The morning sun cast its golden rays over the training ground of the Holy Orchid Institute, where the annual Entrance Test was about to begin. Hundreds of youths stood shoulder-to-shoulder in their clan robes, eyes blazing with ambition and pride. It was a sea of potential — most of it destined to fade into mediocrity.
Ling Tian stood quietly at the edge of the crowd.
He wore no family colors. No one knew his name. Yet his gaze scanned the field with a calm sharpness that unsettled even the instructors watching from above.
"Begin the soul force evaluation!" a teacher barked.
One by one, students placed their palms on the Soul Crystal. Each crystal flared with a color — red for low, orange for average, yellow and above for rare talents. Most got red. A few earned orange. Cheers erupted when a student triggered a yellow.
Then it was Ling Tian's turn.
He stepped forward.
The crowd barely noticed him. Some snickered. "Another commoner? He looks like he hasn't trained a day in his life."
He ignored them.
With a deep breath, he placed his palm on the crystal — but not with full strength. No need to expose too much too early, he thought.
The crystal glowed… orange.Then… flickered to deep yellow.A hush fell.
"Yellow soul realm… intermediate stage?" the instructor murmured. "That's not recorded under any clan—"
Ling Tian bowed. "My name is Ling Tian. I have no clan. I trained on my own."
That lie passed easily enough. But Xiao Ning'er, standing in the elite Winged Dragon family row, narrowed her eyes.
She had felt something strange. Not just the color, but the aura. Controlled. Hidden. Like someone deliberately suppressing themselves.
Nie Li, standing nearby, also glanced his way.
The rest of the test proceeded, but whispers followed Ling Tian wherever he went.
When it ended, the list was posted. He ranked 6th overall — an unheard-of feat for someone with no backing. Right behind Xiao Ning'er, who was 5th, and right ahead of Du Ze, who ranked 7th.
As students filed out, Ling Tian leaned against a wooden post in the training yard. He watched them with mild interest — until a soft voice interrupted him.
"You're not from any family," Xiao Ning'er said.
He turned. She stood tall, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on him like a hawk.
"That's right," he said calmly. "Is that a problem?"
"No." A pause. "But your soul force was… strange. It felt artificial."
Ling Tian smiled faintly. "Maybe I'm just lucky."
She frowned, unconvinced. "Luck doesn't explain control. You're hiding something."
He leaned closer, voice lowering. "And if I am, Xiao Ning'er… what will you do?"
Her eyes flickered, not with fear, but curiosity.Then, without another word, she turned and walked away.
Interesting, Ling Tian thought.She wasn't just beautiful — she was perceptive. Dangerous.
And undeniably alluring.
He chuckled softly.His arrival was already changing the flow of fate.