The sun filtered through thick paper windows as Zhen Zenin rose before dawn. His training had grown harsher—three hours of stance breaking, two hours of breath control, followed by mental exercises designed to recreate his past-life Hell Arts without attracting too much attention.
He was still stuck at the peak of Qi Gathering Realm, one final step before entering Foundation Establishment. The power clawed at his veins, begging to explode, but Zenin forced restraint.
> "Stability breeds strength. Foundation is not just a realm… it's the pillar of dominion."
The academy's grand square echoed with the sounds of sparring. Groups of disciples had begun forming early alliances in preparation for the Academy Combat Trials—a tradition where each student's power would be tested before graduation. It was still weeks away, but for Zenin, every moment mattered.
Instructors noted his solitary path. He refused every invitation to form a group, even when Yue Qing herself sent an emissary.
"I fight alone," Zenin said simply.
In the shadows, however, his isolation made him a target.
Three older disciples from a rival clan—Wei Tan, Lu Shan, and Bai Fei—approached him outside the alchemy courtyard. All three were at mid-to-late Qi Gathering stage.
"Zhen Zenin, you've risen fast," Wei Tan smirked. "Too fast, actually. Makes people… nervous."
Zenin didn't look up. "Then don't watch me."
Lu Shan cracked his knuckles. "We think it's time you learned how the hierarchy here works."
Zenin closed his book gently.
A moment later, all three disciples lay groaning in the mud, their bones bent at unnatural angles.
Zenin's voice was quiet, deadly:
> "In my past life, I conquered the thrones of Hell without a clan, a sect, or a name. You think I fear three spoiled brats?"
From a distance, Yue Qing watched everything unfold, her expression unreadable.
Back at the Zhen estate, Zhen Mei stood in her private courtyard with a messenger kneeling before her.
"He crippled three students from the Wei Clan?" she asked.
"Yes, Madam."
She turned away. "Good. Let them hate him. Let the clans whisper. It will make his fall more... satisfying."
Unseen beneath the manor's floors, a sealed jade box glowed faintly.
Inside, an ancient talisman pulsed.
Zhen Mei gazed at it once more.
> "If it comes to it, I'll use the Soul-Searing Seal. Even if he is my son…"
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