"Step forward."
The elder's voice was calm—but it carried a pressure that made Li Chen's chest tighten.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Couldn't move.
Every instinct screamed at him to run.
But run where?
This was the sect. There was nowhere to escape.
Li Chen forced himself to step forward.
One step.
Then another.
Each movement felt unnatural, like the world itself was watching him.
Because maybe… it was.
Zhao Tian was still standing beside the crystal, his face pale, his breathing uneven.
"Elder… something is wrong," he said, his voice strained. "My spirit root—it was just—"
"I saw."
The elder raised a hand, silencing him.
His sharp eyes shifted back to Li Chen.
"You tested just now," the elder said slowly. "Trash grade."
Li Chen swallowed.
"…Yes, Elder."
"And yet," the elder continued, his gaze narrowing, "the moment Zhao Tian stepped forward, something changed."
The plaza fell completely silent.
No one dared to speak.
No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
Li Chen felt a cold sweat form on his back.
He lowered his head slightly.
"I… do not understand what the Elder means."
A lie.
A terrible lie.
But what else could he say?
Yes, I just stole the fate of your most talented disciple?
That would be his death sentence.
The elder studied him for a long moment.
Too long.
Li Chen could feel it—that invisible pressure, like a blade hovering just above his neck.
Then—
"Place your hand on the crystal again."
The words struck like thunder.
Li Chen's heart skipped a beat.
Again?
If he refused, it would look suspicious.
If he obeyed…
Would it expose him?
"Now," the elder said, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Li Chen stepped toward the crystal.
His mind raced.
Think.
Think!
The system…
It had changed him.
Even if only slightly.
Would the result be different?
And if it was—
Would that be worse?
He reached the crystal.
Hesitated.
Then slowly placed his hand on its surface.
For a heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Light flickered.
Faint.
Unstable.
But no longer completely dim.
The elder's eyes sharpened.
"Hmm."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"It's different…"
"Didn't he just test trash grade?"
The light steadied slightly.
Weak.
But visible.
"First-grade spirit root…" the elder said slowly.
Silence.
Then—
An uproar.
"Impossible!"
"He just tested as trash!"
"How can it improve instantly?!"
Zhao Tian's head snapped toward Li Chen, his expression twisted with disbelief.
"You—what did you do?!"
Li Chen pulled his hand back, his heart pounding violently.
He didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Because he didn't know how to explain it himself.
But inside—
The system responded.
[Fate Integration Complete]
[Host Talent Stabilized]
Li Chen clenched his fists.
This was real.
Everything had changed.
The elder's expression darkened.
"In all my years," he said coldly, "I have never seen a spirit root improve in an instant."
His gaze locked onto Li Chen.
"Explain."
Pressure descended.
Heavier than before.
Li Chen's legs trembled slightly, but he forced himself to remain standing.
"I… I do not know," he said honestly.
Because that part, at least—
Was true.
The elder stared at him.
Searching.
Weighing.
Judging.
Then—
A sudden tremor shook the air.
Everyone froze.
The sky above the plaza darkened.
Not gradually.
Not naturally.
But as if something had covered it.
A suffocating pressure descended from above.
Ancient.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Li Chen's breath caught.
His body instinctively tensed.
Because deep down—
He knew.
This wasn't normal.
High above—
The clouds twisted.
Forming a vast, swirling vortex.
And within it—
Something moved.
"W-What is that…?" a disciple whispered.
Even the elder's expression changed.
For the first time—
There was unease.
"This aura…" he muttered. "Heavenly…?"
Li Chen's mind went blank.
The system's warning echoed in his head.
[Heavenly Observation Active]
A low rumble spread across the sky.
Like distant thunder.
But heavier.
Angrier.
Then—
A flash.
A bolt of pale-gold lightning tore through the clouds—
And struck the crystal.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a shockwave across the plaza.
Disciples screamed as they were thrown back.
The crystal cracked—
Lines of golden light fracturing across its surface.
Li Chen stumbled, barely managing to stay on his feet.
His ears rang.
His vision blurred.
But through it all—
He felt it.
That presence.
Watching.
Judging.
From above.
His chest tightened as an overwhelming sense of danger flooded him.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something deeper.
Rejection.
The heavens…
Were rejecting him.
[Warning: Host has been marked by Heaven]
[Probability of Heavenly Punishment: Increasing]
Li Chen's hands trembled.
"…Marked?"
"You!"
The elder's voice cut through the chaos.
Li Chen looked up.
The elder was staring directly at him.
Eyes sharp.
Filled with suspicion—
And something else.
Wariness.
"What did you do?" the elder demanded.
Li Chen's heart pounded.
"I—"
Before he could finish—
Another rumble shook the sky.
The vortex above began to collapse inward.
The pressure intensified—
Then suddenly—
Vanished.
The clouds dispersed.
The light returned.
As if nothing had happened.
Silence fell over the plaza.
Broken only by ragged breathing.
The elder slowly looked away from the sky.
Then back at Li Chen.
"…Interesting."
That single word sent a chill down Li Chen's spine.
"From today onward," the elder continued, his tone unreadable, "you will remain under observation."
The crowd stirred.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"Under observation?"
"What does that mean?"
Zhao Tian's expression darkened as he stared at Li Chen.
Something cold flickered in his eyes.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
Li Chen lowered his gaze.
But inside—
His thoughts churned.
He had gained power.
A future.
A chance.
But in doing so—
He had attracted something far worse.
The heavens had noticed him.
And somehow—
He knew—
This was only the beginning.