Morning mist clung to the mountains like a lingering breath.
The branch sect lay quiet behind Astra Long, its stone paths worn smooth by generations of mediocrity and struggle. He stood at the edge of the descending road, robe stirring gently in the cold wind, eyes calm as if nothing here could hold him anymore.
Behind him, footsteps stopped.
Chu Feng stood there, fists clenched at his sides, lightning flickering faintly beneath his skin—still immature, still unstable, but no longer lost.
"So… this is where we split," Chu Feng said.
Astra didn't turn right away.
"Yes."
Chu Feng looked at the long road ahead—the one Astra would take.
"The main Azure Dragon School," he muttered. "That's where monsters gather."
Astra finally faced him.
"Then it's the right place."
Chu Feng snorted softly. "You really don't hesitate, do you?"
"I hesitate," Astra replied calmly. "I just don't stop."
For a moment, neither spoke.
The wind carried the distant clang of morning bells. Somewhere behind them, disciples were already gathering, whispering about promotions, assassins, and impossible growth.
The Elder's Decision
Elder Jian stood upon the stone platform, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze rested on Astra with a heaviness that had nothing to do with cultivation pressure.
"You no longer belong to this branch sect," the elder said plainly.
No ceremony. No praise.
Just truth.
Remaining elders watched in silence. Some feared Astra. Some admired him. None understood him.
Elder Jian produced a jade token and tossed it forward.
"Direct entry into the main Azure Dragon School," he said. "Inner Hall observation status."
A ripple went through the gathered disciples.
Direct entry.
No outer disciple trials.
No humiliation ladder.
Astra caught the token and inclined his head.
"I accept."
Elder Jian's eyes sharpened.
"The main school is not a place for fairness," he warned. "Talent is hunted. Strength is tested. Secrets are torn open."
A pause.
"If you survive there… this continent will no longer be enough for you."
Astra met his gaze evenly.
"Then I'll keep walking."
For the first time, Elder Jian felt uncertain whether he had just sent a genius forward—
—or unleashed something that would one day walk beyond his understanding.
Bai Ruyin's Parting Gift
As the gathering dispersed, Bai Ruyin approached.
Her expression was composed. Too composed.
"You're leaving," she said.
"Yes."
She looked at him for a long second longer than necessary.
"The main school is dangerous," she said quietly. "People smile while sharpening knives."
Astra nodded. "I know."
She slipped a thin, silver formation plate into his hand.
"One-time life-seeking formation," she said stiffly. "If you break it, I'll know you're alive. That's all."
Their fingers brushed.
She pulled back instantly.
"…Don't die," she added, almost angrily.
Astra closed his fingers around the plate."I won't."
Inside his dantian, the sealed Spirit Queen stirred faintly.
"…you attract trouble," she muttered coldly.
"…and women."
Astra ignored her.
Two Roads
At the mountain fork, Astra and Chu Feng stopped.
This time, Chu Feng bowed—but not deeply.
"I'll reach you," Chu Feng said, eyes burning. "Not as someone chasing… but as someone standing beside you."
Astra placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll wait."
Lightning flickered unconsciously around Chu Feng's arm.
Then he turned and walked down his path without looking back.
Astra watched him go.
Not as a protagonist from a story.
But as a boy who would one day shake the world.
The Silent Step Forward
Astra turned toward the main road.
The moment his foot crossed the invisible boundary between branch and core territory, the world did not shake.
No light.
No omen.
No reaction from heaven or earth.
Nothing changed.
And yet—
everything did.
Within Astra himself, something acknowledged the transition.
No voice explained it.
No will announced itself.
A single, silent certainty passed through him—
as natural and unquestionable as gravity.
DING.
The sound existed only for him.
DING!
[Sign-In Complete]
[Location: Path to the Azure Dragon Main School]
[Reward Delivered]
His cultivation stabilized, foundations settling as if they had always been meant to stand this way. His sealed bloodline quieted, suppression becoming more refined rather than strained. Even the Spirit Queen's seal adjusted subtly—growth preserved, impatience restrained.
Astra frowned slightly.
So that's it?
No explanation.
No clarification.
The system did not answer questions.
It never had.
The Main Azure Dragon School
By dusk, the gates appeared.
Ancient stone pillars carved with dragon veins rose into the clouds. Layers upon layers of formations breathed silently, regulating spirit energy, filtering intent, rejecting the unworthy.
Disciples moved through the gates like flowing rivers of ambition.
Some were geniuses.
Some were beasts.
Some were hiding teeth behind polite smiles.
As Astra stepped through—
Formations scanned him.
Paused.
Found nothing worth reacting to.
And let him pass.
Exactly as he walked.
Inside him, the Spirit Queen murmured faintly:
"…so this is where noise truly begins…"
Astra's lips curved slightly.
"Then stay sealed," he replied silently. "It'll be loud for a while."
She huffed.
"…try not to embarrass me, mortal."
The gates closed behind him.
Ahead lay the true stage of this world….