The dawn mist blanketed the Ye Clan's training grounds, soft and silver under the morning sun. Hundreds of clan disciples stood in ordered rows, tension thick in the air. Today was the Annual Clan Trial — a rite that determined one's future within the clan.
For most, it was a chance to prove themselves.
For Ye Tian, it was a test of patience.
He stood quietly among the junior disciples, his black training robes fluttering faintly in the wind. His calm, distant expression was unlike the nervous faces around him. Beside him, Ye Xiuying stood anxiously, her fingers clutching her brother's sleeve.
"Brother Tian… are you really joining this year? Father said only cultivators above the fourth layer should—"
"I am already at the fourth layer," Ye Tian interrupted, his tone soft yet unyielding. "You should worry about yourself, Xiuying. The trials aren't forgiving."
Her eyes widened. "But you're only ten!"
He glanced at her — a fleeting look of affection flickering through his otherwise cold gaze. "Age means nothing when strength decides who lives and dies."
Before she could respond, a sharp voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Everyone, assemble!"
The patriarch himself, Ye Fengyuan, strode forward — tall, commanding, and stern. His gaze swept across the disciples until it paused briefly on Ye Tian. A faint, approving glint flashed in his eyes before he masked it.
"Today marks the trial of the new generation," he declared, his voice carrying across the grounds. "The top ten will enter the Inner Hall, receive resources, and train under elite elders. The rest—" His expression hardened. "—will serve as outer disciples. The weak have no place at the top."
A murmur rippled through the ranks. Some whispered of confidence, others of fear.
Ye Tian's lips twitched faintly. The weak have no place at the top… how familiar.
When he was alive in his previous world, such words had been gospel. Strength was survival. Weakness was death. And so, when the elders led them into the Trial Valley, Ye Tian's mind was already several steps ahead.
---
The valley stretched vast and rugged, filled with cliffs, rivers, and the occasional beast cry. Each disciple was to gather Trial Tokens hidden throughout the valley, or steal them from others. Only the strongest would pass.
The elder raised his hand. "You have until dawn. Begin."
Dozens of figures shot forward, their steps filled with youthful energy. Ye Tian, however, didn't move immediately. He closed his eyes, feeling the faint pulse of the Night Immortal System lingering within him.
> [Daytime detected – Night Cultivation Restricted]
[Passive ability: Shadow Awareness (Minor) Active]
A ghost of a smile curved his lips. "Even during the day, the night never leaves me."
He moved, fast but silent. His body blurred between trees, avoiding unnecessary confrontations. While others hunted beasts, Ye Tian hunted opportunity.
By noon, he already had three tokens — taken from two defeated disciples and one carelessly hidden beneath a cliff crack.
When the sun began to dip, he sensed movement — four presences approaching rapidly. His eyes opened, cold and calculating.
"Ye Tian!" a familiar voice shouted. A tall youth, Ye Ming, stepped out with a smirk. "Didn't think you'd actually enter. This is where children get hurt."
Behind him, three of his cronies chuckled. "Heh, the little prodigy thinks he can fight without his bedtime moon."
Ye Tian didn't speak. He dropped the pouch containing his tokens to the ground. "You want them?"
Ye Ming smirked. "Obviously."
"Then come and take them."
The taunt was simple — but deadly.
Ye Ming lunged, his qi flaring as he launched a palm strike. Ye Tian shifted sideways, his footwork graceful, almost lazy. His movements weren't flashy — they were precise, controlled.
A sharp turn, a counterstep — Ye Ming's attack missed entirely.
Before the older boy could recover, Ye Tian's elbow crashed into his ribs, sending him sprawling into a tree.
The others charged at once. Ye Tian's eyes flickered silver for a split second. He exhaled slowly. The sun may blind me… but the shadows still answer.
His qi rippled faintly. The faintest shimmer of darkness coiled around his hands — a trace of Moonlight Qi, sustained through sheer control.
He struck.
The first attacker was silenced by a palm to the throat. The second was tripped mid-step and slammed into the dirt. The third tried to flee — and found Ye Tian already behind him.
A cold whisper grazed his ear. "Running from the night won't save you."
The boy collapsed moments later.
When it was done, Ye Tian stood alone among the unconscious forms. He picked up the tokens scattered on the ground, brushing dust off his sleeve.
> [Trial Tokens: 7]
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the horizon. The sun was sinking. "Good. Now it's my time."
---
As night fell, Ye Tian's true strength unfolded.
The moonlight cascaded through the valley, bathing him in silver radiance. The Night Immortal System surged alive.
> [Moonlight Detected – Power Amplified x10]
[Cultivation Progress Accelerated]
[Skill Enhancement: Shadow Step (Intermediate)]
His body grew lighter, faster. His senses sharpened to an unnatural clarity. Every leaf, every sound of movement — all became part of him.
He struck like lightning through the night, claiming token after token. By dawn, his total had surpassed twenty.
When the elders gathered the disciples the next morning, many were battered and exhausted. Ye Ming and his group limped in with shame, avoiding Ye Tian's gaze.
The elder counted Ye Tian's tokens, his eyes widening slightly. "Twenty-three tokens…?"
Whispers erupted among the disciples.
"He's only ten!"
"That's more than anyone in the outer courtyard!"
"Who… even is he?"
Ye Tian stood quietly, indifferent to the noise.
From the main platform, Patriarch Ye Fengyuan's lips curved into a faint, approving smile. So, the boy truly inherited that physique… Good. The night favors him.
When the results were announced, Ye Tian stood first among all disciples — the youngest to ever enter the Inner Hall in the clan's history.
Xiuying rushed up to him, eyes sparkling. "Brother! You did it!"
He looked at her and smiled faintly. "Did you ever doubt it?"
She pouted playfully. "Never!"
He chuckled softly, ruffling her hair. "Then keep watching. The path I'll walk will only grow darker from here."
As they left the arena, whispers followed him — admiration, jealousy, fear.
But Ye Tian didn't care. The shadows moved with him, whispering secrets only he could hear.
> [Inner Hall Access Granted]
[New Quest: Survive the Inner Court Politics]
[Reward: Hidden Technique – Lunar Shadow Art]
He looked toward the distant moon, even as daylight crept across the horizon.
"The stronger I grow… the deeper the shadows I'll need."
And thus, the boy who was once a ghost began to carve his name into the light — as the Shadow of the Ye Clan.