling I couldn't identify. Maybe it was satisfaction? Or relief? I don't know.
But that's what I felt as I stared at the flowing blood covering his clothes, while his trembling hand slowly fell, and the sound of his choking echoed in the air, that strange gurgling sound that hinted his end was near.
Why? Because I knew that weakness was forbidden, in fact, the greatest sin in this world.
I also think it was because of my burning desire for strength that my father's words had planted in me since early childhood. Maybe that was the reason, or maybe not? I truly don't know, and it's not like I really care.
The reasons don't matter. What matters is that the result is beneficial to me.
I was six years old at this time, and now, after everything I've been through, I can't remember his face… In fact, I couldn't even remember it just a few months after killing him. I don't know if that's normal, maybe I'm just too indifferent, but this coldness is what I need to survive in this world, to climb to the top.
I need strength to take control of my fate, that's why I never felt guilty about it, In fact, I felt complete relief.
All I can remember is the metallic scent of blood as I pulled the knife from his throat, and the continuous gurgling sound.
Not because I remember it personally, but simply because I've grown used to that scent and sound over the years. I can imagine them clearly, without effort.
That sound, that metallic scent, they were the foundation of strength. And even if time turned back, I would do the exact same thing again, Without hesitation.
But what I'm happiest about from that day, and most thankful to my father for, is that on that day, I understood the truth by which this world lives, a truth that was carved deep into my bones:
Strength… is the supreme law, and the weak? Nothing but prey waiting to be slaughtered.
In the Shadow Blade Clan, a clan where only the strong are respected, and cruelty reigns,
My journey began.
…
Four years had passed since that night.
In the far west of the Sealing Continent, deep within the lands of the Demonic Seal Sect, inside the borders of the Shadow Blade Clan.
Inside the Seal Awakening Hall.
The hall was vast. Black stone pillars stood tall throughout, carved from solid flintstone, with intricate engravings of coiling dragons decorating the surfaces. At the top, the clan's emblem was mounted for all to see, a pair of crossed black blades. Simple, elegant, and yet emanating an ominous darkness.
Over two hundred ten year old children stood in orderly lines. Their clothes varied greatly, revealing their social standing at a glance. Some wore lavish robes stitched with gold or woven from the finest silk. Others donned coarse or ragged garments, some even full of holes. The gap between them was painfully obvious.
All eyes were fixed on the stone platform at the front, where an elder stood in a dark purple robe beside a tall black pillar. Atop the pillar rested a transparent, gleaming white crystal, the tool that would decide the fate of every child here.
'Finally... the time has come to awaken the seals. Four years of training and planning… No, much more than four. My father began preparing this plan the moment he knew I would be born, even before I came into this world. And the plan has been refined ever since, for one single goal: to shatter the chains of fate that claim our strength is set from birth, determined by innate talent. I will break this belief, and prove that even without great talent, I can surpass them all... and crush them beneath my feet.'
Mo Bai's eyes gleamed with quiet determination. His expression was calm, betraying none of the storm raging inside. A gaze of unwavering resolve, much like many in the room... but driven by a goal none of them could imagine, a goal far beyond reason.
At that moment, the elder on the platform spoke in a heavy, indifferent voice. His wrinkled face showed no emotion, not even a flicker of a smile.
"Next."
A small, thin boy with messy brown hair stepped forward. His clothes were tattered, and his frail frame hinted at malnourishment. He trembled in fear, standing still for a moment as sweat streamed down his forehead. Then he bit his lip and placed his shaking hand on the crystal.
'Please light up… please… give me a seal.' he begged over and over in his mind, trembling. Despite his age, everyone knew what this moment meant, it would determine whether one would live a life of suffering or not. A truth etched into the minds of all since childhood. A simple law. One that could not be broken, at least not yet.
Seconds passed.
One second …
Two seconds…
Five seconds…
Nothing.
No flash. Not even a flicker. Silence blanketed the entire hall. All eyes remained on the crystal, waiting for it to respond. But it remained completely still.
"N-no... no, no, no, why...?" the boy whispered, eyes wide as tears welled at the corners. His face twisted in despair as he stumbled back, trembling.
