BOOM.
The door to Jinhu's room blasted off its hinges.
"60... 59... 58..."
Blue blinked.
"No wonder you have PTSD," he said, staring at Wu Jang counting down outside the shattered door frame.
Ilho, already half-dressed, looked over. "You wanna stay in my room tonight? Or, like, forever? Your room isn't safe."
The three boys burst into laughter.
Jinhu grumbled, crawling out of bed. "If he's already counting, we better move unless Blue wants another Rod™ to the skull."
They hurried down into the courtyard.
The moon was high. Stars shimmered across the night sky. All of Silent Edge was asleep—except for the five elders waiting.
Wu Jin stood at the center of the courtyard, his rod resting across his shoulders. Sa Gwan, Wu Jang, Wu Cheng, and Tang Yeol flanked him in a line.
"Sorry to wake you," Wu Jin said, eyes falling on Blue. "First, Blue... let me apologize. It's no excuse, but when you cut my cheek earlier, instinct took over. I went overboard."
Blue rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine, Commander. Honestly... I think it was the Rod, pretty sure it wanted revenge."
Laughter broke the tension.
Wu Jin chuckled. "We brought you here for a few reasons. One: I want you to understand what this tournament truly is. It isn't some flashy inter-sect contest. Every year, the strongest rising stars of Murim gather—disciples of great families, sect champions, prodigies. Some are already in corps. Most have trained since childhood."
The boys exchanged glances.
Wu Jin went on. "The Silent Edge has never participated. We were a reclusive unit—a corps in the shadows. But that ends now. Thanks to Wu Cheng pulling strings, we're entering as a sect. Not a traditional one... a new kind. A family of misfits. Of orphans. Of warriors fate tossed aside."
He looked each of them in the eye.
"You three will represent us. But we won't force you. Say the word now, and we let you walk away. No shame in it. You'd be going up against the best. Spoon-fed elixirs, pampered by elders."
The silence stretched.
Jinhu was the first to step forward. He bowed low.
Ilho followed.
Then Blue.
Wu Cheng stepped forward, arms folded behind his back.
"You three will move through Murim like a storm. You're all near the cusp of first-rate. That leap is coming. And beyond that lies mastery. In Murim, we use stars to mark levels beyond first-rate. A master can hold five stars. Then comes Grandmaster. Sa Gwan is two-star. Wu Jang, three-star. Wu Jin, one-star on the verge of a breakthrough to Ascendant."
Wu Jin scowled. Wu Cheng grinned.
"Above that lies the Ascendant Realm," Wu Cheng continued. "Only a handful have reached it. Leaders of clans. Old monsters. Myself—two-star Ascendant. Yeol, one-star. And above even that lies the Mythic Realm. That, boys... is where legends and myths stand.
A hush fell.
Wu Cheng raised his voice. "To even begin walking that road, you need more strength. A body transformation. A trial. We have prepared elixirs, but they are too potent to take alone. You will need your masters' guidance. You will need to become their disciples."
He gestured to the four.
"If you wish to walk that path, stand before your master. If they accept you, you will know. Kowtow three times."
Jinhu stepped forward first, standing tall in front of Wu Jang. The mountain of a man clanked his gauntlets together in salute.
Jinhu knelt. One. Two. Three.
Ilho followed, standing in front of Sa Gwan. Sa Gwan said nothing, simply patted Ilho's head. Ilho kowtowed three times and returned to his place.
Blue hesitated. He looked at Cheng and Yeol...his blood. They looked at each other and shook their heads. Yeol turned to Wu Jin. With silent transmission, he said, "He needs you now. Take him."
Blue blinked as they said nothing.
"What the hell? Did you guys just reject me?!" he shouted.
CRACK!
Wu Jin pointed to the ground in front of him. "Kowtow."
Blue muttered, "You crazy old..."
CRACK!
He stepped forward, bowed three times. Went back in line.
Tang Yeol stepped up next, carrying three wooden boxes. He opened one. A soft golden light spilled out.
"Ten-thousand-year ginseng. Nearly extinct now. The Tang Clan had to dig deep for these. That's why we had you formally accept your masters. We can't waste something this rare."
The boys stared, awestruck.
"These will give you twenty to thirty, maybe forty years of qi, if you have heavenly luck. But it won't be easy. It's going to hurt. Your masters will help you circulate the energy and open your meridians. If you absorb the qi, follow their paths you will likely have a body transformation. You may cry. You may beg. But by the end of it, you'll be first-rate warriors."
He looked at each of them.
"We start at dawn. Rest well... Silent Edge disciples."
--
The stars had yet to fade when the three stood together, shoulder to shoulder, in Blue's room. A thick stillness hung in the air...not of dread, but of expectation. Today, they would cross a line they could never uncross.
Ilho paced by the door, foot tapping anxiously. "You think it'll hurt?"
Blue leaned back, arms folded. "Yeol said it'll be the worst pain of our lives."
"Ah, so death it is," Jinhu muttered, clutching his stomach dramatically.
Then...thud. The unmistakable rhythm of heavy boots.
Ilho's eyes widened. "Shit. Here he comes."
BOOM!
Ilho flung the door open, and Mu Jang barreled in mid-step, crashing face-first into the floor.
For a second, silence.
Then all three erupted in laughter.
Even Blue dropped to one knee, wheezing.
"Did you see his face?!"
"I think the floor's got a dent!"
CRACK.
