The forest trembled.
Golden light consumed everything, flooding the clearing with an oppressive force that bent the air and cracked the ground beneath Li Shen's feet. The hunter stood frozen for the briefest moment in total fear. Whatever calm confidence he once held had vanished, replaced by something far more serious.
Li Shen's body moved.
Or rather "Dao" moved it.
His arm rose slowly, unnaturally steady, as if guided by an unseen will far beyond his own. The golden patterns across his skin burned like molten veins, and when his eyes opened..,
They were no longer human they were cold, ancient and unforgiving.
The hunter's lips parted slightly. "…So this is it."
There was no response, only silence.
Then Li Shen stepped forward.
The distance between them vanished instantly. The hunter reacted at once, his body blurring as he attempted to retreat, to escape the suffocating pressure that now filled the air. His hand rose, gathering a dark, condensed force while his own power reaching its peak in a desperate attempt to counter.
But it didn't matter.
Li Shen's palm struck.
There was no grand explosion. No dramatic clash.
Only a single, heavy sound.
A dull, final impact.
The hunter's body froze mid-motion, his expression locked in shock. For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then
His entire form collapsed inward.
Like dust being crushed by an invisible force, his body disintegrated into nothingness, scattering into the air before vanishing completely. Not a single trace remained, no flesh, no bone, not even energy.
He was erased completely.
The golden light pulsed once… then settled.
Silence returned.
Li Shen's body stood still for a moment longer before the glow slowly faded, the overwhelming pressure lifting as if it had never existed.
Then he collapsed as darkness swallowed him whole.
-------
Time passed.
No one remained in the forest.
What followed was something no one witnessed,
but its effects were undeniable.
Every beast within miles fled in terror.
Those that could not run were crushed beneath an invisible pressure, their bodies trembling before going still. The forest, once filled with life and danger, became eerily quiet, as if something had claimed dominion over it.
And at the center of it all, Li Shen lay unconscious.
Unmoving.. Untouched.
---
By the time the remaining disciples returned to the sect, panic had already spread.
The trial was halted immediately.
Too many had reported the same thing
an overwhelming presence, something far beyond the scope of a simple test. Even the elders grew cautious upon hearing the details. The forest was sealed, and all surviving participants were recalled.
The trial for Outer Disciples… Ended early.
---
Three days later.
Li Shen opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was softness beneath him. Warmth. Safety.
The scent of faint incense filled the air.
Familiar.
"…The pavilion…" he muttered weakly.
His body ached, but not in the way he expected. The injuries he remembered, broken bones, torn muscles were gone. In their place was a strange lightness, as if his entire body had been reforged.
He slowly pushed himself up, his mind still clouded. Memories of the forest returned in fragments,
the hunter, the overwhelming power, the loss of control and then nothing else.
"…What happened?" he whispered.
Silence answered him.
For a moment, he thought he was alone.
Then
"So… you are finally awake."
The voice did not come from the room it came from within him.
Li Shen froze.
His eyes widened slightly as his breathing stilled.
"…Who… said that?"
A pause followed.
Then, the voice spoke again, calm, steady, and impossibly ancient.
"I did."
A cold sensation spread through Li Shen's body.
"The armor…" he said slowly.
A faint chuckle echoed within his mind.
"So you are not completely foolish."
Li Shen's expression hardened. "…What are you?"
There was no hesitation in the answer.
"I am Dao."
The name lingered in the air, simple, yet carrying a weight that pressed against his very soul.
Li Shen remained silent for a moment, processing the words.
"…Dao," he repeated quietly. "Why can I hear you now?"
"Because," the voice replied, "you have survived long enough to be acknowledged."
Li Shen's fists tightened slightly.
"…And the hunter?" he asked.
"Dead."
The answer was absolute.
"He was devoured," Dao continued. "His existence has been erased. His strength… absorbed."
Li Shen's heart skipped a beat.
"…By you?"
"By us."
Silence fell again.
This time, heavier.
"…Why?" Li Shen asked.
"Because he intended to take what belongs to me," Dao said calmly. "And because you were too weak to stop him."
The bluntness of the words cut deeper than any blade.
Li Shen lowered his gaze.
"…I couldn't do anything," he admitted.
"Yes."
There was no comfort in the response.
Only truth.
"But you will."
Li Shen's eyes lifted again.
"…What do you mean?"
A faint pressure filled his mind, not painful, but vast. Endless.
"You carry me," Dao said. "And I will not remain dormant forever. If you continue as you are, you will either be killed… or consumed."
The words were calm, but their meaning was absolute.
"There is only one path left to you."
Li Shen's breathing steadied.
"…Which is?"
"Become stronger."
The answer came without hesitation.
"Not as these weak cultivators do," Dao continued. "Not bound by their flawed methods and limited understanding."
A pause
"I will teach you."
Li Shen's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Teach me what?"
"The way of immortality."
The room seemed to grow quieter at those words.
Immortality.
A concept beyond everything he had known.
"…Why me?" Li Shen asked.
"For now," Dao replied, "you are the only one who has not broken."
The faintest trace of something unreadable lingered in the voice.
"Whether you are worthy… remains to be seen."
Li Shen exhaled slowly.
Then, after a moment
"…If I refuse?"
Silence.
"You will die."
There was no threat in the voice, no anger only certainty
Li Shen stared ahead, his thoughts racing. The path before him was no longer unclear.
It was absolute.
After a long pause, he spoke.
"…Then teach me."
For the first time
The voice seemed to approve.
"Good."
A faint warmth spread through his body, different from before. Controlled. Measured.
"From this moment on," Dao said, "you will walk a path no one else in this world can follow."
A pause.
Then, quietly
"And I… will be your master."
Li Shen closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again
They were steady... Determined.
The journey ahead had changed.
No longer just survival.
But something far greater, something that would reshape everything he knew.