001 : Lin Tian, the discraged Cultivator.

The sun was setting behind the towering peaks of Blazing Sky Sect, casting a golden hue over the training hall. But despite the beautiful evening sky, the atmosphere inside the hall was anything but peaceful.

Lin Tian stood in the center of the arena, his breathing ragged, his robe tattered, and fresh blood dripping from the corner of his lips. Surrounding him were dozens of disciples, all sneering at him with undisguised mockery.

"Lin Tian, how many times do you need to be humiliated before you finally give up?"

A young man in a royal blue robe embroidered with gold stepped forward. Mo Wu, one of the sect's most talented disciples, smirked as he looked down at Lin Tian.

Unlike Mo Wu, Lin Tian was the sect's disgrace—a cultivator who had been training for years but had never been able to advance past the Foundation Qi Realm. No matter how hard he tried, his dantian was weak, his talent nonexistent.

Lin Tian clenched his fists. He knew what was coming. Every evening, after daily training, he would be called into this arena—not to spar, but to be used as entertainment.

"What's wrong?" Mo Wu mocked. "Are you going to fight back?"

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Lin Tian had heard it all before.

Mo Wu crossed his arms, his smirk widening. "Oh, right. I forgot. Trash like you can't fight back."

More laughter followed, echoing through the hall. Lin Tian was nothing but a joke to them.

But then, a voice interrupted.

"Enough."

At the top of the platform, an elder of the sect, Elder Liu, stood with an impassive expression. His gaze landed on Lin Tian, filled with disappointment.

"Lin Tian," Elder Liu said coldly. "You have brought enough shame to the Blazing Sky Sect. You are not worthy of training in this hall."

Lin Tian's eyes widened. "Elder, please! Give me one more chance! I—"

"Another chance?" Elder Liu scoffed. "You have been training for years, yet you have never advanced past the lowest realm. If not for the sect's mercy, you would have been expelled long ago."

Lin Tian's body trembled. In the corner of his vision, he saw Mo Wu smirking victoriously.

"But," Elder Liu continued, "I will give you one final task. If you complete it, you may stay as an outer disciple. But if you fail…" His eyes darkened. "You will be expelled."

Lin Tian clenched his fists.

"What is the task?"

Elder Liu smiled faintly. "You will go to the Forbidden Zone of Ancient Corpses and retrieve a Black Qi Stone."

Silence fell.

Even the disciples who had been laughing earlier looked shocked.

"The Forbidden Zone of Ancient Corpses?!" one of them whispered in fear.

Lin Tian's heart pounded.

He knew about that place—a land where thousands of years ago, a great battle had taken place between powerful cultivators and an ancient monster. The lingering death aura was so intense that even senior disciples avoided stepping inside.

And now, he—someone who hadn't even broken through the first realm—was being sent there?

Elder Liu stared at him. "If you are truly not trash, then you should be able to complete this task."

The disciples all smirked, knowing this was just a way to get rid of him permanently.

Lin Tian took a deep breath, meeting Elder Liu's gaze.

"I'll go."

Lin Tian walked down the stone path leading toward the Forbidden Zone. The sect's walls loomed behind him, while the dark wilderness stretched ahead.

Behind him, some disciples whispered among themselves.

"He's really going?"

"Hah! Once he enters the Forbidden Zone, he's as good as dead."

"I wonder how long he'll last before he dies? Will we find his corpse, or just his bones?"

Laughter followed, but Lin Tian ignored it. He was used to the ridicule.

But what bothered him wasn't their words. It was the truth behind Elder Liu's command.

The Forbidden Zone wasn't a trial—it was an execution.

The towering wooden gate marking the entrance to the zone came into view. Two black-robed guards stood there, watching him with mixed expressions.

One of them sighed. "What a shame."

"You're really going in?" the other guard asked. "I don't know if you're courageous or just stupid."

Lin Tian didn't hesitate. "I have to."

The first guard exchanged a glance with his partner before stepping aside and unlocking the heavy gate.

Creeeaaak.

Cold air rushed out, carrying a sinister aura and the stench of decay.

Lin Tian clenched his jaw. He stepped forward.

As he passed through the gate, he heard the whisper of the guard behind him.

"May your death be quick and painless."

The gate slammed shut behind him.

And deep within the Forbidden Zone, something had been waiting for him… for five million years.

The air inside the Forbidden Zone felt different.

Lin Tian could feel a crushing weight pressing down on him—an invisible force of death lingering in the land.

Dead trees stood like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky. The mist here was thick and eerie, shifting like living shadows. In the distance, dark figures moved within the fog.

If he made one mistake, he would never leave this place alive.

Lin Tian tightened his grip on his rusty sword. It wasn't much—just a common blade without any qi—but it was all he had.

I have to find the Black Qi Stone and get out of here.

He moved forward cautiously. But the deeper he went, the stronger a strange feeling stirred inside him.

Something… was calling him.

Not a voice. Not a whisper. But a pull deep within his soul.

And then, he saw it.

In the center of a vast crater, hidden among massive black boulders, lay an enormous corpse.

Lin Tian's breath caught. This was no ordinary beast.

Its bones shimmered with an eerie black light, larger than houses, with deep battle scars still visible across its surface. Even in death, it radiated an overwhelming presence.

This creature… had lived for millions of years.

But what shocked him most wasn't the size. It was the faintly glowing orb of qi pulsing inside its ribcage.

Lin Tian swallowed hard. That wasn't the Black Qi Stone… but it might be something even more valuable.

If I absorb that energy…

The thought barely formed before his body moved on its own.

His hand stretched out—fingers brushing against the swirling energy—

BOOM!

A surge of qi exploded, wrapping around him like a vortex!

Lin Tian's eyes widened. His body was changing.

And deep in his mind, a whisper echoed…

"At last… someone has found me."