The rain poured like knives.
Lightning crackled across the skies, revealing a bloodied figure sprawled beneath the shattered gates of the Liu Clan.
His name was Liu Xuan. Once the heir to the Eastern Heaven Pavilion, now reduced to a crippled joke.
His body twitched as pain surged through his limbs. His dantian was shattered, his cultivation destroyed. A pool of crimson formed beneath him, mixing with the muddy soil.
From the broken courtyard, laughter echoed.
"Pathetic. He actually thought he could compete for the clan heir position?"
"That's what happens when trash forgets its place."
Liu Xuan heard every word. His eyes, dim and unfocused, stared at the figures above the steps—his own kin. His uncle. His cousin.
Liu Feng, the one who struck him down. The one who crippled him in front of everyone and took everything.
"You should've died with your mother," Liu Feng spat, walking down and crouching beside him.
He grabbed Liu Xuan's face, yanked it up, and whispered, "The heavens don't pity trash. The only mercy you'll get is a shallow grave."
Then he threw Liu Xuan into the storm like a piece of meat.
---
Darkness swallowed him.
Liu Xuan's body rolled down a cliff behind the estate, bones snapping, blood trailing. He landed in the depths of the ancient ravine—a cursed place the clan never dared explore.
Silence.
Until something pulsed.
Thump.
Thump.
Deep in the earth, beneath the roots of time itself, something ancient opened its eye.
The air changed.
The blood leaking from Liu Xuan's chest began to glow—black, like the void between stars. A circular mark formed beneath him, etched in lines of unknown script.
A voice—not a voice—an awareness surged.
[Primordial Evolution System initializing…]
[Host compatibility: 97.8% – Acceptable]
[Binding complete. Initiating survival protocol.]
Liu Xuan's body convulsed. His shattered core burned. Black light surged into his chest, repairing what could never be repaired.
He gasped violently and sat up.
Pain was gone.
He felt…alive. No—more than alive.
The system prompt floated before his eyes:
[Welcome, Evolution Candidate #13-Null]
Status:
Level: 001
HP: 100/100
Energy: 0
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Constitution: 5
Spirit: 5
Will: 10
Available Evolutions: 0
Skill Slots: 0/3
Inventory: Empty
Objective: Survive
---
He blinked.
"What… is this?"
No one answered.
But he didn't need answers.
The moment he moved his hand, he felt the power humming inside his bones. His shattered meridians had been rebuilt. Stronger. Cleaner.
His spirit sea—the core of a cultivator—was now black and infinite. He could feel something ancient stirring there. Hungry.
Ahead, in the darkness, a low growl echoed.
From the shadows, a creature emerged—twice the size of a man, its body covered in twisted flesh and corrupted bone.
A Ravine Beast. Rank 2.
Normally, Liu Xuan wouldn't stand a chance.
Now?
He stood.
---
The beast roared and lunged.
Liu Xuan dodged on instinct, his body moving faster than before. He grabbed a jagged bone from the ground and rolled under the creature's legs.
Slash.
The bone tore into its underbelly. Black blood spilled.
The beast shrieked and turned, slamming its claw toward him.
CRACK!
The blow sent Liu Xuan flying into a wall—but his body didn't break.
He staggered up, spitting blood—and grinned.
"Then let's evolve."
He charged again.
This time, he ducked the blow, leapt onto the beast's back, and drove the bone into its skull.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The creature spasmed violently—then collapsed with a dying growl.
Blood poured around him.
And then—
[You have absorbed: Ravine Beast]
→ Bloodline Fragment Acquired: 'Corrupt Resilience'
→ Stat Boost: +6 STR, +4 CON
→ EXP + 950
[LEVEL UP!]
Level: 001 → 002
Stat Points +10
Skill Slot +1
Liu Xuan's chest rose and fell.
His muscles ached—but he was smiling.
The system worked.
He could feel the resilience of the beast now pulsing through his flesh.
He opened the system panel again:
Status:
Level: 002
HP: 140/140
Strength: 11
Agility: 5
Constitution: 9
Spirit: 5
Will: 10
Skill Slots: 1/3
He clenched his fist.
This was power. Real power.
And if that was just a Rank 2 beast…
He looked at the forest ahead. Countless monsters were hiding in those shadows. Treasures long buried. And even more—
People to pay back.
---
By the time morning came, Liu Xuan had torn through five more beasts, absorbed their bloodlines, and pushed his level to 005.
The once-fragile youth now radiated a savage aura—his body tougher, his steps lighter, his instincts sharper.
He stood on a cliff overlooking the Liu Clan, flames of fury burning in his gaze.
"Liu Feng…"
He raised his hand. Black energy swirled within.
"I'll absorb everything you own. Your cultivation. Your legacy. Your soul."
---
Far above, hidden in the void, ancient eyes watched him.
One blinked.
[Evolution Candidate #13 is accelerating rapidly…]
[He may survive the first Trial.]
[Prepare the next stage.]