End Of Phase One & Asuric Rebirth

Crack—

The sharp sound of knuckles popping echoed like a war drum in the cosmic sky.

Shen Yuan lowered his arms lazily, glancing at the distant prince of the Fengyue Royal Family. The young Prince's fingers danced, forming intricate signs that shimmered with divine light. Shen Yuan's smirk deepened. He knew whatever technique that royal brat was trying to activate, it wouldn't matter.

Because the moment had come.

Suddenly, a low bell tolled, its hum reverberating across the dying universe like a call from the heavens. Every disciple stilled. Every fight stopped. The atmosphere grew reverent, suffocating, heavy.

Then, a voice split the silence like thunder splitting the sky.

"The first phase ends now," announced the World Lord, his voice absolute, woven with laws of authority. "Cease all battles immediately."

The Crown Prince's hands froze mid-sign. His lips twitched in frustration but said nothing. No one dared oppose a command from the one who ruled Storm Jade Planet, the world they live in itself.

And then, with the mere flick of a finger of the World Lord, space warped.

In an instant, Shen Yuan, his five companions, and the surviving participants were transported from the dying universe—no longer suspended in that blood-soaked battlefield, but standing atop a colossal jade platform under a star-lit cosmic sky. Above them towered the World Lord, seated upon a floating obsidian throne that radiated unfathomable pressure. Beside him stood his envoy, robed in jade and gold.

The World Lord gazed upon them, his face unreadable—like a god judging mortals after a grand cosmic game.

"You have survived the first phase. I commend your endurance... but survival alone does not grant you the right to proceed."

Whispers broke out. Shen Yuan's companions—Dong Chen, Tang Jiyan, Shi Meixiu, Guo Bohai, and the always-jittery Xiang Xiaoli, all looked at each other with rising unease.

"Only ten sects or clans will advance to the second phase," the World Lord continued. "The rest shall return."

The World Lord's envoy stepped forward, smiling faintly.

"Let me explain this in a way you can understand," he said. "The first phase wasn't just a survival test—it was a stage, meant for us to observe, evaluate, and judge."

He unfurled a golden scroll, and continued, "The only ones eligible to advance are those whose team flags reached at least 90% qi accumulation. All others—will be disqualified."

The words were like a slap to the face.

All around, the disciples collapsed to their knees.

"What?! No one told us that—!" "We were too focused on staying alive…!" "If I knew, I wouldn't have wasted time hiding!"

Their wails echoed, but none dared raise their voices too high—not in front of the World Lord.

The envoy smirked and added, "Complaining now is pointless. The tallies are already recorded. And not everything in life will be expected."

He held up the scroll, glowing with divine light.

"Let's begin."

And then came the judgment.

"First—Fengyue Royal Family. Completion: 100%."

Predictable. Even Shen Yuan's team didn't react much—though Guo Bohai clicked his tongue.

"Typical pompous bastards," he muttered.

"Second—Sword God Sect. 98%."

A few cheers erupted from the distance.

"Third to sixth—Spirit Ice Pavilion, Heaven Beast Clan, Sun-Forging Sect, and Moon-Light Sect. All at 94%."

"Seventh to ninth—Dragonwood Valley, Mist Soul Sect, and Thunder Mirror Sect. 91%."

The air grew thick as anticipation peaked.

"Could it be us… please, just call out names…", some of the disciples who had close to 90% begged and hopped.

"Tenth and final—Twin Soul Sect. 90%."

Tang Jiyan let out a shout and hugged Xiang Xiaoli, who nearly stumbled. Xiang Xiaoli laughed, flicking her hair proudly. Even Dong Chen, usually reserved, allowed a gentle smile to form.

"We made it!" Xinag Xiaoli yelled. "By the heavens—we actually made it!"

Amid the celebration, Shen Yuan merely smiled faintly.

"Ninety percent. Exactly what I planned," he thought. "Anything more would've been pointless. This phase wasn't meant for glory or winning, only to pass."

From atop his throne, the World Lord's gaze lingered on Shen Yuan.

"That boy again," he thought, expression unreadable. "Calculating to the bone. No wasted movement, no effort beyond what was necessary. I wonder… what lies at the bottom of your abyss? Or maybe… his abyss is his clone.. We will see. Ha-ha-ha."

But then his eyes went to those who couldn't make it and were now looking like hopeless corpses.

Down below, disciples who didn't qualify were frozen in despair.

They had fought. Survived. Yet in the end—they were still cast aside like dust.

Shen Yuan turned to look at them, his expression devoid of sympathy.

"Mortals seek shortcuts," he mused. "But cultivators... aren't they supposed to rise above that? And yet, so many cling to life, avoid risk, hoard their strength… What difference is left?"

With another wave of the World Lord's hand, light descended upon the unchosen. One by one, they disappeared, teleported back to their sects—shattered, silent, and shamed.

Only ten teams remained.

"You will return to the planet," said the World Lord. "But not to your sects."

"The second phase will take place in the Storm Jade Country—my home."

Everyone there felt a trill course through their blood and bones.

Even Shen Yuan's blood surged at those words. Storm Jade Country—the seat of the planet's highest power, the place where destiny could shift at a mere whisper. It was more than just a territory. It was the heart of the Storm Jade Planet itself.

With a gesture, the World Lord opened a portal of swirling jade mist.

He stepped through first, his envoy following behind.

One by one, the chosen disciples followed, entering the portal into the next trial.

But far away…

In the dying universe, on a scarred planet where nothing grew, under a sky dyed scarlet with the blood of countless corpses—another story unfolded.

A lone figure sat in lotus position, unmoving atop blackened stone. The land around him decayed with every breath he took. Even the atmosphere cracked like glass.

His skin had turned deathly pale, his once white hair now a deep ashen purple. His eyes were shut tightly, sweat trailing down his sharp face. His aura pulsed with something... inhuman.

Above him, crimson lightning rained endlessly, burning his flesh, tearing his body apart with each strike, only to regenerate again.

But he never moved. He never screamed.

This was Shen Yuan's clone body, undergoing the Asura Inheritance Trial.

Around him, shadowy figures formed—ghostly apparitions of old Asuras long since dead.

"Slaughter… devour… conquer!" "You are the heir! Rise in blood!" "Lose yourself in wrath!"

Their voices echoed within his soul, trying to erode his sanity.

But the clone simply opened his mouth and muttered—

"You are dead. I am not. You failed. I won't."

Each word struck back at the madness like a sword.

The lightning intensified.

A final bolt, blacker than night and vast as the horizon, descended from the sky.

BOOM!

It obliterated the clone's body into ash—the planet itself trembled, cracks spreading across continents. The sky split. A nearby moon shattered, raining debris upon the planet like divine judgment.

And from the ashes…

He rose.

His body reformed, muscle and bone weaving themselves anew. His aura was no longer that of a Nirvana Realm cultivator like his main body.

It was something deeper. Something ancient. His aura felt similar to an Elysian Realm cultivator with the smell of death.

His eyes snapped open—no longer the calm light purple of his main body—but now glowing orange, like the smoldering core of a dying star. Even his aura itself alone seemed to be making cracks in the planet and extinguishing all nearby stars

A smile crept onto his lips.