Six months passed.
The rising sun painted the skies over the Ethereal Dao Sect in hues of molten gold. Morning mist danced atop the mountains like drifting spirits, and the once-quiet training courtyard of the Chen Clan now echoed daily with the rhythm of bodies moving in perfect sync.
Two boys stood in the center, sweat-soaked, breath steady.
One was lean and tall for his age, muscles honed, frame sculpted through months of grueling discipline. His white hair was damp with sweat, his gaze as calm and sharp as a honed blade.
Chen Chao.
Beside him was a smaller boy, still wiry, still complaining, but now visibly stronger. His footwork was lighter. His form more precise. The lazy spark in his eyes had dimmed, replaced with something firmer.
Feng Yumo.
Uncle Hei stood nearby, arms folded, nodding ever so slightly.
"Hmph. You're still not monsters," he said gruffly, "but you're almost there."
Later that evening…
Within the heart of the Chen Clan's inner compound, a soft golden glow flickered from a warm dinner table set beneath a carved spiritwood canopy. Dishes of rare herbs, spirit beast meat, and fragrant rice steamed in the quiet room.
Chen Chao sat between his parents, his posture as straight as ever, but the faint creases of fatigue were visible around his eyes.
Xie Yuelin, graceful and poised, set down her chopsticks and looked him over.
"You've grown taller," she murmured. "Your eyes look sharper. Your shoulders are stronger. But… you're pushing yourself too hard."
Chen Chao smiled faintly. "I'm fine, Mother."
"You're not fine," she said with a sigh. "You're ten. You're still growing. And yet you're training like a war general preparing for a final battle."
Chen Daoxuan, stoic and reserved, watched quietly, his lips betraying the hint of a proud smile.
Xie Yuelin reached out and gently touched her son's wrist. "Even if… even if the constitution test comes, and it turns out you don't have any of the top ten ones… You don't have to force yourself like this."
Chen Chao blinked. "Mother—"
"I mean it." Her tone was gentle but firm. "If it comes to it… my clan will handle it. We can find a constitution for you. Even if we have to take one."
There was a brief silence.
She didn't flinch. Didn't hide her meaning
In the Yiluan World, it is an open secret among cultivators that the overlord lineages—mighty sects and ancient clans that dominate the realm—routinely engage in the covert abduction of gifted children. Youths born with one of the top ten constitutions, if left unclaimed by an overlord lineage before beginning cultivation, are viewed not as individuals but as resources—living vessels of power. Expert cultivators are dispatched in secret to identify, capture, and suppress such children, stealing their constitutions through cruel rituals or forbidden arts. Though such acts are officially condemned and forbidden by sectarian law, enforcement is scarce, and the lines of justice blur when power is at stake. Among the elite, this practice is seen not as evil, but necessary—a silent war of blood and bone waged in the shadows, ensuring the supremacy of their bloodlines for generations to come.
He met her gaze, confidence burning in his eyes.
"Even if I have no special constitution, or divine roots… I will still become a powerful Being. No matter what."
Xie Yuelin's breath caught. Chen Daoxuan chuckled softly, pride warming his usual calm demeanor.
"…Stubborn, just like your father," she muttered.
After dinner, Chen Chao bid them good night and left the hall. The moon had risen over the mountain peaks, casting silver light over the sect grounds.
He walked alone up the path to his private training peak, wind rustling through the pines around him. His silhouette stretched long across the cobbled path, the stars above glittering like silent witnesses.
As he reached the summit, he looked up toward the heavens.
In less than two years, the talent testing would begin.
But his path was already carved into his bones.
No matter the cost.
Tomorrow, training would resume.