Ilho froze. "Ah. We didn't account for the rod…"
Wu Jin stood in the hallway, smirking. "Pavilion. Five minutes."
He casually kicked Wu Jang's rear as he passed, earning a muffled groan from the fallen giant.
The sun had just overtaken the top of the central pavilion as the trio followed behind Wu Jin and Wu Jang. One hundred and twenty-five members of Silent Edge were already present, forming an unwavering perimeter around the courtyard. Faces old and new...the very same recruits they'd once sparred with, others they hadn't seen before all now stood as guardians of the moment.
Each gave a nod as the boys passed. They knew. Everyone did. This wasn't just a transformation for three young warriors.
It was the first step in building a sect.
The massive wooden doors of the pavilion slammed shut behind them. Ten squad leaders appeared, standing with their backs to the entrance, guarding the door in solemn silence.
Wu Jin cracked it open just enough to peek out. "Nobody in. Nobody leaves. Not until they're done."
"YES SIR!"
Inside, three mats sat beneath the warm glow of the morning sun. A jug of water behind each. Before them, a small wooden box, each containing a 10,000-year ginseng, glowing faintly with radiant qi.
Wu Cheng stepped forward, eyes steeled.
"From here, you sit. You eat. You circulate qi. Your masters will guide it through you, force your meridians open, help you tear through the limits of your flesh. You'll suffer worse than death. But beyond the pain… lies strength. The strength to carry Silent Edge into a new era."
CRACK.
"Now sit. And begin."
Each boy took their place. The boxes opened. The glow of ancient medicine bathed their faces. They ate in silence.
The moment the ginseng entered their systems, the masters placed both palms on their disciples' backs.
Sa Gwan knelt behind Ilho. "Follow my path. Let the shadows guide you."
Wu Jang exhaled behind Jinhu. "All your meridians, boy. Become the mountain."
Wu Jin behind Blue said nothing at first, merely closed his eyes. Yet while the others struggled, his disciple…
He's doing this seamlessly, Wu Jin thought. Like it's nothing…
Blue grinned faintly. This isn't as bad as—
JOLT.
Blue's back arched. He clenched his jaw.
"FOCUS!" Wu Jin barked. "This is only the beginning."
--
24 - Hour Mark - Ilho
Ilho's body finally stilled.
His breath came in smooth, controlled draws, like a hunter stalking a target rather than a boy recovering from agony.
The sweat had dried. In its place was a faint shimmer on his skin...not gold, not silver, but something in between. The soft hue of moonlit steel.
Sa Gwan watched him quietly as Ilho opened his eyes.
They had changed.
The whites had faded into pale silver, and the irises held a glow—not bright, not blinding, but sharp. Focused. Eyes that could see through movement, not just at it.
He blinked, and the world slowed.
I can see the wind shift... the muscles tighten before a punch... the intent behind the motion.
His limbs felt lighter—but they weren't fragile. His muscles no longer bulged; instead, they moved like coiled wire: thin, precise, deadly.
Stronger. Not in power... but in placement. He vanished. Reappeared behind Sa Gwan in one step. Didn't strike.
"The shadows are quiet tonight," Ilho said softly.
Sa Gwan smiled faintly.
"So is your breath. Twently eight years worth of qi as well. Good job."
---
33-HOUR MARK – JINHU
Cracks echoed across the training hall as Jinhu's transformation reached its peak.
His skin flushed a deep bronze, veins thick as cords pulsing beneath the surface. His back had widened, his arms thickened. His very skeleton had restructured—broader shoulders, heavier legs, feet that had flattened and widened for better stability.
It was as if the earth itself had grown into him.
Jinhu exhaled once, and the ground beneath him rumbled...not from qi, but from weight.
This body… it doesn't move quickly. But when it moves...it moves everything.
Wu Jang chuckled under his breath.
"Good. Twenty four years worth of qi and your feet no longer belong to a child. They belong to the foundation of a mountain."
Jinhu's stance dropped low.
He pressed his palm to the floor.
I don't need to chase the enemy anymore. I'll make the earth carry my power to them.
---
40-HOUR MARK – BLUE
He had stopped screaming.
Not because the pain had gone.
But because he had gone through it.
His body lay in stillness for a moment longer—chest rising, faint steam drifting from his skin. His hair, once unkempt and dark, now shimmered faintly with streaks of silver at the roots, a side effect of qi refinement at the threshold of ascension.
Then—
He rose. Not in a surge. But in a breath. Smooth. Effortless.
Golden light pulsed faintly from his chest, down his arms, across his back. It wasn't bright. It was alive. Not decorative, not divine...but real. A minor realm attained not through faith, but through earned agony.
[System Notification]
Body Transformation: Heavenly Golden Body: Minor Realm Achieved.
"At the end of pain...is progress."
His frame was leaner now...but dense. Not a single motion was wasted. His muscles more defined. He had grown a few inches taller. Hair now halfway down his back. His skin carried a natural luster, not unlike tempered jade or polished bronze...beautiful, but quietly intimidating.
My breathing is different. My heart doesn't strain. My thoughts are clear.
Wu Jin approached slowly, jaw tight with awe.
"He doesn't just hold qi now," Yeol murmured behind him. "He embodies it."
Blue turned, eyes golden at the edges, flickering as if the very energy of the world answered his gaze.
"Is this… the beginning?" he whispered.
Wu Jin gave a single nod.
"No. This is the rebirth."