The ceremony ended. The flames of the Ice and Flame Trial platform had long since faded, yet the courtyard still buzzed with murmurs. For the first time in years, the Heavenly Sword Sect had accepted a disciple without a recommendation, lineage, or token—purely by fate and merit.

  But fate was rarely kind for long.

  “You’ll assign him to the Seventh Peak?” a silver-haired elder scoffed.

  Elder Mo gave a calm nod. “It’s tradition. All rootless disciples begin at the lowest peak.”

  The Seventh Peak—also known as “Forgotten Peak”—was a desolate corner of the sect. No mentors, no sparring partners, no spirit fields. It was a dumping ground for failures, a place the core disciples only whispered about.

  Li Xuan didn’t flinch. As Elder Mo handed him a simple gray robe and a jade token etched with the character for “Seventh”, he accepted it without a word.

  Forgotten Peak was just as its name implied—forgotten.

  Ruined pavilions lay overgrown with moss. The training fields were cracked, spiritual energy here was thin as mist. Only a single shack remained intact.

  Li Xuan stood before it, breathing in the sharp mountain air. “So this is where I begin,” he murmured.

  The system chimed.

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  [New Sign-in Location Detected: Forgotten Peak]

  [Daily Sign-in Available: Proceed?]

  “Yes.”

  [Sign-in Successful: Reward – Spirit Cleansing Pill (x1), Strength +1, Passive Trait Unlocked: 'Endure']

  He popped the pill into his mouth. It melted like snow, clearing the remnants of the trial’s pain. He flexed his fingers. Stronger again.

  But strength always attracted attention.

  By noon, news of the “rootless disciple who passed the Trial” had spread across the outer sect.

  A group of outer disciples appeared at his peak.

  Leading them was a youth with a hooked blade strapped to his back. His eyes glinted with disdain.

  “You the one who stole the trial slot?”

  Li Xuan glanced at him. “Stole? I earned it.”

  A snicker. “You earned nothing. That trial was meant for my brother.”

  “And yet,” Li Xuan said, stepping forward, “he wasn’t chosen. I was.”

  The youth’s face twisted. “You low-blood bastard. I’m Bai Zhen. Remember the name that crushes you.”

  He rushed forward.

  But before his blade could even draw fully, Li Xuan struck. A single palm landed on his chest.

  Bai Zhen flew backwards, landing in the dirt, gasping.

  The others froze. He had defeated a known outer disciple in a single blow.

  [Passive Trait Activated: 'Endure' – Counterforce Efficiency Increased by 15%]

  Li Xuan’s gaze was calm. “Leave.”

  They did.

  Night fell.

  In the silence, he sat atop a ruined meditation stone, legs crossed.

  The moonlight bathed Forgotten Peak. Cold wind whispered through the trees. But Li Xuan’s heart burned.

  He had no allies. No background. No powerful teacher.

  But he had a system.

  And a resolve that would shake the heavens.

  He stared toward the main sect peaks, where the inner disciples trained beneath golden pavilions.

  “One day, I will stand above you all.”

  The system responded quietly:

  [Tomorrow’s Sign-in Location Hint: Bloodwood Arena]

  Li Xuan smiled. “Good. Let them come.”