The Cracked Ember Canyon was a place only the desperate or the truly mad dared to enter.
A thousand-meter-wide gorge scarred with ancient lava rivers, its scorched earth constantly exhaled heat. Old legends said that a fire-wielding Divine Beast once fell here, and its rage still lingered in the stones.
Li Xuan walked the edge of the canyon, eyes narrowed. He wasn't here by accident.
System Mission:
Trial of Suppression – Part I
Objective: Withstand the pressure of the Ember Beast's aura for one hour.
Reward: 180 LCP
Failure: Flamebrand Curse (Fire Qi Affinity Halved for 3 Days)
"Long Chen, is this trial really worth it?"
["Brat, every inch of real strength is forged from places like this. The weak ask if it's worth it. The strong decide to make it worth it."]
With a smirk, Li Xuan stepped into the canyon.
The heat hit instantly, like iron on skin. His robe smoked. His skin turned red. But he didn't slow.
Ten minutes in, sweat streamed down his body.
Twenty minutes in, he was trembling, but unmoving.
At the thirty-minute mark, his legs nearly buckled. That's when the Ember Beast stirred.
From deep within the canyon, two molten eyes snapped open. A form rose—massive and red as a volcano's heart.
Ember Beast – Mid Foundation Establishment Realm
Threat Level: High
Survival Probability (Direct Combat): 32%
System Alert: Combat NOT required for mission success. Hold ground. Show will.
Li Xuan gritted his teeth.
The beast's pressure was like standing under a falling mountain. But he didn't kneel. He didn't retreat. He channeled everything—his training, his anger, his will—into standing tall.
When the hour mark passed, the air shimmered.
System Notification:
—Mission Complete: Trial of Suppression—
—Reward: 180 Long Chen Points—
—Total LCP: 317/1000—
—System EXP: +78 (528/600 EXP)—
The Ember Beast… lowered its head and turned.
Even a beast could sense dominance.
Li Xuan collapsed to one knee, panting—but victorious.
["Good. That's what it means to command respect without drawing your blade."]
—
Later, in the Simulation Room
He appeared inside a black void marked with floating runes. Each pulsed with one of Long Chen's techniques.
"Train?" the system asked.
"Simulate 'Split the Skies'—but add real damage feedback," Li Xuan ordered.
["Getting bold, huh? Fine. But don't cry if you get flung around like a ragdoll."]
He trained until his arms were too sore to lift. Until blood seeped from his palms from too-tight grips. Until he failed the movement fifty times, and finally… made it through the fifty-first.
Simulation Feedback:
Technique Progress – 'Split the Skies': 22% Mastery
He wasn't overpowered. Not yet. But each step forward was his.
—
Two Days Later – Northern Ridge
A rogue group of Foundation Establishment bandits had made the ridge their hunting ground. They ambushed outer sect disciples for spirit stones, tokens, even cultivation manuals.
Three lay dead already when Li Xuan arrived.
"Who's the fresh meat?" one bandit sneered, twirling dual blades.
"Some academy mutt. Let's gut him."
Li Xuan didn't answer.
He struck first.
Blade Flash: Kill Instinct Triggered
Executioner howled through the air. One head fell before a cry was uttered.
The second bandit screamed, backing up. "Foundation Establishment?!"
"No," Li Xuan said, closing in. "Just better."
He left no survivors.
But halfway through looting the corpses, another pressure approached—much stronger.
Another cultivator.
Peak Foundation Establishment.
System Alert:
—Warning: Estimated Threat – Extreme—
—Probability of Victory: 14%—
Li Xuan didn't hesitate.
He vanished into the mist using Phantom Step and a smoke talisman from the shop.
Cowards run from fear. Strategists retreat from slaughter.
—
System Status
• Cultivation: Late Qi Condensation – Peak (528/600 EXP)
• Long Chen Points: 317 / 1000
• Skills: Phantom Step, Face-Slapping Divine Art, Predator's Pressure (Passive), Kill Instinct
• Training Progress: Split the Skies – 22%
• Simulation Realm: Active
• Mission Hub: Trial Progression Stage
• Reputation: Demon of the Outer Circle / Hunter of Bandits
• Academy Status: Outer Disciple (Recognized by Inner Disciples)