Chapter 2
In the midst of the silent ruins, only a gentle breeze stirred the ash—the ashes of men, and of forgotten dreams.
But there, amidst the wreckage, a small stone floated—faintly glowing green—as it revolved around the unconscious body of a boy.
The Heaven-Rebelling Pearl.
It was no mere relic of the past...
It was a defiance against the heavens themselves.
Its aura seeped into Wang Sheng, threading through his pores, mending his fragile bones, reshaping his soul.
This was no rebirth through fate—
…it was rebirth through will.
Wang Sheng remained unconscious, eyes closed. Yet within, a flame had ignited—one that could never be extinguished.
A quiet hatred.
A grief too deep for words.
And a resolve that refused to die.
That resolve… was what awakened the Pearl.
Suddenly, the crude stone cracked—
Unveiling its true form: a pale green jade, glowing softly, wreathed in gentle life and drifting leaves like eternal petals.
The jade spun once—
And floated, slowly descending toward the boy.
Wang Sheng's eyes opened.
His small hand reached out instinctively. He had never held a weapon. Never known what it meant to kill.
But something inside him had changed.
And the moment his fingers touched the jade—
The world shattered.
---
He was pulled into the world inside the Pearl.
A boundless realm of stars, its sky filled with ancient constellations slowly turning, and in the center… stood a colossal banyan tree.
Its branches touched the heavens. Its roots vanished into endless shadow.
The tree… felt like the very heart of this world.
Wang Sheng walked toward it, his body weightless.
And when his hand touched its bark—
An explosion of energy!
Hundreds of ancient runes surged into his body.
Spiritual qi flooded his meridians.
Foundations of cultivation, fragments of the world's laws, the rhythm of life itself—poured into him.
His body trembled.
His blood boiled.
But his eyes… became clear.
He knelt before the great tree.
"Father… Mother…" he whispered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…"
He bowed his head, pressing his forehead to the starlit ground.
"…but I swear—I will make the heavens weep."
No fanfare. No audience.
Just one broken child…
Rising from ashes, to walk a path with no end.
Wang Sheng stood.
No clan.
No protector.
Only a jade pearl…
And a hatred vast enough to shake the sky.
With one last look at the village that no longer existed,
He turned.
And stepped toward the horizon—
Toward a world he had never seen.
His journey… had just begun.
---
Wang Sheng's steps were small. Unsteady.
But every step left a faint print on the starry ground—ground that did not belong to the mortal realm.
The Pearl floated beside him, silent.
Yet somehow… bearing witness to the resolve newly born.
The breeze brushing his cheek—no longer felt like mere wind.
It was the breath of this realm.
> "This… isn't the real world," Wang Sheng thought.
His steps carried him past falling stars, embers of fire drifting like petals.
The sky shifted—red, purple, silver, then black again.
Far in the distance, stars gathered—forming the silhouette of a colossal figure holding a sword, its gaze pointed down at him.
> "Am I… being tested?"
As if in answer—
The starlit ground before him cracked open.
From its depths… emerged a shadow.
Faceless. Featureless.
Cold enough to pierce bone.
Wang Sheng stepped back.
The shadow raised its arm.
From within it—a blade of dark mist formed.
No sound. No anger.
Only emptiness.
And then—it struck.
Wang Sheng, who had never learned to fight, raised his bare hands to defend.
But before the blade could reach him—
TING!
The Pearl beside him flared with light!
His body moved on its own. Reflex. But not any reflex he knew—
It was survival instinct planted by the ancient tree.
His hands twisted in patterns unknown.
His body spun.
His feet glided.
SHRRAK!
The shadow split in two—
And scattered into black motes, consumed by light.
Wang Sheng gasped.
His hands trembled. His body was still weak.
But his eyes… were sharper than before.
> "If this is a dream… then let me dream until I am strong enough."
The Pearl glowed gently.
Then, a voice echoed—ancient and calm as a midnight river.
"You who carry wounds… now walk into emptiness."
"But from emptiness… shall rise power."
Wang Sheng turned.
No one was there.
Then—
The sky cracked open.
A light shone upon him.
The distant sound of bells rang.
His body rose, weightless—
And before he could understand…
The world of stars shattered into fragments.
And Wang Sheng—
—awoke.
His eyes opened slowly.
He was back in the ruined world. The cold air clung to his skin.
But his body had changed.
His breath was steady.
The pain… was gone.