CHAPTER 16 THE ELDER'S TEST
840 Words
A cool breeze swept across the Rizz Clan before dawn.
The entire clan remained asleep.
Only a few lanterns flickered along the quiet stone paths.
Raizen quietly left his courtyard.
After the warning from the Origin System...
Sleep had become impossible.
He made his way toward the lonely hill behind the clan.
The ancient tree stood exactly where it always had.
Its branches swayed gently beneath the morning stars.
Raizen sat beneath it and slowly closed his eyes.
Spirit Qi drifted toward him from every direction.
This time...
He didn't absorb it.
He simply observed.
He listened.
He felt its flow through the world around him.
Minutes passed.
Then...
A familiar voice interrupted the silence.
"You've changed."
Raizen slowly opened his eyes.
Standing a few meters away...
Was Elder Tian.
The old man had his hands clasped behind his back.
His expression was as calm as ever.
Raizen immediately stood.
"Greetings, Elder."
Elder Tian nodded.
"You may sit."
Raizen obeyed.
The elder walked beneath the ancient tree before looking toward the rising sun.
"This tree..."
"...is older than the Rizz Clan."
"It has witnessed countless geniuses."
"And even more failures."
He turned toward Raizen.
"Tell me."
"What is cultivation?"
Raizen was slightly surprised.
After thinking carefully...
He answered.
"A path toward becoming stronger."
Elder Tian smiled.
"That is only the surface."
"What else?"
Raizen remained silent.
The elder patiently waited.
Finally...
Raizen spoke again.
"Cultivation..."
"...is overcoming yourself."
"It isn't just defeating others."
"It's refusing to surrender."
A faint smile appeared on Elder Tian's face.
"Better."
"But still incomplete."
The elder picked up a small stone from the ground.
He tossed it into the nearby pond.
Ripples spread across the water.
"What do you see?"
"The ripples."
Raizen answered.
The elder nodded.
"And why do they appear?"
"Because the stone disturbed the water."
"Exactly."
He looked directly into Raizen's eyes.
"A cultivator is like that stone."
"Every choice you make..."
"...creates ripples."
"Some disappear quickly."
"Others..."
"...change the world forever."
Raizen quietly absorbed every word.
The elder suddenly pointed toward two young bamboo shoots growing beside the pond.
One stood perfectly straight.
The other bent gently with the wind.
"Which one is stronger?"
Raizen looked carefully.
"The straight one."
Elder Tian smiled.
Without warning...
He flicked a strand of Spirit Qi.
Snap!
The straight bamboo broke instantly.
The bent bamboo swayed with the wind...
Then slowly returned upright.
Raizen's eyes widened.
"I understand."
"Do you?"
The elder asked.
Raizen nodded.
"True strength isn't always rigid."
"Sometimes..."
"...it's knowing when to yield."
The elder laughed heartily.
"Excellent."
"You learn quickly."
Deep within his mind...
The Origin System chimed softly.
Character Evaluation Updated.
Supreme Foundation Progress: 3%.
Raizen remained calm.
He had begun to understand.
The Supreme Foundation wasn't built only through cultivation.
It was built through character.
Elder Tian's expression suddenly became serious.
"Raizen."
"Answer me honestly."
"Have you encountered anything..."
"...unusual recently?"
Raizen's heartbeat quickened.
Was he referring to the Origin System?
He carefully considered his answer.
"I've experienced things..."
"...I don't fully understand."
The elder nodded slowly.
"I expected as much."
He didn't press further.
Instead...
He simply said,
"Whatever path you've stepped onto..."
"Walk it carefully."
"The greatest opportunities..."
"...often attract the greatest disasters."
A long silence followed.
The morning sun finally rose above the mountains.
Golden light bathed the ancient tree.
The elder looked toward the distant horizon.
"There is one final lesson."
He gently raised his right hand.
"Attack me."
Raizen blinked.
"...Elder?"
"You heard me."
"Attack."
Raizen hesitated.
"I could never—"
"You will."
The elder interrupted calmly.
"And you will do so with everything you have."
Raizen slowly drew his iron sword.
He inhaled deeply.
Then...
He charged.
His sword sliced through the morning air.
Fast.
Precise.
Determined.
Elder Tian didn't move.
Just before the blade reached him...
He gently lifted one finger.
Clink.
The iron sword stopped.
Its sharp edge rested against the elder's fingertip.
Raizen's pupils contracted.
Impossible.
No matter how hard he pushed...
The sword refused to move even an inch.
Elder Tian smiled.
"This..."
"...is the difference between technique..."
"...and mastery."
He flicked his finger lightly.
A gentle force traveled through the blade.
Raizen staggered backward.
Yet...
He wasn't injured.
"You attacked with courage."
"But your emotions disrupted your breathing."
"You relied on strength."
"Not rhythm."
Raizen lowered his sword.
"I understand."
"No."
The elder shook his head.
"You've only begun to."
He turned and started walking away.
Without looking back...
He spoke one final sentence.
"The arena assessment begins tomorrow."
"Don't fight to prove others wrong."
"Fight..."
"...to prove yourself right."
Raizen stood beneath the ancient tree long after the elder had disappeared.
Those words echoed endlessly within his heart.
Deep inside the shadows of the clan...
A pair of crimson eyes watched everything.
The hooded man smiled coldly.
"The Keeper is preparing him..."
He slowly closed his eyes.
"Very well."
"Then tomorrow..."
"...our own preparations shall begin."
Far beneath Black Pine Forest...
Another ancient chain cracked.
The darkness stirred.
And destiny moved one step closer to awakening.
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