The Seals in the Body

A boy sat alone at the peak of a quiet mountain nestled deep within the Green Cloud Valley.

Despite the stillness at this height, the valley below was brimming with chaos. Tents from countless sects, flags bearing noble emblems, and countless cultivators littered the landscape like locusts drawn to a harvest. They came from every corner of the continent—top sects, wandering cultivators, clan heirs, hidden families. All waiting for the ancient inheritance of the Sword Emperor to reveal itself.

No one knew when the trial would begin. No one dared to leave.

But Li Yang remained unfazed.

While others schemed, meditated, or sharpened their swords, he sat in quiet solitude, eyes closed, soul turned inward. His spirit sense wandered through his body—not something a mortal should be capable of. A normal person without cultivation could never possess spiritual sense.

But Li Yang was far from normal.

He saw them again: eight glowing seals etched into his very being.

Two in his arms. Two in his legs. One on his forehead. Two seals chained around his dantian. And one—deepest of all—burning like a brand in the center of his chest.

He let out a dry, self-mocking chuckle.

Just two years ago, he had broken through to the Emperor Realm—a cultivation height that would leave even the most legendary geniuses trembling. Even Lu Yan, hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy, had barely stepped into the General Realm.

But Li Yang?

He had soared far beyond her… only to fall harder.

Two years ago, his body had changed. Without warning, his cultivation shattered like fragile glass. His realm collapsed. His strength, his pride, his everything—gone in a single day. And by the next day, the eight mysterious seals appeared, burning themselves into his flesh and spirit like divine chains.

Whenever he tried to force a breakthrough, blood would gush from his orifices. Pain would twist his insides. A force—holy, ancient, and absolute—would crush him from within.

And yet, even amidst that pain… he could sense it.

The power sealed within was not ordinary. It was divine.

The seals didn't imprison him. They were preparing him.

In the two years since, the overwhelming killing intent he had once cultivated—cold, dense, and born from countless lives taken—had vanished. Absorbed into the seals. Every drop of it.

At first, he panicked. Despaired.

But slowly, something changed.

His body transformed. Hardened. Strengthened.

Now, even a king-grade weapon could not pierce his skin. His bones were like refined jade, his flesh like divine steel. He was no longer a mere cultivator. He was becoming something else.

And the seals… they were weakening.

He could feel it. Each day, a trickle of spirit qi would leak out—dense, wild, and far purer than any he had ever cultivated before. Its quality eclipsed his past cultivation by leagues. Its strength was no longer something this world could measure with simple realms.

In the past ten days alone, without a single cultivation session, his realm had soared from the 1st Mortal Stage to the 9th. An impossible leap.

He opened his eyes.

A quiet satisfaction stirred in him… and then vanished as a stunning face appeared far too close to his own.

Lu Yan stood there, staring at him like he had grown another head.

"You…" she muttered in disbelief, "...you're cultivating?"

Li Yang blinked. "I am?"

She ignored his sarcasm. Her gaze dropped to his body, sensing his cultivation. Shock flashed in her eyes.

Ninth stage of the mortal realm. In just ten days.

She knew geniuses. She was one. But this… this was monstrous.

She studied him, trying to understand. His usual lazy, teasing demeanor was gone. For once, she saw a glimpse of the real Li Yang.

Uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze, he backed away and raised his hands in protest. "Beautiful lady, don't look at me like that. Though I am indeed devilishly handsome, I won't fall for your wicked charms."

Her jaw tightened.

If it had been anyone else, her sword would already be drawn. But this man…

He was always faster than her sword.

Suppressing the urge to slash him, she asked, "How did you cultivate so quickly? Are you some thousand-year-old monster hiding behind a young face?"

Li Yang's lips twitched. Monster? With this handsome face? How dare you.

He waved her off dramatically. "Trying to explain myself to you would only hurt my mental state."

Lu Yan groaned and turned away. "Forget it."

She looked toward the valley below, where more sects continued to pour in. Her tone turned serious.

"Did you know? The three demon clans have arrived. The Blood Corpse Sect, the Dark God Sect, and the Beast God Sect. All of them are here now. There's going to be a battle. The righteous sects won't sit back this time."

Her voice held excitement. Righteousness. Justice. A glorious fight against evil.

Li Yang only gave a quiet laugh.

She turned back, frowning. "Why are you laughing? Don't you care? We should be standing with the righteous sects, helping to cleanse the land of evil."

Her words were earnest. Naïve.

She had been raised in an ivory tower of ideals, surrounded by talk of justice and light.

Li Yang stared at her.

Then, with a cold smile, he spoke.

"You think those righteous sects are truly upright? That those evil sects are completely wicked?"

She frowned. "Aren't they? The evil sects slaughter villages and practice dark arts—"

"And the righteous sects poison entire valleys in secret, assassinate rivals in the night, and silence whistleblowers with 'honor duels,'" he cut in.

He gestured at the camps forming around the mountain.

"Look at them. All these righteous sects, staring each other down. But none attack. Why? Because they all want the inheritance. Because greed comes before virtue."

Lu Yan fell silent.

Li Yang's voice grew colder.

"I've seen fathers sell daughters to advance their cultivation. I've seen brothers murder brothers. I've seen righteous elders cut down disciples for resources. I've seen evil cultivators save orphan children out of genuine kindness."

He looked straight into her eyes.

"Good and evil? That's a luxury for people who've never seen the truth of the world."

His voice was soft. But behind it lay centuries of darkness.

"Only benefit exists. Power, profit, survival. That's the law of this world. That's the truth everyone knows but no one dares to say."

Lu Yan stared at him, her chest tight.

For the first time, she felt her worldview crack—just a little. As though she had glimpsed a corner of a much larger, darker truth.

Li Yang turned his gaze away, letting the wind brush his face.

"I don't follow justice," he whispered. "I follow what matters."

The wind carried his words through the valley.

And far below, the Sword Emperor's mountain trembled faintly.

The trial… was about to begin.