Chapter 1: The Exile
Dark clouds loomed over the sky, casting an ominous shadow over the stone courtyard of the Lin Clan. A crowd had gathered, their faces filled with scorn and disdain. In the center of the gathering, a young man stood, his body battered and bruised, his clothes torn from repeated beatings.
His name was Lin Fan, the youngest son of a branch family within the prestigious Lin Clan. At sixteen years old, he had failed to cultivate Spirit Qi, making him an absolute disgrace. In a world where strength determined everything, weakness was a crime, and no crime was greater than being utterly powerless.
Before him stood Lin Hao, the rising star of the younger generation and his half-brother. A smirk played on Lin Hao's lips as he took a step forward, towering over the wounded Lin Fan.
"Lin Fan," he said coldly, "today is the day you leave the Lin Clan."
Silence fell over the courtyard. No one spoke in his defense. Not even his own father, Lin Xuan, who stood among the elders, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
"The laws of our clan are clear," Lin Hao continued. "Those who fail to step onto the path of cultivation by the age of sixteen are exiled. You have two choices—leave on your own or be thrown out like the failure you are."
Lin Fan's fists clenched. His entire life, he had been treated as an outcast, a stain on the family's reputation. He glanced at his father, hoping—just once—to see even a shred of hesitation. But Lin Xuan's eyes remained cold.
Lin Fan laughed bitterly in his heart.
"I was never really their family… just a disgrace they tolerated."
Lin Hao chuckled at his silence. "No response? Good. Then let me help you leave."
Before Lin Fan could react, a powerful fist slammed into his chest. His body flew backward, crashing onto the cold stone ground. He gasped, coughing up blood.
Pain erupted in his ribs, but before he could recover, a heavy foot stomped on his hand.
CRACK.
"AHHH!"
Lin Fan screamed as his fingers bent at unnatural angles. The pain was unbearable.
Lin Hao knelt beside him, whispering mockingly, "This is so you remember… trash like you don't belong here."
Then, with one last powerful kick, Lin Fan's body was sent tumbling out of the massive iron gates of the Lin Clan.
He lay on the dirt, his body broken, as the gates slammed shut behind him. No one came to see him off. No one cared.
He was nothing to them now.
Lin Fan stared at the road ahead. In the distance, looming mountains cast terrifying shadows.
The Forbidden Region.
It was a land of monsters, demons, and ancient horrors. No ordinary man had ever returned from there alive.
But Lin Fan had nowhere else to go.
Either he entered… or he died.
The Cursed Forest
Hours passed. Night fell.
Lin Fan dragged his broken body through the dense wilderness, his every breath labored. His vision blurred from exhaustion, his fingers swollen and useless. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, but he had no food, no weapons, and no strength.
Then he heard it.
A low growl.
His heart pounded as he froze in place.
From the darkness, red eyes flickered into existence. A pack of Shadow Wolves emerged from the underbrush, their fangs glistening in the moonlight.
They were hungry. And he was the perfect prey.
Lin Fan's breath hitched.
"Is this how I die?"
But before the first wolf could lunge, a voice echoed in his mind.
— [Activating… Chaos Primordial System…]
Time slowed.
A burning sensation coursed through his veins. A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes, filled with unfamiliar text.
[Activation complete… Merging host with Chaos Energy…]
A sharp scream tore through the night.
But this time, it wasn't a cry of fear—
It was the beginning of something monstrous.