The sun rose like molten gold spilling across mountains. Mist dissolved. Birds cried. Trial day continued.
Lin Xuan walked carefully, arms cradling the gentle hare spirit beast he had won through patience and trust.
His steps were small but firm.
His heart, nervous but steady.
He had captured life without harming it.
That alone made him proud.
But peace is fragile.
Jealousy in the Woods
A group emerged from behind trees. Young men with bruises, torn clothes, frustrated eyes. They had failed — and failure demands someone to blame.
Their leader sneered.
"You caught one? A weakling like you?"
Lin Xuan stiffened.
"I… didn't cheat."
"Oh, we know," the leader laughed coldly.
"That's why we'll take it."
He reached out, fingers sharp with greed—
Step.
Gu An appeared silently beside Lin Xuan.
No aura.
No threat.
Just presence.
The group froze without understanding why.
Gu An spoke, voice light as passing air:
"Those who steal fortune… lose their own."
Not a warning.
A statement of nature.
Their hearts trembled inexplicably.
Suddenly, the beast thief swallowed and backed away.
"L-let's go."
They fled — not from fear of power, but instinct.
Predators sometimes feel something deeper — the abyss behind a harmless face.
Lin Xuan exhaled shakily.
"Senior Brother…"
Gu An only nodded.
Helped, yet didn't fight for him.
Balance remained.
Brilliance of the Protagonist
In another part of the trial grounds, light erupted like a second sunrise.
Chu Feng stood in a clearing, palm raised.
A wolf-beast lunged.
He didn't draw a weapon.
Instead—
He tapped the air.
A golden sound like a temple bell rang.
BOOM.
The beast crashed unconscious. Leaves spiraled. Shockwaves rippled.
Elders watching from above stroked their beards.
"A Supreme Spirit Pulse—rare."
"Heaven's fortune blesses him deeply."
Even outer sect disciples trembled with admiration.
"Senior Brother Chu is destined!"
His followers cheered.
The world applauded.
Heaven's chosen shone brilliantly.
And in his shadow — a path unseen grew quietly.
A Glimpse, Then Fog
A young woman in violet robes observed from afar — a senior outer disciple known for her calm perception.
Her eyes drifted across the crowd…
and briefly paused on Gu An.
Something felt… still.
Too still.
Not emptiness — but quiet depth.
Like looking at a lake and sensing the ocean below.
Her brow furrowed.
A faint whisper escaped her lips:
"Who…?"
Then Gu An moved.
Not fast — simply a natural step.
But instantly the feeling dissolved, like trying to remember a dream that vanishes at dawn.
She blinked. Then shook her head.
"A hallucination."
The world forgot him again.
Just as planned.
A Pulse Beyond Heaven
A breeze stirred — yet no leaves moved.
A thin vibration hummed across the sky, too faint for mortals, too subtle for cultivators. Not qi, not divine will — a cosmic heartbeat.
Gu An's eyes lifted.
The heavens above were calm.
But deeper — through layers unseen — something trembled.
A whisper of future vastness.
A promise — or warning — of cosmic stages yet unborn.
No one else felt it.
Not even fate's chosen.
Gu An breathed slowly.
"Beyond stars, beyond heavens… beyond rules."
The path was infinite.
And patient.
Life Multiplies
Inside his inner world — microscopic light flickered.
Two tiny life forms touched, split, spread.
Cell division.
A universe taking its second breath.
A whisper of evolution echoed through his soul.
Fragile. Simple. Perfect.
Gu An watched quietly.
No interference.
Life must climb on its own molecules.
He understood more:
"Creation is not power. Creation is acceptance — allowing existence to choose itself."
Thus, without noise, his world expanded again.