Chapter 1: The Fall of a Genius

The setting sun bathed the world in a blood-red glow, as if mourning a death yet to happen. At the center of the ruined Spirit Temple, a lone figure knelt — broken, bruised, and forgotten.

Arjun.

He was once the pride of the Azure Cloud Sect — the youngest Inner Disciple in history, a prodigy whose name shook the four regions. Elders praised him. Seniors envied him. Even the Sect Master had personally instructed him.

Yet now, he was nothing more than discarded trash.

His robes, once clean and embroidered with sect symbols, were torn and stained with blood. His breathing was shallow; his spirit core shattered into countless fragments.

The voices of betrayal still echoed in his mind.

"He's too talented! If we don't cripple him now, he'll surpass us all!"

"Break his core! Destroy his meridians!"

"Trash doesn't belong in Azure Cloud!"

The senior disciples, those he once called brothers, had ganged up on him. Even the Elders turned a blind eye — their jealousy blinding their honor.

Arjun clutched his chest, feeling the cold seep into his bones.

Why?

Why did it end like this?

What did I do wrong?

Tears mixed with the dirt on his face, but his eyes burned with silent rage.

The Spirit Temple around him was a cursed place — abandoned after an ancient beast had slaughtered an entire generation of cultivators. No one dared come here. They thought leaving him here was a death sentence.

And perhaps... they were right.

His vision blurred. The world spun. His consciousness flickered like a dying candle.

But just as despair was about to swallow him whole — the ground beneath him trembled.

Crack!

A thin line of golden light seeped from a crack in the floor, wrapping around Arjun's shattered body.

He didn't have the strength to move. All he could do was watch as the golden light entered his wounds, flooding his meridians, his spirit core, and even his very soul.

Pain erupted. Not the kind of pain that tore flesh — no, this was deeper, sharper. It shredded his spirit, melted his bones, and rebuilt him from the inside out.

In his mind, a voice echoed — ancient, majestic, like the roar of a divine beast.

[Awakening Initiated.]

[Host recognized: Arjun.]

[Activating dormant bloodline: Golden Sky Eagle.]

Bloodlines were rare even among Spirit Beasts. Among humans, they were mythical.

And now — a broken boy had awakened a bloodline feared by gods and revered by ancestors.

Arjun screamed — but no sound came out. Feathers of radiant gold burst from his skin. His arms reshaped into mighty wings. His vision sharpened beyond mortal limits.

A storm of golden energy exploded outward, shaking the ruins.

Where once a broken boy lay — now stood (no, soared) a creature of legend.

A Golden Sky Eagle, its feathers glowing with an ethereal light, its talons sharp enough to rend mountains, and its eyes burning with unyielding will.

Arjun flapped his wings, lifting into the twilight sky.

No chains could bind him now. No betrayal could stop his ascent.

He was no longer just a human. He was a force of nature — destined to carve his own legend into the heavens.

As the winds howled around him, Arjun made a silent vow:

I will return.

Stronger than ever.

And those who betrayed me... shall kneel before me.

The first flight of the Golden Sky Eagle lit up the darkening skies — a sign that a new era was about to begin.

An era forged by the wings of vengeance, destiny, and rebirth.

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(End of Chapter 1)