Chapter 10: A Glimpse Behind the Halo
The incense stick finally burned out, signaling the end of the first dantian awakening session. Some disciples looked dejected, others overjoyed. A few had successfully formed their dantians. Ye Chen sat calmly at the center, having been the first to succeed — the one rewarded with one hundred primeval stones.
As the crowd began to disperse, Liu Guan Yi opened his eyes.
Ding!
A soft chime rang in his mind — the first notification from his mysterious system in days.
> Target Scanned.
Name: Ye Chen
Luck: Golden Halo (Chosen One)
Talent: C-grade
Liu Guan Yi's eyes flickered slightly, then narrowed.
"C-grade talent… but a golden halo?"
He smirked. Not out of envy — but understanding.
"So that's how this world works. It doesn't matter how talented he is — fate bends to protect him."
He looked at Ye Chen's glowing form in the distance, surrounded by admiration and praise. The golden halo above his head gleamed with divine brilliance, invisible to all but Liu Guan Yi.
And yet, he didn't care.
"Chosen one or not, you're not worth fearing... not yet."
He turned around without a word and quietly left the Outer Peak courtyard.
---
Returning to the solitary mountain peak assigned to him, Liu Guan Yi found a figure waiting beneath the clouds.
His master — Ji Ning.
Dressed in flowing white robes, her presence was as serene as a moonlit lake. She nodded faintly when he arrived.
"You didn't rush to win the first prize. That's good," she said, her tone calm. "The one who burns fastest, often burns out first."
Then she reached into her sleeve and produced a small jade scroll.
"This is my personal sword technique. No other disciple is allowed to learn it."
Liu Guan Yi accepted the scroll with quiet reverence.
"It is called the Cutting Edge Sword."
She looked at him seriously. "It has four forms. Learn them well."
> 1. Cutting Flash – A burst slash faster than the eye can follow.
2. Cutting Edge – A precise, penetrating strike that pierces defenses.
3. Cutting Earth – A heavy, grounded slash that can cleave through stone and formations.
4. Cutting Heaven – A supreme sword intent that defies the heavens themselves.
"The last form," Ji Ning added, "I haven't completed yet. You'll need to find your own answer to that one."
Liu Guan Yi bowed. "Thank you, Master."
She left without another word, fading into the clouds like a dream.
---
Night fell. Stars scattered across the sky, cold and distant.
On his lonely peak, Liu Guan Yi sat cross-legged, the jade scroll floating before him. Sword energy flowed in his body as he began to comprehend the first form.
Cutting Flash.
He stood up, eyes sharp, body calm.
Shing!
His sword flashed — not at a target, not at a dummy — but at the wind itself.
For a moment, the breeze stopped.
A single leaf, drifting by, was sliced into two perfect halves.
Liu Guan Yi lowered his sword.
"A good start."
He turned toward the stars.
"Ye Chen… keep shining. I'll stay in the shadows until it's time to cut your light."