The martial plaza fell into complete silence.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the quiet boy standing beside Yuan Zhen and Lady Yue.
“Yuan Tian.”
Elder Mo called once more.
Without hesitation, Yuan Tian stepped forward.
His pace remained unhurried.
Neither fast nor slow.
The stone steps leading toward the Heartstone seemed taller than before.
Each step echoed softly throughout the plaza.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
No one spoke.
Children who had already completed their examinations watched with curiosity.
Parents quietly exchanged glances.
“The Patriarch’s youngest grandson.”
“I heard he loves reading.”
“They say he hardly practices with the other children.”
“I’ve heard he’s unusually quiet.”
Small whispers drifted through the audience before fading once more.
Yuan Tian reached the jade platform.
He looked up.
The Heartstone towered above him, its surface shimmering beneath the morning sunlight.
Standing this close…
The strange feeling returned.
It wasn’t beautiful.
It wasn’t frightening.
It felt…
Patient.
As though it had been waiting for countless years.
Elder Mo smiled gently.
“No need to be nervous.”
“Simply place your hand upon the Heartstone.”
“It will do the rest.”
Yuan Tian nodded politely.
“…Thank you, Elder.”
He slowly raised his right hand.
Before touching the crystal, he paused.
Not because of fear.
Because…
He felt warmth.
A faint warmth spreading from deep within the Heartstone itself.
“…”
No one else appeared to notice.
His fingertips finally touched the crystal.
Silence.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three.
Nothing happened.
Several children exchanged confused looks.
Even Elder Mo frowned slightly.
Normally, the Heartstone reacted almost immediately.
Another breath passed.
Still…
Nothing.
Yuan Tian quietly waited.
His palm remained against the crystal.
The plaza grew strangely quiet.
Among the guest seating, several representatives from the Luo and Bai Clans began whispering to one another.
“Is the Heartstone damaged?”
“It has never taken this long.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Yuan Zhen unconsciously tightened his fists.
Lady Yue gently held his arm.
Neither of them looked away.
Elder Mo took one careful step closer.
“Young man…”
“Keep your hand where it is.”
“…Yes, Elder.”
Yuan Tian answered calmly.
Deep inside the Heartstone…
Something stirred.
Not light.
Not Spiritual Qi.
Something…
Far older.
Far beyond the understanding of everyone present.
A faint vibration spread through the crystal.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Yuan Tian blinked.
For a brief instant…
The world around him disappeared.
The martial plaza vanished.
The voices vanished.
Even the warmth of the morning sun disappeared.
He found himself standing within endless darkness.
Countless golden threads stretched in every direction.
Some were bright.
Others dim.
Some had already broken.
Some continued beyond the horizon.
“…”
He slowly looked around.
“What…”
A single golden thread gently drifted toward him.
The moment his fingertips brushed against it—
Everything shattered.
His vision returned.
The martial plaza reappeared.
The Heartstone stood before him exactly as before.
No one seemed to have noticed anything.
Not even Elder Mo.
“…Strange.”
Yuan Tian quietly lowered his gaze.
Had he imagined it?
He wasn’t sure.
Then…
The Heartstone reacted.
A single ripple spread across its surface.
Not red.
Not blue.
Not green.
Not any color anyone recognized.
The ripple expanded once.
Then disappeared.
Silence.
Nothing else happened.
Elder Mo stared.
The elders stared.
Even Patriarch Yuan Lie’s calm expression changed ever so slightly.
The Heartstone…
Had stopped.
No one spoke.
Even the breeze seemed to disappear from the martial plaza.
Elder Mo stared at the Heartstone for several long breaths before looking at Yuan Tian.
“…Remove your hand.”
Yuan Tian obeyed.
The instant his palm left the crystal, its surface became calm once more.
Not a trace of the strange ripple remained.
It was as though nothing had happened.
Elder Mo frowned.
He had overseen the examination for nearly thirty years.
He had witnessed exceptional talents.
He had witnessed children with almost no affinity.
He had even seen the Heartstone crack once during an examination decades ago.
But this…
He had never seen.
