Chapter 1: The Weakling's Defiance

I. The Orphan of Emberveil Slums

The acidic rain of Emberveil City ate through the rooftops of the slums, its corrosive droplets leaving pockmarked scars on the already crumbling shacks. In the dim, flickering light of a dying lantern, a lone figure hunched over a wooden bucket, scrubbing bloodstained rags with raw, cracked hands.

Xiao Chen.

At seventeen, he was already a ghost in his own life—a face forgotten by the world, a name spat upon by those who remembered it. His white hair, streaked with grime, clung to his gaunt face, and his red eyes, dull with exhaustion, barely reflected the fire they once held.

On his wrist, a single iron bangle marked him as property of the Blackscale Butchery, where he worked twelve hours a day, skinning Fiend-wolves for a pittance.

"Hurry up, runt!" A meaty fist slammed into his back, sending him sprawling into the filthy water. Old Man Goran, the butcher, loomed over him, his bloated face twisted in disgust. "You're slower than your damn turtle!"

Xiao Chen clenched his jaw but said nothing. His Slowmire Turtle, an F-rank Genome, dozed lazily in his inner space, its tiny form barely larger than a coin. Useless. Weak. Just like him.

The other workers laughed, their own Genomes—D-rank Blade Ants, E-rank Ember Rats—scurrying at their feet.

"Look at him," sneered one. "Even the Fiends wouldn't bother eating his flesh."

Xiao Chen ignored them. He had learned long ago that fighting back only made the beatings worse.

II. The Humiliation

At midday, the slums buzzed with activity as merchants hawked their wares. Xiao Chen trudged through the muddy streets, a sack of wolf pelts slung over his shoulder. His stomach growled—he hadn't eaten in two days.

Then, the crowd parted.

A group of youths in silk robes swaggered through, their Genomes—C-rank Flame Sparrows, B-rank Ironclaw Badgers—prowling beside them. At their head was Liu Jian, the youngest son of the Liu Clan, his lips curled in a permanent sneer.

"Well, well," Liu Jian drawled, spotting Xiao Chen. "If it isn't the Weakling of Blackscale."

Xiao Chen kept walking.

A whip of water snapped out, lashing across his back. He stumbled but didn't fall.

"Did I say you could leave?" Liu Jian flicked his fingers, and his C-rank Tide Serpent coiled around Xiao Chen's legs, crushing. Bones creaked.

The crowd gathered, their laughter a dull roar in Xiao Chen's ears.

"Look at his Genome!" someone jeered, poking at the Slowmire Turtle Xiao Chen had instinctively summoned. "It's sleeping! Even now, it's useless!"

Liu Jian smirked. "I've decided to be merciful today. Kneel, and I'll let you crawl away."

Xiao Chen's hands shook. Not from fear.

From rage.

But he kneeled.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Liu Jian leaned down, whispering: "Good dog." Then—he spat in Xiao Chen's face.

III. The Breaking Point

Night fell. Xiao Chen sat in the butchery's back alley, his Slowmire Turtle cupped in his palms.

"Pathetic," he muttered.

The turtle blinked up at him, its beady eyes strangely knowing.

Then—

BOOM.

The butchery's door splintered. Liu Jian strode in, flanked by his guards.

"Change of plans," he sneered. "My alchemy teacher needs a slow-attributed core for an experiment. Your turtle will do."

Xiao Chen's blood froze.

"No."

Liu Jian sighed. "Kill him. Take the beast."

The first guard lunged, his Ironback Wolf snarling—

Xiao Chen moved.

A cleaver flashed.

The wolf's head tumbled. The guard screamed, clutching his severed arm.

Silence.

Then—chaos.

Xiao Chen broke the second guard's knee, driving the man's face into the butcher's table. Liu Jian scrambled back, his arrogance replaced by terror.

"Y-You—!"

Xiao Chen grabbed his throat.

"I've knelt enough."

His fingers tightened.

CRACK.

Liu Jian's body thudded to the floor.

Then—a drop of blood fell onto the Slowmire Turtle.

Its shell splintered, black spikes erupting.

A voice, deep as the abyss, echoed in Xiao Chen's mind:

[Bloodline Awakened: Primordial Chaos Turtle.]

[Evolution Available: Abyss-Shell Predator (D-rank).]

[Condition: Devour 10 highborn lives.]

Xiao Chen smiled.

IV. The Butcher's Reckoning

The Liu Clan's enforcers came at dawn.

They died screaming.

By sunrise, the Abyss-Shell Predator had grown to the size of a shield, its maw dripping venom.

Xiao Chen stood amidst the carnage, his red eyes blazing.

A scroll sealed in black flames appeared at his feet.

"Black Heaven Academy awaits."