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In the year 3030, Earth is nearly destroyed by natural disasters caused by global warming. Just as humanity is on the brink of extinction, the Earth awakens and chooses 15 people to receive ancient cultivation techniques. These Heroes lead humanity into a new era of cultivation.

500 years later, mutated beasts, evolving plants, and mysterious realms reshape the world. Lin Ho, the grandson of one of the original Heroes, struggles to cultivate after his parents disappear in a secret realm. On his 15th birthday, his necklace breaks, releasing a golden light that awakens a legendary power inside him—the Chaos Bloodline.

A new destiny begins.

Awakening of Chaos

Far below the tranquil surface of the Eastern Trench, where even sunlight dared not reach, darkness coiled around a throne of bone and coral. A pair of glimmering eyes opened — sapphire and ancient — staring into the currents of time itself.

A voice, low and guttural, echoed across the deep.

> "The child of chaos walks again…"

From the abyss, beast-kin knelt in reverence. Creatures that had once been fish, serpents, and crustaceans now bore semi-humanoid forms, their scales glistening with sinister Qi.

A general — part eel, part man — rose and bowed low.

> "Your Majesty, shall we eliminate him?"

> "Fool," the voice snapped, shaking the seabed. "You would declare war on something even the ancients feared?"

Lin Ho's cultivation had reached a serene rhythm. Each night, under the starlit roof of his courtyard, he refined Chaos Qi through the first technique granted by his bloodline — Primordial Spiral Breathing. It was elegant, formless, and absolute. With each cycle, his meridians widened, his core thickened.

By the fifth night, his bones emitted a faint hum.

He opened his eyes. A glow danced within his pupils. Not fiery like rage, nor cold like calculation. It was… balance amidst entropy.

Just as he was about to begin again, a paper crane fluttered through his open window. It hovered in mid-air before unfolding itself into speech.

> "Lin Ho. Report to Elder Qiu's peak at dawn."

He crushed it gently in his palm. Paper turned to dust.

Elder Qiu stood at the edge of a stone platform carved into the mountain's cliffside, overlooking clouds and forest. A brazier burned beside him, the flames laced with soul incense.

> "You've made quite an impression. Even Elder Mo sent in a recommendation. But talent… is only the surface."

The fire licked his skin — but didn't burn.

Gold and black sparks flared briefly, before vanishing into smoke.

> "Your affinity is… still undefined. But you possess an unusual balance. You don't repel fire, water, earth, or wind."

> "I don't know why," Lin Ho said simply.

A faint smile tugged at the old man's mouth.

> "Perhaps that is your greatest strength. Or greatest curse."

> "Prepare. Soon, you'll join a mission into one of the lower secret realms. It's a test — and an opportunity."

As stars wheeled across the sky, Lin Ho stood alone, blade resting beside him, eyes fixed north — toward the vast ocean.

> "They're watching," he murmured. "But so am I."

In the distance, waves began to crash with greater force than usual, and a thin plume of black mist rose from the horizon — unnoticed by all but a single disciple.

Chapter 23: Shadows Beneath the Waves