He slowly approached the crystal and rested his own hand against it.
The Heartstone immediately shimmered with a faint white glow.
Normal.
Perfectly normal.
Elder Mo quietly withdrew his hand.
“…Again.”
He looked toward Yuan Tian.
“Place your hand upon the Heartstone once more.”
“…Yes, Elder.”
The little boy stepped forward.
This time, every eye remained fixed upon the crystal.
His palm touched its smooth surface.
One breath passed.
Then another.
Nothing.
No color.
No resonance.
No light.
Only silence.
Several children exchanged puzzled glances.
Among the guest seating, quiet whispers gradually spread.
“Did the Heartstone fail?”
“I’ve never seen this before.”
“Perhaps the child has no affinity at all.”
“It shouldn’t remain completely silent.”
Yuan Tian continued waiting patiently.
He felt no disappointment.
Only curiosity.
Why had the golden threads appeared only once?
…
Another breath passed.
The Heartstone remained unchanged.
Elder Mo slowly exhaled.
“…Enough.”
Yuan Tian lowered his hand.
The elder turned toward the platform where the clan leaders sat.
For the first time since the examination had begun, uncertainty appeared on his face.
He cupped his fists respectfully.
“Patriarch.”
“I request permission to inspect the Heartstone.”
Yuan Lie gave a slight nod.
“Proceed.”
Without another word, Elder Mo examined every visible inch of the crystal.
He circled it once.
Then twice.
He checked the jade platform beneath it.
Even the formation lines carved into the stone floor.
Nothing.
Everything remained exactly as it had been before the examination.
He returned to his original position.
“The Heartstone is functioning normally.”
Silence settled over the martial plaza once more.
If the Heartstone was not damaged…
Then the result could only belong to the child.
…
The representatives from the Bai Clan quietly exchanged glances.
One elder stroked his beard.
“…Interesting.”
The Luo Clan elders remained equally puzzled.
Even City Lord Han leaned slightly forward.
“This is a first.”
No one rushed to mock the boy.
There was simply too little anyone understood.
…
Yuan Zhen looked toward his son.
Not once had Yuan Tian shown panic.
Nor disappointment.
He merely stood beside the Heartstone, waiting calmly for instructions.
For some reason…
That steadiness eased the tightness in Yuan Zhen’s chest.
…
Elder Mo slowly raised the jade scroll.
His voice remained as steady as before, though the slightest hesitation lingered.
“Yuan Tian…”
He paused.
“…No detectable compatibility with the Yuan Clan’s cultivation inheritance.”
The words echoed across the martial plaza.
A few children looked confused.
Some adults frowned.
Others quietly sighed.
Not because they looked down upon the child.
But because everyone understood what those words usually meant.
Without compatibility…
Cultivation became unimaginably difficult.
Lady Yue closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Then opened them again.
When Yuan Tian turned toward his parents…
She smiled.
The same warm smile she always wore.
Yuan Zhen also smiled.
Not forced.
Not bitter.
Simply proud.
He raised a hand.
“Come here.”
Yuan Tian stepped down from the platform.
“…I’m sorry.”
The words escaped almost instinctively.
Yuan Zhen gently rested a hand upon his shoulder.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I…”
“…don’t know.”
His father smiled.
“Then don’t apologize.”
“You did exactly what I asked.”
“I did?”
“You walked forward.”
“You weren’t afraid.”
“You did your best.”
He lightly ruffled Yuan Tian’s hair.
“For me…”
“…that’s enough.”
Yuan Tian quietly nodded.
“…Alright.”
Behind them, Lady Yue adjusted the slightly crooked collar of his robe.
“My handsome little Tian.”
She smiled gently.
“You still look wonderful.”
For the first time since approaching the Heartstone…
Yuan Tian smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
But genuine.
Not everyone needed extraordinary talent…
To know they were loved.
…
Far above the endless clouds…
Beyond the sight of every cultivator in Qinghe City…
Something ancient…
Watched in silence.
Its eyes never left the quiet little boy walking away from the Heartstone.
For the first time in countless ages…
It seemed…
Almost amused.
