The wind howled like an ancient beast, whipping the banners of the Three Sects high atop Mount Celadon, where the sky seemed to bow and watch as young cultivators measured their strength. On the vast floating jade stands, thousands of eyes gazed down at the central arena — a massive circle of runic stone, suspended above the abyss, etched with ancient seals that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
Lin Feng — or rather, Yun Tian — stood at the edge of the platform, clothed in a dark tunic devoid of any emblem. Anonymous among elite representatives, he hadn't received an official invitation. Instead, he had secured a spot by eliminating a competitor who had mysteriously become "unavailable." The organizers, caught off guard, allowed him to compete, curious about this enigmatic new participant.
But Lin Feng was not here for glory.
He came to test his limits…
To identify potential pawns for his long game of vengeance.
"Let the Tournament begin!" roared a silver-haired elder, the representative of the Purple Sword Sect. Beside him, the elders of the Frost Lotus Sect and the Temple of the Shattered Soul nodded solemnly.
The first duel ignited like a storm. Lightning coiled around a young swordsman who faced a frost-breathing disciple. Every blow echoed through the heavens. Yet Lin Feng didn't watch. His eyes — infused with the energy of the Eye of the Void — probed the unseen: lines of karma, hidden auras, concealed forbidden techniques.
He quickly spotted three disciples who carried traces of celestial essence — remnants that once belonged to ancient artifacts… or perhaps ancient traitors.
A flicker of danger flashed across his eyes.
When his name was called — or rather, the alias he had adopted: Mo Hei — a curious hush swept over the arena. No one knew who he was. Yet when he stepped into the runic circle, even the elders furrowed their brows. There was a weight to his presence, a density unfit for a mere disciple.
"Your aura is strange…" muttered his opponent, a young flame master named Yan Wu.
"Flames only consume what burns slowly," Lin Feng replied, calm and unreadable. "But what will you do with a shadow that has no roots?"
The fight lasted six breaths.
To everyone's shock, Lin Feng dodged the fire blasts with supernatural ease. When he struck, his fist landed gently on Yan Wu's shoulder — yet an invisible wave of Void energy blasted him out of the ring. He landed unconscious on the stone edge.
Murmurs erupted.
"Who is this Mo Hei?"
"He didn't use any known technique…"
"That's not a cultivation style from our realm…"
The elders exchanged silent glances. The head of the Temple of the Shattered Soul shivered. He had felt this presence before — long ago, in the ruins of the Supreme Realm.
Lin Feng's victories followed, one after another.
With each battle, he observed, adapted, mirrored, and then overwhelmed. His mastery of the Soul Mirror Technique, drawn from the Eye of the Void, allowed him to decode his opponent's weaknesses in mere exchanges.
But this was more than a tournament.
It was a screening process.
He soon realized the event was designed to find cultivators capable of unlocking ancient doors — including those leading to the Forbidden Heavens.
And he wasn't the only one searching.
A presence observed him from behind a veil of illusions: Lan Xue.
She had been sent by Master Bai Chen to evaluate Lin Feng's progress. What she discovered, however, shook her deeply. Lin Feng had advanced at an unnatural pace. He was no longer merely the orphan of the Yun Clan.
He was becoming… something ancestral.
The final duel of the tournament pitted Lin Feng against a disciple from the Temple of the Shattered Soul: Xu Ming, a recognized genius and the temple's future successor. He wielded a rare technique — Tears of the Broken Soul — which forced opponents to relive their most agonizing memories.
As the match began, Xu Ming conjured a dome of psychic energy. Lin Feng felt its tide sweep over him… and suddenly, he was back in the past.
The Celestial Palace ablaze.
The faces of his disciples.
The bitter taste of betrayal.
Xuan Mo's mocking laughter — the man who had once sworn to die for him.
His breath caught in his throat.
But instead of faltering… he smiled.
The memory tore apart like shredded silk.
"You want to mine my pain?" he whispered. "I forged my weapon in it."
His fist rose. A black wave — formed from compressed memories, rage, and justice — shattered Xu Ming's psychic dome. The young prodigy collapsed, eyes rolled back in shock.
Silence gripped the stands like a frost.
The three elders rose simultaneously. The tournament was meant to showcase promising youth… not awaken monsters cultivating forbidden laws.
"This Mo Hei… is no mere disciple," one of them murmured.
Yet none dared to stop him.
The Eye of the Void pulsed faintly in Lin Feng's soul. A warning.
Someone important was watching beyond the arena.
In a secret chamber, an elderly man with a snow-white beard observed a projection of Lin Feng in silence. His name was Grand Elder Qiu Yuan, one of the few surviving witnesses of the true heirs of the Supreme Realm.
"Lin Feng… so you've returned."
He closed his eyes.
He had seen that gaze, that step, that fist — a thousand years ago.
After the final match, Lin Feng was invited to the Hall of Honors to receive his prize. He declined.
"I came only to measure myself. I have no need for titles."
He left amid confused stares, blending into the crowd, leaving behind a trail of questions, fears, and fascination.
In the woods surrounding Mount Celadon, Lan Xue awaited him.
She stared at him intently.
"You won't be able to remain hidden much longer, Lin Feng. Some will recognize you soon."
"Then let them come," he said, voice like tempered steel. "And I'll return them to the void."
She stepped closer.
"Did the tournament reveal what you were searching for?"
He nodded.
"Three fragments of celestial essence. Two are tied to disciples secretly trained by Xuan Mo. The third... belongs to a temple linked to Meng Yu. I'm on the right path."
Lan Xue's face paled. The war within her eyes grew darker.
"What will you do now?"
He gazed skyward. A silent storm raged in his soul.
"Unleash a chaos so vast… even the Heavens will regret betraying me."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then a voice emerged from the shadows — hauntingly familiar.
"You speak of vengeance… but are you prepared to pay the price?"
A figure stepped into the moonlight. Master Bai Chen.
"You've awakened ancient forces, Lin Feng. The time for games is over. The true path… begins now."
Cliffhanger
Bai Chen held out a glowing bone-carved card.
"This tournament was no mere contest. These sects have uncovered a fragment of the Gates of the Forbidden Heavens. They plan to open it… in secret. You must get there first — or fall."
Lin Feng stared at the card.
His fists clenched.
"Then let the Heavens tremble once more."
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