The air around him shifted.
Li Xuan stood frozen on the bloodstained cliffs of Blackspire Ravine, the mist coiling tighter around his body like a living thing. The lingering warmth of qi still pulsed through his veins—foreign, surreal. For the first time in his life, power stirred beneath his skin.
Then, without warning, the system spoke again.
[Devouring Heaven Manual: Trial Initialization Detected.]
[Vessel has absorbed a hostile core. Threshold met.]
[Transferring consciousness to the Devouring Realm…]
"What—"
A flash of black light erupted from within his chest. His surroundings collapsed inward, like a mirror shattering in reverse. The jagged cliffs, the wolf's corpse, the cold mountain air—all were consumed.
And then, nothing.
When Li Xuan opened his eyes, he stood on a vast platform of cracked obsidian suspended in a void of swirling blue flame and endless black sky. Distant stars pulsed like dying embers, and a low hum echoed all around him.
This place felt wrong—silent, but not empty.
The pressure was immense. The air was thick with killing intent. His instincts screamed that this was not a place meant for mortals.
"So this… is the Devouring Realm," he muttered.
The words felt like blasphemy here.
Then a voice echoed—not mechanical, but ancient. Deep. Watching.
"To wield power, you must first prove you can survive."
The shadows around the edge of the platform writhed and twisted. From them emerged a massive, spectral beast—a wolf again, but this one was twice as large, its form built from black smoke and bone. Red eyes gleamed with hunger. Its steps cracked the obsidian beneath it.
Li Xuan's pulse quickened. He instinctively reached for his dagger.
Gone.
His pouch, his robe's hidden pockets—empty.
He was unarmed.
Of course.
He clenched his jaw. "You're going to test me without giving me a weapon?"
The beast snarled, saliva hissing on the black stone. It crouched, ready to strike.
But before it leapt, the voice returned—this time mechanical again.
[Error: Weapon Signature Detected – Attempting Reconstruction…]
From the air before him, fragments of metal and crystal snapped together. A jagged blade formed—twisted, imperfect, but unmistakably a sword. Black steel with glowing crimson veins ran down its length, flickering like a beating heart.
It floated in the air, waiting.
[Weapon Acquired: Shattered Fang]
Forged from the remnants of failure and the spark of survival. Bound to host's soul. It will evolve as you grow.
Effect: Absorbs essence from slain enemies. Repairs slowly when nourished.
Li Xuan reached out and grabbed the hilt.
A chill sank into his bones.
The sword pulsed once. It was alive.
The wolf lunged.
He barely rolled aside in time, the claws tearing through the stone where he'd stood. Dust exploded into the air. The beast whirled, faster than anything its size should be, and leapt again.
Li Xuan stepped in.
He didn't dodge.
He brought the sword up in a brutal arc, bracing the impact with both hands. The jagged blade carved deep into the creature's chest, sending ripples of force across the platform.
The beast screamed—no, roared. The sound was layered, like dozens of wolves howling at once. Its body dissolved into mist momentarily before snapping back together, reforming its shape even as it bled black smoke.
The sword pulsed again.
Qi flowed into Li Xuan—not much, but enough to feel.
He backed off, circling, blade held low.
Every breath was heavier. Every second, the pressure increased. The platform itself seemed to reject him.
The wolf charged again, this time faster.
Li Xuan ducked under the first claw, twisted to the side, and plunged the blade into its flank. He drove his foot into the beast's knee joint and forced it down, twisting the blade as he did.
The creature shrieked. Black essence gushed from the wound, absorbed immediately by the Shattered Fang. The blade trembled—eager.
The wolf tried to retaliate, snapping at his head.
Li Xuan let go of the blade, ducked the bite, and grabbed the sword again from the other side of the beast's torso, ripping it through as he rolled out of the way.
The beast collapsed, its body disintegrating into black mist.
Silence returned.
Then came the system.
[Trial Complete: Instinctual Combat.]
[Essence Absorbed: Spectral Core Fragment x1.]
[Devouring Realm Synchronization: 2%.]
The platform cracked beneath his feet. Light bled from the fractures, rising into the sky like flame.
Everything vanished.
He gasped awake, slumped against the cold rock of the ravine. The wolf's corpse still lay nearby, steaming in the moonlight.
But in his hand was the Shattered Fang.
It was real.
Not a dream.
He turned the blade over. Black steel. Blood-red veins. The same dull glow. It vibrated faintly in his palm, almost… pleased.
Li Xuan stood, breath steadying, mind racing.
This was just the beginning. The system had given him a taste of power—but it had made its rules clear:
Feed it. Or be fed upon.
His eyes turned toward the horizon—where the distant torches of Blackroot Hollow flickered weakly in the night.
"They left me with nothing," he whispered. "So I'll take everything."