Chapter 2: The Academy’s Crucible

I. The Road to Black Heaven

The summons burned in Xiao Chen's grip, its black-flame seal searing his skin like a brand. He didn't flinch. Pain was nothing new.

Around him, the slums of Emberveil lay in ruins—blood streaked the mud, and the corpses of Liu Clan enforcers fed the crows. His Abyss-Shell Predator, now the size of a war shield, gnawed lazily on a severed arm, its jagged black spikes glistening under the dawn light.

"D-rank," Xiao Chen mused, running a hand over the turtle's chaos-etched shell. Two days ago, it had been a laughable F-rank. Now? It had ripped through Qi Condensation Stage 7 cultivators like paper.

But the real shock was his inner space.

When he focused inward, he no longer saw the cramped void of a low-tier tamer. Instead—an abyss. A yawning, endless darkness where Genomes could grow without limit.

"This changes everything."

A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision.

"You're either very brave or very stupid."

Xiao Chen turned. A girl leaned against a shattered cart, her arms crossed. She wore the black-and-gold robes of Black Heaven Academy, her violet eyes sharp as daggers. A C-rank Silverfang Lynx prowled at her feet, its fur crackling with static.

"Who are you?" Xiao Chen's turtle hissed, venom dripping from its fangs.

"Mei Ling," she said, tossing him a bloodstained token. "Your guide. And your first test."

The token bore a single word: SURVIVE.

II. The Trial of Blood and Thunder

The path to Black Heaven Academy wasn't a road—it was a gauntlet.

Fiend-corrupted beasts lurked in the mist-shrouded forests, their eyes glowing like dying embers. The trees themselves seemed to breathe, their roots snaking toward unwary travelers.

Mei Ling moved like a ghost ahead of him, her lynx dispatching monsters with lethal precision.

"The academy doesn't take weaklings," she called over her shoulder. "If you can't keep up, you die."

Xiao Chen grinned. His turtle lurched forward, its maw unhinging to swallow a D-rank Shadow Viper whole.

[3/10 highborn lives consumed.]

Mei Ling's eyes narrowed. "Your Genome… it's evolving mid-battle?"

"Problem?"

She didn't answer. But for the first time, she looked uneasy.

III. The Gate of a Thousand Swords

By nightfall, they reached the academy's entrance—a massive gate forged from the swords of failed applicants. The blades hummed with residual Qi, their edges still hungry for blood.

A figure awaited them.

Leng Xueyi.

Her ice-blue robes fluttered in the wind, her white hair cascading like frozen silk. At her hip, a frost-gem sword pulsed with S-rank energy.

"Another slum rat?" Her voice was colder than the grave. "The headmaster's charity is misplaced."

Mei Ling bowed. "Elder Sister Xueyi, he—"

"Silence." Leng Xueyi's gaze pinned Xiao Chen like a butterfly. "You butchered the Liu Clan's enforcers. Do you think that makes you special?"

Xiao Chen met her eyes. "I think you talk too much."

The air froze. Literally.

Leng Xueyi's S-rank Frost Phoenix Genome materialized behind her, its wings casting a glacial shadow. The ground cracked underfoot, ice creeping toward Xiao Chen's boots.

His turtle roared, its shell erupting in black flames.

Then—

BOOM.

A shockwave shattered the ice, sending shards flying. A man in obsidian robes stood between them, his hand raised.

Headmaster Mo.

"Enough," he said, his voice echoing with power. "Xiao Chen. You've passed the first trial. But the real test begins now."

He gestured to the gate.

"Step forward… or die."

IV. The Abyss Beckons

Beyond the gate lay the Chamber of Echoes—a dungeon where applicants faced their worst fears.

Xiao Chen strode in without hesitation.

The darkness swallowed him whole.

Whispers coiled around him:

"Worthless."

"Weak."

"You'll never be more than a butcher."

Then—a figure emerged.

Himself.

A mirror-image Xiao Chen sneered, his Slowmire Turtle still tiny, still F-rank.

"This is all you'll ever be," the illusion taunted. "A failure."

Xiao Chen laughed.

And slammed his fist through the mirror's chest.

"I've heard that before."

The chamber shattered.

When the dust cleared, Headmaster Mo stood before him, smiling.

"Interesting. Most applicants take hours to break free."

Xiao Chen wiped blood from his lip. "What now?"

"Now?" Mo's eyes gleamed. "Now you meet your second Genome."

A massive egg, veined with gold and black, hovered in the air.

Inside, something scratched.

V. The Hatching

The egg cracked.

A tiny fox, its fur black as void, tumbled out. It blinked up at Xiao Chen with golden eyes, then yawned.

[D-rank Void Fox Genome bonded.]

[Ability: Shadow Step (short-range teleportation).]

Mei Ling gasped. "A spatial-type Genome? Those are one in a million!"

Leng Xueyi's grip on her sword tightened.

Headmaster Mo chuckled. "Welcome to Black Heaven Academy, Xiao Chen. Try not to die before breakfast."