Some gasped, but most faces twisted in scorn and mockery as they looked on. Meanwhile, the three seated elders observing the test darkened with displeasure.
"No innate seal," the purple-robed elder's voice echoed. This time, his tone held a trace of disdain, unlike the previous apathy. His gaze toward the boy was the same one one might give a bug: something lower than human, not even worth a glance.
At once, two guards moved without a word and seized the boy, who started screaming and sobbing.
"Please! Let me try again! I...!"
No one listened.
The guards dragged him toward the left side of the platform. One of them forced his right hand down onto a cold, black iron table.
Then a short, muscular man brought down a branding iron with merciless precision onto the back of his hand.
"HSSSST!"
"AAAAAH!"
A blood curdling scream echoed through the hall.
The child now bore a mark, a blazing red sun on the back of his right hand.
The slave's brand.
"Trash with no seal… this is all he deserves, one child thought with bitter contempt."
Whispers of disgust rippled through the crowd, scorn, mockery, indifference. No one cared about the cruelty of what had just happened. To them, it was nothing out of the ordinary. A person without power became a slave, that was the way of the world. It had always been.
Only a few lowered their heads with quiet sorrow. Just a handful. All of them wore rough clothes, with thin, underfed bodies.
They were the children of slaves, the only ones who carried hope of changing their family's fate.
Many others remained silent, their eyes filled with apathy. They had no interest in pitying others or mocking them either. Mo Bai stood among them, analyzing quietly.
'They brand them in front of us all to teach us that slaves are worthless, unworthy of care or attention. It's a clever move by the clan, to extinguish all compassion from our hearts while we're still young. Because cruelty... that's what they want from us. I wouldn't have understood this at my age if not for my father's continuous training, and the mental and analytical discipline he cultivated in me since I was small.'
And amid the hush, whispers, hidden grief, and the cries of the branded child, one boy leaned forward to whisper to the child in front of him in line. "If someone doesn't awaken an innate seal, they're supposed to be branded as a slave… but, you know, my cousin didn't get a seal and wasn't branded. Why? I don't get it."
His friend replied with a look of envy and a confused tone, "Your cousin's from the Bai faction, you idiot. Who would dare brand him as a slave? His father even bought him a Tier One seal afterward, so now he's a Seal Master too."
And so, the test continued as if nothing had happened.
One child after another stepped forward, each with a different result. But none had shown any exceptional talent yet.
'The children this year are average so far. No special talents yet… but today, the heirs of all three great factions are taking the test. We just need to wait a bit longer. The true competition begins when they step forward.'
The elder thought calmly, eyes filled with expectation, before motioning to the next child.
...
"Next: Yi Kang."
"He's Yi Kang, the heir to the Yi faction."
"They say he's more favored as a successor than his older brother, since that one only awakened a second grade seal, not exactly the talent of a future faction leader."
Amidst the growing whispers, a boy with a plain face stepped forward. His hair was coarse and brown, matching the shade of his eyes. He moved with confidence, no, with an unmistakable arrogance. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he had no fear at all of the outcome that awaited him. Then, without hesitation, he placed his hand on the crystal.
The moment Yi Kang touched the crystal, it took less than two seconds for a vibrant green light to flare. It surged outward, illuminating half the hall for a few brief moments. Then, on the back of his right hand, an intricate green pattern emerged.
"A third-grade Wind Seal, a rare innate talent." The elder in the purple robe loudly announced the emergence of the first third-grade talent in the Yi faction for this generation, drawing a wide smile on the face of Elder Yi, the leader of the Yi faction, who was seated to the left of the clan leader.
"Old Mo." Elder Yi said with a bright smile and a mocking tone, "it seems I now have a worthy heir. I appreciate your concern for my faction, but perhaps it's your own you should be worrying about. I sincerely wish you the best of luck in finding a successor as talented as my grandson."
