Twilight, Outskirts of the Wild Forest, Qingyun Town.
The setting sun bled across the sky, casting a crimson hue over the towering trees of the Wild Forest outside Qingyun Town. The dense canopy blocked most of the light, and faint growls of spirit beasts echoed through the shadows.
Lin Yuan, clad in coarse cloth, stepped into the forest. The pendant on his chest shimmered faintly, casting a pale glow. His eyes were sharp as blades, his footsteps steady. The humiliation from yesterday still burned like fire—rejection at the Lin Clan's ancestral hall, sneers from the townsfolk, and the scorn in Liu Qingyao's eyes. All of it etched itself into his bones.
In three days, the Qingyun Sect's selection would begin.
He had no spirit power, no cultivation. A crippled meridian body. But even so—he would forge his own path, even if it meant clawing through thorns and blood.
The forest was damp with mist. Shrubs rustled softly around him. Lin Yuan tightened his grip on his short blade. Liu Qingyao's words echoed coldly in his ears: "A cripple like you is destined to crawl." He gritted his teeth, eyes gleaming with icy resolve.
"Liu Qingyao… one day, you'll watch me rise."
As if responding to his will, the pendant on his chest pulsed with heat and light. A mechanical voice rang in his mind—cold, amused, and unwavering:
"Ding! Supreme Puppet System—10% binding complete. First mission: Slay a Level-1 Spirit Beast. Reward: Prototype of 'Puppet Perception'. Accept?"
Lin Yuan froze. His heart thundered. That voice—he had heard it yesterday. The mysterious system tied to his mother's pendant… it was real. He looked down. The ancient script carved into the jade glowed faintly, beating like a heart.
"What are you?" he murmured. "Why choose me? What does this have to do with my mother?"
He remembered her face, vague and distant, and her parting words: "This pendant will protect you."
Could it be… this pendant hides a secret that defies fate?
The system chuckled.
"Still dazing off? What's the point of swearing vengeance if you can't even handle a puppy-level beast? Accept the mission or keep crying?"
Lin Yuan exhaled slowly, his hand trembling slightly on the hilt of his blade. Then, his eyes blazed.
"I'll do it. If you can change my fate, I'll break through Qingyun itself."
"That's more like it!" the system said gleefully. "Task accepted! Temporary spirit energy granted. Pendant unlocked. Let the forest taste your wrath!"
Suddenly, the underbrush erupted. A green-maned wolf lunged forward, its body covered in coarse fur, eyes glowing like ghost fire. A Level-1 spirit beast.
Its snarl tore through the silence. Its claws swept the air, sharp and swift. Leaves whirled up as the ground shook.
Lin Yuan's heart pounded. No spirit power, no cultivation—he was just a mortal with a blade. He rolled aside, narrowly dodging the swipe, and slashed at the beast's belly. But the knife barely scratched its fur.
The wolf howled. Its tail lashed out like a steel whip, slicing through the air toward Lin Yuan's ribs.
"Idiot! You think you can fight a spirit beast barehanded?" the system snapped. "Use the pendant! Now!"
Lin Yuan slammed his palm onto the pendant. A surge of light exploded from it, and a stream of spirit energy rushed into his body. His muscles burned as if set ablaze. Power coursed through his limbs.
He gasped, wide-eyed. "Spirit energy…? Even a cripple can feel this?!"
For ten long years, his meridians had been silent—dead. But now, they pulsed with life.
With a roar, he spun and slashed. The blade cut deep into the wolf's tail. Blood sprayed across the leaves.
The beast shrieked and lunged again, jaws gaping for his throat. Lin Yuan spotted an old tree nearby and leapt toward it. Using its trunk as leverage, he launched himself into the air, slamming his blade into the wolf's back. The sound of cracking bone echoed as the beast crashed to the ground, writhing in agony.
Dust swirled around him. Lin Yuan placed a hand on the beast's skull.
The pendant flared again.
"Ding! Spirit Beast soul refining complete. Puppet Perception (Prototype) unlocked. Scan radius: 10 meters."
Suddenly, his mind sharpened. Every rustle of grass, every insect's crawl, every breath of the wind—he could sense it all. It was like gaining a second set of eyes.
Stunned, he whispered, "This… this is perception beyond the body…"
With eyes closed, he swept his senses through the forest. Ten meters of complete clarity. He opened his eyes, awe-struck.
"This power… can it grow stronger?"
"Hooked already?" the system teased. "This is just an appetizer. In Chapter 3, we're going after a Windfang Wolf. And here's a bonus: intel says the Liu siblings are planning something dirty for the Qingyun selection. Also—your pendant might hold the key to the Heavenly Veins. Want to dig deeper?"
Lin Yuan's heartbeat quickened. The Heavenly Veins? A key? He looked down. The glow had faded, but the mystery of the pendant only deepened.
He clenched it tightly. "Yes. I'll find out everything. My mother's relic isn't just a keepsake."
"Good! Crippled boy, first battle complete. Next, let's blind that frosty girl with your brilliance!"
⸻
Night, Forest Edge.
Moonlight bathed the forest in a pale sheen. Just as Lin Yuan turned to leave, a shadow in yellow flickered behind a bush.
Hidden in the dark, Liu Qingyao stared at him. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowed. Her delicate hand clenched at her dress hem. She whispered, "A cripple… shouldn't be that fast. That wasn't natural spirit energy…"
She turned away, confusion in her eyes, mingled with a strange emotion. Leaves rustled softly as she vanished into the dark.
Not far away, another figure stepped from the trees.
Su Wan'er, arms crossed, her spirit energy faint but steady—Level 5. She watched Lin Yuan's back with a smirk.
"This cripple… not bad." Her lips curled slightly, curiosity flashing in her gaze. She disappeared silently into the night, green dress blending with the shadows.
Unaware of the eyes on him, Lin Yuan clutched his pendant. The fire in his chest blazed brighter than ever.
The system murmured, "Both your ex and the icy outer disciple have their eyes on you now. This forest was just your warm-up. The real show starts at the selection. Ready to make the Liu Clan eat their words?"
Lin Yuan smiled faintly. His silhouette stood tall under the moonlight, the wind tousling his hair.
"Liu Qingyao," he whispered, "get ready to tremble."