The sun was beginning to rise, casting a pale light over a sea of clouds. High above, a woman stood amidst the mist. Her beauty was ethereal, reminiscent of a cold, distant moon.
However, her form was a gruesome sight—pierced through by dozens of spears, her life essence leaking away.
Her expression was not one of fear for her own death, but of a profound, soul-wrenching sorrow. She began to whisper, her voice trembling:
"You... you protected us. You raised us..."
She looked toward the heavens, her voice cracking. "Even though you were only a few years older than us... I wished..."
"I wished to be with you... just like when I was a child, sleeping by your side because I was afraid of the dark..."
Blood-mixed tears streamed down her face, staining her pale cheeks. "But we failed you... Forgive us... Please, forgive us..."
Spirit Affinity House
Today was the long-awaited Awakening Ceremony. It was a rare occasion where two young masters of the same generation—Feng Jing Xian and Feng Wei Ran—would awaken their apertures together.
Jing Xian was 15 years and 10 months old, while Wei Ran was 14 years and 8 months. Their ages allowed them to stand before the threshold of cultivation on the same day.
In his private quarters, Wei Ran suddenly bolted upright. His breath was ragged, and cold sweat drenched his robes.
His heart throbbed with an inexplicable mixture of grief and primal rage.
"That dream... what did I just see that made my heart ache like this?"
He sat in silence, trying to grasp the fragments of the vision, but the memories slipped through his fingers like sand.
"I think... I can't remember..."
A voice from outside called out, interrupting his thoughts.
"Damn it... today is the Awakening Ceremony!"
Wei Ran hurriedly dressed, though a dull, throbbing pain had been echoing in his skull for a week. His eyes were swollen, and his mind felt heavy.
"Seven minutes. That's all the time I have," he thought.
As he stepped out, his parents were waiting. Usually, figures of their stature didn't attend the general ceremony, but today was different.
Not only were their two children awakening, but they were also deeply concerned about the mysterious migraines that had been plaguing Wei Ran.
The Awakening Ceremony
A vast crowd from the Spirit Affinity House had gathered.
A middle-aged officer stood at the center, calling names one by one.
After hours of anticipation, he finally shouted:
"Next: Feng Wei Ran!"
Wei Ran emerged from the crowd.
The elders watching from the high balcony leaned forward, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Some even whispered that Wei Ran might possess one of the Ten Extreme Physiques.
As Wei Ran walked through the ceremonial water, he cast a single, fleeting glance at his sister before moving toward the field of Hope Gu.
The Hope Gu began to swirl around him, entering his body. However, the crowd's initial excitement dipped. The number of Hope Gu reacting to Wei Ran's body seemed unnervingly small.
"Hope Gu... I know of them from 'The Legends of Ren Zu'," Wei Ran mused internally.
Wei Ran walked steadily and stopped at the 22nd step. A wave of disappointment washed over the onlookers. The middle-aged officer opened his mouth to announce the result.
"Grade—"
But before he could finish, Wei Ran took another step. Then another.
24... 25... 29... 34... 54... 68... 72... 87... 91...
Finally, he came to a halt at the 92nd step.
The elders gasped, their faces paling in shock. At 92 steps, he wasn't just an A-grade genius; he was a monster on the verge of the Extreme Physiques. The grading was clear:
10-20 was D-grade, 20-30 was C-grade, 30-40 was B-grade, and anything above 40 was A-grade.
But 92? This was unheard of.
"Feng Wei Ran! A-Grade Talent!" the officer bellowed, his voice cracking with emotion.
Wei Ran turned to walk back. But suddenly, his body froze mid-motion.
The elders' expressions shifted from admiration to sheer terror. One elder stood up, his voice trembling: "This... this aura... what is this?"
Another added, his face ashen, "This pressure... it feels more terrifying than an Immortal Demon Venerable..."
Even Feng Jiu Ge and Emma Fairy were paralyzed by the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
Suddenly, Wei Ran clutched his head and let out a scream. At first, it sounded like a child in pain, but within seconds, the sound distorted, echoing as if the very heavens were screaming in agony.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The Immortals among the elders immediately manifested their defensive barriers.
BOOM!
An explosion of energy erupted from Wei Ran's body.
When the dust settled, Wei Ran remained standing, staring blankly at the sky. But he had changed.
"What... what happened to his hair?" someone whispered.
Wei Ran's once snow-white hair had transformed into a chaotic, mesmerizing blend of Blue, Yellow, and Red.
The colors didn't mix; instead, each strand seemed to possess its own vibrant, erratic hue from the three colors.
Wei Ran collapsed, his consciousness fading into darkness. His family's frantic voices were the last thing he heard.
"Wei Wei!"
"My son!"
"Brother!"