Chapter 1: The Cruel Laugh and a Dying Wish

**Chapter 1: The Cruel Laugh and a Dying Wish**

The last thing Lio Jin saw was the glint of moonlight on the Blood Dragon Sword, its crimson blade piercing his chest.

His girlfriend, Seraphina, her face contorted in a cruel, triumphant grin, stood over him, the laughter echoing in his ears even as darkness claimed him.

He’d been a Martial Saint, a pinnacle of strength in the cultivation world, yet he’d fallen to a single, swift strike from someone he’d loved.

The betrayal was a bitter pill to swallow, even in death.

He’d never understood her motives, the sudden shift in her eyes from adoration to cold calculation. All he remembered was that chilling laugh, a sound that would forever haunt the edges of his fading consciousness.

Then, a voice, thin and reedy, cut through the encroaching darkness. "Brother… please wake up… brother…"

He blinked, his vision swimming back into focus. He was lying on the cold, damp earth, the pain in his chest a dull throb.

He saw his younger sister, Mu Yiner, her face streaked with tears, her hands frantically clutching his own. Her desperate cries pierced the fog in his mind.

"Open your eyes, brother…"

He forced his eyelids open, the world blurring into a hazy mess of colors. He saw the frantic faces of medical personnel rushing towards him, their voices a muffled roar.

He was lifted onto a stretcher, the world tilting and spinning. He vaguely registered Mu Yiner's worried whispers, her small hand gripping his.

He awoke in a sterile hospital room, his body encased in bandages.

The pain was still there, a constant reminder of the attack, but it was muted, dulled by some unknown force. A girl with fair skin, sea-like light blue eyes, and flowing light blue hair sat beside his bed. She wore a simple white dress that seemed to shimmer faintly.

"Are you awake?" she asked, her voice soft yet firm. "Didn't I tell you not to go into the Beast Forest?"

The world swam back into focus, but it wasn't his own.

Fragments of another's life flooded Lio Jin's mind—memories of Mu Jin. He saw the gnawing hunger, the constant worry etched on his sister Mu Yiner's face, the crushing weight of unpaid rent. Desperation, raw and visceral, had driven Mu Jin into the heart of the Beast Forest, a desperate gamble to hunt a wolf and sell its crystal for survival.

Mu Jin hadn't yet awakened his latent abilities; he was just a man driven to the edge.

The wolf's attack was brutal, a maelstrom of claws and teeth. Injured and bleeding, Mu Jin fled, his strength failing him.

He stumbled towards the city, a desperate hope flickering in his heart. But hope died swiftly. A hulking figure, skin like granite, blocked his path—a Ranker, his body a living weapon, his ability clearly of the earth element.

The rock-skinned man struck with terrifying speed, ending Mu Jin's life with a single blow. He stole Mu Jin's dagger, leaving him to bleed out in the dust.

Then, a wisp of ethereal energy coalesced before Lio Jin's eyes—Mu Jin's soul fragment, fading fast. "I don't know who you are," the fragment whispered, its voice barely audible, "but I'm dying. I'll vanish soon. Please… take care of my sister… as your own." The light flickered and died.

"Mu Jin! Mu Jin!!" Mu Yiner's anguished cry tore through the silence.

Lio Jin turned to his sister, her face a mask of grief and despair.

He didn't know this man, Mu Jin, yet the weight of his dying wish settled heavily on his shoulders.

He looked at her, at the raw pain in her eyes, and a strange resolve hardened his gaze.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice surprisingly steady.

"Everything will change soon."

To be continue!

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