The Bidding War Novel – His legs were numb, every breath tore at his lungs, but he didn’t slow. If he could pass the trial and become a disciple of the Taixuan Sect, then he—and what was left of his family—might just survive. Far ahead, atop the testing platform, a white-haired elder had just raised his voice to close the ceremony. For the entire day, tens of thousands of hopefuls had pressed their hands to the testing monument while the elders called out the results. “Fei Yangyang, eighteen, sixth-grade spirit root. Passed.” — “Zhang Ling’er, sixteen, fourth-grade. Failed.” — “Wang Haoran, seventeen, ninth-grade spirit root—passed!” By sunset, the white-haired enforcement elder could only shake his head and sigh. “Worst batch I’ve seen in fifty years. Barely two thousand passed.” Another elder offered a thin comfort. “Be grateful.
At least we got one ninth-grade root this year. Train him well and he could become a core disciple someday.” The white-haired elder nodded, then leapt onto the platform to make it official. “That’s all for this year’s recruitment. Those who passed, remain. Everyone else may go home.” Heads dropped. The rejected began to shuffle away. “WAIT!” A cry tore across the grounds, and every head turned. There—a boy, sprinting with everything he had left. And behind him, two cultivators, hunting him down to kill. Days ago, the Xiao Clan had been one of the four great houses of Qingyun City. Then the Ye Clan struck without warning—backed, somehow, by a mysterious power that should never have been on their side. The Xiao Clan was butchered. A hundred dead. With their last strength, they smuggled Xiao Lingchen out and sent him fleeing through the night to the one place that might shelter him.
The Taixuan Sect was his family’s final hope. Pass the trial, join the sect, earn its protection—and the Xiao Clan might still draw breath. He reached the platform at the very last second and threw himself onto it, slamming his palm against the testing monument with the last of his strength. Hummmm— The monument shuddered. Then it erupted—ten blazing beams of light, each as hot as the noon sun, shooting straight into the heavens. The cloudless sky burned. Nine false suns blossomed across it, scorching the whole horizon a furious red. The entire field froze. The white-haired elder’s eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open. “Ten beams… that’s—a Heaven Spirit Root!” The monument lit one beam for each grade of talent. Nine was the ceiling—the mark of a once-in-a-generation genius. This boy had lit ten. He had blown past the scale entirely. Beside him, another elder slowly shook his head. “No. It’s more than that.
An omen like this—this boy is far more than a mere Heaven Root.” He swallowed hard. “The old monsters inside the sect won’t be able to sit still now.” He’d barely finished speaking when the entire Taixuan Sect erupted. “HOW DARE YOU HARM MY DISCIPLE!” A voice like a thunderclap split the sky. An old man with a child’s rosy face and crane-white hair tore through the air—and with a single strike, smashed both of Xiao Lingchen’s pursuers into dust. Then the old man landed before the boy, seized his hand, and burst into tears. “My dear disciple! Do you know how long—how long—I’ve waited for you?!” He’d hardly gotten the words out before more figures came rocketing out of the sect. “Chen Feng, you shameless old goat—grabbing my disciple’s hand the second you see him!” — “Boy, ignore him! I’m your true master!” — “Five years, child! Do you know what these five years have been like for me?!” — “Sweet boy, precious heart—here, a little gift from your master, just for our first meeting!” In an instant, Xiao Lingchen was swallowed by a mob of the sect’s most powerful elders, all shouting over each other to claim him.
Even a fool could read the situation now. His talent was so monstrous that the highest figures of the sect were openly fighting over him. And if they wanted him this badly… then his family was saved. Forcing down his exhaustion, he cut straight to the point. “Honored elders—my name is Xiao Lingchen, of the Xiao Clan of Qingyun City. I came to join the Taixuan Sect—and to beg your protection. My family is being slaughtered as we speak.” The elders exchanged glances. When he told them everything the Ye Clan had done, their faces darkened with fury. “Outrageous! That insignificant little Ye Clan dares lay a hand on MY disciple?!” “Rest easy, child. You are a disciple of the Taixuan Sect now. We will protect every last one of your kin.” Orders flew. Disciples were dispatched to Qingyun City at once. And the moment that weight lifted from his chest—the elders turned back to him, every pair of eyes gleaming like they’d just found a priceless treasure…