Nine years passed like smoke in the wind.
The morning sun spilled gold across the Cloudveil Sect's outer courtyards. Mist drifted between wooden eaves, carrying the crisp scent of pine and damp earth.
Birds chirped among the tiled roofs, but their songs were drowned out by the sharp thwack of wood against wood.
Chen Yuze, now ten years old, exhaled in a steady rhythm.
His small frame moved across the courtyard with precise, lethal grace. His wooden sword cut through the air, tracing arcs so sharp they hummed.
Drops of sweat rolled down his temple and jaw, sliding onto the dusty stones beneath his bare feet.
He finished a final overhead strike, landing in a low stance.
Slowly, he rose, his chest heaving, and wiped the sweat from his brow with a thin cloth.
His black hair, now shoulder-length, clung damply to his cheeks. His eyes, though set in the face of a boy, burned with the dark, ageless light of someone who'd once gazed down upon worlds.
Finally… the day has come.
He thought a single word: System.
A blue screen blinked into existence before him, floating in midair with a faint hum.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[Congratulations, Host. You have reached Age: 10.]
[New Quest Unlocked:]
[Channel your Qi and open your first Qi Channel.]
[Reward: Activation of cultivation pathways.]
Chen Yuze's lips curled into a smirk.
So it's finally today. The day I stop pretending to be a powerless child and start clawing my way back up.
He clenched his fist around his wooden sword.
At last… I'll forge my path again. From mortal dust… to the heavens.
He was about to focus inward to attempt the first spark of Qi circulation when a high, nasal voice rang out behind him.
"Oiiiii, servant's brat! Still swinging that stick around like you're some hero?"
Chen Yuze's eye twitched.
He turned to see three boys swaggering into the courtyard, all wearing slightly finer robes than his. Jade tokens dangled from their belts, marked with the characters for minor sect officials.
The tallest boy—broad-shouldered and a little pudgy—jabbed a finger at Chen Yuze's chest. "Hah! Look at him. Chen the Orphan. Or should we say… Chen the Servant's Spawn!"
The second boy cackled. "I heard your mother's still sick in bed, huh? Probably crying herself to sleep every night over your dead father."
The third boy scrunched his nose. "My father says your family should have been kicked out years ago. Wasting sect resources on trash like you."
Chen Yuze's wooden sword dipped slightly.
His eyes lowered, shadows gathering beneath his lashes.
He inhaled once.
Calm, Mo Tian. Calm. You're not supposed to paint the courtyard red. You've been doing so well pretending to be normal…
But then…
A chime rang in his mind, cheerful as a tinkling bell.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[New Hidden Quest:]
[Slap these three bastards around and show them your previous life's style.]
[Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Qi Sensitivity, Satisfaction.]
Chen Yuze blinked.
Then he slowly lifted his eyes toward the sky, expression deadpan.
System… I take back every curse I've ever hurled at you. You've finally done something right.
He lowered his gaze to the three smirking brats and flexed his fingers around his wooden sword.
A faint, devilish grin spread across his face.
"Why don't we… talk with our swords, huh? Brats?"
The tallest kid blinked. "Wh-what?"
Chen Yuze tilted his head, eyes half-lidded, his grin widening. "Come on. Just a friendly discussion. You hit me, I hit you. Simple exchange of… ideas."
He tapped the wooden sword against his palm. thump… thump… thump…
The three boys exchanged glances.
"You're insane," the pudgy one hissed. "We're disciples of minor elders! You touch us, your whole family's finished!"
Chen Yuze's expression turned positively angelic. "Oh? Your whole family? Good. Saves me time."
The second kid gawked. "Y-you can't talk to us like that!"
Chen Yuze rolled his shoulders. "Why not? In my previous life, I used to talk like this to entire sects before wiping them off the map."
He leaned forward, voice dropping. "So which one of you wants to die first?"
The pudgy boy squeaked. "Y-you're bluffing!"
Chen Yuze's grin vanished. He lifted the sword and swung it in a sudden, blinding arc. whoosh!
The blade stopped a single hair's breadth from the pudgy boy's cheek, stirring his hair and leaving a faint white line of compressed air across his skin.
The boy shrieked and fell on his backside. "Mother—!!"
Chen Yuze sighed. "Tch. Trash. One swing and you're wetting your pants."
The second kid lunged at him, red-faced. "I'll kill you!"
Chen Yuze sidestepped lightly, slapped the boy's wrist with the flat of the sword, and sent him spinning to the ground.
"Oof!"
The third kid tried to run—but Chen Yuze kicked his ankle, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
He planted the tip of his wooden sword between the boy's shoulders.
"Hey. Don't leave so soon," Chen Yuze said, voice silky smooth. "We're still discussing philosophy."
The three of them huddled on the ground, whimpering.
Chen Yuze let out a satisfied breath and lowered his sword.
Thanks, system. After five long years of pretending… it feels good to let loose a little.
He looked skyward, eyes gleaming.
This is only the beginning. Today, I'll open my Qi channel… and then I'll climb higher than any heaven dares to reach.