THIS IS JUST AN ALTERNATE PLOT I HAD THOUGHT, WHICH WAS REMOVED ACCORDINGLY SORRY IF IT CAUSED CONFUSION,THE 5TH CHAPTER WILL BE THE 4TH IN ACTUALITY.
(Age: 9)
The world outside the Ye Clan's mountain was vast—filled with dangers and power that could crush a boy like Ye Tian without a thought. But within those towering walls, the child who once crawled in darkness was beginning to sharpen his own shadow.
The night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the scent of pine and rain. Beneath the moonlight, Ye Tian's small form sat cross-legged, unmoving, his expression calm and eyes closed.
Above him shimmered faint threads of moonlight that weaved into his meridians, seeping through his skin like silver mist. The ground around him was cold, yet the spiritual energy thrummed warmly within his veins.
> [Night Cultivation System: Progress +120% under lunar resonance]
[Physique evolution threshold approaching—Night Immortal Physique awakening: 12%]
Ye Tian's brows twitched as a low hum filled his body. A cold sweat broke down his neck as the pain of the transformation tore through his muscles, bones, and core. The sensation was unbearable for a child his age—like molten fire and freezing ice clashing within his flesh.
He bit down hard on his lip, his childish face hardening with an expression too mature for his years. "Pain… means growth," he whispered, his voice trembling yet resolute.
When dawn broke, the world bathed in gold—but the child remained unmoving. Only when sunlight touched his face did he open his eyes. They gleamed with a faint silver light before fading into their usual black.
From behind the courtyard wall, a soft gasp echoed.
Ye Xiuying stood there, her big eyes wide as she peeked through the gap. Her cheeks were flushed from running, her little hands clutching the corner of her robes. "Brother… again? You didn't sleep all night?"
He turned to her, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Sleep is for those who can afford to waste time."
"But you're still small!" she huffed, marching in. "Mother said children who don't sleep will stop growing!"
Ye Tian chuckled—a sound rare and fleeting. "Then I'll just grow stronger instead."
The girl pouted, but her worry softened as she looked at the sweat clinging to his skin. Despite his words, his small body trembled slightly, his face pale. Without another word, she ran to fetch a towel, wiping him down carefully, her lips pursed.
"Someday," she said softly, "you'll be the strongest… but you'll still be my brother."
He glanced at her, something complicated flickering behind his calm expression. "Always."
---
A Year Later (Age: 10)
The Ye Clan's training ground roared with shouts and clashing of wooden blades. Dust rose as dozens of young disciples sparred under the stern eyes of their instructors.
Ye Tian moved among them like a shadow. Every strike he took was measured, every step placed with lethal precision. His body was still that of a boy, but his movements were cold, practiced—unnaturally calm.
"Ye Tian!" The instructor barked. "You hold back again. Do you think your opponent will spare you in battle?"
The boy said nothing. His wooden blade blurred, striking his opponent's wrist, knee, and neck in three swift motions. The other boy fell, gasping.
Ye Tian's eyes were expressionless. "A dead opponent can't strike back."
The instructor's scolding froze in his throat. After a pause, he only nodded slightly. "...Continue."
Among the watching crowd, a young girl with sharp eyes stood out—Mu Qingyao, eldest daughter of one of the clan's inner elders. Her cultivation talent was praised across the clan. Yet as she watched Ye Tian's cold precision, something unreadable flickered in her gaze.
That night, under the moon's pale light, she found him in the courtyard again—training alone, as always.
"Do you ever rest?" she asked, stepping closer.
"Rest is a luxury."
"You sound like an old man," she teased lightly, then noticed his bleeding knuckles. "You push yourself too hard."
Ye Tian didn't look up. "If I don't, I'll be weak. And weakness invites death."
She frowned, unfamiliar with that kind of conviction. "You're only ten, you know."
He looked at her finally, eyes dark but steady. "Age means nothing in the face of a blade."
For a moment, she couldn't speak. Then she sighed softly and sat beside him, watching as he resumed his movements. "Then… at least don't face it alone. Even shadows can share the moonlight sometimes."
Ye Tian's rhythm faltered for the first time. The words lingered longer than they should have.
---
Three Years Later (Age: 13)
The boy who had once trembled under moonlight now stood atop a cliff, his black hair whipping in the cold wind.
Below him, the valley shimmered with faint silver—hundreds of Nightshade disciples, all following his lead. The group was small, secret, and silent. Created by Ye Tian as a means of training those like him—orphans, outcasts, and the overlooked.
The Ye Clan's elders saw it as a minor initiative. But among those who trained under him, the name Nightshade Hall carried reverence.
And in the shadows of the training ground, Mu Qingyao watched him again—this time not as a curious girl, but as someone who saw in him a light darker and stronger than anything she'd known.
---
As the night fell, Ye Tian stood alone beneath the old pine. The system's glow pulsed in his vision.
> [Night Immortal Physique awakening: 54%]
[Moonlight affinity increased.]
[Next evolution threshold: Bloodline resonance required.]
Bloodline resonance… His gaze hardened. That meant combat. That meant risk.
And the world was full of both.
Tomorrow, the clan trials would begin.
He looked once more at the distant lights of the Ye estate, then at the moon above.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "the night remembers its heir."