Let's go! Here's your đ„ Chapter 3 of Genesis: Rise of the World Will â continuing the rich worldbuilding, growing tensions, and early sparks of destiny
The day after the Awakening Ceremony was quiet⊠too quiet.
Kael stood by the half-finished waterfall he'd been building for his birthday gift. The stones were still scattered. The wooden channels he had carved to redirect the spring had been trampled. But he didn't care.
Something inside him had shifted.
A whisper.
A pull.
Like his body remembered what his mind did not.
"Anchor the core⊠breathe through the void..."
The words echoed again.
---
"Kael!" a voice called. It was Samuel, dressed in a clean blue robe with the Tianshui town crest. Behind him were Mike and Jay Jay â the latter holding a meat bun in his mouth while laughing about something Kael had missed.
"Town Chief Bao said we're leaving at noon," Samuel said. "Protector Yan left early this morning. We'll be walking to the Outer Transfer Point near Ridge Hollow."
Kael frowned. "That's three towns over. Why not wait for the sect transport talisman?"
Mike replied, "Only inner sect disciples get that kind of luxury. We're just 'potential bricks,' remember?"
Kael chuckled. "Right."
---
Inside the town hall, Bao Renhai sat behind his low desk, tapping a jade strip against his knuckle. He wore a bittersweet smile.
Meilin stood beside him, her gaze calm.
"He's not normal, is he?" Bao asked.
Meilin didn't answer immediately. "He's⊠everything and nothing. He learns faster than he should. And sometimes, when he sleeps, he mumbles in languages that haven't been spoken in thousands of years."
Bao blinked. "He does what?"
She folded her arms. "And last week, he corrected my rune array in front of half the class⊠and he was right."
Bao rubbed his temples. "And I'm just a town chief stuck in the third realm for fifteen years."
"I know." Meilin smiled gently. "But you're a good one."
He stared at her, then cleared his throat. "I, ah, sent a message to my old friend in the outer sect. She might be able to⊠look after him, quietly."
"Thank you," Meilin said.
---
The procession left town with 22 new cultivators â some proud, some quiet, many unsure.
Among them was Ren Shi, walking alone, his eyes flickering occasionally toward Kael and the others.
He barely even tried⊠and yet the Protector noticed him.
No one noticed me.
Beside him, Rean walked with his nose in the air. "Trash with no spirit root, but he acts like a prince."
"You lost that fight," Ren said flatly.
Rean's face twitched. "Shut up. He got lucky. Next time, I'll burn him."
They walked under the open sky for two days, with sect followers joining them from other towns at key rest points.
Kael shared meals with his friends, helped younger ones patch blisters, and noticed the occasional bird-shaped formation talisman flying overhead.
"Tracking us," Mike muttered. "They want to know if anyone's hiding power."
Jay Jay whistled. "Better hope Kael doesn't sneeze mana by accident."
Everyone laughed â even Ren, though only for appearance.
---
On the third night, they reached Ridge Hollow, where the outer sect's shadow truly began.
There, they saw it:
A stone wall lined with glowing sigils. Large gates framed by dragon statues.
Atop the gate, three words: Radiant Judgement Sect.
But this wasn't the heart of the sect â merely its outer ring.
A woman in white robes stood at the gates. Her aura was cold, yet calm. Her eyes, like frozen lakes.
"I am Elder Yuna," she said. "From this point onward, you are disciples of the Outer Sect. Follow me, do not speak out of turn, and know your worth. You are not geniuses. You are survivors. Be proud of that."
The children entered.
---
The next morning began with testing. Elder Yuna led them to an open courtyard with ten stone monoliths, each inscribed with glowing runes.
"These monoliths will assess your realm," she said. "We will categorize you, assign quarters, distribute spirit coins, and schedule your first course: Foundations of Cultivation."
Kael stepped forward when called. He placed his hand on the stone.
Buzz⊠BUZZZâŠ
The monolith shook, and for a split second, a small emblem appeared on its surface â a circle with three intertwining lines. It disappeared instantly.
Yuna's eyes narrowed.
"Realm: Body Refinement Stage Three⊠but resonance detected," she said flatly. "Class B."
Kael stepped back. Others stared.
Samuel was placed in Class C. Jay Jay and Mike joined him.
Ren Shi touched the stone â and to everyone's surprise â it pulsed twice.
"Stage Four," Elder Yuna said. "Class B."
Ren hid his smirk.
Rean went next â pulsing only once. "Stage Two. Class D." He looked furious.
---
Back in their assigned barracks, Kael sat cross-legged, thinking.
He pulled out the tiny scroll he'd found tucked in his belt after the ceremony â one he didn't remember putting there.
"The Four Realms Before Flight"
Body Refinement: To strengthen the physical vessel. Nine stages.
Channel Opening: To unlock the Soul Sea and let mana flow.
Spirit Root Awakening: To determine elemental affinity and prepare for core.
Core Formation: The path from 0% to 100% â awakening the first true connection to nature.
He traced the rune on the scroll and felt a strange heat in his chest.
"Why does this feel like⊠mine?"
---
Meanwhile, deep in the main sect, Protector Yan Shou stood before a massive mirror covered in glowing circles.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
"Have you found the signature?"
"Not entirely," Yan replied. "But⊠I've never seen someone replicate lost movement techniques without formal training. He fought like an ancient."
"Then bring him alive."
"I will," Yan said. "But I want to offer him something first..."
He placed a small jade ring on the table. It pulsed faintly with chaotic symbols.
---
In a darkened corner of the sect, Ren Shi stared at Kael's quarters from across the hill.
He held a fragment of spirit crystal stolen during the ceremony.
And a strange voice whispered softly in his ear â a voice only he could hear.
"Your path is greater than his. But you must take it."