the whispering blade

The wind howled across the ruined courtyard of Broken Moon Peak, carrying the scent of scorched stone and blood. Li Tian stood alone among the rubble, his breath slow and measured. Around him, the shattered remains of training dummies, fallen stone tiles, and ruptured earth bore witness to the unrestrained fury of his last breakthrough.

But he wasn't satisfied.

The energy within him—now flowing faster, deeper, and colder—was still evolving. The Rebirth System pulsed in his mind, lines of divine code threading like golden veins beneath his skin.

[Ding! Host has completed the "Trial of Tempering: Intermediate Phase."]

[Reward: Skill – Whispering Blade (Unranked).]

"Unranked?" Li Tian muttered, brows furrowed.

[Whispering Blade] – A formless strike that merges host's spiritual intent and killing intent into a wave of invisible slashes. Grows stronger with mental focus, willpower, and battle experience. No fixed grade. Evolves with user.]

He closed his eyes. A blade formed in his hand—plain, steel, no spiritual core. He inhaled.

When his eyes opened, they were like twin storm clouds crackling with clarity. The blade shimmered once—and then vanished.

A dozen deep cuts appeared in the nearby cliff face. Silent. Seamless.

He hadn't moved.

"Terrifying," he whispered.

It wasn't the power that unsettled him. It was the silence. No sword aura. No flash. Only intent.

Back inside the cave system beneath the sect, Instructor Zhao stared at a glowing map made of light-refining jade.

"The fluctuations have stopped," he said, mostly to himself.

"But the mountain itself… it trembled," said an elder behind him, frowning. "No disciple below the Core Formation Realm should be capable of this."

Zhao said nothing. He had a hunch—and he didn't like it.

Meanwhile, back in the outer disciple quarters, rumors swirled faster than wildfire.

"Did you hear? Li Tian defeated two peak stage Foundation Realm cultivators by himself!"

"No way—he's just a newcomer. The guy didn't even have a spirit root a few weeks ago."

"But they say he triggered a pseudo-spirit phenomenon… A thunder dragon!"

Among the gossipers, Yu Mei listened in silence. Her expression was unreadable.

She knew something the others didn't: she had seen that dragon too. When the lightning storm tore through the sect's training valley, only she had been close enough to feel the pulse of that divine pressure.

"That wasn't a pseudo-phenomenon," she whispered. "That was a true manifestation. One born of wrath."

She needed to speak to Li Tian.

Li Tian stepped through the northern woods, his pace steady. His Rebirth System had just opened a new function.

[Host has unlocked Hidden Mission: The First Awakening of the World Breaker.]

Objective:

Defeat a cultivator one major realm above you in a life-or-death battle.

Resist temptation from Heaven's Will and refuse the path of Fate.

Survive.

Reward: ???

Penalty for Failure: Death.

He stopped cold.

"Temptation from Heaven's Will?" he muttered. "What the hell does that mean?"

But before he could ponder more, the world around him dimmed. The wind froze. The birds fell silent.

A presence stepped forward from the shadows of the trees—a young man, no older than Li Tian, but wrapped in silken black robes laced with gold thread. A jade pendant glowed at his neck. His eyes were slitted like a serpent's.

"You're the one they call the Reborn Trash," the stranger said smoothly.

Li Tian didn't respond.

"Don't worry, I admire trash. It can always be used… to fertilize new growth."

The air behind the man rippled. A beast spirit, monstrous and coiled in mist, bared its fangs. Early Core Formation Realm.

Li Tian knew immediately—he had no chance in a direct clash.

But the System didn't care.

[Enemy detected: Jiang Lu, 1st son of the Cloud Serpent Pavilion.]

[Power Level: Core Formation Realm – Early Stage.]

[Warning: This opponent is hostile and influenced by the Will of Heaven.]

[Initiate Hidden Mission Combat? Y/N]

Li Tian exhaled. "Let's see if fate bleeds."

[Mission Initiated.]

The duel began without a single word. Jiang Lu raised one hand, and the earth beneath Li Tian exploded into razor-sharp stone spears. He flipped backwards, but one spear grazed his shoulder, blood trailing behind.

Jiang Lu smirked. "Not bad."

Li Tian responded by vanishing.

The Whispering Blade moved.

It wasn't a sword technique. It was a feeling—a chill crawling up the spine. A cry in the dark.

Jiang Lu staggered, a shallow cut across his cheek. His serpent spirit screamed in fury.

"You dare—!"

Li Tian didn't hesitate. He pressed forward, every motion purposeful, every step exact. He could not overpower Jiang Lu—but he could outthink him. The Rebirth System supplied counter-techniques faster than Jiang Lu could react.

He rotated his core. Dragon Pulse: Fifth Rotation.

Lightning cracked along his fingers. His palm connected with Jiang Lu's ribs, releasing a jolt of Thunder Qi enhanced by spiritual shockwaves.

Jiang Lu flew backwards into a tree, coughing blood.

But it wasn't over.

"Serpent God's Binding!"

Chains of energy lashed out from Jiang Lu's beast spirit, coiling around Li Tian like live wires. His limbs went numb.

"Did you really think a mere Foundation Realm brat could face a true heir?" Jiang Lu snarled.

Li Tian closed his eyes. Calm.

He focused inward, letting the chains bite deeper. Pain sharpened his senses.

[Divine Bloodline Awakening: 2% → 5%.]

[Whispering Blade – Evolution Detected.]

New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Rend.

He opened his eyes, and the world bled purple.

The chains shattered.

Li Tian moved like a phantom, carving a sigil in the air. The Whispering Blade lashed out—not once, but a dozen times, each strike fueled by killing intent and ancient fury.

Jiang Lu screamed. His serpent spirit wailed—and broke.

The forest turned silent once more.

When the dust settled, Li Tian stood, chest heaving, above the unconscious heir of Cloud Serpent Pavilion.

[Mission Complete.]

[Reward: ??? – Hidden Legacy of the World Breaker (Fragment 1/7)]

Hours later, deep in the forbidden archives of the sect, the ancient guardian beast stirred.

A single, flickering eye opened.

"So… the World Breaker breathes again."