The examination did not stop.
Elder Mo took a slow breath before raising the jade scroll once more.
“The next child.”
His voice remained steady.
As though nothing unusual had occurred.
One by one, the remaining children completed their examinations.
Some smiled.
Some cried.
Others quietly accepted their results.
Yet…
An invisible weight lingered over the martial plaza.
Every so often, someone’s gaze drifted toward Yuan Tian.
Not with ridicule.
With curiosity.
The Heartstone had remained silent.
That alone was unprecedented.
…
Once every child had been examined, Elder Mo rolled the jade scroll closed.
“The Annual Cultivation Aptitude Examination…”
“…has concluded.”
The younger generation immediately gathered around their parents.
Some excitedly spoke about future cultivation.
Others remained unusually quiet.
Clan attendants began recording each child’s result into thick leather-bound registers.
Nothing was overlooked.
Every generation became part of the Yuan Clan’s history.
…
Upon the elevated platform, several elders quietly discussed the earlier incident.
“The Heartstone has never behaved that way.”
“It wasn’t a resonance.”
“It wasn’t a rejection either.”
“It simply…”
“…stopped.”
Another elder frowned.
“Should we repeat the examination?”
Elder Mo slowly shook his head.
“The Heartstone was tested twice afterward.”
“It responded normally.”
“The result remains unchanged.”
Silence followed.
Finally, Yuan Lie spoke.
“No.”
His calm voice immediately ended the discussion.
“The examination stands.”
No one argued further.
The Patriarch had made his decision.
…
As the crowd slowly dispersed, City Lord Han approached Yuan Lie.
“The child…”
“He interests you.”
Yuan Lie looked toward the departing Yuan Tian.
“He interests the Heartstone.”
The City Lord smiled faintly.
“There is a difference.”
“There is.”
Neither man continued the conversation.
Some matters…
Were better left unanswered.
…
Meanwhile, Yuan Tian walked quietly between his parents.
The examination grounds gradually disappeared behind them.
Neither Yuan Zhen nor Lady Yue brought up the result.
Instead…
Lady Yue suddenly asked,
“What would you like for lunch?”
Yuan Tian blinked.
“…Lunch?”
“You’ve earned it.”
“But…”
“I didn’t…”
She gently interrupted him.
“You attended your first examination.”
“That deserves a good meal.”
Yuan Zhen nodded in agreement.
“Your mother is right.”
“So…”
He pretended to think seriously.
“Noodles?”
Lady Yue shook her head.
“He had noodles two days ago.”
“Dumplings?”
“He had those yesterday.”
Yuan Tian quietly watched them.
They were genuinely debating lunch.
As though nothing important had happened.
Without realizing it…
He smiled.
“…Father.”
“Hm?”
“Mother.”
“Hm?”
“…Thank you.”
The couple looked at one another before smiling.
No further explanation was needed.
…
That evening…
The Yuan Clan gradually became peaceful once more.
Many children had already begun imagining their future cultivation.
Some celebrated.
Others trained harder than ever.
Life continued.
Yuan Tian returned to the willow tree overlooking the eastern pond.
The setting sun painted the water with shades of gold.
He sat beneath the familiar branches.
Closed his eyes.
And remembered.
Not the examination.
The golden threads.
They had felt…
Real.
More real than the Heartstone itself.
“What were they…”
He whispered.
The breeze answered only with rustling leaves.
…
Far away…
Beyond Qinghe City.
Beyond kingdoms.
Beyond even the Human Realm.
A weathered bronze bell hung motionless beneath a sky filled with unfamiliar stars.
For countless ages…
It had remained silent.
Without warning…
A single crack appeared upon its surface.
Tiny.
Barely visible.
Yet undeniably real.
Somewhere nearby, an old man slowly opened his eyes.
His robes were faded with time.
His long white hair rested upon the ground beside him.
He looked toward the cracked bell.
Then…
Toward a direction impossibly far away.
His expression remained calm.
Yet…
For the first time in countless years…
A faint smile appeared.
“So…”
He said softly.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
The bell did not ring.
It no longer needed to.