The Shining Star Above The Heaven

Zander's steps kept getting faster and faster, and the whispers grew louder and louder.

"Yes, keep running. You are a coward, so just keep being a coward. Keep running like you always did in the past. You don't have to push yourself."

"You are a coward! Trash! Someone worthy only of being cast aside. You are nothing, YOU ARE NOTHING!"

Zander's bad memories resurfaced from his time in the Heavenly Path Academy. He, who was once lifted up as a rare genius, had fallen from his high place as he was left further and further behind by his peers. His cultivation stagnated, and he was trampled by those stronger than him—especially by the descendants of nobles.

He, who came only from ordinary roots, from an ordinary family, was in no way comparable to those nobles.

He was nothing, and he felt his fate would remain that way for who knows how long. Perhaps his entire life would be miserable. He endured it in silence, but how much longer could he live like that? Even his family at home did not know his struggles, nor how pathetic he truly was.

The only thing they knew was their pride in him, their happiness that he could pursue his dream. Yet that dream seemed farther and farther away, replaced instead with a miserable life.

As Zander's steps grew faster and faster, his memories resurfaced, and with his fear mixed with the whispers clouding his mind, he suddenly felt his feet stuck. Darkness crept up from his legs as if trying to devour him slowly, and his eyes grew redder and redder.

"No, no, stay away from me! Stay away from me!" he shouted in fear as he tried to run again, but his feet would not move.

In his physical body outside, his aura was already fluctuating and beginning to turn red. Orlav, who was observing the competition, looked in his direction and could not help but sigh.

'It seems the illusion is too much for him, or perhaps he has problems from his past that triggered his inner demon. And it is quite a strong inner demon,' he thought. He wanted to bring Zander out, but—

"Let him be."

An incoming voice transmission stopped him, leaving him stunned as he turned to look at Aldrian. He was surprised by Aldrian's order.

"But, Your Majesty—"

"I will take responsibility if something goes wrong. You don't have to worry." Aldrian cut him off, leaving Orlav silent as he turned his gaze back to Zander. Orlav did not know who Zander truly was, which made him wonder what kind of relationship this masked figure had with the emperor for Aldrian the Great to give such an order.

Zander's aura grew more and more ominous, its fluctuations drawing the attention of many spectators. At this moment, they finally realized that Zander was in the process of being devoured by his own inner demon!

This left many astonished, and they turned their eyes toward Orlav and the other staff, wondering why they were not stopping Zander. In truth, the other staff wanted to bring him out when they saw Orlav had not done so yet, but Orlav had ordered them through voice transmission to remain still and focus on the other participants.

This stunned them and stirred the urge to protest, but once they learned that this was the emperor's order, they could only remain silent and grit their teeth in anxiety. Zander was a rare genius who had appeared in the Barisan Continent, and it would be a great loss if something happened to him.

From Aldrian's balcony, he continued to watch Zander with a calm expression. The same could not be said for Sylphia and the others who knew the masked figure was Zander. Sylphia looked at him with worry, then turned her head toward Aldrian.

"Dear, he seems unable to withstand the inner demon. Why are you not stopping him?"

"Not yet," Aldrian answered. "Not yet. He still has that spark inside his heart that could save him. That spark might also bring him great benefit if he can take advantage of it."

"Yes, I can see Zander's spark, the one that symbolizes his spirit and resolve. It is not as strong as his trauma, but it can grow greater at the right moment," Baek Jimin suddenly commented. Her mesmerizing red eyes, which seemed to perceive truths others could not, were fixed on Zander.

"You are waiting to see if Zander can trigger that moment, aren't you?" Baek Jimin asked as she turned her head toward Aldrian. He nodded, his focus still on Zander.

"Then, what if he fails and is consumed by his own inner demon?" she asked again.

"I will stop him." His short reply left the others stunned. Did he mean to kill Zander himself, or did he have some method to wake him up?

Baek Jimin only nodded, then turned her gaze back to Zander. At this moment, his aura grew even more ominous, his body turning redder and redder as he trembled without pause.

Inside Zander's illusion, the darkness that tried to consume him had already reached his upper body. He struggled to escape, to resist the negativity that clung to him, but it refused to let go, embedding itself deeper into his being. His eyes were already blood-red, the whispers digging into his mind as his fear intensified.

"You are destined for nothing, and you will be nothing! You are nothing! YOU ARE NOTHING! There is nothing but disappointment, you are a disappointment to yourself, a disappointment to your family, a disappointment to your master, a disappointment to everyone! You are worth nothing!" the whispers roared.

Yet in that chaos, in what felt like an abyss of despair ready to swallow him whole, a flicker of clarity stirred. A disappointment? Was he truly a disappointment? He remembered the pride in his family's eyes whenever they looked at him, and he remembered his master…

His master had always trusted him, even when he did not trust himself. His master recognized his worth when no one else did, not even himself. Every time he trained under him, his master was satisfied and proud. And that pride gave Zander strength, something he carried deep inside his heart.

There was never disappointment in his master's eyes, except when he doubted himself, when he belittled himself that one time. The moment he lost confidence in his own worth, that was when his master seemed disappointed. Was he truly a disappointment to his master?

No! His master was never disappointed in him as a person. He was disappointed only because Zander carried that tendency to belittle himself before he even tried, in that one moment.

And there was also his family. Although they did not know the depth of his struggles, would they ever be disappointed in him? He knew his family, and he knew they never would.

If none of them were disappointed in him or doubted him, then why did he doubt himself? Why drown in self-doubt? He might be afraid, but he would not give up! If he wanted to uphold their pride in him and not disappoint them, then he had to hold on to his spirit. He had to fight against his doubt and fear!

The darkness had already consumed him up to his neck. In the stadium, those who were watching were certain, Zander was only a step away from becoming a fiend.

"Why have the staff still not brought him out?! Bring him out already!" one of the spectators shouted.

"What are the official thinking?" others wondered. They truly could not comprehend why Zander was not being stopped. He was a rare genius, and it would be a great loss for the Barisan Continent if he turned into a fiend. Moreover, with the Barisan Continent already opened to the world, he was a future talent who could bring honor to its name.

They also could not understand why Aldrian the Great allowed this to continue when it looked as though they were about to lose one of their greatest seedlings at this very moment.

The Sword Maiden, watching from her place, could not help but glance at Aldrian. He must already know Zander's value and the extent of his talent, so why did he not stop this? If this continued, he would lose a great talent from his continent.

Orlav, who kept his eyes fixed on Zander, also gritted his teeth. He felt it was truly a pity, that this seedling seemed to have failed and was on the verge of becoming a fiend.

However, suddenly, he felt something from Zander. His aura, which had been fluctuating and continuously becoming corrupted, abruptly stopped. His body's changes halted, and his trembling ceased. Those who could sense it were stunned. What was happening now?

As they tried to make sense of it, Zander's body suddenly began to exude sword intent! This shocked many, for it had come too suddenly. The sword intent was also far stronger than before, causing many to wonder if such power of sword intent was even possible for an early-stage cultivator

But when they remembered they had an emperor who was even more absurd, they did not dwell too much on it. Still, it was shocking to witness such powerful sword intent coming from an early-stage cultivator. And their astonishment only grew, for his sword intent continued to rise, becoming stronger and stronger.

This sword intent was even far more powerful than most they had sensed from marquess-stage cultivators!

What in the world was happening inside his illusion for him to unleash sword intent of this level? Just moments ago, he had seemed on the brink of becoming a fiend. Yet now, he once again proved himself a rare genius of this continent, a genius with great power.

Aldrian smiled as he observed Zander.

'You did it.'