"it's fine, Old Yi." Elder Mo replied, his tone gentle but laced with subtle mockery. "We're old friends, after all. I'd certainly have lent you a hand had your grandson failed to awaken a decent talent. But you needn't worry about my faction. My own grandson won't awaken anything below a third-grade seal. Unlike certain factions that have clearly begun to weaken over the years so much so that producing even a single third-grade talent becomes a miracle, our faction has maintained its strength. In fact, I'd say we're only getting stronger, haha."
Elder Mo responded with a gentle smile as well, though his tone carried clear sarcasm that masked his irritation. Meanwhile, Elder Yi clenched his fist tightly as he listened to his rival's words, veins bulging from the strain, yet outwardly he maintained only a friendly smile.
'What rotten luck.' Elder Mo thought, hiding his annoyance behind his calm expression. 'If Yi Kang hadn't managed to awaken a third-grade seal, my faction could've suppressed theirs completely. In time, we might've even absorbed them. Still… this is a sign. Their bloodline is weakening. Give it a few more years, and maybe they won't even be able to produce a single third-grade talent. That'll be our chance.'
While there was a hidden conflict between the two elders, at least hidden on the surface, though in truth it was clear to everyone. The one who had caused the spark between them now wore an even wider smile. It was far more arrogant than before and carried with it an overwhelming confidence.
After all, he was now backed by a real talent, not just empty words as before. He had obtained a remarkable talent, one that qualified him to become one of the strongest in the clan in the future. His arrogance was only natural; how could it not be, when he could now see himself as standing above all others? His fate was already sealed, dictated by his talent.
'Perfect! A third-grade seal. That position as faction leader is mine for sure. That poor older brother of mine… still clinging to hope, huh? Can't wait to see the look on his face once he hears about this. Whatever scraps of hope he's been holding on to will shatter completely.' Yi Kang's thoughts oozed malice, his smug smile still fixed in place.
At that same moment, now that his seal had appeared, the hall filled with sounds of awe and envy. Many of the children stared at Yi Kang with eyes full of jealousy and longing. A single thought echoed through the mind of all of them, or through the minds of most, at least: 'If only I had awakened a talent like that...' But talents weren't random, they were tied to bloodline. And for these children, whose parents and grandparents had never possessed any talent like that, it was nothing but a hollow dream.
In the midst of all this, Yi Kang stepped down from the platform with his arrogant smile still on his face, clearly enjoying the looks of envy and admiration from everyone.
'So Yi Kang received a third-grade innate seal, huh? Well, that's fine, It won't affect the plan in any way, whether he got a second-grade or third-grade talent. In fact, this might even benefit me somehow, I'll see in the future. No need to think on something so distant and unimportant right now.'
Mo Bai thought analytically, weighing the pros and cons and searching for anything that might aid in executing his plan, all while wearing a calm expression as he watched the rest of the test, patiently waiting for his turn.
…
"Next: Bai Ken."
Silence fell for a second, followed by light cheers and admiring whispers.
"It's Bai Ken!"
"His father is the clan leader… His seal must be amazing!"
A handsome boy stepped forward, his eyes slightly tinted purple, his posture steady and his smile faint. He placed his hand on the crystal.
"BOOM!"
The light exploded suddenly, accompanied by a strange humming sound. A dark black flash enveloped the hall for a few seconds, then a complex three-faced seal pattern appeared on his right hand.
"Level four Shadow Seal, a chief-level unique seal!" shouted one elder, standing up.
"Congratulations, Leader Bai!"
"A worthy heir to this bloodline."
The clan leader in the upper seats smiled quietly, while the children gathered around Bai Ken to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Bai Ken. You're the top genius of the clan, as expected of a great clan's heir."
Bai Ken turned with a light, indifferent smile, as if all of this had been expected from the start.
…
In the midst of this dazzling atmosphere, where many impressive talents had already emerged, the elder once again called out:
"Next: Mo Bai."
'It's finally my turn, Let's see what my innate seal will be. The result is mostly predictable, but nothing is ever set in stone, I'm truly excited. The plan will finally begin to take shape, either I rise to the top and shatter the shackles of this so called talent that's meant to define my fate, or I die trying. I will never allow my life to be predetermined!' Mo Bai's eyes gleamed with determination as he took his first steps towards the platform, towards what determine everyone's fate and status.