The room emptied quickly. Kael Lin was carried away, unconscious and bleeding, while the onlookers departed with complex expressions of shock and hidden greed.
Only Kael and Old Chen remained. Old Chen closed the ruined door with trembling hands.
"Young Master..." he whispered softly. "You shouldn't have done that. Kael Lin's uncle is an inner elder. He will not let this go."
Kael sat down slowly on the broken wooden bed. "I know."
"Then why—"
"Because if I don't fight back," Kael said calmly, "I will be crushed regardless."
Old Chen fell silent. That was the harsh reality of the cultivation world: weakness was the ultimate sin.
Kael closed his eyes and focused inward.
[Forbidden Cultivation System Online.]
[Meridian Repair (Minor): Completed.]
A soothing warm sensation spread through his chest. His breathing smoothed out, and the constant throb in his bones faded noticeably.
[Cultivation Progress:]
— Body Tempering: 1%
— Physical Strength: Increased
— Pain Resistance: Improved
[Condition Unlocked: Continuous combat accelerates cultivation.]
Kael's lips curved upward. This system doesn't want me to hide in safety. It demands that I fight.
Outside, distant bell tolls echoed through the complex—the Clan Assembly call.
Old Chen's face paled. "They're calling everyone to the square. This is bad!"
Kael stood up. "Prepare hot water, Old Chen. I need to wash my face."
"You're actually going?!"
Kael looked at his reflection in a cracked water basin. Bruised, bloodied, and weak—yet his eyes burned with lethal sharpness.
"If I don't go," Kael said softly, "they will decide my fate without me."
The clan square was packed with hundreds of disciples. Whispers spread like wildfire as Kael walked onto the stone paving.
"Is that the cripple?"
"He really beat Kael Lin?"
"How is that even possible?"
At the center stood the clan elders. Among them was Kael Lin's uncle—Elder Kael Yuan. His eyes locked onto Kael the moment he appeared, cold, heavy, and drenched in killing intent.
"So you are the one," Kael Yuan spoke, his voice carrying through the square. "The cripple who dared to injure my nephew."
Kael offered a brief, respectful bow. "He attacked first."
Kael Yuan sneered. "Do you think technical rules will protect you here?"
Without warning, a suffocating, heavyweight spiritual pressure erupted from Kael Yuan, crashing down directly onto Kael!
BOOM!
The surrounding disciples gasped and scrambled backward, leaving Kael isolated in the center of the pressure zone. Kael's knees buckled, his bones groaning under the weight of a Spirit Building Realm elder's aura.
[WARNING! High-level pressure detected!]
[Emergency Task Triggered: Endure the pressure for 10 breaths.]
Reward: Body Tempering +3%, Meridian Reinforcement (Minor)
Kael gritted his teeth so hard blood seeped from his gums. Ten breaths? You think an elder's mere aura can make a Saint kneel?!
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.
Kael Yuan increased his pressure, cracking the stone tiles beneath Kael's boots.
Four breaths. Five breaths. Six.
Blood trickled from Kael's lips, but he forced his posture to remain as straight as an iron spear.
Seven. Eight. Nine.
Kael raised his head, his blood-tinged eyes staring straight into Kael Yuan's gaze. Defiant. Unbroken.
Ten breaths!
[Task Completed! Rewards Granted!]
CRACKLE!
A surge of fresh strength rushed through Kael's core, shattering the suffocating aura around him! Kael stood tall, wiping the blood from his face as quiet descended over the entire square.
Kael Yuan's expression darkened. "Interesting..."
Before Kael Yuan could act further, an elderly female voice echoed from the high seats. "Enough, Yuan."
An old woman with silver hair and sharp, deep eyes stepped forward—Elder Mo, the most senior neutral elder in the clan. She swept her spiritual sense over Kael, her eyes flashing with genuine surprise.
"A crippled meridian, yet his will remains unbroken under Spirit Building pressure," Elder Mo murmured. "His body... has undergone a subtle shift."
Kael Yuan frowned. "Elder Mo, are you defending him? He broke clan rules."
"Clan rules also state that any disciple who demonstrates exceptional fortitude may be granted an opportunity to redeem themselves," Elder Mo replied calmly. She looked deeply into Kael's eyes.
"Tell me, child. Are you willing to enter the Outer Trial Grounds?"
Gasps erupted across the square.
"The Trial Grounds?!"
"He'll die in there!"
"That place is crawling with wild beasts!"
Kael Yuan's lips curled into a cruel smile. "The Trial Grounds are lethal. Sending a cripple inside is no different from an execution."
Elder Mo met his gaze evenly. "Unless he accepts the trial himself."
All eyes turned to Kael.
From the memories of this body, Kael knew what the Trial Grounds were—a desolate wilderness filled with savage beasts and deadly terrain. But to Kael, it was the ultimate training field.
He took a deep breath and spoke clearly. "I accept."
Kael Yuan chuckled sinisterly. "Good. Very good."
Elder Mo nodded slowly. "Then it is settled. Kael will enter the Outer Trial Grounds tomorrow at dawn. Survive for three days, and the clan will clear all charges."
As the crowd dispersed, the cold voice echoed in Kael's mind once more:
[Major Opportunity Detected!]
[Mission: Enter the Outer Trial Grounds and survive for 3 days.]
[Reward Preview: Body Tempering Advancement, Meridian Reinforcement (Major), Unknown System Feature Unlock.]
Kael clenched his fist. Tomorrow, his true path back to the top would begin.